Packard Bell Imedia 3082
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Packard Bell Imedia 3082

A good workhorse, but lacking in value.

Price: £899
Manufacturer: Packard Bell



Ratings
Overall rating: Overall rating
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Verdict

Pros:
TV tuner; good software package.

Cons:
Graphics; poor performance.

Overall:
As a workhorse PC it performs well, but it's not great value for money.


Will Stapley, Personal Computer World 08 Sep 2004

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Housed in what could be described as an uninspiring case, the 3082 comes in at the higher end of Packard Bell's Imedia range.

The system is based around a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 processor and 512MB of Ram, but it's important to note that only 384MB is available as system memory since Packard Bell has opted for integrated graphics.

The Radeon 9100 IGP chipset takes control of 128MB from the system memory, while an AGP slot sits on the motherboard. If you want to run graphic-intensive applications or games, we'd recommend you upgrade.

Going some way to make up for this is the TV tuner card. It's only an analogue version, so you won't be able to pick up digital Freeview channels, but it does add extra functionality.

A versatile NEC ND-2500A DVD writer occupies one of two 5.25in drive bays and is capable of eight-speed writing to both DVD formats. Hard disk storage is taken care of by a Seagate Barracuda 7,200rpm drive with a 60GB capacity. If you're thinking of recording live TV, it won't be long before you need to purchase a second drive.

In terms of performance, our 3Dmark03 benchmark result of 805 proves that this PC is no games machine and, while the score of 127 in Sysmark 2004 is acceptable, it's not outstanding.

The Imedia 3082 houses some interesting features, but there are better deals to be had.

Contact: Packard Bell
www.packardbell.co.uk

Specifications:

  • Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz
  • 512MB of Ram (384MB available)
  • 60GB hard disk
  • NEC ND-2500A DVD-RW
  • ATI Radeon 9100 IGP
  • 17in TFT
  • Windows XP Home
  • Cyberlink Power Cinema
  • Microsoft Works 7
  • Norton Internet Security 2003


See also:

Packard Bell iXtreme 7072A well-rounded PC that is suitable for less demanding users  21 Oct 2004
Carrera OctanSolid system with a 19in TFT, under £1,000  11 Oct 2004
Sony VAIONo monitor but a budget rival to Windows Media Center.  04 Oct 2004
Mesh Matrix 64 3200+ 68 UltraA balanced PC with a large monitor and surround-sound speakers.  14 Sep 2004
JAL CA3000A neat package with something for everyone.  02 Aug 2004
Mesh Matrix 64 3200+ XTA solid PC that's basic in design but copes easily with everyday tasks.  12 Jul 2004
Packard Bell Imedia 3050A cheap system, but it's good value.  06 Jul 2004

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