ABS Ultimate M5 Vortex review

Unlike most gaming systems we see, the ABS Ultimate M5 Vortex includes some actual games in the box. ABS bundles the real-time strategy classic Rise of Nations, the disappointing first-person shooter Bet on Soldier, and the incomparable Half-Life 2 (which you download via the online Steam service using a provided coupon code). The Vortex also comes with Microsoft Works Suite 2005--a worthwhile inclusion. Alas, antivirus software is nowhere to be found, nor can you configure any when you purchase your system.

ABS's warranty and support offerings are more generous than most. The standard warranty covers parts and labor for one year, but you also get toll-free, 24/7 tech support and onsite service via 2Net, a third-party company. Technically, tech support expires with the warranty, but an ABS rep told us that customers can still get live help after the year is up. The company also provides extensive online resources, including a staffed message forum and real-time chat.

Application performance
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

BAPCo's SysMark 2004 rating

SysMark 2004 Internet-content-creation rating

SysMark 2004 office-productivity rating

Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX (2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3700+, 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz)*

200 

220 

181 

Alienware Aurora 3500 (2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 3800+, 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz)

197 

220 

177 

ABS Ultimate M5 Vortex (2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 3800+, 2,048MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz)

196 

218 

177 

Maingear Prelude 64 (2.0GHz AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz)*

188 

204 

174 

Half-Life 2 (in fps)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

0

Half-Life 2 custom demo

Alienware Aurora 3500 (Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT, PCIe)

96.8 

74.5 

Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX (Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT, PCIe)*

96.2 

74.1 

Maingear Prelude 64 (two Nvidia GeForce 6800 GS, PCIe, SLI)*

88.9 

66.9 

ABS Ultimate M5 Vortex (Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT, PCIe)

85.9 

48 

* Indicates graphics and CPU are overclocked

Doom 3 (in fps)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

0

Doom 3 custom demo

Maingear Prelude 64 (two Nvidia GeForce 6800 GS, PCIe, SLI)*

121.5 

70.5 

Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX (Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT, PCIe)*

100.3 

50.5 

Alienware Aurora 3500 (Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT, PCIe)

89.3 

43.8 

ABS Ultimate M5 Vortex (Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT, PCIe)

70.7 

36.4 

* Indicates graphics and CPU are overclocked

Find out more about how we test desktop systems.

System configurations:
ABS Ultimate M5 Vortex
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 3800+; Nvidia Nforce-4 chipset; 2,048MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT (PCIe); Seagate ST3200826AS 200GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA

Alienware Aurora 3500
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 3800+; Nvidia Nforce-4 SLI chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT (PCIe); Samsung HD160JJ 160GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA

Maingear Prelude 64
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.0GHz AMD Athlon 64 3200+; Nvidia Nforce-4 SLI chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; two 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6800 GS (PCIe SLI); two WDC WD2500KS-00MJB0 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA; integrated Nvidia Nforce-4 RAID class controller (RAID 0)

Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX (Athlon 64 3700+)
Windows XP Professional SP2; 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3700+; Nvidia Nforce-4 SLI chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT (PCIe); WDC WD2000JB-00GVC0 200GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA