Review: PC Specialist Apollo Q6600-X system - value or not?

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PC Specialist has taken a sensible mix of high-end components and shoehorned them into a PC that will please all but the most die-hard gamers.

The components are headlined by Intel's Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor backed by a decent motherboard, quality RAM from Corsair and a high-wattage PSU from FSP. The hard drive sacrifices capacity and quietness for sheer speed and the graphics card, a GeForce 8800 GTS 640, is another sensible choice for a near-£1,500 PC. Input devices are excellent and the 22in widescreen TFT is reasonable, if not pant-wettingly exciting.

Integration is good but we'd opt for a larger chassis, making future upgrading simpler. Noise levels are kept to a minimum by the use of a single exhaust fan, and performance is competitive, especially in scenarios where heavy multitasking or multithreading are prevalent.

Our overall impressions of the first PC Specialist box that we've laid eyes upon is positive. We like the fact that the company hasn't tried to focus on achieving a particular price-point at the expense of quality - the £100 combined price of the keyboard and mouse is evidence of that. The warranty terms are reasonable but we'd opt to increase cover to three years.

The PC Specialist Apollo Q6600 makes for a solid, reliable package that will appeal to a broad cross-section of users. Perfect? No. Worthy of going on your short-list if you have around £1,500 to spend? Yes.

HEXUS Awards

PC Specialist Apollo Q6600

HEXUS Where2Buy

The Apollo Q6600-X is available from PC Specialist for £1,425, including VAT and delivery.

HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS.net, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any of PC Specialist's representatives choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.