If you know your Intel product codes then you will know by the code number of Hi-Grade's Tachyon which CPU it uses. For the rest of us (i.e. the non-anoraks), it's powered by Intel's entry model quad core processor, the Q6600.

The Q6600 - or, to give it its full name, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - is clocked at 2.4GHz with a 1,066MHz FSB (Front Side Bus) and 8MB of L2 cache (2MB x 4) and is an ideal tool if you do a lot of CPU-intensive jobs such as video editing.

Strangely Hi-Grade hasn't opted for a motherboard that uses the current generation Intel chipset, or for that matter the generation previous to that, but instead has chosen one of Intel's own flagship BattleAxe2 (D975XBX2KR) motherboards using Intel's D975X / ICH-7R chipset combination.

It's not a bad motherboard - far from it - but it does seem a strange decision to mate a quad core with a motherboard that's getting on a bit. The motherboard supports 800, 667 or 533MHz DDR2 memory and Hi-Grade has handicapped the Tachyon Q6600 by using the slowest 533MHz option.

And although you get 2GB of memory, the Vista Benchmark Memory score of just 5.2 proves the point. With the exception of the hard drive (5.7) the rest of the system components that the benchmark measures score 5.9, and as the Vista benchmark uses the slowest component score to give the overall score, the Tachyon Q6600 scores a lowly 5.2. Whipping out the memory and replacing it with either 667 or 800MHz memory modules would improve things no end.

With the motherboard using passive cooling the only noise comes from the CPU fan (standard Intel fan), the case fan (a single 120mm unit on the rear panel) and the fan on the graphics card. The opening side panel has a plastic duct built into it that fits directly over the CPU cooler. This helps reduce noise, with the result that the Tachyon Q6600 is quiet in operation; by no means silent, but a lot quieter than many systems out there.

The motherboard fits tidily into the largish midi-tower space and, should you want to add more cards or upgrade some of the hardware at a later date, there's plenty of room to work inside the case. Generally you won't need a screwdriver as the expansion plates and all drive bays are tool-free. There are plenty of bays to add extra drives should you fill up the 500GB Samsung hard drive, while in one of the four 5.25-inch drive bays sits a Samsung Dual Layer DVD burner that can burn at the following speeds: 18x DVD-/+R, 8x DVD-/+ DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM.

Providing graphics output is a 640MB Nvidia GeForce 8800GTS which gives the Tachyon Q6600 a healthy average frame rate for F.E.A.R of 150fps when tested with details set to maximum and a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels.

Both the 7.1-channel audio and Gigabit Ethernet are integrated into the motherboard, while rounding out the hardware is a Sony SDM-E96D 19-inch TFT with a 1,200 by 1,024 pixel native resolution. Hi-Grade loads the Tachyon Q6600 with Windows Vista Home Premium and also adds Open Office, backing the Tachyon Q6600 with a year's on-site warranty.

A well priced all-rounder that has plenty of space should you want to expand its capabilities in the future, but the first thing you should do is provide the CPU with some faster memory.