Verdict: An easy-to-build overclocking monster, but it's for yesterday's Athlon XP

White may be a good colour for fridges, but we're not so sure about PCs. Presumably, AOpen hopes to emulate the Apple iPod's charm with this XC Cube's translucent plastic looks, but we'd have preferred the EZ65 XC's more menacing black. Still, it's the only major downside of the EZ18 XC - pretty much everything else cuts the mustard, and there's a black version available anyway. Our only other minor gripe is the placement of the AGP slot next to the chassis panel, which means there's no chance of installing a dual-slot graphics card.

The EZ18 XC is supremely easy to build. The hard disk enclosure slides out to facilitate installation and create more space for attaching the EIDE cables and DIMMs. The processor socket is near the edge of the board, and readily accessible, although the heatsink clip requires some dexterity to secure. The single 5.25in bay is hidden behind a flap, so you won't need to worry about the colour of your optical drive. The front 3.5in bay is also under a flap, although this one doesn't spring shut once opened.

In terms of features, the EZ18 XC is well equipped too. FireWire, USB 2, and audio connections (including an S/PDIF input) are situated on the front of the case under another pop-open flap, and on the rear there are optical and coaxial digital outputs. There are two D-SUB ports and even an S-Video output, thanks to the nForce2 integrated graphics, so this would make a good PVR platform. To further enhance media PC capabilities, if you hit INS at bootup the JukeBox Media Center facility can access audio CDs without having to boot into Windows.

At its standard settings, the EZ18 XC performed as expected for an Athlon XP in our benchmarks. And like its Intel-oriented EZ65 XC cousin, the EZ18 XC overclocks like a champ. It managed a stable 200MHz FSB, which gave an impressive 18 per cent boost to our 2D benchmarks, and an equally amazing 6.7 more fps in Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory.

If you really must stick with yesterday's processor technology, this is the best Athlon XP SFF we've seen. It's easy to build, supremely quick, and great value. Just be sure you ask for it in black.

• Cases - 21st November 2008
• Motherboards - 24th October 2008
• Gaming Headsets - 26th September 2008
• Dream PCs - 24th September 2008
• Headphones - 12th September 2008
• Media PC components - 22nd August 2008
• PSUs - 14th July 2008

• Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - Hard disks / storage
• Asus EAH4870 TOP - Graphics cards
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro - Sound cards
• Multiwinia - Games
• Zotac GeForce GTX 260² - Graphics cards
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 - Graphics cards
• Scan 3XS X58 Core i7 - Desktop PCs