Aria Proteus Anubis HDK review
Aria has included some flashy features, such as an SSD for faster booting, but we’d have preferred a bigger monitor instead.
Specifications
4.6GHz Intel Core i5-2500K, 8GB RAM, 21.5in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
The system comes with a 22in BenQ G2222HDL monitor. It’s one of our favourite displays, with lush colours and even backlighting. However, we would have preferred a larger screen for this price. We weren’t too fond of the Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 700, which gave us difficulty with a jerky cursor and missing letters until we moved its wireless receiver down so that it was right next to the mouse and keyboard. Both peripherals were comfortable to use, though.
With a small monitor and a basic one-year warranty that doesn’t even cover postage costs, Aria’s PC isn’t the best value. Although it doesn’t boot into Windows quite as fast, we prefer the identically priced Wired2Fire Hellspawn XFire thanks to its better warranty, larger screen and more powerful graphics card.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | ** |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2500K |
| Processor external bus | 100MHz (Sandy Bridge DMI) |
| Processor multiplier | x46 |
| Processor clock speed | 4.6GHz |
| Processor socket | LGA1155 |
| Memory | 8 |
| Memory type | PC3-10666 |
| Maximum memory | 32GB |
| Motherboard | MSI P67A-G45 |
| Motherboard chipset | Intel P67 |
Ports | |
| USB2 ports (front/rear) | 2/10 |
| Firewire ports (front/rear) | 0/1 |
| eSATA ports (front/rear) | 0/0 |
| Wired network ports | 1x 10/100/1000 |
| Wireless networking support | 802.11n |
Internal Expansion | |
| Case | midi tower |
| PCI-E x1 slots (free) | 3 (2) |
| PCI-E x16 slots (free) | 2 (1) |
| Free Serial ATA ports | 3 |
| Free memory slots | 2 |
| Free 3.5in drive bays | 4 |
Hard Disk | |
| Hard disk model(s) | Kingston SV100S264G, Samsung HD103SJ |
| Interface | SATA2 |
| Total storage capacity | 1,064GB |
Graphics | |
| Graphics card(s) | 2GB ATI Radeon HD 6950 |
| Graphics/video ports | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini DisplayPort |
Sound | |
| Sound | Realtek ALC892 |
| Sound outputs | 7.1 line out, coaxial S/PDIF out, optical S/PDIF out, stereo line out, mic in |
| Speakers | none |
Removable Drives | |
| Supported memory cards | SD, SDHC, CF, Memory Stick PRO Duo, MMC, RS-MMC, microSD, M2, xD |
| Optical drive type(s) | DVD+/-RW +/-DL BD-ROM |
Display | |
| Viewable size | 21.5 in |
| Screen model | BenQ G2222HDL |
| Native resolution | 1,920×1,080 |
| Screen inputs | VGA, DVI |
Other Hardware | |
| Keyboard | Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 700 v2.0 |
| Mouse | Microsoft Wireless Mouse 700 v2.0 |
Software | |
| Software included | none |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
| Operating system restore option | Windows disc |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Price | £999 |
| Details | www.aria.co.uk |
