PC Specialist Vanquish Elite 560 review
A well-rounded PC with ample performance in all areas
Specifications
4.4GHz Intel Core i5-3570K, 8GB RAM, 23.6in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Cooling is fairly basic, with just one 120mm front intake and one 120mm exhaust. The Titan CPU cooler is, ironically, rather compact, but it managed to stay quiet even under heavy load. You can use the mounting point on the side panel to fit an additional 80mm, 90mm or 120mm fan. Cables are secured away from sources of airflow, but you need to take a pair of scissors to the plastic ties if you want to rearrange them.
PC Specialist offers the Vanquish Elite 560 with an AOC E2450SWDA monitor. It’s a Full HD panel, with an LED backlight that helps produce natural colours. There’s not much in the way of adjustment, and you only get VGA and DVI inputs, but it’s still a welcome inclusion. The base unit also comes with a Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard, which are a welcome step up from the basic desktop sets we’ve seen from other system builders.
The Vanquish Elite 560is a well-built machine with a hefty overclock, which only just loses out to the similarly priced competition, such as the Palicomp Alpha Excite due to its slightly smaller hard disk. Even so, it’s still great value.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | ***** |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-3570K |
| Processor external bus | 100MHz |
| Processor multiplier | x44 |
| Processor clock speed | 4.4GHz |
| Processor socket | LGA1155 |
| Memory | 8 |
| Memory type | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory | 32GB |
| Motherboard | Asus P8Z77-V LX |
| Motherboard chipset | Intel Z77 |
Ports | |
| USB2 ports (front/rear) | 3/6 |
| Firewire ports (front/rear) | 0/0 |
| 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) | 2 (1) |
| PCI-E x16 slots (free) | 2 (1) |
| Free Serial ATA ports | 4 |
| Free memory slots | 2 |
| Free 3.5in drive bays | 5 |
Hard Disk | |
| Hard disk model(s) | Seagate Barracuda (ST1000DM003-9YN162) |
| Interface | SATA2 |
| Total storage capacity | 1,000GB |
Graphics | |
| Graphics card(s) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti |
| Graphics/video ports | VGA, DVI, HDMI |
Sound | |
| Sound | Realtek HD Audio |
| Sound outputs | 7.1 line out, optical S/PDIF out |
| Speakers | none |
Removable Drives | |
| Supported memory cards | SD, SDHC, CF, Memory Stick PRO, MMC, xD |
| Optical drive type(s) | BD-ROM + DVD+/-RW +/-DL, DVD+/-RW +/-DL |
Display | |
| Viewable size | 23.6 in |
| Screen model | AOC E2450SWDA |
| Native resolution | 1,920×1,080 |
| Screen inputs | DVI, VGA |
Other Hardware | |
| Keyboard | Logitech MK250 |
| Mouse | Logitech M210 |
Software | |
| Software included | Cyberlink Blu-ray suite |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
| Operating system restore option | restore disc |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | one year collect and return, one year parts, three years labour |
| Price | £799 |
| Details | www.pcspecialist.co.uk |