$1500-$3500.(Best Buys)

Infocom Gaming Beast 1.2

[1] Similar to the Gaming Beast that has been in charts, this Infocom system is targeted at gamers and LAN'ers. The Gaming Beast 1.2 bundles some excellent features for increased portability and good looks.

A Pentium 4 2.8CGHz processor with an 800MHz front side bus speed sits atop an Albatron PX865PE Pro II motherboard. The motherboard is based on the 865PE chipset and is one of the better 865-based boards we have seen. Two 80GB ATA100 Seagate hard disks take advantage of the onboard IDE RAID and are configured via RAID 0 to give a total capacity of 160GB. Two 256MB DDR400 GEIL-branded DIMM modules occupy two of the four available slots and feature dark blue heatsinks to dissipate heat. The graphics card is a 128MB DDR Gigacube 9800 Pro, the same as in the Inspire P32 system. A 56Kbps PCI modem enables Internet connection, and network connectivity is supplied by a Gigabit network adapter (10/100/1000). There are two BenQ-branded optical drives: a DVD-ROM drive and a CD-RW drive.

Numerous PCI brackets at the rear of the system provide extra connections for peripherals and include ports for Hi-Speed USB 2.0, FireWire, a joystick or game controller, and S/PDIF out. Sound is provided by onboard eight-channel audio, and the Gaming Beast is the first system in the test Centre to have this configuration.

Fast frame rates were recorded under the UT2003 benchmark, scoring 157fps in the Inferno map and 166fps in the Face3 map. Recorded times for the real world tests were comparable with other systems. A notable improvement was in the hard disk transfer tests, due to the RAID configuration.

The Antec Lanboy case still comes standard with a carrying strap, enabling users to transport their case easily. The windowed side panel does its best to showcase the working parts of the system, and lights within the case increase the appeal. A small fan with blue LEDs cools the motherboard chipset.

The bundled 15in BenQ FP581s LCD monitor has a light weight, small form factor and clear display. The Logitech Z-640 speakers that are included allow users to experience true 5.1 sound via the onboard audio and offer decent clarity with all types of music. The Logitech input peripherals match the system styling and are very comfortable to use. Priced at $3380 and coming with two-year RTB warranty, this Gaming Beast 1.2 is a gamer's dream system.

Pros: Fully-featured motherboard, responsive speakers

Cons: Carrying strap still needs to be improved

Target: Gaming PC

Trinity International P4 Power Pack

[2] A solid offering from Trinity International, the P4 Power Pack performed well in benchmarks and bas some terrific components. Scoring 290 in SYSMark 2001, 16595 in 3DMark 2001 SE and 286fps in the Quake 3 timedemo, this system gives some of the more expensive systems in the Over $3500 category a run for their money. To prove the graphics scores were no fluke, testing under UT2003 produced high rates of 155fps and 173fps for the Inferno and …