PC Specialist Vanquish 650Ti review
This powerful PC has a great range of hardware, fast boot speeds and excellent overall performance but its graphics card isn’t the best you’ll find in systems at this price
Specifications
4.4GHz Intel Core i5-3570K, 8GB RAM, 23.6in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 8
The graphics card, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti with 2GB of memory, has two DVI ports and two HDMI ports. It managed a frame rate of 24.5fps in Crysis 2 at 1,920×1,080 and Ultra quality – very slightly jerky, but easy to turn into a smooth gaming experience with just a few tweaks to the game’s settings. In our application benchmarks, which test image-editing, video-encoding and multitasking power, the PC’s overclocked processor helped it to an impressive overall score of 147 – this is one of the quickest PCs we’ve seen.
The matte finish 23.6in AOC E2450SWDA monitor has impressive image quality, with even, natural colours. The PC comes with a no-frills Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse set. They’re functional and comfortable to use, but nothing special.
The Vanquish 650Ti is one of the best PCs you can get at this price and was in strong contention for an award. However, although it has faster boot speeds, its gaming performance didn’t quite match that of the Chillblast Fusion Blaze, which just pips it to a Best Buy award.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | ***** |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-3570K |
| Processor external bus | 100MHz (DMI) |
| Processor multiplier | x44 |
| Processor clock speed | 4.4GHz |
| 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 | 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 | 3 |
Hard Disk | |
| Hard disk model(s) | Kingston SH103S3120G + Seagate Barracuda ST200DM001-9YN162 |
| Interface | SATA3 + SATA2 |
| Total storage capacity | 1,128GB |
Graphics | |
| Graphics card(s) | 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti |
| Graphics/video ports | 2x DVI, 2x mini HDMI |
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 | SDXC, Memory Stick Pro, MMC, XD, Compact Flash II, microSD |
| Optical drive type(s) | BD-ROM, 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 K260 |
| Mouse | Logitech M210 |
Software | |
| Software included | none |
| Operating system | Windows 8 |
| Operating system restore option | Windows disc |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | three years RTB (first year collect and return, first year parts) |
| Price | £799 |
| Details | www.pcspecialist.co.uk |