CCL PCPro-003 review

CCL builds custom PCs for the education sector, and thus gives schools the opportunity to specify a computer that meets both their price and performance needs.

The PCPro-003 is an updated version of the i3-Edu-Mini, and much has improved. For roughly the same amount of money, you now get a PC supplied with one of Intel’s latest processors and a two-year, on-site warranty (the i3-Edu-Mini had a three-year warranty, but on a return-to-base basis). You can purchase the PC without Windows for £310 exc VAT, and save a further £17 if you don’t need the keyboard and mouse.

The CCL’s chassis has a small footprint, measuring 135 x 289 x 240mm (WDH), and so takes up relatively little desktop space. The metal and plastic case feels reassuringly rugged, yet isn’t too heavy to carry around.

You certainly get the feeling this machine will withstand the rough handling that classroom PCs invariably receive from pupils. A quiet fan system also means the PC creates little noise, even when running processor-hungry activities.

And it can take whatever tasks most classes throw at it. Our test model came with a dual-core 3.1GHz Intel Core i3-2100 processor, and 4GB of RAM; it’s a potent combination. A score of 0.80 in the our benchmarks is a fine result.

This was backed up by our subjective impressions. It offers sharp graphics, crisp audio and smooth video – it’s hard to think of a classroom IT activity the PCPro-003 would have problems with,a and the generous specifications mean it should have a long working life.

The front panel is clean and uncluttered, consisting of a grille cover and a long, thin vertical strip containing the power button, two LEDs, optical disc tray and disc eject button. The eject button on the i3-Edu-Mini was stiff, but we had no such concerns with this machine: the drive tray opens smoothly (but note that it closes manually, which might lead to reliability issues eventually).