Velocity Micro Vector Campus Edition Mainstream Desktop PC

Aug 18 2010 - Velocity Micro's Vector Campus Edition is a good general purpose system for those looking to use it for education purposes. The features on the system don't really set it apart from other desktops in the same price range but the overall build quality is certainly above average. They do allow users to change a number of features at the time or purchase but prices are often more expensive than if the users did the upgrades themselves. The biggest problem though is the graphics system which is not really good for anyone looking to also use the system for PC gaming.

Aug 18 2010 - Velocity Micro's Vector Campus Edition is a blend of features the company offers in its other Vector desktop systems. It fits between the more budget minded Z20 and the higher performance Z35. It is based upon the Intel Core i5-750 quad core processor that offers a good mix of performance and multitasking capabilities. It isn't as high as previous Campus Editions but it fits in with the $899 base price tag. Matched up with the processor is 4GB of DDR3 memory that should alleviate many memory slowdowns but falls short of the 8GB that many companies are now offering at this price range.

Storage features on the Vector Campus Edition are pretty typical for a desktop system in this price range. A one terabyte hard drive provides plenty of space for applications, data and media files. A dual layer DVD burner handles playback and recording of CDs and DVDs. Upgrades are available for those that wish to either have more storage space, a second hard drive or a Blu-ray compatible drive.

The weakest aspect of the Vector Campus Edition is the graphics system. Rather than using a newer generation of graphics card, Velocity Micro has elected to use a very basic NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 graphics card. Those hoping to use the system for 3D gaming will be disappointed with its mediocre performance. Expect games to really only play well around the 1280x1024 and maybe 1440x900 resolution levels. There is an option to upgrade to a GTX 260 card but this is so out of date that users would be better offer looking at an affordable Radeon HD 5000 series card if they really want to play games.

Pretty much any of the features in the Vector Campus Edition can be modified at the time of order. This allows a great level of flexibility in designing a desktop to exactly what the consumer wants. The problem is that a number of the upgrades are priced too high. A good example is upgrading the memory from 4GB to 8GB that is almost double what users would pay by buying the memory on their own and installing it themselves.

What Velocity Micro does do better than many build-to-order companies is putting their systems together. The overall build quality and selection of components are definitely a step up from those used by other companies. This makes the system much more reliable that can be found from other desktops. This does have the drawback of being more labor intensive and having a bit higher overall cost than the high volume PC manufacturers.