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Eclipse Matrix i25z68 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £550
inc VAT

Eclipse's overclocked Matrix i25z68 has a decent set of components and room for expansion, but it's outclassed by similarly priced PCs with bigger monitors and Blu-ray drives

Specifications

4GHz Intel Core i5-2500K, 4GB RAM, 22in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

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If you did want to add a graphics card at a later date, you might also want to consider some more cooling. There aren’t any case fans fitted, and while Intel’s Core chips are generally very power-efficient, Eclipse has stuck with Intel’s standard fan, despite the overclock.

Eclipse Matrix i25z68 Back

Externally, there’s a total of eight USB ports, two of which are on the front panel. Two of the rear ports support the faster USB3 standard, and two are used up by the budget Logitech keyboard and mouse set, which are fine as a starter set. Audio buffs are well-catered for: as well as five 3.5mm jacks for 7.1 surround sound, you also get an optical S/PDIF that can be used with older AV equipment that doesn’t support audio via HDMI.

Eclipse Matrix i25z68 Side

The Matrix i25z68’s overclocked chip and 1TB hard disk make it an interesting proposition, and there’s plenty of room for upgrades, but its 22in monitor lets it down slightly. The Dino PC Jurassic 2500 is almost as fast but adds a Blu-ray drive and a 24in monitor to the mix, making it better value.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ***
Processor Intel Core i5-2500K
Processor external bus 100MHz (Sandy Bridge DMI)
Processor multiplier x40
Processor clock speed 4GHz
Processor socket LGA1155
Memory 4
Memory type DDR3
Maximum memory 32GB
Motherboard ASRock Z68 Pro3
Motherboard chipset Intel Z68

Ports

USB2 ports (front/rear) 2/6
Firewire ports (front/rear) 0/0
eSATA ports (front/rear) 0/0
Wired network ports 1x 10/100/1000
Wireless networking support none

Internal Expansion

Case tower
PCI-E x1 slots (free) 3 (3)
PCI-E x16 slots (free) 1 (1)
Free Serial ATA ports 4
Free memory slots 2
Free 3.5in drive bays 5

Hard Disk

Hard disk model(s) Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD103SJ
Interface SATA2
Total storage capacity 1,000GB

Graphics

Graphics card(s) Intel HD Graphics 3000
Graphics/video ports VGA, DVI, HDMI

Sound

Sound Realtek HD Audio
Sound outputs 7.1 line out, optical S/PDIF out
Speakers none

Removable Drives

Supported memory cards none
Optical drive type(s) DVD+/-RW +/-DL

Display

Viewable size 22 in
Screen model BenQ G2220HD
Native resolution 1,920×1,080
Screen inputs VGA, DVI

Other Hardware

Keyboard Logitech Deluxe 250 Keyboard
Mouse Logitech B110

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 £550
Details www.eclipse-computers.com

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