No, you haven't misread the price - the Gladiator Proteus PCA200 PC can be yours for a shade under £200. However, when you take a look at the specifications you'll notice that there's something missing: Windows XP.

An OS-free system is an option on all Gladiator products, so if you fancied it you could go for a free Linux distro such as Ubuntu (on this month's DVD) or pay Gladiator £79 and have Windows XP Home installed. Even if you factor the Microsoft option into the price the Proteus still only costs £278, which is an absolute bargain.

You're probably thinking that because the price is so low, the system can't be much cop. Stop right there. The Proteus has everything that most home users will want from a PC.

Granted, it doesn't feature a dedicated graphics card, but you only really need one of these if you plan to play the latest 3D games. The built-in graphics are more than adequate for everyday tasks.

Sempron inside

It also has the lower-performing AMD Sempron chip. If you wished, you could replace the Sempron chip with an Athlon64 instead. We had a quick look on eBay and you can pick one of these up for as little as £50. However, we take the view that the Sempron will handle most standard tasks without trouble.

In addition, the Asus motherboard has built-in audio and plenty of USB ports, as well as LAN and the other usual suspects for your keyboard, mouse and so on. The system isn't supplied with a keyboard, mouse or monitor, which makes the Proteus the ideal replacement for an outgoing PC. This will save you from having to dispose of an unwanted monitor or other peripherals.

PCs are a little bit like clothes - eventually you grow out of them. That shouldn't be the case with the Proteus, as you'll see when you open it up. The components that are already in place are neatly installed and there's plenty of space for new parts, making the system ideal for future upgrades.