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Advent MC3040
Microsoft's Windows Media Center 2005 is an enhanced version of Windows
XP, designed for computers primarily used for entertainment. With an
emphasis on music, video, photos and TV, you might think you'd need to
pay a premium over standard PCs. But PC World's Advent MC3040 is a
reasonable sounding £799 with some great features.
Features
If looks are important to you this machine won't disappoint, with
its gorgeous Philips 17in flat-screen monitor matching the snazzy,
mirrored lines of the slim, upright case. With a wireless keyboard,
mouse and remote control, this could happily sit in your living room
without cluttering the place up, especially since it comes with
built-in 802.11g (54Mbps) Wi-Fi capability for wirelessly connecting to
the internet.
The package also includes a copy of Microsoft Works so you can get
working straight away, though we'd also recommend you download or
install some security precautions such as an anti-virus program and a
firewall.
Performance
The computer's internal components have been spread fairly evenly.
Powered by a 2.93MHz Pentium 4, a slightly underwhelming 512MB of
memory, but a good-sized 160GB hard disk, the basics are all in place.
The 128MB NVidia graphics card, Wi-Fi built-in and DVD re-writer are
sturdy additions for the price and make for a solid performer.
Ease of use
As with all Media Center computers you get a standard Windows XP
installation with a special built-in menu for browsing the photos,
music and TV content on your PC. This makes things such as slideshows
and recording TV accessible at the touch of the remote control's green
button. The keyboard has a lot of useful extras too, including a scroll
wheel for browsing and handy cut-and-paste buttons.
Value for money
The price is right and should prove affordable to most buyers who
want to get a middle-budget computer with Media Center installed. A few
areas (like the memory) have been left a little short for our tastes,
but it's only to be expected and helps keep the price reasonable. Our
unit came with optional surround-sound speakers to replace the Philips
monitor's built-in speakers, though placing this in your living room
should mean you can hook it up to a hi-fi or surround-sound system
instead. Otherwise, these recommended speakers push the package up from
£799 to £899.
Verdict
A good value Media Center PC, especially if you're thinking of
integrating it into your living room's existing home entertainment
equipment, where its looks will suit perfectly. Elsewhere you'll
probably need to invest in those speakers and may think it worth
upgrading the memory, but it still works out as a good buy.
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