Mesh Pegasus A8 review
It doesn't have the fastest CPU or GPU, but the Pegasus A8's SSD provides great Windows performance
Specifications
3.0GHz AMD A8-3870K Black Edition, 4GB RAM, N/A display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Its 450W Powercool modular power supply provides ample juice for the installed components, but if you decide to add another graphics card or replace it with a more powerful one, an upgrade would be required. The Pegasus A8’s 4GB of RAM is fitted as a single DIMM, leaving three free slots, which provides plenty of scope for RAM upgrades. Externally, you get a total of four USB3 ports and four USB2 ports, and audio buffs will be happy with its six 3.5mm ports and optical S/PDIF output.
If you plan on connecting the Pegasus A8 to an HDMI-equipped monitor, please be aware that desktop scaling is turned on by default and Mesh hasn’t installed the AMD Catalyst Control Center software that lets you change this option, which means you’ll have to download it.
The Pegasus A8’s CPU may not be as fast as an Intel i5, but the CPU is rarely the bottleneck in applications or games these days. Instead, its SSD provides a boost that’s more noticeable in everyday use than a few more gigahertz, and you can play most games too. There’s also room for expansion both inside and out. Its three-year warranty adds peace of mind too, making it a solid buy. Also worth considering though is the PC Specialist Enigma HD.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | **** |
| Processor | AMD A8-3870K Black Edition |
| Processor external bus | 100MHz (HyperTransport) |
| Processor multiplier | x30 |
| Processor clock speed | 3.0GHz |
| Processor socket | Socket FM1 |
| Memory | 4 |
| Memory type | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory | 64GB |
| Motherboard | Asustek F1A75-M |
| Motherboard chipset | AMD A75 |
Ports | |
| USB2 ports (front/rear) | 2/6 |
| Firewire ports (front/rear) | 0/0 |
| eSATA ports (front/rear) | 0/0 |
| Wired network ports | 1x 10/100/1000 |
| Wireless networking support | none |
Internal Expansion | |
| Case | tower |
| PCI-E x1 slots (free) | 1 (0) |
| PCI-E x16 slots (free) | 2 (1) |
| Free Serial ATA ports | 3 |
| Free memory slots | 3 |
| Free 3.5in drive bays | 5 |
Hard Disk | |
| Hard disk model(s) | Corsair F60 + Seagate Barracuda (ST500DM002) |
| Interface | SATA3 + SATA2 |
| Total storage capacity | 560GB |
Graphics | |
| Graphics card(s) | 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6770 |
| Graphics/video ports | VGA, DVI, HDMI |
Sound | |
| Sound | Realtek HD Audio |
| Sound outputs | 7.1 line out, optical S/PDIF out |
| Speakers | none |
Removable Drives | |
| Supported memory cards | none |
| Optical drive type(s) | DVD+/-RW +/-DL |
Display | |
| Screen model | none |
| Native resolution | N/A |
| Screen inputs | N/A |
Other Hardware | |
| Keyboard | N/A |
| Mouse | N/A |
Software | |
| Software included | Microsoft Office 2010 Starter |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
| Operating system restore option | Windows disc |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | three years RTB (three months collect and return) |
| Price | £550 |
| Details | www.meshcomputers.com |