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Sony VAIO TP2

James Stables — 1210156655

Media centres and living room PCs are set to become one of the rising technologies of the next twelve months, and Sony is hoping that its brand new VAIO TP2 media PC will set the standard for the rest of the competition.

Its timing couldn't be better either, because in 2008 more people than ever are waking up to the dream of building a digital home.

The popularity of HD TVs is now firmly established.

And what with faster broadband speeds enabling us to download HD video content for the first time, and with the introduction of video-on-demand services such as BBC iPlayer, media centre PCs are no longer reserved for hardcore enthusiasts who spend most of their hard earned cash on expensive kit.

Powerful innards

The Sony VAIO TP2 may look like a biscuit tin, but under that smooth round exterior lays a veritable computing powerhouse. It has been granted a major upgrade from its iPod styled predecessor the TP1, with faster clock speeds and most importantly the introduction of a Blu-ray drive, bringing Sony's high definition format into the living room.

Sony has included one of the new 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors in the VAIO TP2. This revised Penryn version of Intel’s dual core processor has been lauded for improvements in video processing and decoding, making it perfect for the inclusion in media based PCs.

Inside the case you’ll find 2GB of RAM and also a laptop-style Nvidia 8400M graphics card which gives it enough power to drive video playback, Windows Vista's demanding Aero interface on HDTVs and even some low-end games if you have the desire. There’s also a 500GB hard drive in there for good measure.

HDMI connectivity

Behind a sliding panel in the front of the VAIO TP2 are all the connections and sockets you would expect to find on any PC, with Firewire, SD card, multiple USB, DVI and HDMI ports.

Disappointingly, we were given an early preview model which had no Blu-ray drive fitted. All retail models will have Blu-ray included, and while all the signs look good for quality, there have been reports that Sony has limited the capacity of the HDMI 1.3 ports. That means the TP2 will downgrade fully lossless audio such as Dolby TruHD to Standard or Dolby 5.1 to lower standards.

This will anger some audiophiles, but the truth is that most HDMI 1.3 devices are having issues with lossless audio.

Quiet as a mouse

When building media centre and living room PCs, the cardinal sin is making it so noisy that enjoyment of music and movies is spoiled by the sound of a light aircraft taxiing across the room. Sony has not made this mistake with the VAIO TP2, and it maintains a dignified silence during the most demanding tasks.

So if the TP2 is such a well rounded (excuse the pun) and superbly capable media PC, why shouldn't you just go out and buy one now and spend the rest of you life decaying in front of its mighty entertainment aura?

The price, at a staggering £899, will most likely put off most average home user and stop this from becoming a hit.

The problem with media centre PCs is that they will forever be used as a second PC. Few people would want to have their main PC marching from the office, and invading the sanctuary of the living room. If Sony is to reach outside the existing media PC ownership or rich enthusiasts, they may have missed the mark with the TP2.

Too expensive

For most living room activities such as watching movies and surfing the web, the TP2 is grossly over powered. It's a mighty machine, but media streamers have successfully been freeing music and movies from the office for years, and they don't cost £900. While media PCs are great, you don't need a powerhouse like this to watch and record TV and playback movies.

If you want a Blu-ray device and the ability to listen to music and watch videos from your PC from the comfort of your living room then the obvious answer is to invest in a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360.

At £280 a PS3 will save you £615 over the cost of a VAIO TP2, and lets you stream your media from your main PC over your network, surf the net and play Blu-ray discs.

While the TP2 is a work of computing genius, there are few people out there who would spend that much to bring the benefits of a PC into the living room. If you're in the market to replace your main PC with a living room alternative you can't fail with the TP2, otherwise there are plenty of alternatives.

Cyberpower Gamer Ultra 930

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Two months ago, we experienced a miracle, as if God himself had let a PC descend from the heavens like a dual-core Angel Gabriel.

It was the CyberPower Infinty 850, a sub-£550 gaming rig that would run Crysis out of the box. Amen.

Would Cyberpower be able to pull off such a marvel again? In a word, no. Cyberpower's latest, the Gamer Ultra 930, limps in like the 850's unfortunately deformed brother; the one from who the 850 stole the best genes.

Let down by its graphics card

On the first day, God said "Let there be light". And there was light - the same 19-inch flatscreen that shipped with the 850. And he saw that it was good. On the second day, God said, "Let there be peripherals". And there were peripherals - a solid Logitech keyboard and mouse.

On the third day, God said, "let there be a Quad core 2.2GHz Phenom processor and two gigs of RAM." And there was the Phenom and two gigabytes of RAM. And on the fourth day God said, "Sod it, I've had enough." and got sidetracked playing with molluscs.

Thusly, God forgot to install a decent graphics card, plumping for ATi's 3650 over 850's excellent 9600GT. Therefore, with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, the latest Cyberpower rig is just not as good as the 850.

3DMark06 limped in with less than half the score we saw the Infinity 850 pump out. Crysis ran jerkily with medium graphics settings, before giving up on the system and grinding to a halt, and World in Conflict's results were less than impressive.

Inferior budget system

It's a shame because the Phenom has a certain amount of potential, but teaming it with this graphics card drags the whole system down so far it's in danger of plummeting into Hades itself. The one criticism of the 850 - the small 160GB hard disk - is also present here.

If you really want to show your support for AMD and pick up the Gamer Ultra 930, for the sake of all that is holy ditch the graphics card and get a 3870 or X2 and bung in a bigger hard disk while you're at it.

If you're after a budget rig (and let's face it, who doesn't like a bargain?), we can't recommend this machine. It's older brother, the Infinity 850 is still our gaming-on-a-budget star performer.

Shuttle XPC P2-3500G

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Despite the diminutive sizes of its machines, Shuttle appears to be getting itself some serious delusions of grandeur.

You can't possibly make a small form factor gaming machine. Can you? Well, with the machines that Shuttle has been putting out recently these delusions have become reality.

Punchy performance

The X38-based XPC SX39P2 Pro had a CrossFire board and, more importantly, the space to use it.

This full-system comes equipped with one of the later 65nm, 2.4GHz Core 2 Quad CPUs and thanks to the mobo also the option to upgrade to 45nm chips later on. There's the currently ubiquitous 4GB RAM coupled with AMD's 512MB HD3870, making this an impressive games machine.

In tests we got well over the 10,000 in 3DMark06 and had Crysis running at playable frame rates, even under DX10. The HD3870 inside isn't going to set any game speed records, but the fact that the Shuttle can happily house a dual-slot card without overheating and sounding like Concorde's spending it's retirement sitting in your front room, makes it a powerful option as a games machine.

Powerful but pricey

The design of the chassis is excellent, giving enough cooling to keep the machine functioning at full load despite the fact that the little case is chock full o' tech.

This XPC would be perfect as a gaming media centre with a slight change of graphics card and a newer, 45nm quad-core chip. The only real sticking point is the price; for £800 you can pick up the P35P2 Pro barebones and fill it yourself with cheaper, but equally powerful components.

Shuttle XPC SX38P2 Pro

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Small form factors cases are cool, right? They're compact, light and look awesome.

Unfortunately building a gaming rig out of one is usually impossible, with space enough for nought but a puny pixel pusher. Not with Shuttle's latest barebones system though; the XPC SX38P2 is just about as high end as you could wish for.

Capable of some great gaming

Squeezed into this Micro-ATX box of wonders is an X38 Express motherboard, support for the latest Intel Penryn CPUs and even full length CrossFire.

When complemented with suitably high-end components you will have a hardcore gaming PC. The impressive World in Conflict scores put it right up there with the best desktops.

The only sacrifices you make by going small are the 450 watt PSU's lack of upgradeability and storage is limited to only three hard disks. Neither turns out to be
a big problem.

Whether used for gaming or as a media centre, the SX38P2 won't disappoint. There's enough space to fit either two video cards with a single slot cooler (like the Radeon HD3850) for CrossFire, or a single card with a beefy heat sink.

All you need to know though is that you can definitely fit a full size GeForce 8800 in here. Hell, you could fit AMD's gigantic 3870 x2 if you could power the damn thing.

Along with four slots for DDR2 memory there's all the usual ports, although the fingerprint scanner is a bizarre addition, but runs across Shuttle's recent barebones range.

Easy upgrading

A lot of thought has gone into making upgrading as painless as possible. Nothing gets in your way when you poke around inside the case.

The RAM slots are within reach at the side, and all SATA and power connectors are clipped out of the way. After removing the hard disk caddies you have clear access to the CPU, and its custom heat sink comes off painlessly.

The internal tidiness isn't just for looks, airflow is even more important in such a small case, and with fewer obstructions, the side mounted fans can do their job. If the PC begins to overheat though, you'll know about it fast, since the spinning fans will begin to sound like a chainsaw.

Meanwhile, the three hard drives, a quad-core chip and Crossfire will tend to generate a wee bit of heat...

A superb package

We'd recommend the SX38P2 for any gamer after a small rig.

It's a powerhouse, simple to upgrade and easy to lug around for LAN gaming. Admittedly, you are shelling out £450 for just a case, motherboard and PSU, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better box.

Advance Tec ATFX Triple Sli

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Until now, a system with triple-SLI pre-installed has been a dream - theoretically possible, but never actually seen in the wild.

That is, until the arrival of Advance Tec's new machine, comprising no fewer than three beefy BFG 8800GTX graphics cards.

Unsurprisingly for a rig containing three humungous graphics cards, it's neither small nor light, with all the components shoved into a Coolermaster Cosmos case like big rectangular sardines in a designer tin.

High quality gaming

The build quality of the whole thing is mightily impressive, and in little danger of overheating. The case looks the part, and barely a whisper is heard thanks to the Coolermaster's neat acoustic design.

Like any rational being, the first thing we did was to run Crysis at maximum resolution. It struggles at the highest texture rates, but performs very well with medium settings - and still looked so real we began booking tickets back from the South China Seas.

World in Conflict also performs incredibly at high resolution and maximum detail, with the frame rate staying well into double figures. But the cynic amongst us (Alan) suggested that we find out just how much of a difference the triple-SLI setup really makes.

Superbly built machine

So a test was devised. We benchmarked World in Conflict and Call of Juarez with three cards, made a note of the result, then tried two and finally one card.

World in Conflict's average frames per second shows a drop of about a quarter each time a card is removed, and Call of Juarez shows a drop of a third on removing one card, then almost another half with a solo card.

So not only is this machine incredibly well-built, it's also properly configured and optimised for triple SLI.

Steep price

The only sticking point is the price tag, which at £1,755 is fairly hefty - although it scores better on our benchmarks than other recent, more expensive machines, and the fact is that three top end cards don't come cheap, so keeping the machine under the two grand mark is an impressive achievement in itself.

Don't forget, for your cash you're getting a factory overclocked, triple-SLI rig with none of the worries of setting one up.

The ram isn't 4GB, and the processor isn't quad-core, but they competently back up the graphics cards and most importantly, the PC is more than up to the job.

If you have the cash, it's a winner.

Cyber Power Gamer Infinity 850

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Should the thought of buying a whole new PC fill you and your wallet with dread then fear not, CyberPower is here to show that buying a full PC setup need not break the bank.

Think that's going to severely limit your gaming capabilities? What if I told you that you could have this system out of the box and be happily playing Crysis on max DX10 settings at the bundled panel's native res in the time it takes to install? You excited yet?

Bargain price, premium performance

What makes this possible is the inclusion of NVIDIA's latest budget pixel-pusher in the shape of the 9600GT.

The rest of the bundle is no shambles either, with the eminently overclockable dual core 45nm E8400. Okay, so it's not a quad, but right now there's little that can actually leverage the extra two cores anyway.

The motherboard doesn't allow for SLI, but it does at least have an amount of future resistance, being able to run the Penryn-based quad core chips.

The two gigabytes of RAM is a necessity with the inclusion of Home Premium, and the bundled 19-inch widescreen monitor is a perfect fit for the specs of this machine.

It's clear, bright and as responsive as you'll need. My only reservation with this specific system is the slightly miserly 160GB hard drive, but with prices being what they are you can configure the setup with CyberPower at purchase and have the drive replaced with a 500GB version for an extra £40-odd.

Perfect budget gaming system

The Infinity 850 really is the perfect budget gaming machine, with performance that goes way beyond the budget tag.

The upgrade possibilities are there too, with a clean spacious case just waiting to be filled with extra tech as and when you can. The PSU is a bit power-light, so if you're thinking of getting a more powerful GPU it really ought to be replaced sooner rather than later.

Still, this machine comes ready to rock out of the box and I for one am mightily impressed with what we've got here for such a minimal outlay.

PC NextDay Zoostorm Core 2 Duo E6550 zStyle

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Look hard enough and you'll find a PC that's every bit as sleek as a Mac.

You might not expect a company like PCNextday to deliver such a product, but this new Zoostorm looks great and is a powerful package - all for just £600.

Stylish Family PC

It's been launched as a universal family PC and this is where the Zoostorm excels, sporting built-in Wi-Fi and a TV tuner card. There's also a reasonably sized hard drive, 2GB of RAM and a 2.1 speaker set to complete the multimedia package.

This Zoostorm is a real novelty in the PC market, shedding any evidence of black, grey and silver for a white sheen that'll suit the iPod generation down to the ground. Yet colour aside, the peripherals that make up this system are an odd bunch and on close inspection they don't quite match up.

The micro ATX case is attractive with a handy slide-down panel, but the AOC 19-inch screen, Hiper keyboard and Sweex mouse all have a different gloss to them. This gives the unfortunate impression that the system has been somewhat cobbled together.

Excellent monitor

Apart from the mouse, which is basic to say the least, the system components have been chosen sensibly and the AOC 195F monitor is one of the finest examples of the company's products that we've seen. Having said this, the monitor's bulky power supply will disappoint some people.

Connectivity is at the heart of this machine and the feature set is impressive, minimising the need for you to fit additional elements. That's not to say that using the PC was an entirely smooth experience.

The hybrid TV tuner card enables you to watch and record your favourite TV shows from digital Freeview or traditional analogue transmissions and you can use the media centre features of Windows Vista to quickly and easily navigate to your favourite channel.

We couldn't test reception in our area, but the device appeared to function correctly and was easy to configure. The wireless was a different story however, let down by a poor wireless client that was confusing to operate and took a surprisingly long time to detect networks.

Questionable components

The choice of motherboard is questionable and coupled with a basic PSU and stock CPU cooler, it means that the zStyle is a noisy computer. Despite its lifestyle looks, it won't fit the bill if you're planning on using it as a living-room PC.

Furthermore, the motherboard and case size leave little room for upgrading, so this system may not serve you well in the future.

Graphics aren't much to write home about, with the onboard graphics clocking in at just 286 using 3DMark. A CPU score of 1,968 proved much better and for general PC use without graphical demands the 2.33GHz processor sings.

Affordable, well-featured PC

Spending £600 elsewhere will get you a similar amount of power, but you're unlikely to benefit from the TV or Wi-Fi functionality that's on offer here. For a no-hassle system that's got a unique look, the zStyle Premium Family PC is a good option.

However, you may want to consider the upgrade options on the online build form before you commit, of which sellers like PCNextday are happy to discuss.

Cyberpower Infinity XT Elite

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Ask any PC expert and they'll all tell you the same thing: you can't buy a decent gaming PC for £799.

Then again, perhaps they haven't seen the Cyberpower Systems Gamer Infinity XT Elite.

Stylish system

It's got the gorgeous looks you need in a silver-grey case, with retro-style analogue dials for voltage, fan speed and temperature. Turn it on and blue light shines from the case window.

It's also got the hardware, in the shape of a powerful 512MB ATI HD2900XT display card, excellent Creative T6100 5.1 speakers and even an 802.11g Wi-Fi card thrown in for easy networking.

You do pay a price for all this high-end kit: the system requires some high-powered fans to remove the hot air it generates, making this quite a noisy system. Don't give up on it yet, though. There are serious compensations.

Gaming power

The ATI HD2900XT graphics card managed some blistering speeds in our benchmarks, returning a 3DMark 2006 score of 10,927. It stomped all over the performances from many of its rivals.

Factor in the 2GB of 800MHz RAM and Core 2 Duo E6750 CPU, and this system also came first in the more all-round PCMark Vantage test, although this time by a far less significant 2.6 per cent margin.

It's not all good news, though. The keyboard is only average and the mouse proved to be uncomfortably small, so we'd be looking to replace both immediately.

Fortunately, this won't cost you too much. On the other hand, extras like the best warranty (three-year return-to-base) are more than adequate compensation, making this system a great gaming choice.

PC Specialist Apollo Home XT

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The PC Specialist Apollo Home XT isn't one of the most stylish PCs.

Still, at least it's not beige and by avoiding spending money on a flashy case PC Specialist is able to throw in a digital TV tuner card and deliver the whole system for free. Now that sounds good to us.

Sharp display

Other notable components inside its more average case include a 500GB Western Digital hard drive. Elsewhere, 20x DVD writer will burn your discs quicker than most of the competition.

The 22-inch V7 L22WD monitor is also a decent choice, producing sharp and accurate colours over a wide viewing angle. That's probably more important than having a cool-looking case.

Mid-range components

The remaining core components of the PC Specialist Apollo Home XT are in line with most of its rivals: a Core 2 Duo E6750 CPU, 2GB of DDR 667MHz RAM and an ATI Radeon HD2600XT graphics card.

So it's no surprise that the PC hits mid-range scores right across our benchmarks, including fourth place in both 3DMark 2006 (4,670) and PCMark Vantage (4,036).

The ordinariness continues elsewhere. The Creative Inspire 5.1 speakers are reasonable, for instance; the 500W power supply is acceptable, but others manage a 600W model.

Overall then, the PC Specialist Apollo Home XT is a capable PC, and you'd probably be more than happy with it, but the system's not quite got that extra something to win out over the competition.

MESH Elite E6850 GT ANS

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MESH has a reputation for producing high-spec systems at a low price, and sure enough the Elite E6850 GT ANS stands out in several areas.

It has a fast CPU in the Core 2 Duo E6850, a hefty 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive, the 18x DVD writer has LightScribe support, and there's still cash left over to thrown in a digital/analogue TV tuner card.

Pricey delivery charges

In reality, you're paying for some of this, through the relatively high delivery costs (while companies like Cyberpower and PC Specialist charge you nothing, MESH adds £40 to the overall price).

There are also clear economies in other areas; the ordinary case can't match some other PCs for looks, for example. Still, it's an impressive feature list and we were interested to see how it would perform.

Average performance

Graphics for this PC are handled by an nVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT. This returned a 3DMark 2006 score of 4,346, which was a slightly disappointing sixth place, although still good enough to play any game at an acceptable frame rate.

The 22-inch Chimei monitor is fast enough to make gaming enjoyable, too, but its lack of adjustment compared poorly with the hp stand.

Our other benchmarks revealed only marginally above average scores for the PC's memory and hard drive, and so despite having the fast CPU the system only managed an average performance.

The MESH Elite E6850 GT ANS undoubtedly has an impressive feature list, though, and that alone means it's a system which can't be ignored.