When Sony first launched its desktop range, its systems stood out because of their design, but they were very expensive and not the best value desktops around. Now Sony appears to have had a change of heart and is aiming its new systems at the much more competitive market occupied by bigger OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) such as Evesham Micros, with a corresponding drop in price.

Powered by a 2.80C GHz Pentium 4, the PCV-RS226 uses Intel's i865PE Springdale chipset to provide support for the 800MHz FSB processor. The reviewed model came with 256MB of PC2700 (DDR333) memory, so it lacks the punch of the similarly priced systems that some of its rivals can offer. However, Sony is now offering the PCV-RS226 with 512MB of PC2700 memory, which will pull up its performance considerably, and with a total of four DIMM slots there is room to upgrade still further.

Expansion-wise the PCV-RS226 is a little limited, with only two free PCI slots and a CNR slot, but with integrated 10/100Mbps networking and a built-in modem, about the only thing to add would be a decent sound card, as the integrated audio controller and the supplied 3W speakers are pretty poor.

The case design has more than a hint of Apple about it and is compact and easy to get into. It has two USB 2.0 ports and a single FireWire port behind a drop down panel at the base of the front bezel. To aid those with too many USB peripherals, the rear panel contains another four USB 2.0 ports and a single FireWire socket.

Sitting behind two drop-down panels in the front of the system are the two optical drives; a Sony 40x/24x/40x CD-RW drive and a Sony dual format DVD writer. Permanent storage is provided in the shape of a 120GB, 7,200rpm hard drive, so transferring large amounts of data such as video files shouldn't present much of a problem.

Things are a little disappointing in the graphics department. Sony has used a 128MB Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 - not the world's fastest card, but it is DirectX 9 compliant and does provide a degree of future proofing. Even so, it's not a card for the hardcore gamer.

The PCV-RS226 doesn't come with a monitor as standard, but Sony supplied a SDM-X52 with the review system - be sure to budget extra for a display when taking the price into account. The SDM-X52 is a 15-inch TFT display with a native resolution of 1,024 pixels by 768 pixels, and as you would expect from Sony it matches the case, as does the keyboard and mouse.

Both of the latter are a surprise; the keyboard is a small, compact unit but is surprisingly comfortable to type on, while the diminutive mouse is easier to use than its size might suggest.

Sony provides the PCV-RS226 with Windows XP Home as the pre-installed operating system and, as is usual with a Sony PC, there is an impressive amount of software already on the hard drive.

The Sony software bundle includes VAIO Media, Click to DVD (a DVD burning utility), DVgate, PictureGear Studio, SonicStage, Network Smart Capture and VAIO Web Phone. In addition to all this there is Microsoft Works 7.0, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 and Premiere 6.0LE, PowerDVD and a copy of Norton AntiVirus with a free 90 day subscription to Live Update.

Although the PCV-RS226 is a stylish looking system, the choice of graphics card and the poor onboard sound don't do it any favours when compared to other systems in this price bracket. That said, it's competent enough and comes with a useful and varied software bundle.