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The Modula 9040IHD is the only PC here to use a traditional desktop case, rather than a tower, which means you can place the monitor on top of it to save on desk space. The disadvantage is that the thin case means the PCI and PCI Express x16 slots are only half-height, so there’s a limited choice of expansion and graphics cards. There’s room inside to fit another hard disk, although with a large 750GB model already installed, it’s unlikely that you’ll run out of storage space quickly. The 9040IHD is the only PC here to come bundled with a set of 2.1 speakers. These aren’t particularly loud, but they produce a decent level of bass and beat any monitor’s built-in speakers hands down. The 19in Edge10 screen has a resolution of 1,440×900. It produced a bright image and accurate colours when we tested it over its DVI input. RL Supplies also bundles a Logitech keyboard and mouse set, which is better quality than others here. The keyboard has a strip of short-cut buttons that control media playback and volume, as well as short cuts to often-used applications such as email and a calculator. The mouse has a wheel that can tilt sideways to help with scrolling horizontally, such as through spreadsheets. The 9040IHD has the same 2.5GHz Intel E5200 dual-core processor and 4GB of RAM as the Ginger6 Studio 9600GTi, and achieved the same overall result in our benchmarks. While it was still a fair way behind Mesh’s Nero 9950HD, this PC is more than twice as fast as the nettops reviewed here. It’s a powerful enough PC for all but the most strenuous tasks, such as editing long audio files and hours of HD video.
RL Supplies is to be commended for offering the choice of a traditional desktop PC, but unfortunately the half-height case restricts upgrades. Eclipse’s Eco a50 costs £100 less and yet has room for a PCI-E x16 graphics card and more drives. The 9040IHD’s two-year warranty will give peace of mind as well, but for £17 more you could buy Mesh’s Nero 9950HD.
