Mesh Elite GTX 465 & GTX 480 systems review

1. Introduction2. The Elite Systems3. Inside Build4. Testing Methodology5. Cinebench R11.5 64bit6. SiSoft Sandra7. KitGuru Photoshop Benchmark8. PCMark Vantage9. Crysis Warhead10. Far Cry 211. Grand Theft Auto 4: EFLC12. Thermal Dynamics and Noise13. Closing Thoughts14. View All Pages

We’ve enjoyed our first look at a MESH pre-built system. Looking at the overall pricing (which is competitive) and comparing it to the component choices, you can see that a complete package will always be a blend of intelligence and compromise.

If you are experienced at building yourself, then you are never going to consider a pre-built machine, so this review is not for you or the other 5% of the population that like DIY. This system is aimed at the hugh 95% of folk that will never pick up a screwdriver in anger.

This kind of system is going to be interesting to the majority.

Both the GTX465 and GTX480 models are well made and fast. They use quality components (even if we’d adjust the blend) and the build quality is good.

So who are they aimed at?

For us, the GTX graphics means that we’re looking at gamers who love nVidia. Whether that’s for the pioneering work they’ve done over the years, the drivers or the TWIMTBP programme for software.

That’s the target audience, so why are they buying and what do they have right now?

They feel the need. The need for speed.  You folks are seeing all the great games coming through and you want to experience them in all their glory – for many years to come.

Let’s be clear, if your existing PC is more than a year old, then you’re going to notice a significant improvement in every main component area:-

	Then	Now	Better?
Processor	Core2/Phenom X4	Core i5	Much
Graphics	GTX260/4850	GTX480	Much
Boot Drive	SATA 2	SSD	Much
O/S	Vista 32	Windows 7 64	Much

.
Economists love the idea of ‘opportunity cost’. This covers the idea that buying product ‘A' means you don’t buy product ‘B' and vice versa.

So for the money that MESH is asking, what is the opportunity cost?  What other gaming system are you losing out on?

We toured a few stores to see what you could buy for similar money if you just turned up at PC World with £999 to £1,399 and wanted to walk away with a gaming rig on a Sunday afternoon.

Alienware has a good reputation and the black/red chassis is similar enough to the MESH unit, so we created a simple table – based on the parts that will be important to gaming:-

	Alienware	MESH
Graphics	GTX 260	GTX480
Monitor	None	22″ Iiyama
CPU	i7 920 @ 2.66Ghz	i5 750 @ 2.66Ghz
RAM	6GB DDR3	4GB DDR3
	£1,499	£1,399
Add Screen	£170
Total	£1,669	£1,399

.
It doesn’t take a KitGuru to know that this MESH Elite 480 machine will smash the more expensive Alienware box across a broad spread of games.

Sure, the i7 920 is a better processor than the i5 750, but in most cases the difference at stock speed won’t be that noticeable in games.

Playing something like Crysis Warhead, the GTX480 will deliver around 80% more performance than the GTX260. It’s in a totally different class. At ‘enthusiast’ quality mode with some AA etc, the GTX260 will struggle to get above 30fps.

On that basis, MESH has created a system that will game-the-arse off a similarly priced Alienware unit from PC World – for about £200 less.

You can’t say fairer than that.

Between the two units, if we had to choose, our preference is clear.

KitGuru says: While we love SSD and the fastest graphics available, KitGuru actually prefers the GTX465 system at £999.
That card is plenty powerful enough to drive HD games at 1920×1080 with just a small adjustment to the IQ settings.
If you really want to blast through games for the next 3 years, then go with the ego-boosting GTX480 version.

Discuss in our forums over here or just leave a quick comment below.

Become a Patron!