'Absolute consistency' are the words we'd use to describe the performance of the Aspire T310. A solid all-rounder, this machine is just as at home gaming as it is doing 2D tasks, such as productivity applications, anti-virus scanning or media decoding. And, as shown by its impressive 4,271 PCMark04 score, it's not short on horsepower.

Interestingly, the Acer is one of only three PCs this month to feature the new Pentium 4 Prescott CPU. While the Prescott is an evolutionary step forward, our testing shows that it's not necessarily faster than a similarly clocked Northwood Pentium 4, but at least you can rest assured that you're using the latest technology. There should also be a slight performance boost down the track when software is optimised for the Prescott's new SSE3 instructions.

This consistent speed helped it to achieve a very impressive Performance score of 120, which was the second-highest out of all nine of the machines tested (not including the Apple eMac).

Besides our small form factor Shuttle system, this was the smallest ATX housing we received. Although small, careful design has gone into this chassis, ensuring it is as accessible as its larger full ATX counterparts. Acer has mounted its hard disk drive sideways, allowing the parallel cables and jumpers to be chopped and changed without the need to remove the drive, unlike conventional horizontal mounting where devices must first be removed.

The software bundle with this system is also phenomenal. Inside you'll find a copy of Norton Internet Security 2004, a Microsoft ensemble comprising: Flight Simulator 2004, Links 2003 and Age of Mythology. The package also includes WinDVD 4, Tomb Raider – Angel of Darkness, Webster's Encyclopedia of Australia and World Encyclopedia, the International Computer Driving Licence and an ATI RADEON game bundle. It's more than enough software to keep you busy and push your new system to its full potential, of which there is plenty.

Unfortunately the T310 is slightly lacking in the upgradeability stakes, with only a single additional RAM DIMM socket and a total of three PCI slots, only one of which is usable due to the size of the AGP graphics cooler and the supplied PCI modem. The ambient temperature within the unit seemed a little higher than we would have liked, although there's provision for adding an additional rear mounted extraction fan for extra cooling.

Another excellent addition is the incredibly flexible DVD burner, burning not only plus and minus R/RW but also DVD-RAM. The only average inclusion is a 17in CRT, which is not as flashy as a 17in LCD or 19in TFT, but should suffice for most users. If you have some extra cash, consider upgrading though.

Overall, it's a well performing system that gives you plenty of software to start using it straight out of the box, including a couple of very decent games.