Thoughts
There's quite a few advantages to building your own PC from scratch. You, as designer, get to choose exactly what goes in, the colour scheme, and performance. The astute builder will look for components that can be run past their stated speeds. In other words, try to get extra performance for free. However, MESH and Evesham Technology have both shown that there are plenty of reasons why a self-build isn't as attractive now as it was, say, three or four years ago. Both are leading U.K-based system integrators with a wealth of buying power. Being able to buy parts in the thousands and the cut-throat nature of online system sales has translated into some excellent machines for less money than it would cost to build it yourself.Our attempt at building an equivalent Pentium 4 machine ended in running around £200 over both the MESH and Evesham's asking price of £1526 and £1500, respectively, Our ~ £1700 price didn't take into account extra software, the obvious opportunity cost of building, extended warranties or help lines. In the context of high-end value, then, both systems are remarkably good.
Our final thoughts on the MESH Matrix 64 3200+ E-JOY are good. A favourable impression is created by the packaging and robustness of the case. The ensemble looks good, too, with matching case, TFT, mouse, keyboard and speakers - all in jet black. One external omission, we feel, is the lack of a multiformat card reader. Otherwise, it's subjectively excellent. MESH needs to build to a budget, but we felt that 1GB of PC3200 RAM should be included, perhaps at the expense of some hard drive space ?. Whilst RAID0 is good, we're not convinced it's the way to go in consumer-orientated PCs. The fault tolerance is halved, almost needlessly.
Sound is top-notch. The capable Audigy 2 sound card is paired with the equally impressive Inspire 7.1-T7700s, and the TFT is a decent 18.1" from Viewsonic. We can always nitpick and decided that one component is better than another, however the overiding feeling is the E-JOY is worth every penny.
Similarly, the Evesham Technology Axis 64 3200+ is an impressive performer. Internal case design is excellent, whilst the exterior is, perhaps, questionable, It also misses out on a card reader. No complaints against the 17" Viewsonic 171s, though. It provides crystal clear images and is definitely on the right track as far as gaming is concerned. The Radeon 9800SE AIW is a sensible inclusion. It can more than hold its own against other midrange cards and offers a whole lot more. Like the MESH, the Axis 64 3200+ uses a branded motherboard that the user is free to change BIOS parameters in.
This summary may sound like a flow of praise. If it does, it's because both systems deserve it. £1500 goes a hell of a long way right now. Both MESH and Evesham are noted system integrators. The reason is glaringly simple - it's because they produce sought-after systems that don't skimp on components and just work like they're supposed to. Our only meaningful recommendations would be in providing a card reader and lowering the noise profile from both machines, presumably with larger fans. It's difficult to go wrong here, though.
- MESH Matrix 64 3200+ E-JOY
- Evesham Technology Axis 64 3200+
Why only 8/10 on both counts ?. Both are excellent in many respects, but neither is perfect. They've certainly set a tough benchmark for other systems to follow.
