BIOS: Technology Means Business

NEC's latest multimedia system, the i-Select D4620, is housed in an attractive silver-and-black mini-tower enclosure and comes with the latest Intel technology. Unfortunately, the performance of the system is sluggish and it's one of the noisiest systems we've come across, thanks largely to its oversized CPU cooling fan. Whilst it's not a particularly bad model, there are much more capable systems available for the not-so-reasonable asking price.

Pros: Attractive mini-tower; latest Intel technology; matching LCD
Cons: Noisy; sluggish performance; no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth

The i-Select D4620 (175x445x455mm, 12kg) is based on industry-standard Intel technology, so there's no surprises in terms of components or performance. On the upside, you can expect the latest in desktop PC technology, including DDR dual-channel memory, PCI Express graphics and a SATA hard disk. On the downside, NEC has failed to capitalise on this technology by producing a system that doesn't perform as good as it should.

The review model we've reviewed here is a mid-range model powered by a 3.00GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor (Socket LGA775) and Intel i915P chipset with an 800MHz FSB. For those on a tighter budget, or if performance isn't really critical, NEC also offers the model with an Intel Celeron processor. The system also included 512MB of PC3200 memory (upgradable to 2GB), a 200GB (7200rpm) SATA hard disk, and a dual-format (Dual-Layer is a more expensive option) DVD±RW recorder. NEC also bundled the system with an average 17in. LCD monitor, the analogue-only MultiSync LV17m, stereo speakers and a sub-woofer.

Graphics are driven by ATI's entry-level PCI Express GPU, the Radeon X600 Pro, which comes with 256MB of memory and a TV-out connection. Unfortunately, the card doesn't provide a digital video output connection. If you need this extra feature for improving image quality, you'll have to opt for nVidia's more expensive GeForce 6800GT, which also comes with 256MB of memory but offers dual DVI outputs. There's no floppy disk drive as standard, but you do get a set of front-mounted memory card readers that can read and write to SD/MMC, SmartMedia, xD-Picture Card, CompactFlash and Microdrive, as well as MemoryStick/Pro. Audio is catered for by Creative's excellent Audigy 2 soundcard, a 6.1 soundcard that works well with the matching 2.1 speakers and sub-woofer (Diamond's Storm 2.1).

Connectivity options are accommodating and include six USB 2.0 ports (two at front of system), two FireWire ports, parallel, serial and analogue VGA-out ports, front-mounted microphone and headphone jacks, and two PS/2 ports for a keyboard and mouse. There's also mic-in, line-in, line-out and two digital audio (S/PDIF) in/out ports. NEC supplies a basic black PS/2 mouse and a white Logitech infrared keyboard, which looks out of place next to the wholly black system. Neither Wi-Fi nor Bluetooth are supplied as standard, which may disappoint those in smaller companies looking to wirelessly network an office, or even those at home looking to share an Internet connection or stream digital content into the living room.

Other features of the system are relatively commonplace, including a V.90 modem and Gigabit Ethernet with support for Wake-On-LAN (option for Gigabit PCI Express 1X with support for Alert Standard Format), a hard disk recovery tool (NEC Instant Recovery), anti-theft ring, Kensington lock hole, and an anti-theft device for the supplied matching keyboard and mouse. However, there is an intrusion switch that alerts when the case is moved. Bundled software includes Pinnacle System's Studio 9 SE for video editing, Ulead System's Photoimpact XL for editing photographs, Pinnacle System's My MP3Pro, New DJ and DIVX Duplicator 3 for ripping and managing audio, Microsoft's Works 7.0 and a 90-day trial of Symantec's Norton Antivirus 2004.

We are pleased that NEC has incorporated its tool-free technology into its entire line of desktop PCs. Once open, the tidy cable arrangement provides easy access to the processor and memory. Although the part that houses the optical drive and hard disk doesn't swing out for easy access, there are clearly-marked green levers that allow you to access all drive bays. For upgrade purposes, the system features an internal 400-Watt power supply, two PCI slots (both are available), a 16X PCI Express slot (occupied), two 5.25in. external drive bays (one available), two 3.5in. external bays, and three 3.25in. internal drive bays (one used by the hard disk.

The i-Select D4620 is designed for homes and small businesses, so you would expect a high level of performance considering its price. However, the system is a little sluggish at running general 2D applications, shown by a Business Winstone 2004 score of just 16.5. Its 3D gaming performance is better however, which will suit those who intend to work with 3D imaging and the latest entertainment titles. Whilst these scores are respectable, they're overshadowed by the fact that they can be produced by systems that cost almost half the price.

Another disappointment is that the i-Select D4620 is one of the noisiest systems we've come across. Both the hard disk and optical drive echo in the enclosure and the ridiculously large CPU cooling fan sounds like a light aircraft taking off. There are ways around these nuisances, such as buying a better CPU cooling solution, PSU and optical drive, but you'll struggle to drown out the hard disk noise due to the acoustic characteristics of the chassis. Even so, you don't really want to be thinking about tweaking a new system before you've even taken it out of the box, so you should definitely consider this issue before purchasing. The system is backed by a 1-year on-site, which is far from the most accommodating warranty available.

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 3DMark03 Pro 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.