Reviews - Dual-core pc group test - Two cores are better than one. With the boast of much increased speed and performance levels, dual-core PCs are set to shake up the processing world. Rory Reid finds out if the first systems to arrive fulfil their promise.

Publication: Personal Computer World

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COPYRIGHT 2005 VNU Business Media Europe

The old maxim 'two heads are better than one' holds true in most circumstances, not least in the world of computing. Dual-core CPUs from AMD and Intel, which have two processors on a single die, are a relatively new phenomenon and offer users improved processing by splitting the workload across multiple CPU cores. We rounded up a collection of the first PCs in the UK using dual-core CPUs to see how they compare, what guises they come in and what benefits they offer users.

Specifically, we wanted to find out what performance improvement dual-core PCs offer over their single-core counterparts, whether any added speed benefits are overshadowed by prohibitive pricing, and if dual-core machines really represent the future of computing.

In order to see a range of PCs, we gave vendors a large amount of freedom in deciding how to equip their submissions for this group test. No minimum or maximum price restrictions were specified, so as well as multimedia behemoths you'll see some real bargains, all of which use a dual-core CPU.

As usual, we subjected them all to stringent PCW benchmark tests to see how they fared, and assessed the features and value for money provided by each. Turn the page to see which dual-core PC is right for you.

Chillblast Fusion X2 4400 GTX

Price: [pounds sterling]1,749.99

Contact: www.chillblast.com

This PC's Lian Li PC-V1000 case looks startlingly similar to that of an Apple Power Mac G5. It is arguably the most attractive case here, but Chillblast's reasons for selecting it are not merely cosmetic. The company believes the case has a better build quality and offers superior ventilation to any other it has used in the past. We were unable to verify these claims, but the inclusion of a Vapochill Micro ultra-low noise CPU cooler, 120mm Akasa Amber front fan and a user-controlled exhaust fan meant this PC was one of the coolest-running and quietest submissions.

Like the Mesh Titan PCW, the Fusion X2 uses the excellent Asus A8N SLI Deluxe motherboard, which offers high performance, onboard eight-channel audio and SLI (Scalable Link Interface) graphics support. Given Chillblast's penchant for high-performance PCs, we were surprised it paired the motherboard with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ processor, which has a lower clock speed than the X2 4600+ favoured by Evesham and Mesh. However, this CPU has 1MB more cache memory, which makes it faster when it comes to using office and video-editing applications and so on. The PC's operating system is installed on a Western Digital Raptor hard drive with a fast spin speed of 10,000rpm. As a result, the Fusion X2 runs noticeably quicker than most of its rivals.

Like most of the group, this PC uses an Nvidia Geforce 7800GTX graphics card. However, this is the only submission that makes the most of its extreme performance, by including a 20in monitor. Whereas the 17 and 19in panels elsewhere are restricted to a resolution of just 1,280 x 1,024, the Chillblast will run games at an impressive 1,600 x 1,200.

The Fusion X2 is hard to fault. It is well configured, runs quickly and looks the part. It is a little expensive (the Dinovo keyboard and mouse are luxury items), but it thoroughly...

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