Mesh Elite 3770K CS review
Although this is a well-made PC with a fantastic processor and some great components, the graphics card could do with a bit more power
Specifications
4.6GHz Intel Core i7-3770K, 8GB RAM, 23.6in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
The processor is an Intel Core i7-3770K, overclocked to 4.6GHz. It’s massively powerful, achieving an overall score of 146 in our benchmark tests. Needless to say, it’ll run anything. The graphics card is a 2GB AMD Radeon HD 7850. It produced an average frame rate of 25.7fps in Crysis 2 at the highest quality, but a Dirt3 frame rate of 64fps at Ultra quality proves that this card can handle any modern title at reasonably high settings.
At the back of the PC are six USB ports, (two are USB3), a PS/2 port for a mouse or keyboard, a Gigabit Ethernet port and surround sound outputs in the form of both optical S/PDIF and 3.5mm jacks.
The mouse and keyboard that come with the system are a wireless Logitech set. The keyboard’s a little spongy and the mouse is a bit on the small side, but both are fairly comfortable to use. The supplied Ilyama ProLite E2473HDS monitor is excellent. It has a matt finish, two HDMI inputs and DVI and VGA ports.
Like many PCs at this price, this is an unquestionably powerful computer, but the graphics card’s a little disappointing. You’ll get better gaming performance from the Wired2Fire Diablo GTX.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | *** |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-3770K |
| Processor external bus | 100MHz (DMI) |
| Processor multiplier | x46 |
| Processor clock speed | 4.6GHz |
| Processor socket | LGA1155 |
| Memory | 8 |
| Memory type | PC3-12800 |
| 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 | 802.11n |
Internal Expansion | |
| Case | midi tower |
| PCI-E x1 slots (free) | 2 (0) |
| PCI-E x16 slots (free) | 2 (1) |
| Free Serial ATA ports | 3 |
| Free memory slots | 2 |
| Free 3.5in drive bays | 1 |
Hard Disk | |
| Hard disk model(s) | OCZ Agility 3 120GB + Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001-9YN164 |
| Interface | SATA3 + SATA2 |
| Total storage capacity | 2,120GB |
Graphics | |
| Graphics card(s) | 2GB AMD Radeon HD 7850 |
| Graphics/video ports | HDMI, 2x DVI, 2x Mini DisplayPort |
Sound | |
| Sound | Realtek ALC887 |
| Sound outputs | 5.1 line out, optical S/PDIF out, line out, mic in |
| Speakers | none |
Removable Drives | |
| Supported memory cards | 2x SHXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo, CompactFlash II, MicroSD, SIM |
| Optical drive type(s) | DVD+/-RW +/-DL |
Display | |
| Viewable size | 23.6 in |
| Screen model | Iiyama ProLite E2473HDS |
| Native resolution | 1,920×1,080 |
| Screen inputs | 2x HDMI, DVI, VGA |
Other Hardware | |
| Keyboard | Logitech K260 |
| Mouse | Logitech M210 |
Software | |
| Software included | none |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
| Operating system restore option | Windows disc |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | three years RTB (three years labour, two years parts, three months free collect & return) |
| Price | £999 |
| Details | www.meshcomputers.com |