Ginger6 G6 GTX460 Destroyer review
A Blu-ray re-writer and surround-sound speakers make this a decent multimedia all-rounder, but the 21.5in display and slightly disappointing games performance take the shine off a little.
Specifications
4.5GHz Intel Core i5-2500K, 8GB RAM, 21.5in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 graphics card has 768MB memory and VGA, DVI and HDMI outputs. Frame rates of 37.2fps in Crysis and 26fps in STALKER aren’t going to break any records, but you’ll still be able to play all the latest 3D games at fairly high quality settings. The Destroyer only has a 430W power supply, though, which is likely to struggle should you decide to add an extremely powerful graphics card later.
The Creative Inspire A500 5.1 surround speaker set is cheap, swamps you with cables and sounds a bit harsh, but it’s good for gaming and can kick out plenty of volume for its size. The Microsoft 3000 BlueTrack mouse and keyboard set are a classier affair – comfortable to use and with an high quality finish. The monitor, a BenQ G2222HDL, is a long-standing favourite of ours, with outstanding image quality and rich colours. However, we expect a 24in display when we pay almost £1,000 for a computer system. This one’s 21.5in size is disappointing.
The Destroyer is a great little PC, with a few features – particularly the Blu-ray re-writer – that many of its competitors lack. This and its surround sound speakers make the system a better all-round family multimedia PC than the snarling gaming rigs it’s up against at this price. Meanwhile, the one-year collect-and-return warranty is handy, but not outstanding. The Wired2Fire Hellspawn XFire is a better choice for most people, with a more powerful graphics card and larger display.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | **** |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2500K |
| Processor external bus | 100MHz (Sandy Bridge DMI) |
| Processor multiplier | x45 |
| Processor clock speed | 4.5GHz |
| Processor socket | LGA1155 |
| Memory | 8 |
| Memory type | PC3-12800 |
| Maximum memory | 32GB |
| Motherboard | Asus P8P67 Pro |
| Motherboard chipset | Intel P67 |
Ports | |
| USB2 ports (front/rear) | 2/8 |
| Firewire ports (front/rear) | 0/1 |
| eSATA ports (front/rear) | 0/2 |
| Wired network ports | 1x 10/100/1000 |
| Wireless networking support | none |
Internal Expansion | |
| Case | midi tower |
| PCI-E x1 slots (free) | 2 (1) |
| PCI-E x16 slots (free) | 3 (2) |
| Free Serial ATA ports | 6 |
| Free memory slots | 0 |
| Free 3.5in drive bays | 5 |
Hard Disk | |
| Hard disk model(s) | Samsung HD103SJ |
| Interface | SATA2 |
| Total storage capacity | 1,000GB |
Graphics | |
| Graphics card(s) | 768MB Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 SE |
| Graphics/video ports | VGA, DVI, HDMI |
Sound | |
| Sound | Realtek ALC892 |
| Sound outputs | 7.1 line out, coaxial S/PDIF out, optical S/PDIF out, stereo line out, mic in |
| Speakers | Creative Inspire A500 5.1 |
Removable Drives | |
| Supported memory cards | none |
| Optical drive type(s) | DVD+/-RW +/-DL, BD-R/RE |
Display | |
| Viewable size | 21.5 in |
| Screen model | BenQ G2222HDL |
| Native resolution | 1,920×1,080 |
| Screen inputs | VGA, DVI |
Other Hardware | |
| Keyboard | Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 3000 v2.0 |
| Mouse | Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000 |
Software | |
| Software included | none |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
| Operating system restore option | Windows disc |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | one year collect and return |
| Price | £999 |
| Details | www.ginger6.com |