MESH Matrix II 920 (Phenom II) PC System

External Appearance

 
The NZXT HUSH is a massive improvement over the generic and quite tacky looking plastic fronted cases used on the original Matrix series. Both the top and side panels of the case are finished in glossy black paint that gives the case a certain wow factor while also remaining quite durable (yes we accidentally put it to the test!). The front of the case is quite stylish and features a swing-open door that conceals the DVD-RW drive and card reader, while the V-shape cut-out at the bottom of the door gives unobstructed access to the power and reset switches.
MESH Matrix II Base Unit MESH Matrix II Case Door

MESH Matrix II Case Side MESH Matrix II Case Rear

Our only gripe about the choice of case is the total lack of any front-facing USB ports, which makes plugging in devices such as digital camera’s and USB flash drives quite a chore. Unfortunately this is further compounded by a limited number of USB ports at the rear that leaves you with only three ports after plugging in the wireless dongle for the keyboard and mouse.

MESH Matrix II System MESH Matrix II Sound System

With the entire system set-up on a desk the silver and black detailing of the speakers and case make the entire system look like it was designed to work together. This is certainly more than can be said for systems from most integrators who often throw a PC together using whatever components work out best on paper.

Internal Layout

Of course there’s more to a PC than what it looks like on the outside, and while we already know that a large number of the components on the inside are from well respected brands such as HIS and ASUS, there are still plenty of areas where quality compromising cost cutting can be made. With this in mind, let’s have a nose around inside the belly of the beast.

MESH Matrix II Inside MESH Matrix II Sound Proofing

On opening the case the first thing we noticed was the sound dampening material lining both of the side panels and carpeting the floor. This is actually a feature of the NZXT HUSH chassis rather than anything MESH have added themselves, but it’s still extremely good to see that such a well featured case has been chosen.

The overall system build is clean and professional with a fair amount of attention being paid to cable routing and bundling, which combined with the two 120mm fans placed at the front and rear, should provide decent airflow through the case.

MESH Matrix II HIS Card MESH Matrix II Akasa Cooler

Bonus points definitely needs to be given to MESH for choosing to use the HIS 4850 IceQ inside the Matrix II. Not only does the card provide an excellent balance of price and performance, but the non-reference cooler is extremely quiet and does a great job of keeping the card cool.

Equally, the ASUS M3A78 Pro motherboard is also worthy of a mention. MESH could have easily cut corners here, saving a few quid by going for a lesser motherboard. Instead they chose a board that provides full 1080p High-Definition output via HDMI, Hybrid Crossfire support and ASUS’ Express Gate technology.

 

Unfortunately the DDR2 memory kit used inside the Matrix II seems to be unbranded. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing however as the chips used on the modules are manufactured by Samsung, so there is certainly some level of quality there. Just don’t expect them to go much higher than their stock speed of DDR2-800 if you’re planning on overclocking.

MESH Matrix II PSU MESH Matrix II Hard Disk
 
The installed PSU is a rather generic-looking 550w model manufactured by HEC. In the 3 years of reviewing PSU’s here at Overclock3D this is certainly not a brand we’ve ever come across in the past, but MESH assure us that it has been used in a large number of their previous systems over the years and has always proved to be stable and reliable.

Now let’s put these components through their paces in our tests over the next page…