The ML470 is the latest member of the Powermate family and focuses on performance and manageability. It comes in three configurations, from a tiny small-form factor (SFF) to the more roomy standard desktop – reviewed here – to a micro tower. A neat BTX motherboard is at the heart of the system and this has support for Intel’s vPro technology. The motherboard has also been designed to minimise power and cooling requirements and the model we tested was very quiet in operation.

The review system came with a 3GHz Core 2 Duo E8400, which gave it plenty of get up and go, but the ML470 can be purchased with slower dual- and single-core processors, or an even faster quad-core chip.

An integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 looks after the video interface and a DVI interface is an optional extra. In terms of storage, ours came with a 250GB 7,200rpm Seagate Barracuda, the fastest and biggest drive currently offered on this model. A DVD/CD writer is attached to a second Sata interface, with two other Sata connectors if needed, plus integrated Raid 0/1 support.

Two PCI and a couple of PCI Express expansion slots are provided, together with an integrated Gigabit Ethernet interface and eight USB2 ports – two at the front and six at the rear. The keyboard and mouse, though, come with standard PS/2 connectors.

A well-made desktop, the ML470 compares well with better-known alternatives.

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