Finishing kit - a 24in monitor, too
The finishing kit
A large chunk of the overall budget, some £300, goes towards the LG 24in monitor that ships with a native 1,920x1,200 resolution. The screen is bright, overly so, and loses just a smidgeon of clarity at the very edges.
Still, it's a good-looking monitor that supports HDCP over DVI. Playing fast-moving games were no problem and, if you're into kitsch, switching the monitor on/off gives rise to a cringe-worth little jingle - I still can't get that noise out of my head!
The other finishing kit - Creative T6100 5.1 speakers and Logitech G15 mouse and keyboard - is good, especially the input devices, and all combine to offer a black aesthetic that's plain cool.
Extras are determined by what the individual components bring to the table. The monitor provides the DVI cable and the various discs ship with the operating system and graphics and soundcards.
The manual is pretty comprehensive and details troubleshooting in plain English. Perhaps a large fold-out chart would provide easier reference, but we could just be picky.
Additional software comprises of Nero 7 Essentials, CyberLink's PowerDVD 7, and a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office 2007. The Windows disc is the only method of recovery if the software needs to reinstalled. As noted above, a partition with the factory-shipped state would have been nice.
ASUS provides the faux-leather CD-wallet and mouse-mat - the latter provides a textured surface for the Logitech mouse to do its thing.
Overall, the integration and software bundle is barely above average, although that statement is tempered by the keen pricing.
Let's jump to some numbers now.
