The Chillblast Fusion Rogue is a compact PC that’s capable of big performance. It’s easy to tuck away if you’ve got a restricted work area, but the smaller proportions limit your expansion options – on the other hand, how many of us really need more than two external 3.5in drive bays?
The usual front-mounted audio sockets and pair of front USB ports are hidden behind a sliding door on the Chillblast Fusion Rogue. Inside, things are rather sparse: there’s just one internal 3.5in hard-drive bay, limiting your options if you want to expand the PC’s storage space.
The Asus P5GC-MX motherboard used in the Chillblast Fusion Rogue is fitted with only two memory slots, which means you’ll have to remove the existing sticks if you want to upgrade beyond the installed amount. The supplied 2GB of RAM should be sufficient, however.
The Chillblast Fusion Rogue is also quite low on motherboard expansion slots, and it comes with a rather weak 300W power supply. All in all, this isn’t a PC that’s easy to upgrade.
It’s fortunate, then, that the Chillblast Fusion Rogue delivers excellent performance just as it is. With a WorldBench 6 score of 114 it’ll whizz through office applications, and it’s good enough for occasional gaming, as long as you keep the screen resolution turned down.
The Chillblast Fusion Rogue's Hannspree flat-panel has distinctive styling that may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s undeniably well-built. Image quality is decent for a budget PC.
Verdict
We were pleased (and surprised) by the Chillblast Fusion Rogue's set of five surround-sound speakers and a subwoofer. They’re not the best we’ve heard, but they’re a huge step up from relying on your display’s built-in audio.
Budget desktop PCs chart ranking (July 08 issue)
- Arbico Elite 8400
- Chillblast Fusion Rogue
- Mesh Delta GT
- CyberPower Gamer Ultra 930
- CyberPower Gamer Infinity 750
See also: Budget desktop PCs buying advice
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