NEC's i-Select D3610 desktop computer has been available for a month or so, but BIOS is the first publication to review the system fitted with nVidia's flagship GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics card. The system caters for the market it's aimed at, which is home and small business environments, but it lacks a number of features that are available in cheaper alternatives. For instance, there's no Gigabit Ethernet, no built-in Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and no analogue video-out ports. Connectivity options are also basic and there's no TV tuner or wireless remote. NEC has also overlooked system management by not supplying any software tools. If you intend to run a variety of challenging business programs and games, the system is more than up for the job - although it's relatively expensive considering there's no next-generation technology such as PCI Express or SATA. If you wany an NEC system, look at the i-Select D4610 (from £699 ex. VAT) range, which is based on the new Intel i915 chipset family and includes dual-channel Serial-ATA and PCI Express bus graphics architecture. Alternatively, Acer's Veriton 7700 (from £425 ex. VAT) is a much better value offering.

Pros: 64-bit CPU; fast; excellent graphics; includes 17in. LCD monitor
Cons: Digital video output only; PATA-based; no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth


Pitched as an all-round computing solution, NEC's i-Select D3610 is based on a nondescript beige tower enclosure (180x395x395mm, 9kg). The only distinguishable feature of the system's design is the dark purple cover that flips open to expose the built-in DVD-ROM, DVD±RW/CD-RW combo and floppy disk drives. There are, however, two front-mounted USB 2.0 ports so you don't have to fumble around at the back of the system, but there is no memory card reader.

The top-of-the-range i-Select D3610 model we have reviewed here is available for £1099 (ex. VAT). Based on AMD's Athlon 64 3400+ processor (2.2GHz), 512MB of DDR400 SDRAM (upgradable to 2GB), a 200GB hard disk (7200rpm), a DVD±RW/CD-RW combo drive (separate 16X DVD-ROM drive also included), and a 3.5in. floppy disk drive, the system is more than capable of running general business and multimedia applications, as well as the latest games. Graphics are driven by nVidia's excellent GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics card with 256MB of memory. If you don't really need this level of performance, the i-Select D3610 is available from £849 (ex. VAT), although for this price you get a slower Athlon 64 3200+ processor and a smaller 80GB hard disk. Both systems are supplied with a 17in. NEC LCD monitor and surround sound speakers.

Unlike the latest Sony VAIO desktop PCs, the i-Select D3610 doesn't include a built-in TV tuner, hardware MPEG-2 encoding or a wireless remote control. Its basic styling will also limit its appeal to those who want to integrate a computer into their living space. Those looking for the latest cutting-edge technology will be further disappointed because the i-Select D3610 is based on Parallel-ATA (PATA) rather than faster Serial-ATA (SATA) hard disk technology, and the graphics solution is not based on the next-generation PCI Express. There no Gigabit LAN, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi either, and there's little room inside the chassis to make any upgrades. In addition, there's no double-layer DVD technology, but Creative's SoundBlaster Audigy 2 soundcard is a 6:1 audio solution.

One of the most disappointing features of the i-Select D3610 is that its hard disk subsystem is based on the regular PATA standard rather than the newer and speedier SATA standard. Set to replace the PATA interface in the desktop - especially in A/V markets - SATA offers better performance, longer and more efficient cabling and advanced features for integration into servers and networked storage environments - should you decide to use the i-Select D3610 on a network or as a server.

Connectivity options are also basic, comprising two PS/2 ports (keyboard and mouse), a single parallel port, four USB 2.0 inputs (two at front of system), line-in, microphone and headphone connectors, and two FireWire ports. There's also a V.92 modem port and 10/100Base-T NIC. The GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics card provides two digital video ports (DVI-I) and an S-Video connector for hooking the system up to a larger display. The range of connection options is really disappointing, especially considering that a lot of other manufactures are providing comprehensive front-mounted connection options, a Type II PC Card slot, memory card readers, and built-in TV tuners for a similar price. There's no built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, either, which will further add to the system's cost if you intend to run it on a wireless network.

Accessing the i-Select D3610's enclosure is quick and easy thanks to its tool-free design that simply requires you to unscrew two thumbscrews. Inside the system are the traditional bays and slots however, so you will have to keep your screwdriver handy to change components. The system's capacity for upgrades is very limited and there is no space to add another external 5.25in. drive, such as a soundcard drive bay. In addition, there is only one free PCI slot (just two in total). Both memory DIMM slots are occupied too, so you'll have to replace both of the provided 256MB modules if you decide to upgrade.

The i-Select D3610 is the fastest desktop computer we've tested. The inclusion of a 64-bit processor also means that you can expect even better performance when Microsoft releases the 64-bit version of Windows XP towards the end of the year. The system handles both general business and multimedia applications very well, such as word processors, spreadsheets and databases, but its most impressive feature is its gaming and high-end graphics performance, which is almost twice as fast as anything we've seen.

Links:
i-Select D3610 performance results
i-Select D3610 Web site


About our tests:
BIOS uses VeriTest's Business Winstone 2004 and Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004 benchmarking applications to test the overall performance of desktops and laptops. Both suites are application-based benchmarks that measures a PC's overall performance when running market-leading, Windows-based applications on Windows platforms. They are a single large test that run programs through a series of scripted activities and return a single score. The activities focus on what we call 'hot spots,' or periods of activity that make your PC really work - the times where you're likely to see an hourglass or a progress bar. PCMark04 Pro is Futuremark's application-based benchmark for measuring component-level performance. It uses portions of real applications instead of including very large applications or using specifically created code. Futuremark's 3DMark2001 SE runs game tests to provide an accurate overview of a system's gaming performance. In all benchmarks, the higher the score, the faster the computer.

BIOS, Jul 19, 04 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Desktop PC