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Zoostorm 64-6503 review

£1,199 inc VAT

Manufacturer: PCNextDay

Our Rating: We rate this 4.5 out of 5

By | 17 October 08

It’s rare to see a quad-core system such as the Zoostorm 64-6503 topping any of our desktop PC charts.

It’s rare to see a quad-core system such as the Zoostorm 64-6503 topping any of our desktop PC charts. With their slower clock speeds, quad-core systems have struggled to perform well in our WorldBench tests, and their benefits are limited to applications that are able to take advantage of their multiprocessing capabilities.

However, with a 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor inside, the Zoostorm 64-6503 turns in an excellent score of 127 WorldBench 6 points. That’s up there with dual-core PCs that use the 3.33GHz Core 2 Duo E8600.

Powered by nVidia’s GTX 280, the Zoostorm 64-6503 is also capable of very good gaming performance. You can expect to play most current games without having to turn down the quality settings.

Behind a sliding panel, the Zoostorm 64-6503's otherwise standard case houses a multiformat card reader and a pair of USB 2.0 connectors. There are also three 5.25in drive bays.

Its MSI motherboard is capable of scalable link interface (SLI) operation, should you wish to add a second graphics card later on. The Zoostorm 64-6503 is also fitted with a high-quality 880W power supply, which provides ample power to the demanding graphics processor.

When you consider that the Zoostorm 64-6503 is one of the least expensive systems in its price category, it’s quite impressive. A combo Blu-ray- and HD DVD drive is included, too.

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Chart ranking: £1,001-plus desktop PCs

  1. Zoostorm 64-6503
  2. CyberPower Gamer Infinity Quad Elite
  3. Arbico Elite 8680 GTX
  4. Chillblast Dreadnought
  5. Mesh Ultimate GTX Steath

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Post Review
2.83GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit
4GB DDR2 RAM
1TB SATA
MSI P7N SLI Platinum
7 x USB 2.0
22in AMW X2210WDS (0.27mm
1,680x1,050)
1GB PCI Express Inno3D nVidia GeForce GTX 280 (games scores: Crysis = 67fps
Fear = 238fps)
onboard Realtek ALC888
2 x Edifier M3200
subwoofer
6x BD-ROM
3x HD DVD
16x/6x/4x/4x/6x/8x/16x (DVD-R/+R/-R DL/+R DL/-RW/+RW/-ROM)
Nero
Windows Live 2.1 (trial)
one-year onsite warranty
WorldBench 6 score: 127
  • Overall: We give this item 9 of 10 overall

Achieving such a tempting price tag makes cutting corners elsewhere inevitable. Most notable is the inclusion of a 22in monitor. While the Zoostorm 64-6503's AMW screen is perfectly capable and offers dual inputs, it’s far from stylish. More importantly, its 1,680x1,050 resolution means it won’t play Blu-ray movies at their full 1,080p resolution. Nor will you be able to immerse yourself in their multichannel soundtracks with the simple 2.1-channel speakers (two speakers and a subwoofer) provided.

There are currently no price comparisons for this product.
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    It’s now a previous-generation chip, but the Zoostorm 64-6503’s 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor is still an excellent performer. And this desktop PC costs considerably less than the i7s.

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