Arbico HD8658 XL Custom Built Computer REVIEWED IN PC ADVISOR , NOVEMBER 2009

The Arbico CD 7900 Pro Custom built computer was reviewed in the November 2006 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts, “Based on Intel’s brand-new 2.8GHz Core i7 860, the Arbico HD8658 XL is a Windows 7 desktop PC that comes with a 24in full-HD monitor and a Blu-ray drive. The Arbico HD8658 XL performed well, scoring 137 points in our WorldBench 6 speed test and delivering gaming performance that matches that of systems higher up the chart. Arbico has selected the Cooler Master Elite 333 system case, which is simple and functional. Inside, its Gigabyte motherboard is based on the new P55 chipset for which the Core i7 860 was designed. This allows dual-channel memory to be installed, leaving two slots free for expansion and some cash in the pot to splash elsewhere. This Arbico HD8658 XL’s motherboard also offers CrossFireX support, with room for a second graphics card, and two free PCI slots for other add-in cards.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say, “Two 500GB drives arranged in a Raid 0 configuration offer a total storage capacity of 1TB. While the Arbico HD8658 XL’s chosen method can potentially offer a speed boost, we’ve seen such setups fail on more than one occasion. Without a third drive for backing up your data, Raid 0 storage is a risky option.”

Finally the reviewer states, “Although the Arbico HD8658 XL offers a larger screen than Chillblast’s Fusion Warrior, it comes without an external speaker set. We also think the Arbico HD8658 XL’s RTB warranty is a less comforting inclusion than the Chillblast’s hassle-free collect-and-return policy. In all other ways, however, these two systems are evenly matched.”

You can buy this PC or similar PCs on www.arbico.co.uk.

A full copy of this review can be found at www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Arbico CD8567 Pro Custom Built Computer REVIEWED IN PC ADVISOR , NOVEMBER 2009

The Arbico CD 7900 Pro Custom built computer was reviewed in the November 2006 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts, “Arbico’s Intel-powered Arbico CD8567 Pro is an inexpensive but speedy Windows 7 desktop PC. In comparison to the other machines reviewed here, Arbico’s CD8567 Pro has rather an old-school design. However, its trusty Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 processor easily secures its place as the fastest performer in WorldBench 6, with 123 points.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say, “What this PC fails to deliver is the same balance of office and gaming performance offered by the top three systems. By the time the Intel CPU and motherboard are in place, there’s less cash to invest in other components. The graphics card is the main victim, and the Arbico CD8567 Pro’s HD 4670 is completely outclassed by the 4870.”

Gaming performance is a severe disappointment, then, with the Arbico CD8567 Pro managing just 40fps in Crysis at moderate quality settings (the Eclipse scored 56fps). And cranking up the settings caused the Arbico to drop to a mere 6fps.

If you have no interest in playing games at all, on the other hand, we would suggest buying a lower-specced graphics card and saving yourself some money to spend on other upgrades for the Arbico CD8567 Pro.

Finally the reviewer states, “Like the Eclipse (and our fifth-placed PC), the Arbico CD8567 Pro comes with a petite 320GB hard drive. This may be enough for many users, but why settle for this when 500GB is available for the same price? The Arbico CD8567 Pro’s ASRock motherboard offers little expansion room. Both memory slots are filled and, although a pair of PCI slots and a single PCI-Express 1x slot are free, you’d be hard-pressed to fit in any add-on cards with the graphics card’s rather large heatsink obstructing the path.”

At last, “To its credit, the Arbico CD8567 Pro comes with a Hanns-G HW191DP monitor that’s fitted with dual VGA and DVI inputs, giving you a crisp, clear display and no need to mess around with autosetup buttons. The EZCool system case is also well-constructed, with gentle curves and front-facing USB ports. But this can’t compare to the top three systems.”

You can buy this PC or similar PCs on www.arbico.co.uk

A full copy of this review can be found at www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Arbico HD 7090 Pro Custom Built PC
PC ADVISOR RECOMMENED, NOVEMBER 2009

The Arbico CD 7090 Pro Custom built PC was reviewed in the November 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts, “With the Intel Core i7 920 continuing to offer top-class performance, we’re seeing very little change in this price category from month to month. Arbico’s HD 7090 Pro is almost identical to last month’s Elite i750 Pro, but the company has doubled the RAM allocation to 6GB.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say, “Arbico’s PCs tend to perform very well in our tests, consistently sitting at or near the top of our performance charts. This month’s HD 7090 Pro entry edges ahead of its predecessor by a single point in our WorldBench 6 speed test.”

Finally the reviewer states, “An ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card ensures good framerates are recorded by the Arbico HD 7090 Pro across the board. The 22in display comes with dual inputs. And there’s the added bonus that the Arbico HD 7090 Pro comes with a Blu-ray player, allowing playback of HD movies.”

You can buy this PC on www.arbico.co.uk

You can buy this PC or similar PCs on www.arbico.co.uk

Arbico CD 8570 XL Custom Built Computer
REVIEWED IN PC ADVISOR , NOVEMBER 2009

The Arbico CD 8570 XL Custom built computer was reviewed in the November 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts, “The CD 8570 XL is an improved version of Arbico’s £499 CD 8467 XL. The 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 processor has been replaced with the faster 3.16GHz E8500. The hard drive has been upgraded from 250GB to 320GB and the HD 4670 graphics card has been boosted with double the video memory.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say, “The 8467 XL topped our sub-£500 PCs chart for the past two months, so it’s somewhat surprising that the improved Arbico CD 8570 XL achieves only third place. The E8500 is a great processor, offering excellent performance at a good price. And the Arbico CD 8570 XL’s score of 122 points in WorldBench 6 is very good for a budget PC. But it must be noted that the top two systems beat this tally by six points and the E8400-based Chillblast Horizon scored only three points fewer.”

Finally the reviewer states, “Having splashed out on a fast processor, Arbico is obliged to compromise on other components – the graphics card in particular. The HD 4670 is the same card offered by Palicomp, albeit with more memory, and suffers the same shortcomings in the latest 3D games titles. The CD 8570 XL will allow you to play less demanding games if you reduce the quality settings accordingly. The Arbico CD 8570 XL’s 19in display comes with a digital input and offers reasonably good image quality, although it can’t match the resolution of the 20in model provided with the Chillblast Fusion Horizon.”

The last, “Despite the upgrade, the 320GB hard drive still looks small; every other system here comes with 500GB. Furthermore, the Arbico CD 8570 XL is the only PC of the group to ship with Vista Home Basic rather than the Home Premium version, so you’ll miss out on the flashy Aero interface and Windows Media Center.”

You can buy this PC on www.arbico.co.uk

A full copy of this review can be found at www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Arbico Elite i7890 HD Custom Built PC
PC ADVISOR RECOMMENED, OCTOBER 2009

The Arbico Elite i7890 HD Custom built PC was reviewed in the OCTOBER 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts, “The Arbico Elite i7890 HD provides excellent performance and got a score of 138 in WorldBench 6. Graphics performance from the standard HD 4890 is very good.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say, “The Arbico Elite i7890 HD offers advantages over the Eclipse, however; not least the £100 price difference. The set of surround-sound speakers and a Blu-ray drive are a good match for the 24in full-HD Iiyama monitor, which also includes an HDMI input.”

Finally the reviewer states, “A pair of 500GB hard drives has been arranged in a Raid 0 configuration, while a third has been left spare. This is a wise choice by Arbico, since it allows the operating system to benefit from increased disk performance while providing the added security of a second volume for backups.”

The Gigabyte motherboard has been used successfully in Arbico’s PCs for many months and its performance credentials are indisputable.

The Arbico Elite i7890 HD’s Cooler Master system case is smart and tidy.

You can buy this PC on www.arbico.co.uk

A full copy of this review can be found at www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Arbico CD8690 XL Custom Built PC
PC ADVISOR RECOMMENED, OCTOBER 2009

The Arbico CD 8690 XL Custom built PC was reviewed in the OCTOBER 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts, “With a 3.33GHz dual-core CPU and an excellent HD 4890 graphics card topping the CD8690 XL’s specification list, it’s no surprise that Arbico once again finds itself near the top of our performance table. Systems based on slower E8500 chips are left in the dust.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say, “Gaming scores showed less variation. Our three chart-topping machines all use the powerful Radeon HD 4890 graphics card, and turned in similarly impressive framerates on a variety of titles.”

Finally the reviewer states, “Arbico has for a long time been a fan of Cooler Master cases, and the Elite 333 model used here is a step up from the 330 seen on previous Arbico machines. It’s smart, tidy and robust, and looks neither outrageous nor boring. It also offers plenty of expansion room. USB ports and switches are easy to access at the side of the Arbico CD8690 XL’s case. The 22in GNR monitor is a basic model, but it comes with dual inputs. The pleasingly thin silver bezel matches the trim of the Arbico CD8690 XL’s system case.”

You can buy this PC on www.arbico.co.uk

A full copy of this review can be found at www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Arbico Elite 9575 Pro Windows 7 PC, Multi Task PC
REVIEWED IN PC ADVISOR , OCTOBER 2009

The Arbico Elite 9575 Pro Windows 7 PC, Multi Task PC was reviewed in the October 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts, “Arbico’s Elite 9575 Pro is another system designed around the Intel Core i7 950 CPU. While it falls slightly behind other systems using this processor in terms of performance, a WorldBench 6 real-world speed score of 148 points is still impressive.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say, “The Arbico Elite 9575 Pro’s graphics come courtesy of an 896MB nVidia GTX 275. A set of 5.1-channel surround-sound speakers and a Blu-ray drive are also provided. The Arbico Elite 9575 Pro’s 24in Acer monitor is also of a very high quality and comes with an HDMI input and full-HD capability, which is ideal for watching Blu-ray movies.”

Finally the reviewer states, “Inside, the Arbico Elite 9575 Pro’s Gigabyte EX58-UD3R motherboard offers a pair of PCI Express x16 slots. There’s support for both CrossFireX and scaleable link interface (SLI), which let you add a second graphics card.”

The Arbico Elite 9575 Pro comes with three 500GB hard drives; two are combined in a Raid 0 configuration, while a third is left free for backups.

The Arbico Elite 9575 Pro’s Cooler Master Elite 333 system case is a tidy, if somewhat sober-looking, model with good system ventilation.

You can buy this PC on www.arbico.co.uk

A full copy of this review can be found at www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Arbico HD 5750 XL – Core i5 Custom Built PC
REVIEWED IN PC ADVISOR , OCTOBER 2009

The Arbico HD 5750 XL – Core i5 Custom built PC was reviewed in the October 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts, “With a WorldBench 6 real-world speed score of 132 points, the Arbico HD5750 XL is the fastest sub-£750 Windows 7 PC we’ve tested. We’re used to Arbico delivering top-class systems, and this month is no exception. With a WorldBench 6 real-world speed score of 132 points, the HD5750 XL is the fastest PC here – albeit by a rather narrow margin.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say, “Another system built around Intel’s brand-new Core i5 processor, the quad-core Arbico HD5750 XL is a challenger for the fastest dual-core PCs at this price point. And this applies even when they’re not running multithreaded apps, which used to be the main advantage of opting for a quad-core system.”

Finally the reviewer states, “This great performance is helped in part by the Arbico HD5750 XL’s Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 motherboard which, despite being a budget model, offers a vast array of overclocking and voltage-tweaking options that can help you eke out every last bit of speed. The Gigabyte offers a pair of PCI Express x16 slots, while support for CrossFireX means you can add a second graphics card later.”

At last, “In common with most of the PCs here, the Arbico HD5750 XL comes with 4GB of fast DDR3 memory and a 500GB hard drive. The system is housed in a smart Cooler Master Elite 333 case, with side-mounted USB ports and control switches. And it’s great to see that Arbico has finally abandoned its usual 460W PSU in favour of a beefier 800W model.”

You can buy this PC on www.arbico.co.uk

A full copy of this review can be found at www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Arbico CD 8467 XL Custom Built PC - PC ADVISOR BEST BUY, SEPTEMBER 2009

The Arbico CD 8467 XL Custom built computer is reviewed in the September 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts “Last month’s Best Buy has once again made it to the top of the pile, but Arbico’s CD 8467 XL is run much closer this time around. Built to a tried-and-trusted formula, the CD 8467 XL combines Intel’s E8400 CPU with the graphics power of AMD’s HD 4670. This combination makes the Arbico the best all-round performer here.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say “A WorldBench 6 real-world speed score of 120 points is excellent for a sub-£500 PC, and AMD’s recent price cuts have enabled very good gaming results at this price point. The 19in monitor has a high-quality build and offers good display performance. The 250GB model supplied by Arbico should be more than adequate for most users.”

Finally the reviewer states, “To keep costs down, this system ships with Windows Vista Home Basic, which lacks several features of the Premium version shipped with most of the competition, such as Windows Media Center and the Aero interface. But overall, this is a superb PC for the money.”

You can buy this PC on www.arbico.co.uk

A full copy of this review can be found at www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Arbico Elite i750 Pro Custom Built PC, wins PC Advisor Recommened, September 2009

The Arbico Elite i750 Pro Custom built PC is reviewed in the September 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts “Despite carrying the same name as last month’s Elite i750 Pro as well as many of the same components, this is actually an updated version of that PC. Improvements include 1TB of storage and a 1GB HD 4890 graphics card. Intel’s Core i7 920 still provides the processing power, and you’ll find the same Gigabyte motherboard inside.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say “The Arbico took top honours in our WorldBench 6 speed test with a 132-point tally. It also delivered the best gaming results. The 22in GNR monitor is another familiar face in the Arbico’s specification list. It’s a reasonably good budget display with both analogue and digital inputs.”

Finally the reviewer states, “As the only system in this month’s chart to come with a set of surround speakers, the Elite makes a decent multimedia machine.”

You can buy this PC on www.arbico.co.uk

A full copy of this review can be found at www.pcadvisor.co.uk