Chillblast, Fusion Hardcore

It might not have the clout of a big name like Dell, but Chillblast has a specification that's still eye-watering compared to a normal desktop system - and it's actually clocked faster than Dell's titanic H2C.

It pulls this off by using the slightly slower quad-core Q6700 and overclocking it past the 3GHz mark - a tactic Dell used itself in earlier H2Cs - and pairing it with a whopping 4GB of RAM.

You're unlikely to actually put this to full use unless you opt for the still rather patchily-supported 64-bit version of Windows Vista, as the 32-bit version can only see three-and-bit gigabytes, but you can take solace that you're ready for when 4GB becomes the standard in a year or two.

Wide open space
There's a similar level of overkill in the storage department, with a mighty 1TB hard-drive. That's enough to swallow getting on for a quarter of a million high-quality MP3s, or every photo you're likely to take in the next five years.

Graphics performance is slightly less impressive. While a single 8800GTX is still plenty gutsy enough to run the latest crop of games with ease, it looks a bit puny compared to the dual-card systems elsewhere in the top 10, and it's an odd shortcoming in a system otherwise pushed to the bleeding edge.

That's the only obvious omission in an otherwise comprehensive specification, which stretches to a Creative X-Fi soundcard and built-in Wi-Fi. That's still rare in desktops and obviously not as useful as in notebooks, but it's a useful extra that gives you the option of saving at least one wire when you plumb it in.

The card reader and front-mounted USB and FireWire are par for the course at this end of the market, although the warranty goes a handy extra distance by stretching to two years rather than the minimum of one.

Save on the screen
At a price around the £1,500 mark it even looks slightly affordable by the lunatic standards of gaming PCs, although it's not quite the bargain it appears as there's no monitor, speakers, or other accessories included. This is to replace your existing box with rather than provide an all-new set.

Such a transplant should at least be fairly painless style-wise, with a choice of off-the-peg aluminium cases. They don't look stunning, but they aren't breathtakingly tasteless either, which is more of an achievement than you might think in PC-land.

The blue lights are a bit unfortunate, but they aren't unbearable, and using a standard case makes it easier to upgrade the interior later on, if the fancy takes you.

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