Arbico Elite 8680 GTX Custom built gaming PC
Reviewed by PC ADVISOR, DECEMBER 2008

The Arbico Elite 8680 GTX Custom built gaming PC was reviewed in the December 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts “Arbico’s Elite 8680 GTX uses Intel’s Core 2 Duo E8600 to great effect, scoring 127 points in our WorldBench 6 speed tests. Meanwhile, nVidia’s GeForce GTX 280 helps this machine to produce the best graphics performance here.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say “The Arbico Elite 8680 GTX’s LG is a good-quality monitor, with dual inputs and a stand that tilts and swivels. It offers a spec well above budget level, with a high brightness display, automatic aspect ratio scaling and a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast. A Creative X-Fi XtremeAudio sound card has been installed, which is complemented by a set of Cyber Acoustics 5.1 speakers. Given the high quality of the Arbico Elite 8680 GTX’s display and audio system, it’s a shame that Arbico includes no Blu-ray drive with this system.”

Finally the reviewer states, “A terabyte of storage is provided with the Arbico Elite 8680 GTX, in the form of two 500GB drives. This allows for better performance, as well as reducing the potential for disaster by allowing you to spread your eggs across two baskets.”

At last ” The Arbico Elite 8680 GTX is housed in a rather unusual matt casing. The Xclio Coolbox is fitted with large, illuminated cooling fans, which can be adjusted via external knobs to achieve the best compromise between cooling and noise.”

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

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

Arbico Elite 8685 RDX Custom built gaming PC Reviewed by PC ADVISOR, DECEMBER 2008

The Arbico Elite 8685 RDX Custom built gaming PC was reviewed in the December 2009 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts “Another excellent performer, the Arbico Elite 8685 RDX edges ahead of the Chillblast in our real-world speed benchmark with 128 points. Both PCs feature a 3.33GHz E8600 processor, yet the Arbico’s faster memory timings give it a slight edge in performance.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say “The Arbico Elite 8685 RDX’s EZ Cool H60 case is finished in an attractive glossy piano-black. It’s more stylish than the Chillblast’s Elite 330, but it doesn’t come with tool-free drive bays.”

Finally the reviewer states, “Arbico’s spec sheet suggests that the Elite 8685 RDX normally uses four 1GB RAM modules. The Gigabyte motherboard doesn’t support an additional graphics card in Crossfire mode, but two spare expansion slots are available. An additional PCI slot is taken up by a Creative Audigy SE 7.1 sound card.”

At last “The Arbico Elite 8685 RDX’s 22in LG W2252S is a good-looking monitor. With the popular ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card installed, the Arbico Elite 8685 RDX delivers solid games performance.”

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 OC 4870 XL Custom built power gaming PC
Reviewed by Personal Computer World SEPTEMBER 2008

The Arbico OC 4870 XL Custom built power gaming PC was reviewed in the September 2008 issue of Personal Computer World. The review starts, “Arbico’s OC 4870 XL might not have the striking looks of Acer’s Predator Trooper, but its plain black case belies the power that this PC has to offer. And, as always, it’s what’s inside that really counts.”

Personal Computer World then goes on to say, “The OC 4870 XL has one very obvious strength: two huge 180mm fans are fitted. One of these is situated on the front, the other on the side, with the end result being that a decent amount of air can be drawn across the components inside without making too much noise. A simple rotary fan controller is fitted, so you can find a balance between cooling and quietness, although you’ll have to reach around to the back panel to use it.”

Finally the reviewer states, “Two USB ports, along with headphone and microphone sockets, are positioned rather awkwardly on the very bottom of the case’s front panel. A DVD writer is fitted above, as is a multiformat memory card reader that includes a single, but more usefully positioned, USB port. Spin the case around, though, and you’ll find a more useful collection of sockets: another eight USB ports, digital and analogue audio sockets and Gigabit Ethernet. The abundance of audio sockets points to an unexpected bonus – as well as the Realtek audio chip included on the motherboard, Arbico has added a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio soundcard.”

Inside the case, however, is where things get interesting. The first thing you notice is that, rather than using a standard Intel cooler, Arbico has fitted an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. This has a huge heatsink and a quieter fan, and has allowed the company to overclock the Core 2 Duo E8500 processor fitted underneath it to 3.8GHz. The memory installed is 800MHz DDR2, with 4GB fitted as two 2GB modules made by Corsair.
A 500GB Samsung hard disk is included in the front of the case. This seems a rather pedestrian choice when compared to some of the other components included but, with six free Sata ports on the motherboard, it would be easy to add more storage in future if needed. A sizeable chunk of the OC 4870 XL’s cost has, unsurprisingly, been spent on the graphics card. The Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R motherboard has a single PCI Express x16 slot, which is filled by a 512MB ATI HD4870 card.

The system produced impressive results in our benchmark tests. Its score of 5.7 in the Windows Experience Index is higher than that of the £1,700 Acer Predator, and it produced 5,484 points in the demanding PCmark Vantage test. The single ATI graphics card held up well in 3D tests, too, notching up a score of 15,604 in 3Dmark06. More impressive still, it produced an average of 45fps (frames per second) in our World in Conflict test – the Acer Predator, equipped with two Nvidia cards in SLI, averaged just 38fps.

At last, “No monitor, keyboard or mouse is included with the OC 4870 XL, making it most suitable for those wishing to replace an older computer. It faces stiff competition from the Chillblast Fusion Sentinel, which includes a quad-core processor and costs £100 less, but then it did produce slightly better scores in our 3D benchmarks. All in all, the OC 4870 XL may not be particularly pretty, but this is a powerful computer ideal for gaming, at a reasonable price.”

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

Arbico Elite 8595 Custom built power desktop PC – PC ADVISOR BEST BUY AWARD.
NOVEMBER 2008

The Arbico CD 7900 Pro Custom built computer was reviewed in the November 2006 issue of PC Advisor magazine. The review starts, “The Arbico Elite 8595, the sort of top-performing machine we’ve come to expect from Arbico, uses a 3.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 to reach a blistering WorldBench 6 processing-speed score of 122 points. That’s faster than most PCs at twice the price.”

PC Advisor then goes on to say, “It also looks much better than we’d expect from a low-cost system. When costs are being cut, it’s common to find PCs housed in cramped, dull boxes that flex and creak to the touch. The Arbico Elite 8595’s EZ Cool H60 case, however, is sturdily built, spacious and finished in a high-gloss piano black, making the system look rather expensive.”

Finally the reviewer states, “The supplied 19in Hannspree New York monitor has a bold ‘love it or hate it’ design and comes with a build quality that belies its low price. With 4GB of RAM installed as standard and a top-of-the-range 22-speed DVD burner, the Arbico Elite 8595 offers superb value for money for general work and internet use.”

Arbico’s Elite 8595 is an excellent budget system boasting good looks and quite exceptional performance.

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