System setup and notes
| System name | MESH Matrix II XGS550BE | Arbico OC2695 XL |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE - 3.1GHz - dual-core | Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 - 2.83GHz @ 3.40GHz - quad-core |
| Motherboard | ASUS M4A79-T (790GX+SB750) | Gigabyte EP43-DS3L (Intel P43 + ICH10) |
| Memory | 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 | 4GB (2 x 2GB) Corsair DDR2 |
| Memory timings and speed | 9-9-9-24-2T
@ 1,333MHz |
5-5-5-15-2T @ 800MHz |
| Graphics card(s) | Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 XT 1,024MB (stock) | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 896MB |
| Graphics driver | CATALYST 9.5 | ForceWare 185.85 |
| Disk drive(s) | 1TB Seagate | Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB |
| Optical drive(s) | Samsung 22x dual-layer DVD-ReWriter | ASUS DRW-20B1ST |
| Chassis and PSU | NZXT HUSH and hec 550W | Cooler Master Elite 333 and 460W PSU |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit, SP1 | Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit, SP1 |
| Warranty | One year (hardware), return to base, parts and labour | Two years, return to base, parts and labour (labour-only 2nd year) |
| Notable extras | Logitech Deluxe keyboard and mouse | None |
| Base unit price, including VAT | £649, including VAT | £699, including VAT |
| Delivery | £24.45, including VAT | £40.25, including VAT |
| Benchmarks | PCMark Vantage b1.0.0
(inc. Nov. '08 hotfix) HEXUS.PiFast calculation to 10M places 7-zip compression of 205MB files CINEBENCH R10 multi-CPU render 3DMark Vantage b1.0.1 (Extreme settings) Enemy Territory: Quake Wars - 1,680x1,050 4xAA 16xAF and 1,920x1,200 4xAA 16xAF Power-draw, heat, and noise tests |
|---|
Notes
We're using a cut-down suite that includes two industry-standard benchmarking titles from Futuremark that provide results based on practically every facet of computing performance - from hard-drive to memory.7-zip is a compression program that's multi-threaded for optimum performance. We're compressing 58 photos into one file and measuring the time taken to do so.
HEXUS.PiFast tests single-core performance and CINEBENCH stresses as many cores as are available.
Both systems passed an overnight Prime95 torture test without any failures.
Neither system can be classed as loud, and if we had to make a choice for those who prefer quietness, the vote would go to the ARBICO...just.
Issues
Neither system uses the CPUs' respective energy-saving technologies - Cool'n'Quiet or EIST - and idle power-draw will suffer as a result.The ARBICO system was configured such that 46 updates were requested when it booted up. This should have been done at the factory, really.
