TechRadar Verdict

A good option for those wanting to upgrade to Core i7 on a budget

Pros

+
Core i7 CPU
+
Decent graphics card
+
Full HD monitor

Cons

-
Screen may be a bit much for 512MB of graphics

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The first thing we noticed about the Mesh Elite Ice 7 Core i7 920 PC was the incredibly heavy mass of power cables that had pulled itself free during transit – an odd design choice to be sure.

However, Mesh has done a good job with component selection – there are plenty of big names on display. The Asus P6T SE motherboard boasts good features, and the HIS HD 4850 graphics card is a capable partner to the 22in Iiyama ProLite screen, although the 1,920 x 1,080 resolution will push its limits.

The 500GB Samsung hard drive may be small by modern standards, but there's still plenty of room – and there's space for more hard drives, too. Given the component selection, we were surprised to find the Elite Ice 7 sluggish in use (it performed admirably in the benchmarks).

Mesh is keen to push Windows 7, even offering a £5 rebate if you select Microsoft's new OS when you buy the machine, so maybe it's giving Vista an early bath.