:. Introduction .:

If you are just not satisfied with your local computer shops selection or if you are looking for something different but that has the horsepower you need for all the new games that are soon to be released then Starfish might just have the right computer for you. Starfish Technologies INC. is a relatively new player in the PC market offering an impressive array of components and configurations. Every system in their lineup is fully customizable to suit your needs and budget. They offer just about every type of case you could possibly want from standard tower to window cases to mini cube systems. We have a customized SS 2000 system here for review.

:. Specifications .:

:. Starfish Technologies SS 2000 .:

The first thing you notice when looking at the SS 2000 is its unique case, the Coolermaster ATC-600 micro-ATX desktop case. With its aluminum finish and slick green front panel it is definitely something that you would be proud to sport at a LAN party. The front panel is the highest quality case door I’ve ever seen, it is made of plexiglass and smoothly drops down with the push of a button. Unlike most micro-ATX cases you are not limited to some skimpy 145 watt power supply, any standard ATX PSU will fit, Starfish technologies includes an enermax 300 watt unit. In addition to that the case offers front mounted USB and Firewire ports for easy access. Cooling is handled by three 60mm fans built into the case which provide adequate cooling to the system interior.

This system is chock full of top end components, in

This system is chock This system is chock full of top end components, in fact the specs sheet reads like an all star list of parts. The Intel Pentium 4 2.53 and the Geforce 4 Ti 4600 are the top performing CPU and video card available now. The Abit BG7M is one of the most feature packed motherboards I’ve ever come across providing integrated video, audio, LAN, USB 2.0, and DDR 333 support. The only shortcoming that I see is that it only has 3 PCI slots but that is to be expected of any micro-ATX motherboard, this isn’t much of a problem since the board includes LAN and USB 2.0 functionality without the use of any PCI cards. The inclusion of a special edition Western Digital hard drive is a smart move, 80 gigs is plenty of space for most users. For those who don’t know WD’s special edition drives include an 8 Meg buffer instead of the usual 2 Megs, this speeds up files transfers and is a great help while doing things such as photo and video editing. Optical duties are handled by the Pioneer dvd-106s and Lite-on 40x12x40x drives, both performed admirably handling anything I threw at them. The system includes both Power DVD XP 4.0 and Nero Burning ROM 5.5. One thing you may notice is that the system does not come with a floppy drive, at this point floppy is very old technology and is not really needed since the creation of the bootable CD-ROM. If you truly need a floppy however one can be added using one of the systems 4 available USB ports. I must comment on the build quality of this system, Starfish Technologies neatly tucks any excess cabling out of the way. The system is setup to promote good airflow and every component is very sturdy in its place. The final system shows the kind of care and craftsmanship that goes into the system at the factory.          

 Monsoon’s MM-1000 Speakers provide smooth, crisp audio from their planar magnetic speakers. My first reaction when testing them was amazement that flat speakers could provide such powerful sound. The Sony SDM-S51/B LCD monitor was bright and offers respectable viewing angles. Rounding out the package are the MS Intelimouse Explorer 3.0 and Future Power black keyboard, both are very comfortable.