Braebo Bolt review
A decent PC with one of AMD's latest processors, but it doesn’t quite have the performance of the similarly-equipped competition
Specifications
3.4GHz AMD A10-7700K, 8GB RAM, 21.5in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 8.1
Only one of the motherboard’s two memory slots is in use, and there’s also a free PCI-E x16 slot, PCI-E x1 slot and a PCI slot. At the top of the case you’ll find a USB3 port and a standard USB port alongside the obligatory mic and headphone ports. At the back are three 3.5mm audio outputs that can output 5.1 analogue surround sound, two USB3 ports, four USB ports and a PS/2 port for mouse or keyboard.
The supplied mouse and keyboard are a basic Genius set. The keyboard has a clip-on wrist rest that makes it more comfortable to use, but its keys still feel a little shallow and unresponsive. The mouse is pretty good for a lightweight budget model, though. The monitor is a Hanns.G HE225DPG. In our tests, this screen showed a mediocre contrast ratio of 614:1 and displayed just 85.6% of the sRGB colour gamut, making it unsuitable for colour-sensitive tasks such as image editing. It’s fine for general desktop use, though.
The Bolt is a capable PC, but it’s not the fastest model we’ve seen with these components. The monitor’s a decent choice for the price and the SSD is a useful touch, as is the year’s 500GB LiveDrive subscription that Braebo throws in, but we still prefer the 24in screen and greater upgrade potential of the Palicomp AMD Kaveri Evolution.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | **** |
| Processor | AMD A10-7700K |
| Processor external bus | 100MHz (HyperTransport) |
| Processor multiplier | x34 |
| Processor clock speed | 3.4GHz |
| Processor socket | FM2+ |
| Memory | 8 |
| Memory type | PC3-12800 |
| Maximum memory | 16GB |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-DS2 |
| Motherboard chipset | AMD A88X |
Ports | |
| USB2 ports (front/rear) | 2/6 |
| eSATA ports (front/rear) | 0/0 |
| Wired network ports | 1x 10/100/1000 |
| Wireless networking support | none |
Internal Expansion | |
| Case | midi tower |
| PCI-E x1 slots (free) | 1 (1) |
| PCI-E x16 slots (free) | 1 (1) |
| Free Serial ATA ports | 3 |
| Free memory slots | 0 |
| Free 3.5in drive bays | 1 |
Hard Disk | |
| Hard disk model(s) | Corsair Force LS 60GB SSD + Western Digital WD10EZRX-00A8LB0 |
| Interface | SATA3 |
Graphics | |
| Graphics card(s) | integrated AMD Radeon R7 |
| Graphics/video ports | DVI, VGA |
Sound | |
| Sound | Realtek ALC887 |
| Sound outputs | 5.1 line out, headphone, microphone |
| Speakers | none |
Removable Drives | |
| Supported memory cards | none |
| Optical drive type(s) | DVD+/-RW +/-DL |
Display | |
| Viewable size | 21.5 in |
| Screen model | Hanns.G HE225DPB |
| Native resolution | 1,920×1,080 |
| Screen inputs | DVI, VGA |
Other Hardware | |
| Keyboard | Genius KB-220e |
| Mouse | Genius NetScroll 120 |
Software | |
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 |
| Operating system restore option | Windows disc |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | five years RTB (one year parts, five years labour) |
| Price | £500 |
| Details | www.braebo.com |