Internal musings
Let's delve inside now. But before we do, we'll just list this systems' specifications.
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AMD XP2700+ CPU 333FSB, AMD APPROVED COOLER
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ROUNDED CABLES
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MAXTOR 120GB S-ATA HARD DRIVE
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NEC 16X DVD-ROM
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NEC ND1300A +/- DVD Re-Writer
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ENERMAX CS-1018 WITH 353W ENERMAX PSU AND 4 INTERNAL FANS
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1024MB (2X512MB) CORSAIR XMS2700 CL2 MEMORY
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3.5" 6-IN-1 CARD READER
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128MB GAINWARD FX5200 ULTRA GOLDEN SAMPLE
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SONY 15" TFT (SB51R)
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CHIEFTEC WIRELESS KEYBOARD AND MOUSE
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CREATIVE 5.1 5100 5 SPEAKER PACKAGE
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MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION
The size of the case is illustrated by just how small the ABIT NF7-S motherboard looks in comparison. We like the fan-holding piece of plastic that comes away from the right-hand side. We also like the method of mounting the 120GB SATA hard drive, too. The case appears to have server aspirations. We must note that the 16x DVD-ROM's rounded cable had come away in transit, and, obviously, the drive would not show up in Windows. Attaching the cable back to the port was as easy as it sounds.
The cabling is actually pretty tidy if you consider the sheer volume of cables employed. The drive bay on the right deserves special mention. An exhaust fan, on the left-hand side, helps keep the XP2700 at lukewarm levels. We're kind of surprised to see 1GB of Corsair XMS2700 C2 memory being specified here. It's relatively expensive when compared to some of the branded competition. Scan obviously think the price premium is one worth paying for.
A single sideways-mounted SATA drive leaves space for four drives (caddies permitting) The removable caddies make installing another drive a piece of cake. Notice just how much space SATA cables save.
Another fan and access to the top-mounted functions, all neatly cabled and tied. We've always mentioned just how feature-packed some motherboard are. Scan try to maximise the considerable talents of the ABIT NF7-S v2. We'd have liked to have seen something along the lines of a Barton XP2800 instead of the XP2700 Thoroughbred, really. The extra 256kb of cache does help in applications with a larger dataset.
Scan have managed to incorporate a single FireWire connection on the back, even though the bracket has provision for two. The simple reason is that the top-mounted FireWire port takes up the other available motherboard header. This leaves a little untidy cabling that blocks up almost two PCI slots. Nothing really can be done about it, though. The cabling comes quite close to fouling the Gainward FX 5200 Ultra's GPU fan, too. The installation and routing of components and cables is subjectively excellent; no doubt helped by the excellent choice of case.
A word or two about component selection now. This system is priced at £1291.33 including VAT. That's a whole chunk of money, and we'd usually expect some top-notch components. As previously mentioned, there's little need to specify a standard Athlon XP processor. A Barton core, be it XP2800 or XP3000, would have been a better choice. We have little to comment on the motherboard. The ABIT nForce2 v2 is about as good as dual-channel AMD motherboards get. The case, too, is a superb and thoughtful choice. The 128MB FX 5200 Ultra is a capable card, but at this price point we'd expect something with a little more oomph. Something along the lines of a Radeon 9700 Pro, perhaps ?. The card does feature both HD15 and DVI connections, as well as S-Video for basic VIVO operations. InterVideo's WinCinema helps in getting VIVO up and running.
One minor point here is that a system costing ~ £1300 should really ship with a discrete 6-channel, 24-bit soundcard. The quality of the nForce2's APU glosses over this slight omission. The motherboard features an integrated 10/100 LAN jack on the back panel, yet many users still use a MODEM to connect to the internet. We suppose it could be specified at the time of ordering.
The multi-format NEC ND1300A drive, however, is a wise inclusion. Its ability to write both DVD-R and +R discs at 4x, coupled with 2x / 2.4x writing for DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs and 16x CD-R / 10x CD-RW burning makes it a versatile and relatively future-proof performer. The accompanying 16x DVD-ROM, also manufactured by NEC, is a quiet and effective drive. Perhaps a separate CD-RW instead of a DVD-ROM would have been beneficial ?.
The 120GB Maxtor SATA drive formats down to just over 114GB using the NTFS filing system, and it attaches to the motherboard via a native SATA cable; just how it should be. The drive was quiet in use, perhaps drowned out by the systems fans. We've got little complaint here. The 6-in-1 card reader was a nice touch. The components used were all branded, quality items. We just ask for a little more power from both the CPU and graphics card. A system is more than just a base unit, so let's now have a look at what else is in the package.
