Founded in March 1986, Elonex plc supplies complete IT solutions to a customer base that ranges from private individuals to multinational corporations and government departments. The company designs, manufactures, markets and supports a complete range of desktop PCs, notebooks, and network servers. It also provides computer support services encompassing system specification, configuration, installation and maintenance.

First Impressions

Elonex packaging makes a clear statement; 'we have been around for a while' three boxes holding the system, monitor and speakers. The Prosentia system box held the neat and compact desktop case, Elonex PS/2 keyboard, Ms-Intelli Wheel Mouse, the Elonex A2 poster for Hardware and Software quick guides, an Elonex System and Manuals box containing all the disks and manuals needed for the system, and all the relevant cables required to get you operational, once out of the box. The monitor supplied is a branded Elonex M787 17" with a swivel stand, and the third box contains the Creative surround sound speakers. Overall the A2 Colour starter guide is clearly written and is easy to follow.

Features

As far a value for money goes Elonex stakes it's claim. Having had to exclude systems from these labs; it was clear we were left with two of the best systems currently available. The Prosentia boasts a fine set of statistics. The backbone of the system is served by the FIC KA31 motherboard, and sitting pretty in it's processor slot is the Intel Pentium III 733MHz Flip-chip processor, and to further bolster this combination is a generous 256Mb SDRAM PC133 memory. These components are further complemented by the LS-120 drive instead of the standard 1.44Mb floppy disk drive, which can use special 120Mb media, and a Fujitsu 20Gb 7200rpm hard disk with 2Mb Cache. The main optical reader is an AOpen DVD drive, which as the name suggests runs at 10-speed for DVD and 40-speed for CD ROMs. The monitor supplied is a branded Elonex 17" M787 with a dot pitch of .26mm and the image is produced by a Guillemot Hercules 3D Prophet GeForce 256 DDR video card, explaining the good 3D performance, a branded USR v.90 internal modem allows for access to the internet. The VIA super south is equipped with Sound Blaster Pro, which turns out to be AC97 codec and is passable, supported by a set of Cambridge Works satellite speakers and Sub-Woofer the sound system is adequate. The bonus for business users is the inclusion of a 10/100 Network Interface Card a sensible inclusion. In the Software department Elonex has somewhat excelled by including Microsoft's popular Office 2000 Small Business Edition and Norton's CD PLUS pack which includes Anti-Virus, Virtual Drive, and Ghost all very useful to the home and business user.

Ergonomics

The Prosentia is supplied in a compact Desktop case, which we found a little restrictive from an expansion point of view, however, the case can hold 3 x 3.5" (1 free) and 3 x 5.25" (1 free) bays, and this should suffice for any expansion you may require. The Keyboard is a branded variety from Elonex, and has good responsive touch. The Microsoft Intelli Wheel mouse is currently one of the best choices currently available. The system once connected, proceeds to complete the Windows 2000 installation with the registration dialogue. The resolution of the monitor was set at 1024 x 768 - 75Hz, which is normal for the monitor supplied. Access inside the case is via a single screw and the removal of the top panel, once inside the case the cables are as neat as can be for a Desktop case, although clever manipulation of cabling will be required to carry out minor upgrades. The motherboard allows for further expansion with 2 x PCI and 1 x ISA spare slots, the system is clearly designed with a structured user in mind.

Performance

The Prosentia did perform well in our tests, however, it did fall well behind the Simply offering, but in comparison to the spec and price of the system the Prosentia does well. The Content Creation Winstone 2000 benchmark produced a score of 35.4 (see figure 1) helped by the awesome 256Mb SDRAM PC133 and 51.2 (see figure 2) in the 3D WinBench 99 1.1 benchmark. Most certainly the 256Mb SDRAM is a powerful performance tool, along with Intel's L2 cache the Prosentia gave an excellent account of itself.

Final Analysis

Elonex had quoted us a price of £1199.00 plus VAT, but due to the increasing price of memory Elonex have had to increase the price to £1225.00 plus VAT. At this price it is still a bargain for any user wishing to use Windows 2000, and have a solidly built PC from a leading UK manufacturer. The inclusion of Microsoft Office SBE and 256Mb SDRAM earns the Prosentia bonus points. The inclusion of a Network card positions the system squarely for business users. The warranty included with the Prosentia of 1 year return to base is a tad disappointing, however, as far a value for money goes, the Elonex deservedly gets our Value for Money award. Well done Elonex.

Congratulations to Elonex on winning our Value award !!

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