Viiv is Intel's Next Big Thing, so it's no surprise that PC vendors are queuing up to show you their version of it. On the face of it, this PC from Qtech/LG looks no different from an ordinary Media Center PC. It has an Intel Pentium D 920 dual-core processor and comes with such Viiv extras two 250GB SATA hard disks set up as a RAID 0 array so that they appear in Windows as a single 500GB hard drive. That may sound like a lot, but high-quality video recordings from the Qtech's AverTV hybrid analogue/digital TV tuner will eat quickly up a lot of that space, so with a disk this big you won't have to worry about it for a long time.
The black box
Outwardly, the Qtech isn't much to look at. It's housed in a standard black, boxy PC case, which we wouldn't really want it in our living room - especially when the noisy fans required to cool its dual-core Pentium processor kick in. The advantage of having a conventional case, of course, is that there is plenty of scope to plug in things externally and the seven USB2 ports, a FireWire socket and a multi-format memory card reader certainly back that idea up.
Inside the case is an Intel D945GPM motherboard. Like the Evesham Viiv PC reviewed on page 26, the Qtech relies on this motherboard's integrated graphics chipset, but while this is fine for day-to-day Windows use, and watching TV and DVD movies, it isn't up to runnning our demanding Call of Duty 2 3D gaming test. Fortunately, there is a PCI-Express 16x slot for a dedicated graphics card - and unlike in the Evesham, the roomy case means you won't be restricted to fitting a small and low-powered model.
Even if you do fit a new graphics card though, you won't be able to take advantage of the clarity of digital DVI output, since the supplied 19in LG Flatron L1915S TFT monitor lacks a DVI connnection and only suuports analogue D-Sub. The image this gives is fine for general use, but small text is a little blurred towards the edges of the screen. Contrast isn't great either, so DVD movies aren't displayed at their best.
One feature we'd like to have seen is a second TV tuner to supplement the AverMedia TV tuner. This would enable you to record one channel while watching another, as you can with the Evesham. One PCI slot and one PCI-E 1x slot are available to fit one, but in an entertainment PC costing £1,099, it would be nice to see this as standard.
Setting up Windows Media Center proved easy and it had no difficulty tuning in to all our Freeview channels. Once the Electronic Programme Guide had been downloaded, we could flip between TV channels and other Media Center functions such as the photo viewer using the remote control. You'll also find a range of Media Center plug-ins installed. Some, like the 'Party Mode', which starts a music playlist and locks the machine up to prevent unwanted tampering, are handy; others, such as a selection of tiny on-screen dancers, are less so.
Close down Media Center, and the Qtech reverts to being a plain old Windows PC - and a pretty powerful one too. Its score of 112% in our 2D benchmark is what we'd expect from such a well-specified dual-core PC and it beats the Evesham hands-down, despite using the same processor. It's the Qtech's 2GB of memory that makes the difference.
Viiv PCs are (apparently) the perfect living room entertainment centres. When they look like something you'd be happy to have under your telly, all well and good but the Qtech comes in a standard PC case, so it's really just a very expensive PC that you'll need to spend yet more money on if you want to play 3D games on it.
System Specifications
PROCESSOR Intel Pentium D 920 (2.8GHz) RAM 2GB 533MHz DDR2 GRAPHICS Intel GMA950 + AverMedia AverTV Hybrid+FM DRIVES 2 x 250GB HDD, DVDRW DL MONITOR 19in LG1915S TFT (1280x1024) PORTS 7 x USB2, 1 x FireWire ports, multi-format memory card reader WARRANTY 1 year parts and labour
Verdict
Qtech's Viiv Media Center is well put together but to earn its place in your living room, it needs a touch more refinement - and some fans that aren't quite so noisy...
It's hard to see anyone using this PC as their home-entertainment hub.
Computer Buyer Online