The Elite E6600 is based on a Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.4GHz. In terms of raw processor power, it lags only marginally behind the overclocked Chillblast Tundra, which runs at 2.56GHz. However, it has a slightly stronger graphics card – an Nvidia Geforce 7950GT instead of the 7900GS in the Tundra – so there’s very little between the two PCs in overall performance.

Known graphics driver and firmware bugs meant that we couldn’t run our Far Cry benchmark, although the game itself ran fine. It also performed very well in our 3Dmark05 tests, so it should be a good choice for games fans. There is a slot for a second graphics card, so gamers have the option to upgrade.

The rest of the system is pretty good, too. It has 2GB of Ram and a 320GB hard disk, so you’ve got all the memory and storage you need, even for demanding audio and video purposes. There’s some video-editing software thrown in as well, in the form of the bundled Cyberlink editing suite, along with a copy of Microsoft Works.

Mesh has also done a good job with the Elite’s peripherals. Like most of these PCs, the Elite has 7.1 sound output built in, but it’s the only PC to actually include a full 7.1 speaker system, too.

We also liked the choice of monitor – an attractive 19in Sony screen with very good image quality. The only criticism here is that this is a 4:3 aspect ratio display, rather than a widescreen 16:9 model.

Some people might prefer a widescreen display for playing DVDs, in which case the Chillblast or Evesham machines would be a better choice.

The Elite E6600 gives a very good all-round combination of performance and features so you can take advantage of what Windows Vista has to offer.

This article is part of a group test of £999 PCs
See also:
Introduction
Ambros Shuttle SD32G2
Chillblast Fusion Tundra 6300
Evesham Solar Creation
PC Nextday Zoostorm 4-6403 Advanced PC
Graphs and table of features can be read via our Pdf downloads above.