- Dedicated Graphics Card
- 3D Games Bundle
- Solid Dual Core Processor
- Smaller Hard Drive
- Limited Number of Peripheral Ports
- No Productivity Software
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core Processor
- 1GB PC2-5400 DDR2 Memory
- 160GB 7200rpm 8MB SATA Hard Drive
- Samsung 18x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- NVIDIA GeForce 7600GT Graphics Card with 256MB Memory
- AC'97 Audio
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Four USB 2.0 Ports
- Vista Home Premium 32-bit, Rainbow Six, FarCry, Age of Empires III
3/19/07 – The ABS Ultimate M5 is clearly targeted toward those looking to play 3D games but are on a tight budget. The system has a relatively low price but comes with some hardware designed for gaming. The most notable items is the NVIDIA GeForce 7600GT graphics card. While not cutting edge, the graphics core does do its job fairly well at lower to mid resolutions such that gaming is still smooth albeit without the flash. ABS also includes a software bundle of some 3D games to go along with the system.
ABS did have to reduce some of the other specifications in order to make it affordable. While most mainstream desktops have hard drives in the 250 to 400GB size range, the Gladiator Pro only comes with a 160GB drive stock. The cost difference between drives is minimal and it would be nice to see ABS increase the base size. They also do not include any productivity software with it. So, if you need to use office applications, expect to pay a little more to add it in.
The core of the system is built around the AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ processor. This dual core processor is not the latest and greatest, but it is sufficient for all the basics of computing and handles multitasking. In addition, it does play all of the latest and greatest games that tend to be more graphics card bound than CPU bound.
So, if you are looking to play PC games, the ABS Ultimate M5 Gladiator Pro makes a good entry level system, but it probably shouldn't be the first choice for those looking for it as a general purpose PC.
