System specifications and discussion
Specification
| PC Specialist Apollo Q6600-X | |
|---|---|
| Chassis | ATX midi tower |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.40GHz, 2 x 4MiB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB, LGA775 |
| Mainboard | ASUS P5N32-E SLI PLUS (nForce 650i) |
| Memory | 2GiB (2 x 1GiB) Corsair CM2X1024-6400 @ 5-5-5-18 2T / DDR2-800 |
| Hard disk(s) | Western Digital Raptor X 150GiB |
| Display | 22in VideoSeven (V7) L22WD TFT LCD Flat Panel Display - DVI-D and VGA (5ms) - 1680 x 1050 native resolution |
| Graphics hardware | NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 640 |
| Optical drive 1 | Lite-On LH-20A ATA (20x DVD±RW/RAM/Dual Layer / Double Layer + LightScribe) |
| Optical drive 2 | None, optional extra |
| Sound hardware | Onboard ADI 1988B CODEC with SupremeFX audio card |
| Speakers | Creative Labs Inspire 5.1 T6100 |
| Modem | None |
| Networking hardware | 2 x 10/100/1000, Marvell PHYs, 650i
VIA 6308P two-port FireWire400 controller 802.11b/g WiFi |
| I/O ports (usable) | 7 x USB2.0 (3x front, 4x rear I/O), 2 x FireWire400 (rear), 2 x RJ45 (Gigabit), audio, optical/coaxial S/PDIF-out, PS/2 |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Premium, 32-bit |
| PSU | FSP Epsilon 700W |
| Input devices | Logitech G15 gaming keyboard
Logitech MX Revolution cordless mouse |
| Additional software | Ahead Nero 7 Essentials
CyberLink PowerDVD 7 |
| Included warranty | One-year return-to-base |
| Price | £1,425, including VAT |
| Shipping | Included in price |
PC Specialist's Apollo Q6600-X takes advantage of recent price cuts to Intel quad-core processors and shoehorns in a Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU with four cores operating at 2.4GHz. The next processor up the line, the 2.67GHz Q6700, costs £160 more, so the choice is eminently sensible.
Also keeping the costs in check is the motherboard - an ASUS nForce 650i P5N32-E SLI PLUS motherboard that, somewhat strangely for the chipset, supports full-bandwidth SLI (x16). That's good to know because PC Specialist adds in a tried-and-trusted GeForce 8800 GTS 640MiB card and pairs it with a 22in VideoSeven monitor offering a native 1680x1050 resolution - a good fit for high-quality gaming.
Memory support is by way of Corsair, with a 2GiB pack of PC6400 (DDR2-800) RAM operating at relaxed frequencies. Both modules are 1GiB, so, again, you can upgrade the box to a total of 4GiB at the point of sale or when funds permit.
The Lite-On optical drive is solid and PC Specialist takes advantage of advances in onboard sound and pairs ASUS's SupremeFX (eight-channel HDA) with reasonable speakers from Creative Labs.
Networking is good, thanks to two Gigabit and two FireWire ports present on the motherboard, plus a PC Specialist-installed 54g WiFi card. A total of seven usable USB ports is adequate, too.
Performance is uppermost in the design here - confirmed by the inclusion of a Western Digital Raptor X 150GiB hard drive. It's wonderfully speedy, sure, but when enclosed in the midi-tower steel chassis, makes an irritating racket when seeking. We'd look to immediately add a low-cost 500GB hard drive for main storage duties.
Microsoft Windows Vista Premium 32-bit is the OS of choice and we have no complaints there. The input devices and PSU are first-class components, too, veering on the side of quality over cost.
It's all backed by a one-year return-to-base warranty that can be extended at the point of sale. This box of goodies will set you back £1,425, so let's now take a closer look to determine whether the PC Specialist Apollo Q6600-X represents good value for money.
