Style is subjective. And when it comes to smuggling a huge lump of technology into the living room it’s emotional as well. The common reaction to the DMS II’s styling is one of light-hearted horror, although its 1980s video recorder visage also instils respect by the more retro-minded. The LED display adds to this dated ambiance, although what is flickering underneath the bulky casing is just as important as the external appearance.

Build quality is on the whole impressive; with the sheer weight of the unit giving the impression that it will survive its time under the television. We’re not so convinced about the drop- down flap that hides a multitude of ports – the plastic feels a little too fragile and bends significantly under pressure. There are plenty of DVD trays that feel sturdier than this, although the eject button is suitably consumer friendly. This system is surprisingly quiet in operation too, once you’ve survived the initial spin up on boot at least.

Controlling every aspect of these PCs is tricky, and while the inclusion of an infrared keyboard is a step in the right direction, this model feels a little cheap, especially when it’s sitting next to the stylish Microsoft keyboard included with Evesham’s machine. The trackball has the potential to be a better alternative to the mini-joystick used elsewhere, although in practice we found this just as difficult to use for precision work. The box does include the ubiquitous Media Center remote control though, and this does make controlling the media aspects of the machine a breeze – it’s a shame that you can’t use this for controlling other aspects of Windows.

This model of the DMS II uses a Pentium 4 550, running at 3.4GHz, although if you need slightly more punch then a 3.6GHz model is also available. The 200GB hard drive offers plenty of room for recording TV and audio, and also happens to make the standard Sky+ capacity look weedy.

Such machines aren’t intended for hardcore gamers, but as they will sit under the television it isn’t unreasonable to think that they will be used for the odd bit of interactive entertainment. The 3DMark 2003 performance result of 2,623 shows that it’s going to struggle with the newer titles, especially if you are planning on running it at HD resolutions, but it will handle yesterday’s hits well enough. This is slightly faster than Evesham’s offering, but in essence they will produce an almost identical gaming experience.

We got the beat
The machine boasts integrated 802.11g wireless networking support in addition to the more traditional wired variety. The option of being able to stream and pull media from a variety of sources without cluttering your home with more wires is a positive step, and one that’s become the norm in modern media centres. The big plus for this machine is evident once you peer round the back. The myriad coaxial audio input and output connectors allow you to integrate the machine into the most convoluted AV setup, with audio outputs being particularly well catered for. Traditional computer connectors are covered too, both on the front and rear of the system.

Hi-Grade offers a skew of the DMS II 3400 with an additional digital DVB-T tuner, and a GeForce 6600GT that is passively cooled so that it doesn’t add to the noise of the machine. This will set you back an extra £276, but is definitely worth considering if you live in an area that has good Freeview access and/or want to play more exacting games.

The DMS II doesn’t ship with a monitor or speakers, and to be honest hardly leaps out as great value for money. It’s an incredibly competent system though, and one that you’re going to be hard pushed to find technical fault with once it has been installed in your home. If you can get over the looks that is.