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 Welcome
Custom PC Issue 215

/ FROM THE EDITOR

Hardware spotting
EDITORIAL DESIGN
ack away your binoculars and shut your CPU spotter’s

P
criticalmedia.co.uk
guide – AMD’s Zen 3 CPUs are no longer rarer than EDITOR
Ben Hardwidge HEAD OF DESIGN
penguins in the Sahara. You can even spot one here in Lee Allen
ben.hardwidge@raspberrypi.com
the UK at the retailer of your choice without the need for an DESIGNERS
overactive imagination. It’s as if someone has poured a bottle FEATURES EDITOR Ty Logan, Sam Ribbits
Edward Chester
of bleach down the CPU supply pipe, and whatever gunk was
edward.chester@raspberrypi.com COMMERCIAL &
lodged in there has finally been flushed out. ADVERTISING
Not only are AMD Ryzen 9 CPUs readily available in the MODDING EDITOR
ADVERTISING
Antony Leather
shops, but they’re also back to normal pricing. Right now, Charlotte Milligan
scan.co.uk is selling the 12-core Ryzen 9 5900X for £499 inc VAT GAMES EDITOR charlotte.milligan@raspberrypi.com
+44 (0)7725 368887
– its original retail price. There’s plenty of stock of the 16-core Rick Lane

Ryzen 9 5950X as well. Meanwhile, the prices of the Ryzen 7 CONTRIBUTORS DISTRIBUTION
Seymour Distribution Ltd
5800X and Ryzen 5 5600X have started to come down. Gareth Halfacree, James Gorbold,
Mike Jennings, Phil Hartup, 2 East Poultry Ave,
The competition from Intel’s Rocket Lake-S CPUs has London EC1A 9PT
Richard Swinburne, Tracy King
undoubtedly helped here, but the healthy supply is the real +44 (0)207 429 4000
story. When stock is readily available, you no longer have to look PRODUCTION EDITOR
Julie Birrell SUBSCRIPTIONS
to eBay scalpers for your components. When eBayers can’t sell Unit 6 The Enterprise Centre
at inflated prices, retailers have to compete with each other on PHOTOGRAPHY Kelvin Lane, Manor Royal,
Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9PE
pricing again. It’s good for the industry, and it’s really good for Antony Leather, Brian O’Halloran,
Gareth Halfacree Phone
us. Bang. That’s CPUs back to normal.
01293 312182
The next step, of course, is graphics cards. Nvidia GPUs still PUBLISHING Email
might as well be fictional for all that they’re available in the PUBLISHING DIRECTOR custompc@subscriptionhelpline.co.uk
shops, but stock of AMD’s RDNA2 GPUs has regularly started Russell Barnes Website
to show up at retailers such as Scan and Overclockers. The only russell@raspberrypi.com custompc.co.uk/subscribe

problem is that stock is still selling out quickly, and the prices
are still massively overinflated.
ISSUE 215 This magazine is printed on paper sourced from
They’re not nearly as expensive as the equivalent Nvidia sustainable forests. The printer operates an
cards on eBay though. In this stock shortage, the free market environmental management system which has been
SIX CORES FOR £149 WE REVIEW INTEL’S NEW CORE i5-11400F
ISSUE 215 / AUGUST 2021 BUILD A BETTER PC / DO YOU NEED A FAST SSD? / GAMING MOUSE LABS / SSD LABS / MOD YOUR GRAPHICS CARD COOLER / INTEL CORE i5-11400F

THE BEST-SELLING MAG FOR PC HARDWARE, OVERCLOCKING, GAMING & MODDING / ISSUE 215

BUILD A assessed as conforming to ISO 14001.

has decided that while AMD GPUs can sell for high prices, they BETTER PC Custom PC magazine is published by Raspberry Pi
can’t sell for the ludicrous prices of Nvidia GPUs, presumably
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The publisher, editor, and contributors accept no

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relating to goods, products or services referred to or

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at healthy stock and supply levels? It’s going to take a long time,
ISSUE 215
but the new strong supply of CPUs has given me hope. SUBSCRIBERS
EDITION DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME The information in
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EDITOR loss, disruption or damage to your data or your
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ISSUE 215 / AUGUST 2021

BETTER PC
BUILD A
computer that may occur as a result of following or
Ben Hardwidge attempting to follow advice given in the magazine.
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3
 C U STO M P C / ISSUE 215

Contents Welcome to Issue 215

Highlights

Forgotten classics
08 
Richard Swinburne looks back at the
modding components that have been
COVER
lost in the name of progress.
STORY
P78
Netgames
10 
Netflix is rumoured to be moving into
game streaming and, based on the
company’s past record, Tracy King
thinks it’s sure to be a hit.

Thermaltake ToughRAM
24 
Can RAM be tough? No, not really, but
it can be fast and blingtastic, as is the
case here.
Oddworld Soulstorm
71  104 How to guides
27in monitor for £199
26  Is the latest entry in the Oddworld Antony Leather shows you how to
Dell’s S2721HGF costs under £200, series a must have? Rick Lane bares install a water-cooling distro plate
has a 144Hz refresh and is compatible his soul. and mod your GPU cooler.
with both FreeSync and G-Sync.
Build a better PC
78  Max power
114 
Alienware m17 R4
32  From avoiding pitfalls to keeping The trials and tribulations of buying a
Premium and pricey, Alienware’s new the interior tidy, Antony Leather car are similar to buying PCs, argues
17in laptop is a gaming powerhouse. provides his top tips on getting the James Gorbold.
best from your next PC build.
Solid options
42 
Antony Leather puts eight of the latest Do you need a fast SSD?
90  104
NVMe SSDs to the test, including both SSDs continue to get faster, but do
PCI-E 3 and PCI-E 4 models. we need the speed of the latest
SSDs? Edward Chester and Ben
Rapid rodents
52  Hardwidge find out.
Eight of the latest symmetrically
shaped gaming mice are put through Serving up a storm
96 
001_CPC#215_Cover final_JB.indd 1 27/05/2021 12:11
their paces by Edward Chester. Like to tinker with old Amigas?
The PiStorm offers a cheap and
highly capable means of upgrading
71 performance and IO.

Team waterwork
102 
It can be costly to get into water
cooling, and Antony Leather thinks
manufacturers should offer more
cut-price bundles.

4
 Cover guide Regulars Reviewed
PROCESSORS
40
PRODUCTS
3 From the editor 16 Intel Core i5-11400F
78 16 REVIEWED
MOTHERBOARDS
8 Richard Swinburne 18 
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi
CASES
SIX CORES FOR £149 WE REVIEW INTEL’S NEW CORE i5-11400F
10 Tracy King 20 Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact
MEMORY
ISSUE 215 / AUGUST 2021 BUILD A BETTER PC / DO YOU NEED A FAST SSD? / GAMING MOUSE LABS / SSD LABS / MOD YOUR GRAPHICS CARD COOLER / INTEL CORE i5-11400F

THE BEST-SELLING MAG FOR PC HARDWARE, OVERCLOCKING, GAMING & MODDING / ISSUE 215 12 Incoming 24 Thermaltake ToughRAM XG RGB
BUILD A 25 Aorus RGB Memory

BETTER PC
GIVE YOUR PC A PROFESSIONAL TOUCH WITH OUR TOP TIPS
14 Letters

38 Custom kit
MONITORS
26 Dell S2721HGF
28 Philips 242E1GAJ
30 Cooler Master GM34-CW
LAPTOPS
OPTIMISE
62 How we test 32 Alienware m17 R4
MAKE A AIRFLOW
LIGHT SHOW
PC SYSTEMS
FIT A BETTER INSTALL 64 Elite products 34 Chillblast Fusion Diablo
CPU COOLER HARDWARE
36 CyberPower Ultra R57 Elite
CLEAR 70 Inverse look
CABLE CLUTTER CUT FAN NOISE
Custom kit
SOLID STATE
SPECIAL AUGUST 2021 / £5.99
76 Reality check 38 Coolenator Drink Cooler
38
ANALYSIS DO YOU NEED
A SUPER-FAST SSD?
REVIEWED 8 OF
TsunNee Armrests
96 Hobby tech 38 Endgame Gear MB1 Mouse Bungee
THE LATEST SSDS

HOW TO MAKE YOUR GRAPHICS CARD SUPER COOL

39 Endgame Gear MPC1200
001_CPC#215_Cover final_JB.indd 1 25/05/2021 14:07

39 Samsung Galaxy SmartTag

102 Customised PC
42 90 106 NVMe SSD Labs
101 For the win
43 ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite
44 ADATA GAMMIX XPG S70 Blade
104 How to guides 45 Corsair MP600 Pro
46 Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s
60 109 Folding@home 47  Samsung 980 1TB
48 Samsung 980 Pro
110 Readers’ drives 49  WD Black SN850
50 WD Blue SN550
114 James Gorbold Gaming mouse Labs
53 BenQ Zowie S1
54 Cooler Master MM711
24 32 55 Corsair Katar Pro XT
56 Endgame Gear XM1r
57 Glorious PC Gaming Race Model O
58 Logitech G203 Lightsync
59 Razer Viper 8K
60 SteelSeries AeroX 3

26 Games
71 Oddworld: Soulstorm
72 Outriders
106 74 Spacebase Startopia
75 Trials of Fire
76 The Climb 2

Hobby tech
96 PiStorm
98 Remodo X
100 Open-Source Projects

5
 OPINION

RICHARD SWINBURNE / VIEW FROM TAIWAN

MODDING KIT LOST TO TIME

Richard Swinburne wants to see the return of cold
cathode lights and custom fan grilles

he fan that cools the X570 chip on my Asus whole interior is shadowed in light because every component
T motherboard is failing. It’s only two years old but
even after cleaning, reapplying thermal grease and
sports some sort of RGB-fuelled feature. Yes, cold cathodes
weren’t perfect: they couldn’t be bent, required an inverter
remounting it, the chipset temperature is still blipping into and they ran warm, adding slightly to case temperatures.
the 70s. I’ve looked around for alternatives, but there’s However, you didn’t need to faff around with a piece of
nothing out there. Years ago, we used to be able to buy a software for every item – you just plugged it in and enjoyed it.
chonk of anodised metal fins with little wings that jutted Custom fan grilles are another old modding feature that
out from underneath, so you could align it to the non- seems to have fallen by the wayside. You can 3D-print your
standardised heatsink-mounting holes in your motherboard. own ones now, but I used to have a set of laser-cut spirals
I’m surprised at the lack of options – virtually every X570 that were awesome (although they could also slice your
motherboard needs a chip fan, so there should be a small fingers). I’ll chalk them up on the growing board of ‘things
army of people in the same boat as me, all I regret selling’.
looking for alternatives. This got me thinking They did nothing for my PC’s performance
about all the other little bits of kit we used Your average RGB-filled – in fact, they got in the way of the airflow –
to get but you can’t easily find any more. build is so packed with bling but they added that personal touch, whereas
Back in the early 2000s, you could nip now fans are just another RGB lighting
down to Maplin and pick up all manner of that it’s like you’re housing source unless you’re a Noctua fan (ahem)
modding kit, such as 15cm and 30cm cold your own fusion generator and prefer that particular shade of brown.
cathode lights, for around a fiver each. For At least we no longer have to crack out
me, cold cathodes were the pinnacle of the jigsaw to cut our own case windows
in-case lighting, but they’ve been difficult to find in the UK – the chunky plastic ‘bus window’ style never looked that
since the invention of RGB LED strips. great anyway. Almost all cases have some sort of tempered
Amazon US has a single stockist of these superior lights, glass panel option now, although we are missing side
but there’s nothing available on the other side of the Atlantic. panel-mounted fans to give our increasingly hot graphics
Cold cathodes can’t produce fancy-pants 16.8 million colours, cards some air.
but the few colours they do have emit a beautifully radiant Bottom-mounted fans work well when graphics cards are
soft glow. They don’t illuminate every nook and crevasse; placed right near the bottom, but most non-ITX systems have
instead, they cast light onto your various bits of hardware, them sat in the middle with no intake fan next to them. I
creating interesting hues and shadows, and leaving as much say we should bring back side-panel fans – enough of the
to the imagination. front panel trilogy that every case manufacturer seems to
Now, your average RGB-filled build is so packed with bling offer now. Progress is good, but we also seem to have lost
that it’s like you’re housing your own fusion generator. The some good ideas along the way.

Richard has worked in tech for over a decade, as a UK journalist, on Asus’ ROG team and now as an industry analyst based in Taiwan @ricswi

8
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 OPINION

T R ACY K I N G / SCEPTICAL ANALYSIS

ONE-STOP SHOP
Tracy King analyses the latest rumours about
Netflix branching out into video game streaming

love a one-stop-shop. Those of us old enough to A study by Marketing Charts shows that 59 per cent of US
I remember bricks-and-mortar Blockbuster stores
think as fondly of the bags of Revels and weekly
16-34-year-olds say Netflix is indispensable. It’s also notable
that the movie and TV giant has doubled its user base in Asia.
rentable console games as we do the films (Nintendo actually Diversification into new revenue streams is inevitable, and video
sued Blockbuster to try to stop this, but lost). Likewise, when games are one of them.
HMV started selling video games, those £10 vouchers from my Interactive television in the form of meta-show Black Mirror:
nan suddenly got more exciting. Games belong with other Bandersnatch showed that Netflix shares cultural values with
multimedia. I watch films and TV on my computers, and play gamers, also evidenced by the licensing of Stranger Things 3
games on my TV. for good effort at a game that wasn’t well received. The current
Blockbuster died off in part because it was bricks-and-mortar, rumour is that Netflix will offer a subscription akin to Apple
to be replaced by internet services, including Netflix, which Arcade, although my betting money is on a tie-in with an
started with physical media but has always excelled at seeing existing gaming platform rather than Netflix providing its own
what’s coming. That’s why Netflix’s expansion platform (and avoiding a repeat of Stadia).
into video games is the surest move I can bet on While Bandersnatch worked as interactive
right now.
Diversification into television, it’s hard to argue that it’s more of a
We know this in part because the streaming new revenue streams video game than a playable show, and despite
giant is hiring a video games executive, as reported major investment it still couldn’t be ‘played’ on
by technology site The Information, but also
is inevitable Chromecast, Apple TV or some older devices. The
because it’s the obvious next step for a company rumours about Netflix Games (or whatever it
that has already dabbled in a market that’s only going to grow. will be called) make more sense as a publisher rather than a
Lockdown has driven new gamers to the market like no other platform. Otherwise it would be Netflix Interactive Shows and,
factor, with British gaming body Ukie claiming a 70 per cent well, those already exist.
increase in sales of PC games hardware, in part because people As of writing, no details are known, but I’m hoping Netflix
working from home are investing in machines that can also doesn’t go mobile-only for its games (while suspecting it
handle games. Likewise, mobile gaming has attracted newbies probably will). As of 2018, according to the platform’s own data,
like never before. If this is true for the UK, it will be true for the 40 per cent of new subscriptions were on PC, more than on
USA too. mobile devices. Both types of subscriber eventually migrate to
Netflix usage is also on the up, as you would expect. It has watching on a TV, but more PC users stick with watching Netflix
204 million subscribers. Nielsen statistics show a 61 per cent on computers than mobile subscribers with their phones.
‘increase in streaming via TV in the US during the coronavirus It would be great if PC gamers were the first target market.
pandemic, taking daily Netflix usage to an estimated 3.2 hours However, given the unstoppable trajectory of mobile and casual
per day.’ gaming, I won’t be putting too much money on it.

Gamer and science enthusiast Tracy King dissects the evidence and statistics behind popular media stories surrounding tech and gaming @tkingdot

10
 I N CO M I N G / NEWS

Incoming
NVIDIA CONFIRMS ‘LITE HASH RATE’ GPUS
Nvidia has confirmed that it’s releasing This isn’t the first time Nvidia has
new versions of its GeForce RTX 3080, dabbled with this strategy to deter
3070 and 3060 Ti cards that will people from using its gaming cards for
deliberately restrict cryptocurrency cryptocurrency mining.
mining performance. The new ‘lite hash The GeForce RTX 3060 also launched
rate’ cards will have an ‘LHR’ identifier on with a driver that reduced its hash rate,
the box, and will reduce the hash rate but a later driver removed it, which Nvidia
when mining Ethereum cryptocurrency. says was accidental.
‘GeForce products are made for Despite the low hash rate at launch,
gamers,’ says the company’s VP of Global the GeForce RTX 3060 also sold out
GIGABYTE ADDS GeForce Marketing, Matt Wuebbling, on within a few minutes at UK etailers, so

HUGE HEATSINK Nvidia’s blog site (custompc.co.uk/LHR).

‘We believe this additional step will get
it’s unlikely that this move will solve the
stock and pricing problems of Nvidia
TO PCI-E 4 SSD more GeForce cards at better prices into GPUs entirely, but it at least potentially
the hands of gamers everywhere.’ eliminates one of the problems.
Gigabyte has declared war on thermal
throttling by launching a PCI-4
SSD with a behemoth of a heatsink
attached to it. The new Aorus Gen4 CORSAIR PROMISES DDR5 MEMORY ‘SOON’
7000s Prem. measures 44.7mm
tall, with the SSD PCB sandwiched Corsair says that its DDR5 memory its primer, Corsair points out that this
between an aluminium base plate modules will be coming ‘soon’, and could mean standard four-module
and a dual heatsink arrangement on has unveiled some of its thoughts in desktop systems could be kitted out
top of it, with the two sections linked an online primer (custompc.co.uk/ with a massive 512GB of memory.
by a pair of heatpipes. CorsairDDR5). The company also DDR5 will also offer much more
The SSD itself is based on the same says it’s ‘excited to share more about bandwidth than DDR4, with the
Phison PS5018-E18 as the standard DDR5 in the coming months’, inviting JEDEC spec maxing out at 6400MHz
Aorus Gen4 7000s (see p46), which customers to ‘keep an eye out for more (51GB/sec), compared to 3200MHz
has a small, low-profile heatsink. This details from our social channels’. (26GB/sec) on DDR4, and of course,
SSD became warmer than the Corsair The new technology offers a number overclocked modules will push this
MP600 Pro with its larger heatsink of improvements over DDR4, including frequency further. DDR5 is also slightly
in our tests, but it still didn’t throttle a much higher maximum die density more power-efficient, requiring a Vdd
under stress testing. As such, it’s of 64Gb per chip, compared to 16Gb on of 1.1V, compared to 1.2V for DDR4.
unlikely the Prem. version of the SSD DDR4 modules. This means we could Both AMD and Intel are expected to
will be any quicker in most cases, but see 128GB on a single DDR5 module introduce desktop platforms that support
it will almost certainly be cooler. (DDR4 modules max out at 32GB). In DDR5 memory over the next year.

12
 NOBLECHAIRS
Rumour control UNVEILS THE
ELDER SCROLLS
WE PRESENT SOME OF THE LATEST UNCONFIRMED TECH
GOSSIP. TAKE THESE STORIES WITH THE APPROPRIATE ONLINE CHAIR
PINCH OF SALT Premium gaming chair maker
noblechairs has revealed a new version
AMD MOVING TO LGA SOCKET AND DDR5 of its Hero chair that’s clad with artwork
Bent pins on AMD CPUs could be a problem of the past, as the company is rumoured based on The Elder Scrolls Online.
to be moving to a new land grid array (LGA) socket when it moves to Socket AM5 for Produced in conjunction with Bethesda,
its forthcoming 5nm Zen 4 mainstream desktop CPUs. AMD has already used LGA the new design follows in the footsteps
sockets for its high-end EPYC and Threadripper CPUs, where the CPUs have contact of the company’s previous chairs based
plates instead of pins, and the pins are instead arrayed in the motherboard socket. on the Fallout and Doom franchises.
Twitter user @ExecuFix, who is a regular leaker on upcoming tech, says the The Ouroboros design from The
new AM5 platform will feature an LGA1718 socket with the same 40 x 40mm Elder Scrolls Online is embroidered
footprint as AMD’s existing CPUs, meaning the existing coolers should theoretically into the front of the headrest, and you
be able to cover them. The new platform is also rumoured to be based on a new also get patterned side bolsters with
600-series chipset, which will support DDR5 memory, but will stick with PCI-E 4. gold-coloured sides sporting Daedric
sigils. Meanwhile, the back has a gold-
INTEL ALDER LAKE COMING IN NOVEMBER coloured embossed The Elder Scrolls
Tech site wccftech.com reports that Intel’s forthcoming 10nm Alder Lake-S platform Online logo on the headrest, with a
is currently scheduled to land in November this year, citing an update from its large dragon design covering the rest
anonymous sources in the industry. The platform is rumoured to not only support of the back.
DDR 5 memory, but also beat AMD in the race to get PCI-E 5 out the door. The noblechairs HERO Black Edition
Alder Lake will be Intel’s first CPU microarchitecture to combine both won a Premium Grade award in our last
‘big’ and ‘little’ cores, where large brute force cores are assisted by simpler gaming chairs Labs test (see Issue 211,
coprocessors. It’s a strategy that’s paid off in Arm designs such as the p54), thanks to its superb build quality
acclaimed Apple M1, as well as many mobile SoC designs. According to and built-in lumbar support. The Elder
the rumours, Alder Lake will require a new rectangular LGA1700 socket, Scrolls Online Special Edition of the
requiring new cooler mounting designs and larger contact plates. HERO is available to pre-order from
overclockers.co.uk for £390 inc VAT,
AMD GEARING UP FOR RADEON RX 6600 LAUNCH with stock expected on 21 June.
AMD is reportedly gearing up to launch a budget line of GPUs based on its
RDNA2 architecture. Some GPU-Z screenshots were recently shared by
user Enthusiastic Citizen on Chinese tech forum chiphell.com, showing
some details of the forthcoming Radeon RX 6600 and 6600 XT.
The new cards look set to be based on a new Navi 23 GPU
measuring 236mm², with the top-end Radeon RX 6600 XT
featuring 2,048 stream processors spread across 32 Compute
units, along with 32 Ray Accelerators. The GPU also
reportedly has a 128-bits wide memory interface, which
will be attached to 8GB of GDDR6 memory running at
2GHz (16GHz effective). According to the GPU-Z
screenshot, the GPU boosts to up to 2679MHz.
Meanwhile, the Radeon RX 6600 has four
compute units disabled, giving you 1,792 stream
processors and 28 Ray Accelerators. This lower-
powered GPU also has the same 8GB
of GDDR6 memory connected
to a 128-bits wide
memory interface.

13
 F E E D B AC K

Letters
Please send us your feedback and correspondence to
custompc@raspberrypi.com

Silly retail prices When’s the next issue out? connectors, and compact cases
I see on your Twitter account with enough 3.5in bays, would

08
JULY
that you’ve recently pointed to help readers to make informed
stock of graphics cards in stock at Issue 216 decisions. The requirements for
Overclockers (Radeon RX 6800 XT) On sale on Thursday, 8 July SATA ports and drive bays are also
and Scan (Radeon RX 6700 XT). dependent on the type of RAID
Obviously I’m glad to see graphics array that I decide to use for it.
cards back in stock, but the prices silicon shortages, demand outstripping 4: I’ve found that Wi-Fi and
are still way above the RRPs – they’re supply and various knock-on effects powerline networking simply
not really any better than eBay from the pandemic. I really hope prices aren’t cut out for multi-storey
scalper prices. What’s going on here, come down to normal levels again, houses, but I’ve solved this by
and are the prices are ever going but I think it’s going to take a while. simply drilling holes in the exterior
to come down to normal levels? walls near my router, and in my
ANDREW PINE DIY projects upstairs office. I then used outdoor
After reading Ben’s reply to Cat 5 cable and a couple of cheap
Ben: Indeed, the prices are very high, Steven Campbell’s letter in Issue sockets from Screwfix to create a
starting from £780 inc VAT for a 214, I thought I’d throw in some hard link between the two floors.
Radeon RX 6700 XT, and £1,159 inc of my thoughts as I’ve tinkered It’s more than capable of Gigabit
VAT for a Radeon RX 6800 XT. It’s still with a few fun projects. A lot of networking, and it drastically
preferable to buy a card from a retailer these could be viewed from the improved my Steam Link
than a scalper, as you’ll at least be able standpoint of using older/spare performance. For me, this was an
to easily return it if it’s faulty, but it’s a hardware when upgrading. easy way to upgrade my network
real shame the prices are so silly. 1: I’ve used an old office small form on a Saturday morning, and it
I don’t doubt that a chunk of this factor Dell PC (Core i3) as a CCTV didn’t require redecorating from
is extra markup that goes to the server (running Zone Minder), using attempting to run cables internally,
retailers, but as we covered in our a PoE switch to power IP cameras or just tacking a long cable around
feature in Issue 213, there will also Radeon RX 6700 and connected with outdoor Cat5 skirting boards, doorframes and
XT cards go for at
be other factors driving up the price to mount on my garage and in the under carpets, which I’ve done in
least £780 now,
in the supply chain before it gets to even if you buy direct garden. Zone Minder allows you to the past. Keep up the good work.
them, including inflated shipping costs, from retailers set up trigger zones and recording/ BEN LANCASTER
deletion schedules to suit your needs.
2: I’ve used a spare Pine64 small- Ben: These are all brilliant ideas, Ben – I
board computer (SBC) to make a love them, as well as the idea of properly
low-powered web/Nextcloud and using old hardware after you upgrade.
home media server. It’s currently I’m also an advocate of wired Ethernet
just using a large USB drive for in a multi-storey house. In my case, I
storage, but I plan to move to a went to the hassle of routing my cables
dedicated NAS at some point. under the floorboards and ceilings (or
3: I’m hoping to create a DIY NAS, rather I paid someone else to do it for
as there seem to be too many security me!), but I’m so glad I did. We do have a
issues with off-the-shelf systems. feature on home networking options
A feature that not only showed you planned for the near future, and we’ve
how to do this, but also dive into the also covered building your own NAS
available options, such as suitable box (see Issue 192, p86), but it could
mini-ITX boards with enough SATA be time to revisit that idea again.

14
 get
in the

4K
Ultra HD UltraWideColor Adaptive Sync
 R E V I E WS / PROCESSORS

Reviews
LG A 1 2 0 0 C P U

INTEL CORE
i5-11400F /£149 inc VAT

SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

W
hile AMD’s Zen 3 CPUs are killing it in
the £300+ market, the company is
relying on its older Zen 2 CPUs to offer
alternatives to Intel at the cheaper end of the
scale, with the likes of the Ryzen 5 3600 and
tom P
Ryzen 7 3700X going up against Intel’s latest us

C
Core i5 chips, such as the Core i5-11400F, which
costs just £149 inc VAT.
The ‘F’ after the name indicates that this CPU
lacks on-board graphics, but Ryzen desktop CPUs
PP

D
ROV E

A
lack on-board graphics too, although the lack
of a ‘K’ in its name means the Intel CPU can’t be
multiplier-overclocked either. Compared to the
Core i5-11600K, the Core i5-11400F has the same count
tom P
although it will only save you £25. If the Core i5-11400F
of six cores with 12 threads. The two chips also have the us
can at least vaguely keep up with the rest of its Rocket Lake

C
same L3 cache at 12MB, and each natively supports up to siblings, it could prove very good value.
3200MHz memory speeds.
SPEC There are some sizeable Performance
differences, though, such as In our RealBench image editing test, which stresses single-

IT
CU

Base frequency
ST
OM K
2.6GHz frequencies. Although both threaded performance, the Core i5-11400F blew the Core
Max boost frequency CPUs support Turbo Boost 2, the i5-10400F out of the water with a score of 61,454 vs
4.4GHz
Core i5-11600K can hit a peak of 38,420 and also bettered the Ryzen 5 3600, even when
Core
4.9GHz while the Core i5-11400F
tom P
the latter was overclocked. The Core i5-11600K was a fair
us
Rocket Lake-S
Manufacturing process only boosts to 4.4GHz. The Core way ahead, though, with a score of 68,355.
c

14nm i5-11600K also has a TDP of 125W; Meanwhile, our heavily multi-threaded Handbrake video
Number of cores however, the Core i5-11400F will encoding test showed a reasonably close run between the
A
EXT

6 x physical (12 threads) likely be quite easy to cool with a new Rocket Lake Core i5 chips, with the Core i5-11400F
TR

Hyper-Threading
TDP of just 65W. This limits its all- scoring 467,568 compared to 507,729 for the Core
Yes RE L
Cache
12MB L3, 6 x 215KB L2
core boost frequency to 4.2GHz,
while the more expensive CPU ME U
i5-11600K. The Ryzen 5 3600 also beat the Core i5-11400F
here, although not by much – its score of 473,815 is about
Memory controller can reach 4.6GHz across all cores. what you would expect for the extra money.
Dual-channel DDR4, up to 3200MHz Current pricing is key too, of
tom P
The Core i5-11400F’s overall system score of 193,474
Packaging
LGA1200
course, and the Core i5-11400F’s us
was again just a little behind the Ryzen 5 3600, and a little
c

price of £149 is £20 lower than the further behind the 210,741 scored by the Core i5-11600K,
Thermal design power (TDP)
65W Ryzen 5 3600, £60 lower than but it was miles ahead of the 128,319 managed by the lowly
E
PRE

Features the Core i5-11600KF and £100 Core i5-10400F.

AD

cheaper than the Ryzen 5 5600X. Moving to Cinebench, the Core i5-11400F’s multi-
Turbo Boost 2, FMA3, F16C, SHA, BMI / BMI1
M
+ BMI2, AVX-512, AVX2, AVX, AES, SSE4a,
SSE4, SSSE3, SSE3, SSE2, SSE, MMX
You can still buy the Comet IUM GR
threaded score of 10,294 was 9 per cent higher than the
Lake-based Core i5-10400F too, Ryzen 5 3600, where the Core i5-10400F was barely able

tom P
16
us
c

C
 BENCHMARK RESULTS
GIMP IMAGE EDITING

Intel Core i5-11400F 61,454

Intel Core i5-10400F 38,420

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 58,405 60,653

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000

HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING

Intel Core i5-11400F 467,568

Intel Core i5-10400F 296,607 to manage half that

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 473,815 486,565 at 5,783. The single-
0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 threaded result of
HEAVY MULTITASKING
1,402 was again
Intel Core i5-11400F 215,025
nearly double the
Intel Core i5-10400F 148,402
Core i5-10400F’s
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 233,245 241,857

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000

score of just
SYSTEM SCORE 782, and again
Intel Core i5-11400F 193,474 the new CPU
Intel Core i5-10400F 128,319 beat the Ryzen 5
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 198,828 204,731 3600, which could only manage 1,252.
0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000
Where the Core i5-11400F really excels is in games. In ROCKET LOLLY
Stock speed Overclocked
Far Cry New Dawn, its 99th percentile minimum frame rate + Much faster than
its predecessor
CINEBENCH R20 MULTITHREADED of 92fps was significantly quicker than the 71fps achieved
Intel Core i5-11400F 10,294 by the Core i5-10400F and also well in front of the pricier + Beats Ryzen
5 3600 in
Intel Core i5-10400F 5,783 Ryzen 5 3600’s result of 83fps. However, the Core most tests
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 9,414 10,005 i5-11600K showed the benefit of its higher boost clock
0 3,000 6,000 9,000 12,000
here, managing 109fps.
+ Not much
slower than Core
CINEBENCH R20 SINGLETHREADED i5-11600K
Watch Dogs: Legion didn’t show a great deal of variation,
Intel Core i5-11400F 1,402
but the Core i5-11400F still outgunned its predecessor at a
Intel Core i5-10400F 782
1,252
minimum 99th percentile of 70fps vs 62fps, and matching ICE POP
AMD Ryzen 5 3600

0
1,266
3,000 6,000 9,000 12,000
the Ryzen 5 3600 with the Core i5-11600K only adding - High power
4fps to the result. consumption
Stock speed Overclocked

FAR CRY NEW DAWN

The Core i5-11400F does draw more power than - Locked multiplier
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra settings its predecessor, though, with our test system drawing
Intel Core i5-11400F 92fps 137fps
226W from the mains under load with this CPU installed,
Intel Core i5-10400F 71fps 99fps compared to just 153W for the Core i5-10400F.
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 83fps 112fps

87fps 117fps Conclusion

0 40 80 120 160
As the Core i5-11400F can’t be overclocked anyway, you
WATCH DOGS: LEGION
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra settings, DX12 may as well couple it with an affordable motherboard such
Intel Core i5-11400F 70fps 87fps as the MSI MAG Z590 Tomahawk WiFi (see p18), or even
Intel Core i5-10400F 62fps 84fps a cheaper LGA1200 board, making the Core i5-11400F a
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 69fps 87fps steal at £149. It’s able to better the more expensive Ryzen 5
71fps 88fps
3600 in most tests, including both our game tests.
0 40 80 120 160
The higher score in Cinebench was particularly damning, PERFORMANCE
Stock speed 99th percentile

Overclocked 99th percentile

Stock speed avg

Overclocked avg
as that’s usually a stronghold for AMD, but the Core
i5-11400F is ultimately routing AMD’s Zen 2 6-core CPUs
37/50
TOTAL SYSTEM POWER CONSUMPTION and offering much better value. Intel might not have the FEATURES
12/15
Idle
high-end mainstream CPUs with loads of cores needed to
Intel Core i5-11400F 72W

Intel Core i5-10400F 69W

counter AMD at the top end, but it’s mightily strong at the
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 86W 88W cheaper end of its product stack. VALUE

Load
0 200 400 600
Lower is better
ANTONY LEATHER
35/35
Intel Core i5-11400F 226W OVERALL SCORE

84 %
Intel Core i5-10400F 153W

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 179W 182W

VERDICT
0 200 400 600
A huge amount faster than the Core i5-10400F and
Lower is better quicker than the pricier Ryzen 5 3600 in most tests.
Stock speed Overclocked A great budget gaming chip.

17
 R E V I E WS / MOTHERBOARDS

AT X B 5 6 0 M OT H E R B OA R D

MSI MAG B560 us

tom P
TOMAHAWK WIFI /£170

C
inc VAT

SUPPLIER scan.co.uk
PP

D
ROV E

A
O
ne of the best bits of news about Intel’s recent
tom P
us
500-series chipset launch was that chipsets
other than the Z-series models would support

C
memory overclocking. This means that B560-based
boards such as this MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi
can run your memory at frequencies above your CPU’s

IT
CU
natively supported speed, which is usually
ST
below 3000MHz. OM K
For example, using a Core i5-10600K on a B460
motherboard would see your memory speed limited to
tom P
us
2666MHz, and no manual tweaks or XMP profiles will
allow you to go higher. That’s all changed this time, though,

C
as the likes of the B560 chipset, while still not able to
tweak your CPU’s multiplier, can at least hit much higher

A
EXT
memory speeds.

TR
The MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi can reach up to RE L
5066MHz with standard dual-channel memory, and while ME U
you likely won’t see much of a real-world performance
boost above 3400MHz, that’s way
tom P
us
SPEC better than 2666MHz. are limited to PCI-E 3 bandwidth, with one of them also
Chipset Another reason to be excited is that supporting SATA should you have an older drive you want
c

C
Intel Z590 this board’s Z590 counterpart costs £60 to use. You also get heatsinks for two of those M.2 ports,
CPU socket more, but has a similar specification, and our PCI-E 4 SSD was kept below 65°C during our

E
PRE

Intel LGA1200
albeit with slightly beefier M.2 heatsinks stress test, keeping well away from thermal throttling.

AD
Memory support
and higher-specification audio. This M
The PCB also offers a USB 3.1 Type-C header, an
IUM GR
4 slots: max 128GB DDR4
(up to 5066MHz) is important, because many of Intel’s impressive count of seven 4-pin fan headers, plus both
Expansion slots 11th-gen CPUs, such as the Core 3-pin and 4-pin RGB lighting headers. It even has a funky
One 16x PCI-E 4, one 16x i9-11900K, have limited overclocking cut-out of the PCB next to the PCH heatsink, with the latter
PCI-E 3, one 1x PCI-E 3
tom P
us
headroom, so the benefits of spending being illuminated by RGB lighting.
Sound
8-channel Realtek ALC897 another £60 are limited in terms of extra Power delivery brings 12 phases to the CPU, while two
c

Networking performance. This board also supports huge heatsinks deal with the heat produced by the VRMs,
1 x Realtek 2.5 Gigabit Intel’s Adaptive Boost Technology, which although they’re not linked by a heatpipe. Even so, they did
LAN, 802.11ax Wi-Fi
AL
PR

can boost the Core i9-11900K’s clock a good job of keeping the VRMs cool, with our loaded Core
Cooling
speeds higher if cooling and power i9-11900K only seeing them hit 59°C, which is miles away
Seven 4-pin fan headers, VRM FE
SSIO
N
O

heatsinks, M.2 heatsinks delivery allow it. from throttling levels.

Ports The board itself has all the features Meanwhile, the rear I/O panel offers a total of eight
6 x SATA 6Gbps 1 x M.2 PCI-E 4, 1 x M.2 you would expect from a mid-range USB ports, four of which are USB 3, in addition to a USB
PCI-E 3/SATA 6Gbps, 1 x M.2 PCI-E
3, 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.1 enthusiast motherboard, including 3.1 Type-C port. There are also antennae connectors for
Type-C, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C header, 2 x 802.11ax Wi-Fi, six SATA 6Gbps ports the 802.11ax Wi-Fi, plus the usual audio jacks, including
USB 3, 1 x LAN, 3 x surround audio out and a handy three M.2 ports, although an optical output, although the audio codec itself is only
Dimensions (mm) only the top slot offers PCI-E 4 support ALC892, which doesn’t sound as good as the Realtek
300 x 244
for the latest SSDs. The other two ports ALC1220 codec found on more expensive boards.

18
 B E N C H M A R K R E S U LTS
GIMP IMAGE EDITING

MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi 71,713

Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi 71,269 72,068

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000

HANDBRAKE H.264 VIDEO ENCODING

MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi 692,867

Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi 701,832 727,824

0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000

HEAVY MULTITASKING

MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi 252,341

Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi 295,915 300,682

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000

SYSTEM SCORE stock speed with our Core i9-11900K, matching them in BURY THE
most tests. The stock speed system score is just a little HATCHET
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi 261,692

Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi 263,119 273,780 behind the likes of the Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi + Good VRM cooling
0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 at 252,341 compared to 263,119, with the Asus board + Adaptive Boost
works on Core
Stock speed Overclocked increasing that score to 273,780 once overclocked. i9-11900K
Gaming performance was on par too, and we were also
CINEBENCH R23 MULTITHREADED
able to enable Intel’s Adaptive Boost Technology on our
+ Reasonable value
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi 15,527
Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi 15,593 16,484 Core i9-9900K, which saw higher boost frequencies,
0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 increasing the Cinebench R23 score from 15,527 to 15,980. HATCHET JOB
CINEBENCH R23 SINGLETHREADED At default settings, the total system power draw of - Few additional
features
319W was fairly high under load, though, with the Asus
- Average audio
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi 1,657

Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming

1,700
1,630 TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi drawing under 300W. The performance
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 M.2 speeds were identical to other boards too, with a read
Stock speed Overclocked speed of 4,985MB/sec and write speed of 4,267MB/sec.
- There are cheaper
B560 options
FAR CRY NEW DAWN Meanwhile, the audio performance was fairly typical of the
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra settings
ALC897 codec with a dynamic range of 96.1dBA and noise
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi 113fps 148fps
level of -95.9dBA.
Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming 112fps 145fps

118fps 154fps
Conclusion
0 40 80 120 160
We’re quite impressed with the MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk
Stock speed 99th percentile Stock speed avg

Overclocked 99th percentile Overclocked avg

WiFi. Not only can it provide a good home to cheaper
multiplier-locked CPUs such as the Core i5-11400F (see
TOTAL SYSTEM POWER CONSUMPTION WATTS

Idle p16), but it can also handle more powerful K-series CPUs,
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi 71W
it can access Adaptive Boost Technology and it can hit the
Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming 74W 91W same memory frequencies as Z-series boards.
0 200 400 600 This means it’s definitely worth asking if you need a
Lower is better
Load Z-series board, and whether you can save cash by going
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi 319W
for B560 instead. Given what we’ve seen here, we’d argue
Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming 285W 355W that the B560 chipset’s appeal is definitely a lot stronger
0 200 400 600 than previous non-Z-series chipsets.
Lower is better
Given its price, there’s a lack of overclocking-focused PERFORMANCE
Stock speed Overclocked
features on this board, but it does have decent VRMs and
cooling, three M.2 ports and two heatsinks, so you won’t be
31/35
left wanting for much. If you’re happy to stick to stock CPU FEATURES
There are precious few other features, though, with
no overclocking and testing tools, such as power and
speed, but want to use fast memory and save some cash,
the MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi will provide a good
26/35
reset buttons, clear-CMOS switches or an LED POST home to any Rocket Lake CPU. VALUE
code displays. Instead, MSI has clearly ploughed most of
the budget into making sure the board can handle Intel’s
ANTONY LEATHER
27/30
most powerful 10th and 11th-gen CPUs. OVERALL SCORE

84 %
VERDICT
Performance Successfully showcases Intel’s B560 chipset. It might not
The MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk WiFi showed no evidence overclock your CPU, but it gives you PCI-E 4 support and
of being slower than the Z570 boards we’ve tested at overclockable memory with change from £180.

19
 R E V I E WS / CASES

tom P
us

C
AT X C A S E
PP

D
ROV E

A
FRACTAL DESIGN MESHIFY
2 COMPACT /£90 inc VAT
us
tom P

C
SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

IT
CU
ST
H OM K
ot on the heels of the Define 7 Compact is another
rejigged and miniaturised version of a Fractal ATX
case – the Meshify 2 Compact. It retains various
design aspects of its bigger sibling, the Meshify 2, but in a
tom P
chassis that measures just 21cm wide and 42cm deep. It’s
not going to threaten many mini-ITX cases, but it’s certainly
us

C
going to save desk space compared with most ATX cases.

A
EXT
At £90 inc VAT, it’s a bit cheaper than the Define 7

TR
Compact, presumably due to the mesh front panel using
less material than the plastic panel of the latter. That’s the RE L
key difference between the two cases, with the Meshify 2 ME U
Compact sporting a large angular mesh on the front panel,
but also lacking the ability to use a closed roof section.
tom P
There’s no optional panel in the box as there is with the
Define 7 Compact, so you’re stuck with a vented roof.
us
c

Airflow is the focus of the Meshify 2 Compact, and it C

E
PRE

doesn’t just have more vents than the Define 7 Compact AD

either. It also sports an additional front 140mm fan, with a
M
IUM GR
pair of fans pushing air into the case compared to just one
with the Define 7 Compact.
SPEC With a vented front panel, the case
lends itself well to water cooling, and the The front panel offers a pair of USB 3 ports as well as a
Dimensions (mm)
tom P
210 x 424 x 475 (W x D x H)
Material
PSU cover has removable plates that
offer extended clearance for radiators. us
USB 3.1 Type-C port, which requires a Type-C header on
your motherboard. There’s also power and reset buttons,
c

Steel, plastic, glass There’s more than enough space for and a pair of audio jacks for a microphone and headphones.
Available colours a 60mm-thick 280mm or 360mm Moving down from that panel is the front mesh section.
AL
PR

Black, black/white
radiator at the front with a single row of On other meshed cases, the mesh is usually fixed in place,
Weight fans, as well as a 240mm radiator in the
FE
so you have to yank off the whole panel to access filters
SSIO
N
O

7.7kg
roof as long as the components on your beneath it, or to mount extra fans or radiators. However, the
Front panel
Power, reset, 2 x USB 3, 1 x
motherboard sit more than 40mm below Meshify 2 Compact allows you to remove the mesh section
USB 3.1 Type-C, stereo, mic the roof. separately, leaving the plastic frame behind. It’s easier to
Drive bays The mounts in the roof are offset, pull off than your typical front panel, and gives full access to
2 x 2.5/3.5in, 2 x 2.5in with Fractal Design giving you as much the fan mounts beneath. There’s even a pull-out dust filter
Form factor(s) clearance away from the motherboard as an added layer of protection behind the front mesh, and
ATX, micro-ATX as possible. The Define 7 Compact’s an additional dust filter in the base of the case.
Cooling party trick is on display here too, with the The narrow width of the case means there’s not a
3 x 120/2 x 140mm front fan mounts
Meshify 2 Compact able to ditch its entire particularly deep space for stowing cables behind the
(2 x 140mm fan included), 1 x
120mm rear fan mount (1 x 120mm roof section, including the usual support motherboard tray, but it’s at least easy to tidy, with six Velcro
fan included), 2 x 120/140mm roof beam that joins the top two corners of the ties ready to secure cables and plenty of other anchor
fan mounts (fans not included) case. This completely opens up the case points for cable ties. Thankfully, the rubber grommets
CPU cooler clearance and makes a whole bunch of building jobs that surround the numerous cable-routing holes proved
169mm
a lot easier, such as fitting the 8-pin CPU particularly resilient to popping out too.
Maximum graphics card length power connector, installing a motherboard There aren’t too many stand-out features in terms
341mm
or mounting radiators. of storage, with a pair of dedicated 2.5in SSD mounts

20
 T E M P E R AT U R E R E S U LTS
CPU DELTA T
Fractal Meshify 2 Compact 50°C
Fractal Define 7 Compact 54°C
Antec DF700 FLUX 47°C
NZXT 510 Elite (max speed) 49°C
be quiet! Pure Base 500DX 50°C
Corsair iCUE 465X 51°C

0 25 50 75 100
Lower is better
GPU DELTA T
Fractal Meshify 2 Compact 41°C
Fractal Define 7 Compact 42°C
Antec DF700 FLUX 43°C
NZXT 510 Elite (max speed) 41°C
Corsair iCUE 465X 44°C
be quiet! Pure Base 500DX 44°C

0 25 50 75 100
Lower is better

along with two 2.5in/3.5in bays in the base, which are

fairly typical of cases this size. Meanwhile the CPU cooler
clearance is decent at 169mm, as is the graphics card cooler
clearance of 341mm. As you might expect, though, there’s
no E-ATX motherboard support and you’ll need to use a
PSU that measures 165mm long or shorter if you intend to Conclusion
use the hard disk mounts and front fan. However, removing The Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact is very similar to the
the drive trays opens up this area to 200mm of clearance. Define 7 Compact in terms of features and layout. The latter
may look a little smarter with its closed front panel, but the
Performance Meshify 2 Compact is still extremely quiet, and the benefit
We expected better temperatures compared with the in airflow is clear, with a much lower CPU delta T than the
Define 7 Compact, given the addition of a front mesh and Define 7 Compact, and the GPU cooling was a little better
extra front fan, and sure enough, the Meshify 2 dropped the too. If you’re not fussed by the Define 7 Compact’s closed
CPU delta T by 4°C from 54°C to 50°C. That result is right front, the Meshify 2 Compact is definitely the better of the
up there with the best-performing cases we’ve seen, such two cases, especially as it’s otherwise identical and costs
as the be quiet! Pure Base 500DX and NZXT 510 Elite with less money.
its highest fan speed, but warmer than the Antec DF700 The other cases to bear in mind in this price range are the COOLING
FLUX’s excellent result of 47°C.
Meanwhile, the GPU delta T of 41°C was one degree
likes of the be quiet! Pure Base 500DX and Antec DF700
FLUX. Both are cheaper than the Meshify 2 Compact, and
26/30
cooler than the Define 7 Compact, though, which makes also offer RGB lighting, but only the Antec managed to offer FEATURES
sense seeing as it also has a fan pointed at its GPU, albeit
with slightly restricted airflow. Overall, the Meshify 2
better cooling, and that was just a few degrees knocked off
the CPU delta T.
17/20
Compact is certainly a very capable case out of the box and The Meshify 2 Compact beats them both in terms of easy DESIGN
the fan noise was extremely quiet at full speed, despite the
Meshify 2 Compact’s meshed front potentially allowing
building and size though. If you have around £100 to spend
on a PC case, these cases should occupy the top three slots
28/30
more sound to escape than the Define 7 Compact’s on your shortlist – it’s then a matter for your priorities. VALUE
solid panel. ANTONY LEATHER
17/20
FRACTAL FRACTIOUS OVERALL SCORE
+ - Only two hard disk mounts

88%
Excellent cooling

+ Very convenient build process - CPU cooling not chart-topping VERDICT

+ Good water-cooling support - Reasonable rather than An excellent compact case that’s great out of the box
excellent value and has scope for a decent water-cooling system.

21
 R E V I E WS / MEMORY

D D R 4 M E M O RY K I T

THERMALTAKE TOUGHRAM
XG RGB /£132 inc VAT (16GB, 3600MHz, dual-channel)

SUPPLIER ebuyer.com

W
hile you can’t buy graphics cards
for reasonable money at the
moment, memory upgrades
are thankfully a little more affordable.
However, if you want a cutting-edge
kit using the latest features such as
RGB lighting, you'll still pay a small
premium, as is the case with
Thermaltake ToughRAM.
With a price of £132 inc VAT for a
dual-channel 16GB kit of 3600MHz RAM,
The ToughRAM costs a tad more than the
Gigabyte Aorus RGB memory kit we also looked at this punchy, vivid and all but the white colour setting is accurate
month (see opposite), and a good chunk more than Corsair’s – the latter lacks the vibrant pure white we’ve seen from
3600MHz Vengeance RGB Pro kits. The Thermaltake other modules, with Corsair’s latest sticks offering slightly
modules are quite tall too, measuring 48mm high compared more vibrant lighting too. However, the greens and yellows
to the super-low profile 41mm height of the Aorus modules. here were more convincing than they were on the Aorus
On the plus side, this extra money does at least buy you RGB memory.
another couple of hundred megahertz of rated effective Thermaltake’s software also allows you to choose from
THERMOS frequency at 3600MHz compared to the Thermaltake’s numerous lighting effects, including a static mode. You can
3333MHz. These Thermaltake modules also offer quite set most of the effects to make use of the full RGB spectrum,
+ Separated a lot more in the way of light customisation than the Aorus dishing out fancy rainbow lights or applying effects to single
lighting zones
sticks, which we’ll get to in a minute. or customised colours, so it’s fairly flexible.
+ Individual LED The memory chips use Hynix C dies and have timings of
control
18-19-19-39 at this speed, while dual-channel 4000MHz, Conclusion
+ Unique exterior
design 4400MHz and 4600MHz kits are also available. Sadly, in Thermaltake’s ToughRAM XG RGB modules look unique,
our AMD X570 system, we couldn’t push the frequency any and offer vivid and highly customisable RGB lighting. The
PLASTIC CUP higher than the default 3600MHz, even if we bumped up the only colour that wasn’t as accurate as the competition was
DDR voltage to 1.4V, but this frequency is still fast enough to white. However, the ToughRAM XG RGB modules are much
- Z ero overclocking make the most of synchronising with Infinity Fabric on Zen 2 shorter than Corsair’s standard Vengeance modules and
headroom
and Zen 3 CPUs anyway. have an interesting trio of illuminated areas, which makes
- Whites aren’t

The modules themselves are beautiful and have three them stand out in terms of looks.
pure or vibrant
diffusing RGB LED covers each. The top strip comprises two The only issue is price, as Corsair’s
- Competition
is cheaper arrow shapes, with the points meeting in the middle, and Vengeance Pro RGB kits currently PERFORMANCE

SPEC
a third triangular section sits underneath the
meeting point. The diffusing covers all sit on top
cost under £110 inc VAT for the same
3600MHz speed. As such, unless
24/30
Frequency of a glossy grey metal midsection. Eight RGB you’re sold on the ToughRAM XG RGB DESIGN
3600MHz (tested) / 4000MHz
/ 4400MHz / 4600MHz
LEDs sit underneath them, and although you
can control the colour of each of them, you can’t
unique exterior and multiple lighting
zones, Corsair’s Vengeance Pro RGB
22/25
Timings adjust the colour of each of the three sections memory remains a slightly better buy. VALUE
35/45
18-19-19-39 / 18-19-19-39 /
19-25-25-45 / 19-26-26-45 independently, as there's some shared lighting ANTONY LEATHER

Voltage that spills over from the centre section into the
1.35V top strips. OVERALL SCORE
Meanwhile, the heatsinks are black with

81 %
Height (from base)
48mm
VERDICT
a crosshatch design on one side. The most Good-looking and vibrantly lit RGB
Lighting impressive part of these modules’ attire, memory, although the competition
Yes (RGB)
though, is of course the RGB lighting. It’s is a bit cheaper.

24
D D R 4 M E M O RY K I T

AORUS RGB MEMORY

/£115 inc VAT (16GB, 3333MHz, dual-channel)
SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

I
t may have taken a while for PC memory
manufacturers to work out how to send enough
power, as well as the lighting signals, for RGB
memory over the bus, but there’s now no shortage of RGB
memory kits available from all the big players. What’s more,
we’re regularly seeing the designs getting refreshed with
attractive module designs and improved lighting.
Gigabyte’s last foray into this competitive arena proved
quite successful, with the company offering dummy kits that
enabled you to fill all your memory slots for a lot less cash than
buying a full quad-channel kit. The new Aorus RGB Memory rest of the colours and the rainbow mode looked great, and RAINBOW
does the same, with kits limited to dual-channel setups the colours were particularly vivid. + Attractive
and available in a range of speeds, with or without so-called Being rated at 3333MHz, we hoped we might be able to segmented lighting
Demo Kits, which essentially give you a pair of dummy lighting coax the Hynix D-die memory chips up to 3600MHz, but + Very low profile
modules in addition to the memory modules. in the end, we could only hit 3400MHz in our AMD X570
+ Option of dummy
Our sample kit included a pair of 3333MHz modules, which motherboard, which is a boost of just 67MHz. modules to fill slots
use Hynix D-die memory chips rated to run at 18-20-20-40
timings. From top to bottom, they measure just 41mm tall, Conclusion RAIN STORM
which means they shouldn’t interfere as much with large The Aorus RGB Memory’s lighting actually looks rather
coolers as other taller modules, such as Corsair’s Vengeance distinctive, despite there being clear gaps between the LEDs,
- Limited
overclocking
Pro or Dominator modules. which are still visible through the diffusing covers. It’s a shame, headroom
The new Aorus sticks are much darker than the previous then, that you can’t tweak the LEDs individually. The lighting - Lighting effects
generation too, with the PCBs sandwiched between two dark effects are fairly limited too, but as with most RGB memory, not that flexible
grey aluminium heatsinks. Each memory module has a row you’ll either be won over by the aesthetics or the price. - Some colours
lack purity
of LEDs along the top of each side of the PCB, and these LEDs Regarding the former, the Aorus modules are certainly
sit underneath opaque plastic covers that diffuse the light. very attractive, although they’re not quite as flexible when it
However, there were clear dark spots between the LEDs in the comes to dishing out photons as Corsair’s Vengeance Pro or
covers – we thought they looked quite classy, but these aren’t Dominator RGB modules. The low-profile status is definitely
the modules for you if you’re after seamless joins of colour. a big boon, though, and one that even Corsair can’t currently
You’ll need to use Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion 2 software to match – its Vengeance RGP Pro SL modules measure 3mm
control the lighting, and we couldn’t get it to link up with other taller at 44mm. PERFORMANCE

SPEC
software such as Corsair’s
iCUE either, but you’ll have
The price of £115 inc VAT for a 3333MHz 16GB dual-channel
kit isn’t terrible, but it’s hard to justify when a 3600MHz
24/30
Effective frequency more luck if you have a Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro kit can be bought for just under DESIGN
3333MHz (tested) /
3733MHz /4400MHz
Gigabyte motherboard,
of course.
£100 from scan.co.uk. The Aorus RGB Memory struggles
to compete here with the lighting quality on offer, but these
20/25
Timings The software is also rather are still attractive modules if you want some RGB lighting in VALUE
18-20-20-40 / 20-19-
19-43 / 19-26-26-46
Voltage
limited in that you can’t
control each LED, like you can
a compact form factor.
ANTONY LEATHER
36/45
1.35V with Corsair’s kits. Yellows OVERALL SCORE

80%
Height (from base) and white weren’t particularly
41mm convincing either, with white VERDICT
Lighting lights especially having a Super-low-profile modules for RGB memory, although it’s
Yes (RGB)
pink-grey hue. However, the a bit overpriced and not as flexible as the competition.

25
 R E V I E WS / MONITORS

2 7 I N G A M I N G M O N I TO R

DELL S2721HGF
/£ 199 inc VAT
SUPPLIER dell.co.uk

D
ell’s S2721HGF is one of the cheapest 27in
displays we’ve seen for some time, and that
makes it a tempting option for anyone who
wants a sizeable gaming display without spending silly
amounts of cash.
It’s kitted out with a 1080p VA panel that’s compatible
with AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync at 144Hz,
and it has a 4ms response time. On paper, that means it’s
good enough for tackling mainstream single-player games
DELL-ICIOUS and esports titles without putting a huge amount of stress on you use the toughest overdrive mode, but those options
+ 
G reat contrast your GPU to hit a sky-high refresh rate. don’t create a significant improvement either.
and deep blacks
The Dell has a 1500R curve, too, which improves Meanwhile, the Dell’s delta E of 2.16 is reasonable rather
+ Low price immersion. That said, twitchy esports players will benefit than outstanding, and its colour temperature of 6,359K is
+ Slim bezels and from a non-VA 240Hz display with a 1ms response time, and good. Its gamma average of 2.37 is wayward, though, and
decent looks
a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution would make games look crisper – this display rendered 90.8 per cent of the sRGB gamut
the 1080p resolution across this 27in display results in a low at 98.4 per cent volume, so it can’t display every shade
DELL-ETED pixel density and it doesn’t look particularly sharp. properly. Everyday gaming won’t be significantly hindered
- M ediocre colour On the outside, the Dell looks decent, and it has slim by these middling figures, but the IPS-based AOC is better.
performance bezels, so affordable multi-monitor gaming is possible. It’s
- Few extra features easy to assemble, the stand has a cable-routing hole and the Conclusion
on-screen display menu system is well organised, fast and The Dell S2721HGF has huge contrast and a deep black
- Middling
adjustability managed by a snappy joystick control. point, and those attributes mean you get a punchy and
At this price, though, compromise is vibrant experience. The colours are good enough to handle
SPEC inevitable. Build quality is mediocre: the rear mainstream gameplay, and it has decent syncing options
Screen size moves too much and the screen wobbles. too. The rival AOC display doesn’t match the Dell in contrast,
27in The Dell has 100mm of height adjustment but it still hits 1,447:1 there, and the AOC has superior colours
Resolution alongside tilt movement and 100mm VESA and a more responsive IPS panel. The Dell also has mediocre
1,920 x 1,080 support, but there’s no swivelling, and the adjustability and few extra features,
Panel technology movement is stiff. This display has no USB and the AOC remains better in those
VA IMAGE QUALITY
Maximum refresh rate
144Hz
ports or speakers either.
Dell’s display squares up against the AOC
areas too.
The Dell can handle mainstream
24/30
Response time 27G2U, which is our favourite affordable gaming, and its contrast means it has GAMING
4ms
Stated contrast ratio
1080p 27in panel. That screen has more
adjustment, and it includes speakers and
loads of punch and depth, but there
are also disappointing compromises
22/30
3,000:1 USB ports. The AOC isn’t curved, but it does in several other areas. With superior FEATURES
Active sync
AMD FreeSync Premium and
have a 1ms response time.
The Dell delivered a stunning contrast ratio
colours and more features, the AOC
27G2U remains our budget 27in
14/20
Nvidia G-Sync compatible
of 3,138:1, which is far higher than the AOC’s display of choice. VALUE
Display inputs
1 x DisplayPort 1.2, 2 x HDMI 2 IPS panel. The black point of 0.08cd/m² is
stellar, and those results create a bold, punchy
MIKE JENNINGS
17/20
Audio
Headphone jack display with impressive depth in darker areas. OVERALL SCORE
The active sync features provided tear and

77%
Stand adjustment
Height, tilt
VERDICT
stutter-free gameplay, although there’s still a Impressive contrast results in a punchy
Extras little blurring in the fastest situations at 144Hz. image, but the Dell is too middling in
100 x 100mm VESA mount
There’s barely any inverse ghosting unless too many other areas.

26
 R E V I E WS / MONITORS

2 4 I N G A M I N G M O N I TO R

PHILIPS 242E1GAJ
/£ 150 inc VAT
SUPPLIER laptopsdirect.co.uk

P
The Blur Busters hilips’ 242E1GAJ is a classy-looking budget
UFO ghosting test gaming monitor that eschews the gamer
shows up the slow stylings of many other brands, and instead
response time of
opts for a simple slim frame and silver stand. The stand
the 242E1GAJ (left)
compared to the offers height and tilt adjustment, but not rotation or pivot,
AOC 24G2U (right) but that’s to be expected at this budget end of the market. this mode, it was even worse (7,817K), and bizarrely, the
Holes to attach a monitor mount are also brightness was also fixed but at a higher level than the normal
included above the ports, which all stick modes, hitting 254 nits.
straight out the back of the display. From left Being a VA panel, contrast is good (as high as 4,191:1 in some
to right, the ports consist of the input from the modes), and otherwise, image quality is perfectly adequate
mains power brick, a headphone jack, and for movie watching and general desktop use, thanks to good
inputs for HDMI and DisplayPort. It’s a modest viewing angles, an accurate gamma
but adequate selection, and the headphone curve and an ability to produce fine RESPONSIVE
port sounds clear too, unlike some cheap differences in colour. + High contrast panel
displays. Likewise, the pair of 3W speakers The biggest problem with this + Decent features
sound okay, with a little more depth and clarity display, though, is its gaming for the price
than the most basic options. performance. The native response + Very low price

This 24in monitor sports a 1,920 x 1,080 time of the VA panel is terrible, resulting
resolution, and its specs suggest a reasonably in such long trails behind moving ASLEEP
capable display. It can hit a 144Hz refresh objects that we genuinely struggled
rate, has a 1ms motion picture response to aim in fast-paced games such as - V ery slow
response time
time (MPRT) rating, it can deliver a wide first-person shooters. No amount of
colour gamut (130 per cent sRGB), and upping the overdrive (SmartResponse)
- Poor default
SPEC colour balance
includes FreeSync Premium support, along or backlight-strobing blur reduction
Screen size
23.6in
- Low max

with compatibility with G-Sync, so you can (MPRT) really fixed this problem, with brightness
Resolution eliminate tearing and stutter in games on both the former even adding more problems
1,920 x 1,080
AMD and Nvidia GPUs. by introducing inverse ghosting. IMAGE QUALITY
Panel technology
VA
However, there are some glaring issues. For
a start, maximum brightness is a piddling 209 Conclusion 20/30
Maximum refresh rate
144Hz (165Hz overclocked) nits in its default high colour gamut modes, The Philips 242E1GAJ gets a lot right GAMING
Response time
4ms (1ms MPRT)
while colour balance is poor (the 6,500K
colour temperature mode measured 7,383K)
with its very low price, ample feature
set and stylish design. Its image quality
10/30
Stated contrast ratio resulting in a cold, blue/green tinge to the is okay too, especially if you covet the FEATURES
3,500:1
Active sync
image, making this display a poor choice for
colour-accurate work such as image editing.
high contrast of VA-type LCD panels.
However, its gaming performance is
15/20
FreeSync and G-Sync compatible
We had to select the User colour mode and frankly terrible. There are many better VALUE
15/20
Display inputs
1 x DisplayPort 1.2, 1 x HDMI change the RGB colour values all the way from gaming displays for a similar price.
Audio 100 x 100 x 100 to 100 x 87 x 89 to get the EDWARD CHESTER
2 x 3W speakers, headphone out colour balance about right. OVERALL SCORE
An sRGB mode is on hand to reduce the

60%
Stand adjustment
Height, tilt colour gamut (down to 115 per cent) if needed, VERDICT
Extras and you can often rely on such modes to A gaming display simply can’t get
100 x 100mm VESA mount
provide good colour balance. However, in away with a response time this bad.

28
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FREE CHILLBLAST AERO

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WITH A 12-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION TO CUSTOM PC

SPEC
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• DPI levels 800,1,600, 2,400, 3,200, 4,800 and 6,200 £40
• Switches Huano (10-million click lifetime)
• RGB lighting 11 modes switchable
tom P
• Software programmable Supports macro for all buttons us

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• Tracking speed 220 inches per second PP

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IT
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Our generous pals at Chillblast are kindly offering an award- The PixArt PAW3327DB sensor allows for high DPI levels,
winning Aero RGB gaming mouse (see Issue 208, p33) to while the all-Huano switches provide longevity and a tactile OM K
anyone who takes out a 12-month UK subscription to Custom click response. Chillblast’s braided, ascended cord also means
PC magazine. you’re never impeded by the cable, while support for horizontal
tom P
Designed in Poole, Dorset, by Chillblast’s team of gaming
experts, the Aero RGB is designed for competitive gaming. Its
acceleration of up to 30G means even professional esports
players will never overwhelm its tracking hardware. us
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allowing ventilation to keep your palm cool and fresh. where you can program sensitivity, polling rate, recordable
EXT

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FE O
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O
 R E V I E WS / MONITORS

3 4 I N G A M I N G M O N I TO R

COOLER MASTER
GM34-CW /£549 inc VAT

SUPPLIER ebuyer.com

C
ooler Master is best known for making cases and
coolers, but the GM34-CW is its first gaming
tom P
monitor, which makes a big impression with a
curved, widescreen design. The 34in panel has a resolution
us

C
of 3,440 x 1,440 and an aspect ratio of 21:9, which means
racing and shooting titles benefit from the broad field of
view, and the 1500R curve proves immersive rather than
PP

D
ROV E

A
overwhelming. The size and resolution match those of the
LG UltraGear 34GN850, which is our current favourite 34in
MASTERY widescreen gaming panel.
There are few surprises on the inside – the GM34-CW so there’s a noticeable boost to colour and contrast, although
+ 
V ibrant colours and
tom P
great contrast uses a 10-bit VA panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms
us
the lack of sophisticated dimming means there’s not
+ Large curved screen response time. It also supports AMD FreeSync and offers much nuance.

C
compatibility with Nvidia G-Sync, eliminating tearing artefacts Meanwhile, the 144Hz refresh rate delivered smooth
+ Decent resolution by synchronising the refresh rate with the frame rate from gaming in fast titles, and the solid response time means you
your graphics card. can play mainstream esports games here. The LG is a little

IT
CU
MYSTERY
ST
OM K
On the outside, the slim bezels and sleek base impress, quicker, but you’ll need to step up to a 240Hz refresh rate for
- M iddling refresh and build quality is decent. However, the rear lighting is only meaningful improvement.
rate ability
available in purple and the stand’s extra screws mean it’s There are some areas where the Cooler Master is less
- Missing features tricky to assemble. It offers height, tilt and swivel adjustment, impressive. Its motion blur reduction is poor, with excessive
tom P
- Irritating OSD but movement feels stiff, and the GM34-CW supports 75mm
VESA mounts rather than 100mm mounting.
us
ghosting. The off-centre viewing angles aren’t great and
there’s a little backlight bleed. However, these issues aren’t

C
SPEC Meanwhile, there are pairs of DisplayPort ruinous for most gamers. The more expensive LG is faster

A
EXT
Screen size and HDMI connections, but neither HDMI and has similar colour coverage alongside better delta E and

TR
34in port can run at the display’s peak refresh temperature figures. That product uses an IPS display, so it
Resolution rate. There are no USB ports either, and the RE L
loses vibrancy but has more natural colour reproduction.
3,440 x 1,440
on-screen display is disappointing – the menu ME U
Panel technology
VA
is slow and the buttons are stiff. That said, the Conclusion
more expensive LG isn’t much better in these The Cooler Master doesn’t have much
Maximum refresh rate
tom P
144Hz respects – while it has USB ports, it has weaker in the way of extra features, and you
us IMAGE QUALITY
ergonomics and no lighting. can get better options for super-fast
26/30
c

C
Response time
1ms On the plus side, the Cooler Master’s panel esports, but it does offer a vibrant image
E
PRE

Contrast delivers big, bold colours. It rendered 99.4 and a large, immersive widescreen GAMING
AD

27/30
3,000:1
per cent of the sRGB gamut at 144.6 per cent display for mainstream gaming at a low
Active sync M
IUM GR
AMD FreeSync 2 and Nvidia
volume, with 91.2 per cent coverage and price. At £549 inc VAT, it’s easy to forgive
G-Sync compatible 102.4 per cent volume in the DCI-P3 gamut. some of its shortcomings, making this FEATURES
Display inputs
2 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x
Combine these results with the acceptable
delta E of 3.01 and the colour temperature of
a solid option if you’re looking for a big,
bold and immersive display.
14/20
tom
us VALUEP
HDMI 2, 1 x HDMI 1.4
6,223K and you’ve got a screen that renders MIKE JENNINGS
Audio
almost every shade needed for gaming with 18/20
c

Headphone jack
Stand adjustment huge punch – colours leap from the screen and
Height, pivot, tilt almost look oversaturated. OVERALL SCORE
VERDICT
AL
PR

The brightness and black point results of

85%
Extras
Bold colours, huge contrast and
75 x 75mm VESA mount 390cd/m² and 0.12cd/m² deliver contrast of FE
SSIO
N
O

a sweeping design make this an

HDR standard 3,250:1, which creates tremendous depth. affordable and effective option
DisplayHDR 400
Those figures improve a little in HDR mode, for immersive gaming.

30
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 R E V I E WS / LAPTOPS

G A M I N G L A P TO P tom P
us
ALIENWARE

C
M17 R4 /£3,499 inc VAT
PP

D
ROV E

A
SUPPLIER dell.co.uk

tom P
us

C
A
lienware’s laptops have had some of the boldest In some areas, though, this year’s m17 remains
designs around, and the fourth iteration of the unchanged from last year’s machine. The keyboard retains
m17 continues that tradition. This white model 1.7mm of travel, n-key rollover, a numberpad and quartet of

IT
CU
ST
OM K
pairs its bright finish with black accents, hexagonal air vents macro keys, and its buttons are fast and solid – it’s the best
and loads of RGB LEDs. The m17 looks superb, and it’s chiclet option for gaming. Just over the horizon, though, is a
available in an all-black shade if the white is too bright. better alternative: if you’re willing to pay £100 more, you’ll
As usual, Alienware also deploys high-end internals. This
tom P
get a mechanical keyboard that uses Cherry’s new MX Ultra
machine contains Nvidia’s GeForce RTX us
Low switches. The trackpad is fine for casual gaming thanks

C
SPEC 3080 laptop GPU, which uses a mighty to its crisp buttons, but a USB mouse is always better.
CPU 16GB of memory. It runs with a 165W TDP The spec we’ve reviewed is one of the priciest models

A
EXT
2.4GHz Intel Core i9-10980HK in this laptop, which is as high as this core available, but cheaper models are available with Core i7

TR
Memory can go and higher than most laptops with CPUs, RTX 3070 GPUs and 144Hz displays. At the time of
32GB 2933MHz DDR4 RE L
Graphics
this GPU. It’s no surprise that the RTX
3080 is unfettered here – it has to output
ME U
writing, though, these machines still cost at least £2,599
inc VAT, with supply issues putting cheaper RTX 3060
Nvidia GeForce RTX
3080 Laptop 16GB to a 360Hz display. specifications out of reach.
Meanwhile, the 8-core Intel Core
tom P
us
Screen
17.3in 1,920 x 1,080 IPS 360Hz i9-10980HK has base and boost speeds Performance
c

C
Storage of 2.4GHz and 5.3GHz, and the rest of the The high-end RTX 3080 delivers amazing mobile gaming
2 x 512GB Micron 2300 M.2 SSD spec includes 32GB of memory and a 1TB pace. In Doom Eternal, its 99th percentile minimum of
E
PRE

Networking (2 x 512GB) Micron NVMe SSD RAID 0 199fps was bolstered by a 306fps average, which bodes
AD

Dual-band 802.11ax Wi-Fi,

array. Network connections are also solid, well for making the most of the 360Hz display in esports
2.5Gbps Ethernet, Bluetooth 5 M
Weight
with support for dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and IUM GR
titles. In Cyberpunk 2077, its 99th percentile hit 63fps, and
2.97kg 2.5Gbps Ethernet. it proved playable in Metro Exodus with ray tracing. This is
Ports The Alienware’s swaggering attitude a very capable mobile GPU, and you can even get a couple
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x Thunderbolt 3/ continues elsewhere. It measures
tom P
of extra frames per second if you deploy the Alienware
USB Type-C, 1 x audio, 1 x HDMI, 1 x
mini-DisplayPort, 1 x micro-SD slot
400mm wide, 22mm thick and weighs Command Center’s overclocked mode. us
c

2.97kg, and it has great build quality. Games look fantastic on the display too, with G-Sync at
Dimensions (mm)
400 x 294 x 22 (W x D x H) Around the edges you’ll find three USB 360Hz running smoothly in fast-paced titles. The contrast
Operating system 3.2 Gen 1 ports and a Thunderbolt 3/USB ratio of 1,391:1 is great for an IPS display and ensures punchy
AL
PR

Windows 10 Home 64-bit Type-C port. There’s also a micro-SD colours, and the black level of 0.23cd/m² is solid and helps
FE
SSIO
N

slot and mini-DisplayPort output, and to create nuance and depth in darker areas. A delta E of
O

Warranty
One year parts and labour its upgraded HDMI 2.1 output supports 1.28 and a colour temperature of 6,445K deliver accurate
return to base
8K displays. colours, and a 97.8 per cent sRGB colour gamut ratio

32
 B E N C H M A R K R E S U LTS

208,379 208,036
SYSTEM HEAVY MULTI-
SCORE TASKING

536,904 56,760
HANDBRAKE H.264 GIMP IMAGE
VIDEO ENCODING EDITING

DOOM ETERNAL
1,920 x 1,080, Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare settings

Alienware m17 R4 199fps 306fps

0 100 200 300 400

ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra High settings, High anti-aliasing

Alienware m17 R4 51fps 73fps

Also, while the CPU is fast and capable, AMD’s Ryzen OTHERWORLDLY

CYBERPUNK 2077
0 30 60 90 120
9 5900HX is faster, especially in heavily multi-threaded + Great gaming
power
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra preset, no ray tracing
software such as Handbrake. It’s readily sold in laptops
alongside the RTX 3080, usually at a cheaper price than + Fantastic 360Hz
63fps 77fps screen
Alienware m17 R4
this. Intel’s new H-series 11th-gen chips have also just been
0 30 60 90 120 announced, and it will be worth waiting to see if Alienware + Eye-catching
design
METRO EXODUS plans to upgrade the m17 to the new Core i9-11980HK.
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra settings, High RT, PhysX off, HairWorks off
There are a couple of other areas where the Alienware + Solid connection
options and
Alienware m17 R4 41fps 71fps doesn’t quite deliver as well. The dual-SSD RAID array ergonomics
0 30 60 90 120 only delivered read and write speeds of 3,272MB/sec and
99th percentile Average 2,348MB/sec. These are satisfactory results that won’t NORMALITY
slow the laptop, but the RAID configuration used here has
- AMD CPUs
no data redundancy and it’s no faster than a middling, solo are faster
drive. Don’t expect much from the speakers either, which - Poor battery life
means this panel can produce virtually every shade that are surprisingly tinny.
mainstream games need. It’s a brilliant screen for gaming Not surprisingly, there’s not much battery life here
- Mixed thermal
performance
and movie watching. either. The m17 lasted for just over an hour while gaming, - Expensive
The processor is rapid too. Its overall RealBench score 90 minutes in a challenging work test and two hours
of 208,379 rose to 217,997 with the overclocked mode when playing video. As ever, this big beast is best when
engaged, and that’s enough power to handle photo and it’s connected to the mains. PERFORMANCE
video editing, content creation and multi-tasking. It’s
significantly quicker than the Core i7-10875H used in Conclusion 23/25
plenty of rivals. Alienware’s m17 R4 has big advantages. At its core, it DESIGN
These high-end internals contribute to inconsistent
thermal performance though. When gaming, the m17 is no
delivers sensational gaming speed, a brilliant 360Hz
display, and a bold, robust chassis and keyboard. Those
22/25
louder than other high-end laptops, so it’s easy to tune out factors make it a superb option for high-end, high-quality HARDWARE
the noise with a headset. It was quieter during our usual
benchmarks too. The CPU hit a toasty delta T of 77°C in a
gaming with a great design. It’s expensive and hot-running,
though, and it’s not slim or light either. We’d also question
22/25
tough stress test, but it did also achieve its all-core Turbo the choice of CPU and SSD hardware at this price, but VALUE
speed of 4.3GHz, so the cooling system clearly works well.
Unfortunately, though, hot air ejects from the machine’s
there’s no question that the spec still adds up to a great
gaming machine if you don’t mind it getting hot.
17/25
side vents, and the base and area around the keyboard MIKE JENNINGS OVERALL SCORE

84%
both became uncomfortably hot. You’re unlikely to touch
these areas when you’re at a desk, and these issues aren’t
unique to the m17, but you won’t want it running at full pelt VERDICT
on your lap. A bold, fast gaming option, although it’s pricey and gets hot.

33
 R E V I E WS / PC SYSTEMS

MINI-ITX GAMING PC

CHILLBLAST FUSION
DIABLO /£1,949 inc VAT

SUPPLIER chillblast.com

tom P
us
c

C
PP D
ROV E
A

C
hillblast’s Fusion Diablo packs an
tom P
impressive amount of hardware
inside a compact and good- us
c

looking enclosure.
SPEC Indeed, the NZXT H210
CPU is one of the star
IT
CU

3.7GHz AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

ST
components in this all-AMD
Motherboard
Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX
OM K
rig. The H210 measures just 349mm tall
and 273mm deep, so it’s far smaller than to reach without removing other components, and there’s no
Memory any mid-tower ATX case, including the room for a larger graphics card.
32GB G.Skill TridentZ RGB
tom P
3200MHz DDR4
Graphics (see p36). us
Lian Li used by this month’s CyberPower Happily, this small system already deploys solid hardware.
The Sapphire Radeon RX 6700 XT card runs at stock speed,
c

Sapphire Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB The tiny dimensions make it ideal for but it’s still equipped with 2,560 stream processors and
compact spaces and frequent travel, and 40 AMD Ray Accelerators, using AMD’s latest RDNA2
A
EXT

Storage
1TB Samsung 980 Pro M.2 SSD its matt black metal finish and red accents architecture. Meanwhile, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU
TR

Networking RE L
look superb. The tempered glass side has six cores and boosts up to 4.6GHz. It’s a step back from
2.5Gbps Ethernet, dual-band
802.11ax Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5 ME U
panel reveals that the graphics card and the 8-core 5800X in the CyberPower, but six cores are fine
Case cable cover maintain the attractive colour for gaming.
NZXT H210 scheme, and the waterblock unit on the Chillblast complements those components with great
tom P
us
Cooling NZXT Kraken X53 cooler combines an hardware elsewhere. This rig has 32GB of DDR4 memory,
CPU: NZXT Kraken X53 with 2 x RGB LED ring with a mirror for an extra a 1TB PCI-E 4 Samsung 980 Pro SSD and an NZXT C750
c

120mm fans; GPU: 2 x 90mm fans;

roof: 1 x 120mm; rear: 1 x 120mm fan
eye-catching light effect. power supply with a fully modular design and 80 Plus Gold
E

The H210 combines good looks with certification. The only missing feature is a secondary hard
PRE

PSU
AD

NZXT C750 750W robust build quality, and it also comes disk, but that’s not a worry if you already use a NAS box.
M
IUM GR
Ports with a USB Type-C connector, three The Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX motherboard has
Front: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 2.5in drive mounts and neat cabling plenty to admire too. It has 2.5Gbps Ethernet, dual-band
3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 1 x audio; rear: 1 throughout Chillblast’s build. 802.11ax Wi-Fi and ALC1220 audio. The rear I/O panel also
x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2
Type-C, 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 3 x audio The compact size does mean has USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C ports, and the board
tom P
us
Operating system limitations though. The installation of looks good thanks to brushed metal heatsinks and RGB
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit the Kraken cooler in the front makes it LEDs. However, bear in mind that the mini-ITX design means
c

Warranty impossible to use the single 3.5in drive there are no extra memory slots or PCI-E slots.
Two years parts and labour collect mount, for example, and around the front Finally, Chillblast protects this PC with a five year labour
AL
PR

and return, followed by three the case is neat, but cramped – many warranty alongside two years of collect and return service
years labour only return to base
FE
areas of the motherboard are impossible and parts coverage. It’s an excellent deal.
SSIO
N
O

34
DEVILISH SAINTLY B E N C H M A R K R E S U LTS
+ Great mainstream - GPU falls behind DOOM ETERNAL
gaming speed overclocked models 1,920 x 1,080, Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare settings

+ Impressive components
and connection options

+ Good-looking, small case

- More multi-threaded CPU
ability available elsewhere

- Limited upgrade options

Chillblast Fusion Diablo

0
2,560 x 1,440, Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare settings
100
223ffps

200 300
341fps

400
70,362
+ Generous warranty - More expensive than ATX rivals GIMP IMAGE
Chillblast Fusion Diablo 164fps 259fps EDITING
0 100 200 300 400

ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA

542,885
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra High settings, High AA

Chillblast Fusion Diablo 68fps 93fps

0 30 60 90 120
2,560 x 1,440, Ultra High settings, High AA HANDBRAKE H.264
VIDEO ENCODING
Chillblast Fusion Diablo 55fps 72fps

0 30 60 90 120

286,795
CYBERPUNK 2077
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra preset, no ray tracing

Chillblast Fusion Diablo 63fps 79fps

0 30 60 90 120
HEAVY MULTI-
2,560 x 1,440, Ultra preset, no ray tracing TASKING
Chillblast Fusion Diablo 44fps 51fps

0 30 60 90 120

Performance
METRO EXODUS
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra, HairWorks off, Advanced PhysX off, High RT 231,160
Chillblast Fusion Diablo 37fps 56fps
The Chillblast’s 6-core AMD processor is a solid mainstream SYSTEM
option. Its single-threaded image editing score of 70,362 0 30 60 90 120 SCORE
2,560 x 1,440, Ultra, HairWorks off, Advanced PhysX off, High RT
isn’t far behind the 8-core chip in the CyberPower and beats
the Core i5-11600K, and its Handbrake result of 542,885 Chillblast Fusion Diablo 28fps 39fps
snuck ahead of the Intel chip while falling behind the 5800X. 0 30 60 90 120
The 5600X’s overall result of 231,160 follows the same
99th Percentile Average
pattern: just ahead of Intel and further behind the 5800X.
This CPU has the power to handle mainstream content
creation, and it’s capable of tackling everyday multi-tasking
and gaming without bottlenecks. The Samsung SSD bolsters Conclusion
the Chillblast with stunning read and write speeds of This Chillblast Fusion Diablo might share its Radeon RX
7,121MB/sec and 5,185MB/sec in CrystalDiskMark. 6700 XT GPU with the CyberPower, but these systems
Meanwhile, the Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers solid gaming are otherwise quite different. Positively, the Chillblast has
performance. At 1,920 x 1,080, it returned 99th percentile a sleeker, compact design, twice as much memory, a larger, PERFORMANCE
minimums of above 60fps in all our single-player titles
without ray tracing. It didn’t struggle at 2,560 x 1,440 either,
faster SSD, a superior PSU and quieter performance.
Negatively, the CyberPower’s 8-core chip makes it faster
21/25
with playable scores in most benchmarks. in heavily multi-threaded software, and it’s also £200 DESIGN
It only faltered in challenging ray-traced scenarios,
and that’s because AMD’s GPUs lack ray-tracing power
cheaper, but if gaming is your top priority then those two
extra cores don’t gain you much benefit anyway. If you want
22/25
compared with Nvidia’s equivalent Ampere GPUs, and a potent, well-built mini gaming rig amid the current GPU HARDWARE
AMD also doesn’t have an equivalent of DLSS to help.
It’s solid mainstream gaming performance, although
shortage, the Chillblast Fusion Diablo is a small, quiet and
well-balanced machine, if a bit overpriced.
22/25
the CyberPower’s GPU overclock made that machine MIKE JENNINGS VALUE
slightly quicker.
Amazingly for such a small machine, its internal
19/25
temperatures are fine and its noise levels are superbly OVERALL SCORE

84 %
quiet. When idle and gaming, the noise output is extremely
VERDICT
quiet, and if it’s underneath a desk, it just won’t be noticeable. Compact, quiet and fitted with good components,
It was just as quiet during work tests too, and only produced although it’s not necessarily the fastest hardware
a little extra noise during a full-system stress test. available for the price.

35
 R E V I E WS / PC SYSTEMS

AMD B550 GAMING PC

CYBERPOWER ULTRA
R57 ELITE /£1,799 inc VAT

SUPPLIER cyberpowersystem.co.uk

B
oth of this month’s review systems rely on
AMD components amid ongoing component
shortages, and this CyberPower machine
undercuts Chillblast’s mini machine. That’s quite
impressive when you consider the components on
show. The R57 Elite deploys a Ryzen 7 5800X
processor, with eight multi-threaded Zen 3 cores
clocked at base and peak boost speeds of 3.8GHz
and 4.7GHz respectively.
Meanwhile, the MSI Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics
card has a slight overclock – its original boost speed
of 2581MHz now sits at 2622MHz. It can handle
ray tracing thanks to 40 AMD Ray Accelerators,
but there’s no equivalent of DLSS, and this GPU’s
ray-tracing performance can’t match the equivalent
competition from Nvidia. It’s still a decent gaming GPU,
however, especially amid the current larger than the Chillblast. It looks bolder too – at the front, its
SPEC stock shortage. two 200mm intake fans glow with RGB LEDs through the
CPU The rest of the specification is less mesh panel. The top has a button for altering the lights, but
3.8GHz AMD Ryzen 9 5800X noteworthy. There’s 16GB of memory again there’s no USB Type-C connection.
Motherboard and a 500GB WD Blue SN550 PCI-E 3 The interior looks plainer than the neat Chillblast, and its
MSI B550M PRO-VDH
SSD alongside a 2TB hard disk. The Corsair build quality isn’t quite as impressive, but this larger case
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengeance
CX750m PSU also only offers 80 Plus has several practical advantages. It’s far more spacious, for
LPX 3200MHz DDR4 Bronze certification and a semi-modular starters. You can reach more of the motherboard, and the
Graphics design. Comparatively, the Chillblast roof-mounted Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 240 cooler
MSI Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB serves up double the memory, a 1TB PCI-E doesn’t impede any other area of the build. Around the rear
Storage 4 Samsung SSD and a fully modular PSU. there are two 2.5in bays and an accessible 3.5in mount as
500GB WD Blue SN550 M.2 SSD;
2TB Seagate Barracuda hard drive All the CyberPower’s components well as a fan hub.
Networking plug into an MSI B550M PRO-VDH Finally, CyberPower’s standard five year labour warranty
Gigabit Ethernet, single- motherboard, which is generally includes six months of collect and return service and two
band 802.11n Wi-Fi underwhelming. It has a couple of extra years of the all-important parts coverage. That’s a good deal,
Case DIMM slots, but expansion is limited although the Chillblast offers the same labour and parts
Lian Li LanCool 215
elsewhere – the micro-ATX design means coverage alongside two years of collect and return service.
Cooling
CPU: Cooler Master MasterLiquid you only get two additional 1x PCI-E slots,
Lite 240 with 2 x 120mm fans; one of which is used for a meagre single- Performance
GPU: 2 x 90mm fans; front: 2 x
band 802.11n Wi-Fi card, while the other is The Radeon RX 6700 XT’s overclock helped this system to
200mm fans; rear: 1 x 120mm fan
covered by the massive graphics card. deliver a small advantage over the Chillblast in games. This
PSU
Corsair CX750m 750W This board has entry-level audio and card can comfortably play games at 1080p, including triple-A
Ports networking as well, and at the rear it only titles at frame rates beyond 60fps and esports games at the
Front: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x has USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports rather than faster speeds needed for high refresh-rate displays – at 1080p, it
audio; rear: 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 2
x USB 2, 1 x PS/2, 3 x audio standards, and there’s no Type-C port. delivered 99th percentile minimums of 66fps in Cyberpunk
Operating system This is all adequate for most people’s 2077 and 228fps in Doom Eternal.
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit needs, but the board does limit this It played most games smoothly at 2,560 x 1,440 too – it
Warranty PC’s potential. only faltered when tasked with running Metro Exodus with
Five years labour with two years parts It’s all housed in a conventional Lian Li ray tracing. We solved that problem by deactivating that
and six months collect and return
LanCool 215 mid-tower chassis, so it’s far setting and watching its 99th percentile result improve

36
 B E N C H M A R K R E S U LTS

74,360 746,032
GIMP IMAGE HANDBRAKE H.264
EDITING VIDEO ENCODING

333,231 294,391
HEAVY MULTI- SYSTEM
TASKING SCORE
DOOM ETERNAL
1,920 x 1,080, Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare settings

CyberPower Ultra R57 Elite 228fps 351fps

0 100 200 300 400

2,560 x 1,440, Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare settings

CyberPower Ultra R57 Elite 168fps 260fps

0 100 200 300 400

ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra High settings, High AA
than 60,000 points beyond the 6-core chip. The Ryzen 7
5800X is a productivity and content-creation powerhouse.
CyberPower Ultra R57 Elite 69fps 94fps The PCI-E 3 SSD’s read and write results of 3,401MB/
0 30 60 90 120 sec and 2,703MB/sec are reasonable too, and help the
2,560 x 1,440, Ultra High settings, High AA
CyberPower in file transfers. This is an area where the ELITE
CyberPower Ultra R57 Elite 55fps 73fps Chillblast wins, though, with a far faster Samsung drive. + Solid gaming
CyberPower’s machine is a little underwhelming in performance
0 30 60 90 120
CYBERPUNK 2077 thermal tests too. Its internal temperatures are fine, and + Superb 8-
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra preset, no ray tracing
its all-core boost speed sat between 4.5GHz and 4.6GHz core CPU

CyberPower Ultra R57 Elite 66fps 82fps during tough work benchmarks – an excellent result. The + Reasonable price
0 30 60 90 120 fan noise is consistently audible during idle workloads and
2,560 x 1,440, Ultra preset, no ray tracing gaming, though, and it’s a little noisier when it’s working hard DEFEAT
CyberPower Ultra R57 Elite 46fps 53fps
too. Speakers or a headset will easily deal with this issue in - Underwhelming
games, but this PC isn’t quiet. motherboard
0 30 60 90 120
METRO EXODUS - Semi-modular
1,920 x 1,080, Ultra, HairWorks off, Advanced PhysX off, High RT Conclusion PSU

CyberPower Ultra R57 Elite 39fps 59fps

This CyberPower system is noticeably noisy and it falters - Relatively noisy
in other areas: its motherboard and connection options are
0 30 60 90 120
2,560 x 1,440, Ultra, HairWorks off, Advanced PhysX off, High RT
merely adequate, and while the case offers reasonable PERFORMANCE

CyberPower Ultra R57 Elite 29fps 40fps

upgrade room, it’s not particularly flashy. In benchmarks,
though, this rig shines. Its processor offers fantastic multi-
23/25
0 30 60 90 120 threaded performance, and the GPU is great for 1080p and DESIGN
99th Percentile Average 2,560 x 1,440 gaming without ray tracing.
If getting the best performance for your money is your top
20/25
priority over sleek design and next-gen connection options, HARDWARE

from 29fps to 46fps. The comparatively poor ray-tracing

this machine offers an affordable and effective way to get
your hands on a solid chunk of computing power. It’s a little
18/25
performance and lack of a DLSS equivalent is this GPU’s rough around the edges though. VALUE
only real weakness – it’s generally faster than the GeForce
RTX 3060 Ti.
MIKE JENNINGS
22/25
Meanwhile, the 8-core Ryzen chip is comfortably quicker OVERALL SCORE

83%
than the 6-core CPU inside the Chillblast. Its Handbrake
VERDICT
result of 746,032 is around 200,000 points ahead, which Great performance for a decent price in the current climate,
shows the advantage of two extra cores in heavily multi- but the motherboard is underwhelming and this PC is also
threaded software, and its overall result of 294,391 is more a bit noisy.

37
 R E V I E WS / CUSTOM KIT

Custom kit
Phil Hartup checks out the latest gadgets, gizmos and geek toys

COOLENATOR DRINK COOLER /£14.95 inc VAT

SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk

The Coolenator is a device for keeping drinks In practice, the Coolenator isn’t potent enough to chill a drink
cold, providing an alternative on hot days to from room temperature in a reasonable time frame, but if you
chugging drinks before they start to warm up, or drop a cold 330ml can in there, or even a 500ml beer can, it
watering them down with ice. The Coolenator can definitely maintain that chill for long enough that the bigger
looks simple enough – it’s a plastic-covered problem becomes the drink going flat.
Styrofoam cup around a central aluminium core, One very noticeable effect of using the Coolenator is that
but the clever bit is the gel pack underneath the your drink might well be colder by the time you get to the
aluminium. To prepare the Coolenator, you leave bottom of the can. This can take some getting used to but it
it in a freezer for a few hours and the gel pack in certainly isn’t unpleasant.
the bottom retains that coldness for around four
hours once you take it out. Cold feet Cold drink

TSUNNEE ARMRESTS ENDGAME GEAR MB1

/ £14.29 inc VAT MOUSE BUNGEE/ £13.99 inc VAT

SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

The TsunNee Armrests are a pair of soft memory foam pads The Endgame Gear MB1 is a mouse bungee that shows an
designed to attach onto the armrests of chairs, either because the appreciable dedication to the role. It’s not a USB hub with an arm on
original rests aren’t comfortable or because they’ve worn out, been top, and it’s not the centre of a light show with a convenient groove
picked at by children, pets or anxious players, or disintegrated by along the back for a cable. It simply takes your mouse cable and lifts it
experimental lasers – the fates that typically befall a gaming chair. out of the way, so you can play games unimpeded.
Each armrest has two Velcro straps and there’s no particular The MB1 is a weighty lump on your desktop, which
puzzle about their installation. Depending on the shape of the is exactly as it should be, with a springy metal
existing armrest, you place the TsunNee on top and attach it as best arm on top. This arm can be retracted in
as possible with the straps. The pads are very comfortable, and order to provide what’s ostensibly
thick enough that you might want an adjustable length, but it doesn’t
to lower the arms on your chair hold the selected length well,
to accommodate them. If you and really works best simply
want to make to allow the MB1 to retract
a lumpy chair a into a more mobile shape
comfy chair or for transport.
extend the life of Despite this, the
a fading favourite, MB1 handles the
the TsunNee role of a basic
Armrests do mouse bungee
the job. really well.

Cushion Armrest Grungy Bungee

38
 tom P
us
ENDGAME GEAR MPC1200 /£49.99

C
inc VAT

SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk PP

D
ROV E

A
With formidable dimensions of 60 x 120cm, the Endgame Gear MPC1200
operates as a sort of universal desktop gaming surface – you run your tom P
mouse on it, your keyboard on it and you can have a little nap on it if you
us

C
want. It’s everywhere you want to be – it’s vast. Although it’s designed to
sit more towards the middle of the desk than a regular mousepad that

IT
CU
goes off to the side, the MPC1200 still affords acres of space for a mouse ST
on a low sensitivity setting to roam at leisure. OM K
The surface of the pad is made of an optical sensor-friendly fabric
tom P
called Cordura, which feels comfortable and responsive, and the
underside of the pad is rubberised for grip. The MPC1200 is also relatively
us

C
thin at 3mm, which helps it to avoid feeling squashy or intrusive. It’s very

A
EXT
light, but the sheer amount of area on the desk gives it enough traction to

TR
stay put. A very good acreage of desktop upholstery. RE L
ME U
Bath mat Magic carpet
tom P
us

C
SAMSUNG GALAXY

E
PRE

AD
SMARTTAG/£ 19.99 inc VAT
M
IUM GR
SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk
tom P
us
c
The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag is a chunky little tag with a big button

C
– it fits neatly on a key ring, pet collar or really any object that can

AL
PR
attach to the loop on its corner. What makes the SmartTag different
from many similar devices is that the software is in-depth at the FE
SSIO
N
O

phone-end, while the device itself is relatively simple.

The SmartTag uses Bluetooth Low Energy 5 to connect to your
phone for setup, but after that it can use the Galaxy Find network
to let you know its location, so it won’t go dark as soon as it’s out of
range of your phone. The Bluetooth range on the SmartTag is ideally
up to 120m, although obstacles and conditions will affect this range.
Meanwhile, the SmartThings app is very easy to use – even if as a Bluetooth remote in its own right for other connected devices.
you have multiple SmartTags, each one can be labelled and the last The 3V lithium battery is expected to last for around 300 days
known location of each one will be displayed on a map. Once you’re depending on use, and it can be replaced with a little tinkering but
close to a SmartTag, the app helps you to search for it by either using it’s not rechargeable. The practical usefulness of the SmartTag is
the signal strength from the tag, which lets you know if you’re getting subjective, particularly with its range limited to Bluetooth, but if you
closer, or by using an alarm. Having an alternative to an audible alarm often find yourself needing to ransack the house to find your keys,
for searching for the tag is a particularly useful feature. the SmartTag is a great addition for under £20.
You can also use the SmartThings app to make use of the button
on the tag, either to press and let go or press and hold, so it can act Seeking Finding

Seen something worthy of appearing in Custom Kit? Send your suggestions to phil.hartup@gmail.com

39
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41
 L A B S T E ST / PCI-E SOLID STATE DRIVES

L A B S T E ST

Speedy sticks
Antony Leather takes a look at a range of PCI-E 3 and PCI-E
4 SSDs to see which models are worth your cash

How we test
W
hile PCI-E 4 support is now present on both AMD and Intel’s paired with Intel 11th-gen CPUs. We’ve conducted some real-
latest chipsets, is it worth spending more on the latest SSDs world tests in our feature, but for this Labs test we’re concentrating
that offer speeds up to 7,000MB/sec, or do cheaper ones on raw benchmark speed. We’ve run a battery of tests using
represent better value and ultimately better buys? This month we’re CrystalDiskMark and AS-SSD, as well as carrying out thermal tests
looking to answer that question. In addition to our SSD feature on p90, to check for throttling.
we’ve tested eight SSDs from popular PCI-E 3 models to the latest We test a variety of read and write scenarios, including sequential
PCI-E 4 drives, to find the benefits and identify any sweet spots. and random tests, and we also measure the IOPS in AS-SSD. Whether
We’ve used an MSI MEG Z590 Ace and Intel Core i5-11600K in you’re looking to upgrade from a SATA SSD to a simple speedier drive,
our test system to allow PCI-E 4 SSDs to stretch their legs, although or if you want to shunt around files at 7,000MB/sec, you’ll find the
many Z490 motherboards also support PCI-E 4 as long as they’re drive for you over the next few pages.

Contents
Angle-right ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite /p43 Angle-right Samsung 980 Pro / p48
Angle-right ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade / p44 Angle-right WD Black SN850 / p49
Angle-right Corsair MP600 Pro / p45 Angle-right WD Blue SN550 / p50
Angle-right Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s / p46 Angle-right Results graphs / p51
Angle-right Samsung 980 1TB / p47

42
ADATA XPG GAMMIX
S50 LITE/ £119 £241 (1TB ) inc VAT; (2TB ) inc VAT

SUPPLIER cclonline.com

tom P
O
ffering 2TB of speedy storage for
under £250 inc VAT, and 1TB for us

C
under £120, the ADATA XPG
GAMMIX S50 Lite is certainly an SSD that
should be on your radar if you’re looking to jump
on the PCI-E 4 bandwagon for as little money
PP

D
ROV E

A
as possible. However, it doesn’t offer much of a
performance benefit over the fastest PCI-E 3
SSDs, such as WD’s SN750, which cost around
the same amount of money. SILICON MOTION
+ Good overall
tom
LOOSE MOTION
-u sLatest SSDs have
P
It’s significantly cheaper than the latest with our five-minute stress test, which
performance quicker sequential

C
PCI-E 4 SSDs, though, most of which retail saw the temperature top 75°C and the speeds
for around £180 inc VAT for a 1TB module, SSD throttling as a result, with the write + Better value than
fastest PCI-E 4 SSDs - Needs a third-party
compared to just £119 here. That said, you’ll speed falling to just 600MB/sec. heatsink
+ Five-year warranty

IT
CU
save even more cash if you’re happy to stick It’s clearly designed to sit under your -S Not much faster than
with a slower PCI-E 3 drive, as the WD Blue motherboard’s own M.2 heatsink, though, TOM K
best PCI-E 3 SSDs
SN550 we’ve also tested this month only and here, the sequential write speed sat
costs £86 for a whole 1TB of storage. at 3,183MB/sec, even after repeated
The XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite has an benchmarks. Likewise, the sequential read tom P
slightly better performance overall than
impressive endurance rating of 740 terabytes speed in CrystalDiskMark sat at 3,858MB/ us
Samsung’s similarly priced PCI-E 3 980 SSD.

C
written (TBW) and a five-year warranty, while sec, with temperatures staying below 60°C. The only issues are that original PCI-E 4
it uses TLC memory and a Silicon Motion Interestingly, the XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite SSDs based on Phison E16 controllers are

A
EXT
SM2267EN controller. It uses a cache to also produced a decent 4K random 32 queue still readily available and slightly faster, with

TR
speed up write speeds, which sits at around depth read speed of 1,842MB/sec, which RE
many including large heatsinks for just £10-
L
300GB in size on our 2TB sample. This drive
has a formatted capacity of 1,860GB, and
was faster than many of the more expensive
SSDs in CrystalDiskMark. That said, the write
ME U
20 more. You can also get PCI-E 3 SSDs for
a lot less money, although WD’s £85 SN550
transferring more than that in one go will test here saw it fall short of the pricier drives does have significantly lower speeds overall.
see the maximum write speed fall to below by over 300MB/sec. The S50 Lite was also tom P
Ultimately, the ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50
1000MB/sec, although this is only going to much slower than the fast-paced competition us
Lite strikes a good balance of performance
c

C
be an issue for extremely large file transfers. in AS-SSD’s default 4K random read test. and value. It’s cheaper than drives that offer
The S50 Lite also includes a thin heatsink, Finally, software for this drive is freely higher speeds, but ultimately little real-
E
PRE

but it wasn’t heavy-duty enough to cope downloadable and easy to use in terms of world benefit, and it still offers a substantial
AD

firmware updates, but it’s rather basic. M

boost over the likes of the WD SN550.
SPEC IUM GR
Interface PCI-E 4 Conclusion
As long as you use it with your motherboard’s VERDICT
Full capacity 2TB
M.2 heatsink, the ADATA XPG GAMMIX tom P
A good balance of price and performance,
Formatted capacity 1,860GB S50 Lite offers decent performance for its us
although it’s not much faster than PCI-E
c

Heatsink Yes, slimline low asking price. It’s cheaper than many 3 drives.
other PCI-E 4 SSDs, and while the faster
NAND TLC
drives outpace it in many synthetic tests, PERFORMANCE FEATURES
AL
PR

OVERALL SCORE
42/50 18/20F
85%
Controller Silicon Motion SM2267EN that difference isn’t always tangible in real-
ESSIO
N
O

Endurance 740TBW world use. Its write cache is large enough

VALUE
for it to shift a couple of hundred gigabytes
Warranty Five years
around at full speed too, and it also had 25/30
43
 L A B S T E ST / PCI-E SOLID STATE DRIVES

ADATA GAMMIX XPG S70

BLADE / £340 £157 (2TB ) inc VAT; (1TB ) inc VAT

SUPPLIER box.co.uk

T
here’s a mix of super-fast PCI-E 4
SSDs in this month’ Labs test, and
unlike the last time we looked at a
bunch of them, we now have numerous
different controllers being used, rather than
the reliance on Phison controllers. ADATA’s
GAMMIX XPG X70 Blade uses an InnoGrit
IG5236 controller, along with TLC memory.
As with most TLC-based SSDs, it also
has a write cache. This is made up of 1GB
of DRAM and around 333GB of pseudo- BLADE RUNNER BLADE II in the 4K read test too, at 354,577 versus
SLC cache, where the SSD repurposes TLC + Fast sequential - Not the fastest in 504,200 for the Gigabyte SSD – even the
performance all tests
memory, but only writes one bit of data per XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite was faster in this
memory cell (instead of the usual three with + Above-average - Slim heatsink couldn’t test. The S70 Blade redeemed itself in the
endurance rating prevent throttling
TLC), speeding up the writing process. write test with a more on-par result.
If you fill up the SSD completely, there + Cheaper than other - WD SN850 is
high-speed SSDs slightly cheaper
won’t be any memory left for the caching, Conclusion
so speeds can drop, and write speeds can The GAMMIX XPG S70 Blade had one or
fall again if you fill the cache before that two wobbles in our benchmarks, but the
data has been offloaded. You’re unlikely to motherboard’s heatsink stopped this throttling fact remains that overall this is a very fast
encounter this scenario unless you regularly and kept the temperature below 60°C. SSD, with mind-bending sequential speeds
shift enormous amounts of files, however. The 1TB sample we tested retails for £157 that will annihilate big data transfers, as long
The GAMMIX XPG S70 Blade is available inc VAT, which is a good deal more than the as you stay within the write cache limits.
in versions with either a large heatsink or company’s cheaper GAMMIX XPG X50 It offers a higher TBW endurance rating
a thin slimline one, but we recommend Lite, but the S70 Blade did post some very that’s higher than that of other SSDs too.
either opting for the former or making use impressive figures in our synthetic benchmarks. Its biggest trump card, though, is that it
of your motherboard’s M.2 heatsink, as It managed a sequential read speed costs around £20 less than the competition
the slim heatsink failed to prevent the SSD in CrystalDiskMark of 7,011MB/sec and from Corsair and Gigabyte – they do include
from throttling after just a minute or two write speed of 5,764, with the latter being more effective heatsinks, but that point is
under load in our tests. This saw the write the fastest result on test this month. moot if your motherboard already comes
speed fall to just 2,200MB/sec as the SSD Bizarrely, though, its 4K 32 queue depth with decent heatsinks. The only problem for
passed 70°C, but fitting the drive with our performance of 1,577MB/sec was slower the S70 Blade is that the faster WD Black
than the GAMMIX XPG X50 Lite. However, SN850 is similarly equipped and costs a
SPEC the 4K random write test saw it better the bit less, making it ultimately a better buy.
Interface PCI-E 4 cheaper SSD, but fail to match the likes of
the WD Black SN850, Corsair MP600 Pro
Full capacity 1TB
and Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s, which VERDICT
Formatted capacity 953GB managed more than 100MB/sec more. Ridiculously fast in most tests, although the
Heatsink Yes, slimline Meanwhile, AS-SSD saw the S70 Blade WD SN850 is a slightly better buy.
match those SSDs in the sequential tests, as
NAND TLC
well as the 4K random write test, but it was PERFORMANCE FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
48/50 18/20
84%
Controller InnoGrit IG5236 fairly slow in the 4K read test with a speed
Endurance 740TBW of just 53MB/sec compared to 78MB/sec
for the Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s. Again,
VALUE
Warranty Five years
the IOPS rating showed a slow performance 18/30
44
CORSAIR MP600 PRO
/£369 (2TB ) inc VAT; £185 (1TB ) inc VAT
SUPPLIER ebuyer.com

B
oth the Corsair MP600 Pro and
Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s use
the latest version of Phison’s SSD
controller – the E18. This is uprated over the
original E16 controller used in the first PCI-E 4
SSDs, which were launched in conjunction
with AMD’s X570 chipset a few years ago.
Now, though, these Phison-based drives
have some controller competition, from
Samsung's Elpis, WD's Black G2 and ADATA 7000s, which sports a slightly smaller, less
with its InnoGrit IG5236. Under the hood, effective heatsink. However, both the WD
of course, the SSD is near identical to other Black SN850 and ADATA XPG S70 Blade E18 EAST 17
SSDs based on the Phison E18, although offer similar speeds for cheaper prices, + Excellent sequential - Smaller than average
performance SLC cache
Corsair has added some extra swagger with although these drives also rely on you using
a large heatsink, as well as the option of a a third-party heatsink to deal with the heat. + Good 4K random - Not much of an
write speeds improvement over
waterblock-equipped version, complete with Depending on conditions and its remaining previous generation
its own inlet and outlet using G1/4in ports. storage space, the MP600 Pro offers around + Effective heatsink
- Heatsink-less WD
The heatsink alone proved to be very 100GB of SLC write cache in addition to a SN850 is cheaper
effective on out 1TB sample, though, solving much smaller DDR4 cache. The SLC cache
the throttling issue that plagued a few total isn’t as big as on the likes of the ADATA
other SSDs this month and allowing you XPG S70, so if you’ll be shunting more than Blade was either similar or slower, being
to show off your SSD. We recorded a peak 100GB around regularly, this isn’t the SSD for significantly so in the 4K random read test.
temperature of just 51°C, and the base of you. Thankfully, the need to do so is likely to
the SSD is also thermally attached to the be rare – for most of us, it will simply never Conclusion
heatsink. You can, of course, remove the happen. However, the ADATA also trumps We’d pick the Corsair MP600 Pro over the
heatsink and use one that came with your the Corsair with its endurance rating, which Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s, thanks to its
motherboard, but what’s here is more than stands at 740TBW as opposed to 600TBW. slightly lower temperatures, but there’s not
up to the task of keeping the MP600 Pro cool As it’s part of the latest PCI-E 4 generation, much between them. For an SSD that can
enough to prevent it from getting too toasty. not surprisingly, we saw some epic sequential keep itself cool, the Corsair MP600 Pro is
The 2TB version costs £369, while our 1TB speeds from the Corsair drive, recording a good buy, as long as you’re aware of its
sample will set you back £185. This is similar 7,009MB/sec read and 5,439MB/sec write average-sized write cache. However, if your
to the near-identical Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 speeds in CrystalDiskMark’s sequential motherboard has a heatsink, then the better
tests. That said, both the Phison E18 SSDs PCI-E 4 SSD to buy is the WD SN850 – it’s a
SPEC suffered from surprisingly low 4K random little quicker in some tests and it’s cheaper too.
Interface PCI-E 4 read speeds, as did the ADATA XPG S70 Blade.
Only the WD SN850 was able to push
Full capacity 1TB
through here, managing a speed of 2,172MB/ VERDICT
Formatted capacity 931GB sec compared to just 1,428MB/sec for the A speedy SSD that doesn’t require a third-
Heatsink Yes MP600 Pro. The 4K random write speed party heatsink to get the most out of it.
of 1,829MB/sec was back on par, though,
NAND TLC
and also noticeably faster than the ADATA PERFORMANCE FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
48/50 19/20
84%
Controller Phison PS5018-E18 XPG S70 Blade. The Corsair traded blows
Endurance 600TBW with the Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s
in AS-SSD, which was slightly ahead in
VALUE
Warranty Five years
most tests, while the ADATA XPG S70 17/30
45
 L A B S T E ST / PCI-E SOLID STATE DRIVES

GIGABYTE AORUS GEN4 7000S

/ £360 (2TB ) inc VAT; £184 (1TB ) inc VAT
SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

G
igabyte’s Aorus Gen4 7000s is the
second of two PCI-E 4 SSDs based
on Phison’s E18 controller on test
this month. It’s the successor to the original
Aorus NVMe Gen4 SSD, and Gigabyte has
ditched the large copper heatsink of the
original with an aluminium one.
The heatsink also cools the base of the
drive, although the whole contraption is a
little smaller than Corsair’s MP600 Pro.
GIG RESCHEDULED GIG CANCELLED
While both SSDs handled our stress test
without throttling, the Gigabyte Aorus + Super-fast - 2TB model has some
sequential speeds higher claimed speeds
Gen4 7000s got quite a bit warmer .
- 4K random read Conclusion
The two SSDs are mostly identical
+ Effective heatsink
The Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s is
slower than
otherwise, using TLC flash memory and a + Decent endurance competition good-looking and able to cool itself
rating
1GB portion of DDR4 for caching. That’s in - WD SN850 is cheaper effectively without the need for a third-
addition to repurposing spare TLC memory party or motherboard heatsink.
in faster SLC mode for an extended This not only prevents it from throttling
speedy cache, which is only a few hundred sequential write speed is lower at 5,500MB/ out of the box, but also allows you to show
gigabytes in size when the drive is empty. sec compared to 6,850MB/sec too. it off behind a window without hiding it
Once that’s full, you’ll see a sizeable The Gigabyte drive does gain a small under your motherboard’s heatsinks.
drop in performance, but you’d need to be advantage over the Corsair MP600 Pro If you have a motherboard that supports
shifting around a heck of a lot of data for that in write endurance too, with Gigabyte PCI-E 4 SSDs, the Gigabyte definitely worth
to happen, and even if it does, performance quoting 700TBW compared to Corsair’s considering, although the fact that it’s nearly
is still going to be far higher than on SATA 600TBW. Meanwhile, freely downloadable identical to the Corsair MP600 Pro means
SSDs and even some PCI-E 3 SSDs. software provides basic information about you have a choice between the two – and
Our 1TB review sample offers similar the SSD, including health, temperature the Corsair has a superior heatsink.
performance to the 2TB model, with both and a means to update the firmware, The only real issue for the Gigabyte Aorus
drives priced at £184 and £360 inc VAT but there’s not much else on offer. Gen4 7000s is the price, especially compared
respectively. The only notable exception As we expected, the Gigabyte Aorus with the WD Black SN850, which is slightly
is the quoted random read IOPS speed, Gen4 7000s was right up there with the faster in some tests and around £30 cheaper,
where Gigabyte states 350,000 IOPS for best of them in terms of sequential speeds, albeit without a heatsink. If your motherboard
the former, but 650,000 for the latter. The hitting 7,021MB/sec read and 5,385MB/ already comes with M.2 heatsinks, the
sec write speeds in CrystalDiskMark. The WD SN850 is a slightly better buy.
SPEC 4K random read speed was lower than we
Interface PCI-E 4 expected, though, sitting next to the similar
Corsair MP600 Pro at 1,425MB/sec in VERDICT
Full capacity 1TB
CrystalDiskMark. That’s much slower than A well-rounded fast SSD with an effective
Formatted capacity 953GB the 2,172MB/sec achieved by the WD Black heatsink, although the Corsair MP600 Pro
Heatsink Yes SN850, with the WD SSD confirming this runs a bit cooler.
result in the 4K 64-thread test in AS-SSD too.
NAND TLC
The Gigabyte’s 4K random write speed PERFORMANCE FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
48/50 18/20
83%
Controller Phison PS5018-E18 was on par at 1,833MB/sec, however,
Endurance 700TBW and the 4K 64-thread write performance
was higher than the WD SSD’s result at
VALUE
Warranty Five years
854,124 IOPS compared to 707,595 IOPS. 17/30
46
SAMSUNG 980 1TB/£117 inc VAT

SUPPLIER ebuyer.com

S
ome of Samsung’s older PCI-E 3
SSDs have been among our
favourites over the years and, rather
unexpectedly, the company’s new vanilla 980
drive doesn’t offer PCI-E 4 performance on a
budget. Instead, it sticks with the same PCI-E 3
interface as Samsung’s 970-series drives.
Only its more expensive sibling, the Samsung
980 Pro, has made the move up to the
speedier PCI-E 4 interface.
Thankfully, with a cost of £117 inc VAT for
1TB of storage space, the 980 is certainly
PABLO PICASSO PABLO ESCOBAR
more wallet-friendly than the £183 inc VAT
demanded by the 980 Pro, with its nearest There’s no large heatsink included with the + No need for heatsink in - Similarly priced PCI-E 4
most cases SSDs are faster
competitor being the ADATA XPG GAMMIX 980, but Samsung has included the usual
S50 Lite. However, that ADATA drive has sliver of copper on the underside. Of course,
+ Good warranty - Average 4K random
and endurance read and write
made the move to PCI-E 4, and it has a 2TB one area that PCI-E 3 SSDs usually have performance
+ As fast as pricier SSDs
option as well. Comparatively, the Samsung going for them is that throttling generally isn’t in some tests - No 2TB option
980 range stops at 1TB at the moment. an issue, and we’re pleased to report that,
Firstly, in an effort to make the 980 despite hitting some fairly lofty temperatures
as affordable as possible, Samsung has with the peak hitting over 70°C, this didn’t Conclusion
ditched a DRAM cache and instead relied seem to impact on the drive’s performance. The Samsung 980's lack of a heatsink didn’t
on its TurboWrite 2 technology to write This is in contrast to the ADATA XPG GAMMIX result in throttling, but the omission of a
to the SLC cache. This cache is also a S50 Lite, which saw its speeds fall away DRAM cache seems to hurt it in a few tests,
little smaller than the allocation on some quickly if we didn’t use our motherboard’s and the similarly priced ADATA XPG GAMMIX
other SSDs on test this month at 160GB, heatsink to keep its temperature in check. S50 Lite is quicker almost across the board.
although this is still a lot larger than the Sadly for Samsung, the ADATA XPG The Samsung is certainly a lot quicker
likes of Samsung’s 970 Evo Plus. GAMMIX S50 Lite was faster in practically than the WD SN550, but it demands a
The ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite every test, adding over 400MB/sec to the £34 premium for the privilege, and you’re
has a bigger SLC cache, for example, at sequential read speed in CrystalDiskMark unlikely to notice much difference in real-
least when the drive is empty, and it also and nearly 200MB/sec to the write speed. world use. Ultimately, there are no stand-
sports DRAM caching, so it could have The difference between the drives was out numbers here for Samsung and the
a little more grunt in some areas. even when it came to 4K random read and ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite is definitely
write tests, but switching to AS-SSD again a better buy if you have a heatsink for it.
SPEC saw the Samsung 980 perform noticeably
Interface PCI-E 3 worse in its 4K random read and write tests,
with leads for the ADATA SSD in the 64-thread VERDICT
Full capacity 1TB
random 4K IOPS read and write tests as well Not a bad SSD, but its performance is
Formatted capacity 931GB – the latter produced 527,058 IOPS compared disappointing given Samsung’s previously
Heatsink Thin copper strip to just 399,375 for the Samsung drive. excellent PCI-E 3 drives.
On the plus side, the Samsung 980 was
NAND TLC
much faster almost across the board than PERFORMANCE FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
41/50 17/20
79%
Controller Samsung Pablo the WD SN550, adding over 1,000MB/sec to
Endurance 600TBW the CrystalDiskMark sequential right speed
and nearly doubling its 4K 64-thread read
VALUE
Warranty Five years
speed, but that WD drive is also £34 cheaper. 21/30
47
 L A B S T E ST / PCI-E SOLID STATE DRIVES

SAMSUNG 980 PRO

/ £389 (2TB ) inc VAT; £183 (1TB ) inc VAT
SUPPLIER box.co.uk

S
amsung’s highly anticipated first
PCI-E 4 SSD, the 980 Pro, uses
Samsung’s own Elpis controller
along with 3D TLC NAND memory. However, it
failed to convincingly win us over in our last
SSD Labs test thanks to a comparatively high
price of £216 inc VAT for a 1TB drive. This has
now fallen to £183, putting it in a similar price
range to the latest Phison PCI-E 4 SSDs.
Samsung has paired its V-NAND TLC
memory with DRAM and SLC caches,
with around 114GB available in total for
PRO CON
stashing data at faster speeds than TLC
NAND. That’s a smaller cache setup than The 980 Pro also supports Samsung’s + Excellent sequential - Slower than
speeds competition in
the competition, but Samsung claims the Magician software, enabling you to see drive some tests
+ Superb 4K 64-thread
drive can maintain up to a 2,000MB/sec information, run performance tests and performance - Low TBW compared
write speed outside of TLC caching. adjust overprovisioning, as well as view the with other SSDs
+ Good software
The 2TB model also boasts an drive’s health and how much data has been - No heatsink
impressive 1,200 TBW rating, although written to it. Samsung offers free separate
this falls to 600TBW with the 1TB data migration software as well, which is
model we reviewed, which is less than more than some of the competition offers. Conclusion
Samsung’s MLC-based predecessors. In terms of raw performance, the Samsung Despite a price cut, the Samsung 980 Pro
No heatsink is included other than 980 Pro’s peak sequential read and write is still a tad lacklustre, as its performance
Samsung’s usual thin copper strip on speeds in CrystalDiskMark of 6,662MB/sec now lags behind the competition. We didn’t
the underside, and not surprisingly, the and 4,926MB/sec are still significantly quicker need a heatsink to get the most out of it, but
peak temperature hit a toasty 79°C during than PCI-E 3 drives, although three of the it was still quite a long way behind the latest
testing. However, the 980 Pro didn’t exhibit other high-speed PCI-E 4 drives managed high-speed competing drives in a few tests.
any throttling here, sticking to the same to get over the 7,000MB/sec read barrier In particular, the WD Black SN850
speeds when using our motherboard’s here, and four of them managed write speeds offered more consistent performance,
heatsink. That said, the heatsink dropped above 5,300MB/sec as well. It’s fair to say that and while it needs a heatsink to remain
the temperature by over 20°C, so it’s the competition has largely caught up now. cool, it also costs less money.
worth fitting a heatsink if you have one. Also, while the 980 Pro’s 4K random read Meanwhile, the ADATA XPG GAMMIX
test in the same software was on par with S50 Lite won’t be noticeably slower in real-
SPEC the likes of the Corsair MP600 Pro and WD world use and costs a lot less money.
Interface PCI-E 4 Black SN850, the 4K random write speed
of 1,636MB/sec was around 200MB/sec
Full capacity 1TB
slower. AS-SSD also showed the 980 Pro’s VERDICT
Formatted capacity 931GB sequential write speed, 4K random read Some decent performance results, but the
Heatsink Thin copper strip and 4K random write speeds being lower. competition has now caught up.
It was only in the 4K 64-thread peak
NAND TLC
IOPS results that the Samsung 980 Pro PERFORMANCE FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
47/50 17/20
79%
Controller Samsung Elpis was a little more competitive, coming
Endurance 600TBW second behind the WD SN850, massively
outpacing the two Phison-based SSDs and
VALUE
Warranty Five years
coming a clear first place in the write test. 15/30
48
 ST

U
OM

tom P
us

C
A
EXT

TR
RE L
ME U
WD BLACK SN850 tom P
/£339 (2TB ) inc VAT; £158 (1TB ) inc VAT us

C
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PRE
SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

AD
M
IUM GR
W
D hasn’t been around as long as
some manufacturers in the SSD
world, but it’s catching up quickly
tom P
with a host of good models already. The
SN850 is the pinnacle of its mainstream SSD
us

C
achievements so far, and certainly boasts
some impressive specifications. This high-end

AL
PR
drive clearly aims to topple the Samsung 980
Pro and any Phison-based SSDs from their FE
SSIO

N
O
perches, thanks to the company’s in-house
WD Black G2 controller. write speeds fall to 4,000MB/sec and
The SN850, like other SSDs this month, 3,230MB/sec respectively, compared to
uses TLC memory, a portion of which is 6,931MB/sec and 5,330MB/sec when we BLACK SABBATH BLACK SACK
siphoned off to create an SLC-like cache installed our motherboard’s heatsink. + Excellent performance - Needs a third-party
in most tests heatsink to
that’s fast at writing data. In this case, there’s It’s a shame, then, that WD charges an prevent throttling
around 300GB on offer, which betters the extortionate amount for the heatsink-clad + Good combination of
cache systems - Heatsink-equipped
114GB of the Samsung 980 Pro, but is similar SN850, which won’t leave you with much model is expensive
to other PCI-E 4 SSDs. Once you get beyond change from £220. If your motherboard + Cheaper than
competition - Not the fastest in
that point, the write speed will tail off. lacks a heatsink, you’d be better off buying all tests
There’s also a DDR4 cache and a a third-party one from the likes of EK or
dedicated 12GB SLC chunk of cache too, SilverStone, which will cost you under £20.
which is available even when the SSD With the CrystalDiskMark sequential own, the WD SN850 currently offers a great
is full, although that's rarely going to be tests out of the way, the 32 queue depth buy if you want maximum performance
an issue unless you're regularly shoving 4K random speeds were fantastic, with the and value – it’s cheaper than the Phison-
around enormous amounts of data. SN850’s read speed of 2,172MB/sec being based SSDs on test, as well as the Samsung
The drive comes either with or without the fastest result on test by a big margin. 980 Pro and ADATA XPG S70 Blade.
a heatsink, but it definitely needs a AS-SSD’s sequential tests showed a similar If you don’t need quite as much grunt, the
heatsink of some sort. Without one, the story, albeit with the SN850 being a few ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite offers even
SSD rocketed up to 80°C after just a few hundred megabytes per second off the better value, and for maximum value, WD’s
moments and topped 90°C before our Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s’ top spot. own SN550 is half the price. It’s slower on
five-minute stress test finished. This saw In AS-SSD, the 4K random read speed was paper, but you won’t notice much difference
the CrystalDiskMark sequential read and also slower than the competition, with a result in everyday operation. If you want the
of 60MB/sec compared to over 70MB/sec fastest performance possible for the best
SPEC for both the Phison-based SSDs on test this price, though, then the SN850 is for you.
Interface PCI-E 4 month, and the ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50
Lite wasn’t far behind. The WD Black SN850
Full capacity 1TB
redeemed itself in the write test, though, VERDICT
Formatted capacity 930GB again claiming the top spot here and in the Faster and cheaper than the high-speed PCI-E
Heatsink Optional 64-thread 4K IOPS read test too. That said, the 4 competition, but don’t forget a heatsink.
write test put it below the competition again,
NAND TLC
albeit with big leads over cheaper models. PERFORMANCE FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
49/50 17/20
87%
Controller WD Black G2

Endurance 600TBW Conclusion

VALUE
With a substantial price saving if you opt
Warranty Five years
for the heatsink-less model and use your 21/30
49
 L A B S T E ST / PCI-E SOLID STATE DRIVES

WD BLUE SN550
/ £180 (2TB ) inc VAT; £83 (1TB ) inc VAT
SUPPLIER cclonline.com

T
he WD Blue SN550’s prices of just
£83 for 1TB and £180 for a whole
2TB of storage show that owning
an NVMe PCI-E 3 SSD is now cheaper than
ever. Plus, as this month’s investigation into
the real-world benefits of fast SSDs (see
p90) has showed, there are diminishing
returns as you approach the top and spend
more money anyway.
The SN550 isn’t a new drive, though,
and this Labs test’s selection of SSDs BLUE SKY BLUE MOULD
include some other excellent alternatives + Less than £85 for 1TB - Much faster SSDs cost of its small SLC cache. The 4K random tests
just £30 more
that sport newer tech and faster speeds + Good read speed for saw the drives perform more evenly, but
for not much more money. The question the cash - No DRAM cache once again in AS-SSD’s 4K 64 thread test,
is, just how much slower is the SN550? + No heatsink required - Tiny SLC cache the ADATA drive was significantly faster at
The main issue, if you dig deeper into both reading and writing than the SN550.
the specifications, isn’t only a lack of a
DRAM cache, but also a miniscule SLC read-focused, but it could waste a lot of time if Conclusion
cache that’s typically just a few gigabytes you intend to shift around large files regularly. As a read-focused, affordable SSD, the SN550
in size, even for the 2TB model we tested. You certainly won’t need to worry about still makes sense for people building a budget
This is clearly a lot less than all the other cooling though – the Blue SN550 only hit system. It offers incredibly good value and
SSDs we’ve tested this month – even 64°C in our stress test, which is well away can wipe the floor with a SATA SSD in many
Samsung’s budget-focused 980 has over from throttling, although the SSD itself isn’t situations – it may be slower than the other
150GB of SLC cache to boost write speeds particularly attractive if you want to show NVMe competition this month, but it can still hit
when dealing with large workloads. off your PC’s interior. That’s a far cry from speeds well over the 550MB/sec SATA limit.
In perfect conditions, dipping only into its the monstrous SN850, which rocketed up The main issue for the SN550 is that you
small SLC cache, the SN550 can write data to 90°C in the same test. The ADATA XPG only need to spend £30 more to get the
at 1,800MB/sec, but that will quickly drop to GAMMIX S50 Lite, which is closest in price ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite, which is a far
SATA-level performance if you’re writing just at under £120, also required a heatsink. better buy. It has better speeds across the
a few tens of gigabytes. That’s not likely to be For an extra £35, though, the ADATA XPG board than the WD Blue SN550, and a vast
an issue for storage workloads that are largely GAMMIX S50 Lite does offer quite a bit more if SLC cache by comparison, allowing it to deal
you can keep it cool using your motherboard’s effectively with all manner of workloads.
SPEC heatsinks. It has a DRAM cache, as well as
Interface PCI-E 3 a sizeable SLC cache of several hundred
gigabytes, meaning it’s far more flexible when VERDICT
Full capacity 2TB
it comes to dealing with large files, and won’t Still worth considering for those on a tight
Formatted capacity 1,810GB leave you waiting as it writes them either. budget, but you can get a much faster drive
Heatsink No The ADATA drive offered significantly for just a little more money.
quicker read speeds than the WD Blue SN550
NAND TLC
too, with CrystalDiskMark’s sequential PERFORMANCE FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
40/50 16/20
80%
Controller WD in-house test seeing a read speed of 3,858MB/sec
Endurance 600TBW compared to 2,603MB/sec for the SN550,
while its write speed was nearly twice as fast,
VALUE
Warranty Five years
even when the SN550 was able to make use 24/30
50
 M.2 SSD BENCHMARK RESULTS

CRYSTALDISKMARK AS-SSD
SEQUENTIAL 1M Q8 READ
SEQUENTIAL
MB/SEC 1M Q8 READ MB/SEC SEQUENTIAL READ MB/SEC
SEQUENTIAL READ MB/SEC

Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s 7,021 7,021 WD Black SN850 WD Black SN850 5,784 5,784

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 7,011 7,011 Samsung 980 Pro 5,438
Samsung 980 Pro 5,438

Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair MP600 Pro 7,009 7,009 Aorus Gen4 7000s
Gigabyte 5,421
Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s 5,421

WD Black SN850 WD Black SN850 6,931 6,931 Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair MP600 Pro
5,374 5,374

Samsung 980 Pro Samsung 980 Pro 6,662 6,662XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade
ADATA 5,253 5,253

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite
3,858 3,858 ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG GAMMIX
3,372 S50 Lite 3,372

Samsung 980 3,391

Samsung 980 3,391 Samsung 980 2,947
Samsung 980 2,947

WD Blue SN550 WD Blue SN550

2,603 2,603 WD Blue SN550 2,346WD Blue SN550 2,346

0 2,000 4,000 0 6,000

2,000 8,0004,000 6,000 8,000 0 2,000 4,000 0 6,000
2,000 8,0004,000 6,000 8,000

SEQUENTIAL 1M Q8 WRITE
SEQUENTIAL
MB/SEC 1M Q8 WRITE MB/SEC SEQUENTIAL WRITE MB/SEC
SEQUENTIAL WRITE MB/SEC

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 5,764 5,764 Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s 5,421
Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s 5,421

Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair MP600 Pro

5,439 5,439ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade
5,254 5,254

Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s

5,384 5,384 WD Black SN850 5,096
WD Black SN850 5,096

WD Black SN850 WD Black SN850

5,330 5,330 Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair MP6005,053
Pro 5,053

Samsung 980 Pro 4,926

Samsung 980 Pro 4,926 Samsung 980 Pro 3,991
Samsung 980 Pro 3,991

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG GAMMIX

3,183 S50 Lite 3,183 ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG GAMMIX
3,140 S50 Lite 3,140

Samsung 980 2,913

Samsung 980 2,913 Samsung 980 2,340 Samsung 980 2,340

WD Blue SN550 1,837 WD Blue SN550 1,837 WD Blue SN550 1,806 WD Blue SN550 1,806

0 2,000 4,000 0 6,000

2,000 8,0004,000 6,000 8,000 0 2,000 4,000 0 6,000
2,000 8,0004,000 6,000 8,000

RANDOM 4K Q32 T4 READ

RANDOM
MB/SEC
4K Q32 T4 READ MB/SEC RANDOM 4K READ MB/SEC
RANDOM 4K READ MB/SEC

WD Black SN850 WD Black SN850 2,172 2,172 Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s 78 Gen4 7000s
Gigabyte Aorus 78

Samsung 980 Samsung 980

1,856 1,856 Corsair MP600 Pro 73
Corsair MP600 Pro 73

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG GAMMIX S501,842

Lite 1,842 Samsung 980 Pro 61Samsung 980 Pro 61

Samsung 980 Pro Samsung 9801,820

Pro 1,820 WD Black SN850 60 WD Black SN850 60

1,577
ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 1,577 54 GAMMIX S50 Lite
ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG 54

WD Blue SN550 WD Blue SN550

1,501 1,501 ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG
53GAMMIX S70 Blade 53

Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair1,428

MP600 Pro 1,428 Samsung 980 49 Samsung 980 49

Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s Gigabyte Aorus 1,425

Gen4 7000s 1,425 WD Blue SN550 40 WD Blue SN550 40

0 1,000 02,000 1,000

3,000 2,000 3,000 0 50 100 150
0 50
200 100
250 150 200 250

RANDOM 4K Q32 T4 WRITE

RANDOM
MB/SEC
4K Q32 T4 WRITE MB/SEC RANDOM 4K WRITE MB/SEC
RANDOM 4K WRITE MB/SEC

WD Black SN850 1,885

WD Black SN850 1,885 WD Black SN850 WD Black SN850 229 229

Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s

1,833 1,833 Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair MP600 Pro 223 223

Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair MP6001,829

Pro 1,829 Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s 220 220
ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG GAMMIX S701,695
Blade 1,695 ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 203 203

Samsung 980 Pro 1,636Pro

Samsung 980 1,636 ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite 201 201

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG GAMMIX 1,592

S50 Lite 1,592 WD Blue SN550 WD Blue SN550 192 192

Samsung 980 1,569980

Samsung 1,569 Samsung 980 Pro Samsung 980 Pro 179 179

WD Blue SN550 WD1,352

Blue SN550 1,352 Samsung 980 Samsung 980 177 177

0 1,000 02,000 1,000

3,000 2,000 3,000 0 50 100 0
150 50
200 250
100 150 200 250

4K 64THREAD READ IOPS

4K 64THREAD READ IOPS

WD Black SN850 740,535

WD Black SN850 740,535

Samsung 980 Pro 730,081

Samsung 980 Pro 730,081

Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair507,932

MP600 Pro 507,932

Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s Gigabyte Aorus504,200

Gen4 7000s 504,200

481,822
ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite 481,822

Samsung 980 Samsung 980

465,042 465,042

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG354,577

GAMMIX S70 Blade 354,577

WD Blue SN550 257,564 WD Blue SN550 257,564

0 250,000 500,0000 750,000

250,000 500,000
1,000,000 750,000 1,000,000

4K 64THREAD WRITE IOPS

4K 64THREAD WRITE IOPS

Samsung 980 Pro Samsung 980 Pro 910,309 910,309

Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair MP600 Pro 875,460 875,460

Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s 854,124 854,124

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BladeADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 852,550 852,550

WD Black SN850 707,595

WD Black SN850 707,595

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite ADATA XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite
527,058 527,058

Samsung 980 399,375

Samsung 980 399,375

WD Blue SN550 WD Blue SN550

364,854 364,854

0 250,000 500,0000 750,000

250,000 500,000
1,000,000 750,000 1,000,000

51
 L A B S T E ST / GAMING MICE

L A B S T E ST

Mighty mice
Edward Chester puts eight of the latest symmetrical-style
gaming mice to the test

How we test
Y
ou’d be forgiven for thinking the gaming mouse market can be better suited to complex games such as MMOs, but for first-
is fairly stable these days, with great optical sensors and person shooters, a simple feature set, solid tracking performance and
some fantastic shapes having been around for many years. a comfortable, lightweight shape are the priorities.
However, with the arrival of ultra-lightweight designs, as-good-as- As well as the comfort and performance of the mice, we’re looking
wired wireless mice and a general trend towards simple feature sets, at their features, build quality and practicality. We’re also assessing
there’s still plenty to pick apart. each mouse for its suitability for different hand sizes and grip styles.
Given the dozens of genuinely capable mice available, we need We consider small hands to be any with a length under 17cm (from the
some means of compartmentalising them into manageable and tip of your middle finger to the wrist/base of your thumb), medium to
meaningful categories for Labs tests. As such, for this test we’ve be 17-20cm and large to be over 20cm.
concentrated on mice that have a symmetrical or ambidextrous shape Fingertip grip is where the mouse is held between your thumb
(symmetrical with thumb buttons on both sides) and that are wired, and little or ring fingers with little to no palm contact. Palm grip is with
rather than wireless. The former means you can zero in on the general your full palm resting on the mouse and claw grip is a bit like a hybrid
style of mouse you like, while the latter means all these mice cost well between the two, where the base of the palm nestles against the back
below £100, with most costing under £50. of the mouse and the fingers are held in a bent (claw-like) position.
To test them, we’re concentrating on their performance in fast- Some mouse sizes and shapes suit different combinations of grip and
paced games. Other mice with more buttons and extra features hand sizes better than others.

Contents
Angle-right BenQ Zowie S1 /p53 Angle-right Glorious PC Gaming Race Model O / p57
Angle-right Cooler Master MM711 / p54 Angle-right Logitech G203 Lightsync / p58
Angle-right Corsair Katar Pro XT / p55 Angle-right Razer Viper 8K / p59
Angle-right Endgame Gear XM1r / p56 Angle-right SteelSeries AeroX 3 / p60

52
BENQ ZOWIE S1/£63 inc VAT

SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk

B
enQ has carved out quite a reputation range it dropped the extra buttons, so now it
for creating excellent bare bones doesn’t offer an ambidextrous mouse.
gaming mice in a wide range of Back to the S1, its shape is typical for this
shapes and sizes. However, its line-up has type of mouse and for good reason. From the
remained largely unchanged for several years top, the front flares outwards slightly, while the
now, and the firm hasn’t embraced the latest back also widens before coming together in an
trend for shedding weight and adding RGB smooth, round shape. This gentle out-in-out
lighting. Does this dash the Zowie S1’s chances? curve means your fingers nestle naturally in
Well, weighing in at 87g, the S1 is indeed the dip on the sides of the mouse. The buttons
one of the weightier mice on test. That figure also have slightly flared edges, again creating a
was relatively light just a few years ago, but natural divot for your fingers to rest.
with the likes of the Cooler Master MM711 and The sides of the mouse then just slightly
SteelSeries Aerox 3 weighing 60g and 57g tuck in towards the bottom, creating a natural
respectively, you really do notice the extra wedge shape that means very little squeezing/
heft of this mouse. It still glides very smoothly friction force is required to pick up the mouse.
thanks to its large, high-quality glide pads, but In short, it’s a fantastic shape that’s well suited
you can feel the extra inertia when changing to most grip styles and ideal for medium-to-
WOWIE OWIE
direction. BenQ also offers a smaller, lighter large hand sizes. Meanwhile, the S2 is great for
variant that’s 2mm narrower, 1mm shallower smaller hands. + Fantastic shape - Heavy by
today’s standards
and 4mm shorter but it still weighs 82g. Under the hood, the S1 uses the PixArt + Great tracking
- Lacks RGB or
Both the S1 and its little sibling, the S2, offer PMW3360 sensor, which maxes out at a DPI + Snappy button other extras
response
a symmetrical shape but with buttons on only of just 3,200. However, this still proved ample
- Expensive for
one side. Up until recently, BenQ provided the in our tests – once again proving that optical basic features
FK series with a similar (although lower-profile) sensors have been good enough for years.
shape to the S range, but with buttons on both You can also change the DPI to 400, 800 or
sides. However, for its latest update to that 1,600 via a button on the bottom of the mouse, Conclusion
but you can’t tweak these settings further, so The BenQ Zowie S1 is a revered mouse for
you’ll have to fine-tune your aim with in-game a good reason. It has a great shape, precise
sensitivity settings. buttons and generally excellent performance.
Similarly, you can change the polling rate of However, it’s quite heavy by today’s standards
the mouse via another button on the base, but and its price is now quite high when you
BenQ doesn’t provide any software for you to consider that you miss out on extras such as
make other changes. This lack of software also RGB lighting.
ties into the lack of RGB lighting – after all, why
SPEC have software when there’s so little to program
Weight 87g on the mouse? However, the button system VERDICT
does mean you can change your mouse An excellent mouse, but there are equally
Dimensions (mm) 61 x 126 x 39 (W x D x H)
settings anywhere on any machine without good, lighter and cheaper alternatives.
Sensor PixArt PMW3360, 3,200 having to install software.
DPI, 50g acceleration, 250 IPS
The buttons and scroll wheel on this mouse DESIGN FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
14/20 12/20
72%
Buttons 5 (left, right, scroll wheel, back, forwards) are also excellent. They’re crisp (and quite loud)
Cable 1.8m, non-braided in response, with a fairly strong spring action, so
you really know when you’ve pressed them, but
PERFORMANCE VALUE
Extras DPI and polling rate buttons on underside
they’re not tiringly stiff to use. 26/30 20/30
53
 L A B S T E ST / GAMING MICE

tom P
COOLER MASTER us

C
MM711/£50 inc VAT

SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk PP

D
ROV E

A
C
ooler Master offers two variants of Those aforementioned holes are larger
tom P
us
its ultra-light MM7xx mouse. than on many competing ultra-light mice,
There’s the 53g MM710, which with the squashed hexagonal shapes neatly

C
doesn’t include lighting, and the 60g MM711 matching the company’s logo. The holes
that’s equipped with RGB illumination. We’ve cover the whole back of the mouse, the rear
reviewed the MM710 previously and been third of the left and right buttons and sides,

IT
CU
impressed with its very light design, but how plus the rear two thirds of the base.
ST
does its illuminated sibling hold up? Depending on your grip, the side holes may OM K
Well, given that we were sent the white or may not be under where your thumb and
version of the MM711 to evaluate, it’s fingers grip the mouse. I found my little finger
tom P
us
this aspect that makes the biggest first nestled on the holes, and the rear third or so
impression. Not only does the white stand of my thumb also rested there. We found this
c

C
out from the crowd but it really sets off the greatly aided the overall secure feeling of In terms of features, this mouse is very
RGB lighting. gripping this mouse – once positioned on a much the same as the others on test, with its

A
EXT

Conversely, as with any white product, hole, your finger won’t be sliding anywhere. six buttons, all of which feel fine, and fixed
RE TR
there's a concern about how much it’s going The overall shape of the mouse is similar lightweight braided cable. The scroll wheel
L
to show up any dirt on it, especially given that to that of the BenQ, Glorious and Razer ME U
is also firmly notched and accurate. The rear
the braided cable is white too and the chassis models on test, with a slightly flared front glide pads are a little small but this mouse still
is full of holes. That said, the Glorious PC end and relatively straight sides, making it a slides effortlessly due to its very low weight.
tom P
us
Gaming Race Model O we tested is white too, good universal shape for a variety of hand Meanwhile, the excellent PixArt PMW3389
and despite a year or so of on-and-off use, it’s sizes. However, where those other mice have sensor provides the top-notch performance
c

still surprisingly clean and tidy. Your own self- gently sloped back ends that allow for a more we expected.
discipline with cleaning your hands and desk relaxed palm grip when required, the MM711
E
PRE

may be the bigger factor here. has a much more abrupt, steeper slope. This Conclusion
AD

clears space under the palm for really agile M The Cooler Master MM711 is a fantastic
fingertip grip movement, but means this G R gaming mouse. For many, its
I U Mlightweight
mouse isn’t ideal for palm or claw grip unless RGB lighting, and resultant extra weight,
you have small hands. may not make it a worthwhile upgrade over
tom P
us
One other factor to note is that the left and the cheaper MM710, but if you like a bit of
right buttons fold over the sides of the mouse illumination, this mouse certainly looks the
c

– an arrangement that made it feel like it could part and it’s still very light. The performance is
lead to accidental pressing of the button. I flawless and it has a good shape too.
AL
PR

found my ring finger would rest on the button

SPEC rather than the side of the mouse, although
FE IO
N
O

Weight 60g this didn’t actually seem to affect my gaming. S SVERDICT

A fantastic lightweight gaming mouse,
Dimensions (mm) 63 x 117 x 38 (W x D x H)
although the MM710 offers better value
Sensor PixArt PMW3389 sensor, 16,000 BRIGHT AS A DULL AS if you don’t need RGB lighting.
DPI, 50g acceleration, 400 IPS BUTTON DISHWATER
Buttons 6 (left, right, scroll wheel,
+ Very light - Less suited to claw DESIGN FEATURES
and palm grip OVERALL SCORE
+ Fantastic performance 17/20 15/20
80%
back, forwards, DPI)
- RGB lighting adds
Cable 1.8m, lightweight braided + Superb fingertip weight and cost
grip shape PERFORMANCE VALUE
- Buttons fold
Extras RGB lighting
over edges 27/30 21/30
54
CORSAIR KATAR
PRO XT/£35 inc VAT

SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk

I
t has taken a long time for Corsair to G Pro X Superlight. That said, while the Katar
embrace the current trend for Pro XT does represent good value, you do get
compact, lightweight gaming mice, a step up in build quality from the likes of the
with its beefy long-time flagship, the M65 Pro Razer Viper 8K, and it’s understandable that
RGB, tipping the scales at a whopping 136g. perforated designs such as the Cooler Master
However, with the newest addition to its MM711 and SteelSeries Aerox 3 can be trickier
mouse line-up, Corsair has finally joined in and thus costlier to manufacture.
the lightweight fun. For features, you get the standard six
The Katar Pro XT is a compact, simple buttons, with this mouse using a top-mounted
and light mouse that weighs just 75g. That’s DPI button, rather than the underside-
actually on the heavier side compared with mounted ones on some rivals. The cable is
truly ultra-light models, but any weight under tethered, rather than removable, and it’s of
80g puts it in the right ballpark for these FPS- the more flexible, low-resistance cables that
focused gaming tools. are common these days, so it doesn’t push
Corsair has also embraced the fact that back against your movements. Corsair has
a simple, lightweight mouse means fewer even added RGB lighting to the scroll wheel; Corsair has used the very capable PixArt
components and less material, making for together with the all-black symmetrical PMW3391 sensor for this mouse and it tracks
lower manufacturing costs and, as a result, design, this makes for a smart-looking mouse. as well as we’d expect, keeping up with our
a low price – we’re looking at you, Logitech The mouse’s shape is intriguing, as it most extreme movements during gaming and
narrows towards the front, rather than flaring tracking precisely for slower movements, such
out slightly, and has quite a narrow, pointy back as tracing objects in Photoshop. Corsair’s iCUE
end, rather than the more rounded shapes of software is also on hand to control the RGB
the BenQ, Razer and SteelSeries mice on test lighting, DPI settings and button assignments.
this month.
The narrow front means your fingers have Conclusion
a tendency to slide forwards, while the narrow The Corsair Katar Pro XT is a good-value
back means it doesn’t really suit palm grip addition to the lightweight, FPS-focused
styles, at least for medium-to-large hands. gaming mouse stable. It has a low cost, a
What’s more, we found the sides to be too great sensor and good buttons. However, its
sloped to gain a particularly easy fingertip grip. shape isn’t the most universally appealing,
KATAR CATARRH They narrow down considerably to the base, and there’s nothing outstanding about its
+ Great value - Not the best shape to the point where your fingers tend to slide styling, features or performance. If your hands
+ Solid performance - Could be lighter down and under the mouse. The overall effect can get on with its shape, though, it’s very
+ Smart design - Slippery plastic finish is that it feels like you have to grip the mouse competitively priced and delivers the tracking
quite firmly for your fingers to stay in position. performance needed for fast-paced gaming.
SPEC Meanwhile, the sides are finished in hard
Weight 75g plastic that has a triangle pattern embossed
in it to aid grip. It sort of works, but nowhere VERDICT
Dimensions (mm) 64 x 116 x 38 (W x D x H)
near as well as finer matt finishes or indeed The shape could be improved, but the Katar
Sensor PixArt PMW3391, 18,000 soft-touch or rubberised finishes. On the is still a solid option for a great price.
DPI, 50g acceleration, 400 IPS plus side, the buttons all fall to hand nicely,
Buttons 6 (left, right, scroll wheel, without being easily accidentally knocked, and DESIGN FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
11/20 12/20
75%
back, forwards, DPI) the scroll wheel has well-defined notches,
Cable 1.8m, lightweight braided making for a precise feel when gaming. The
buttons’ Omron switches are on the light side
PERFORMANCE VALUE
Extras RGB lighting
but respond crisply. 24/30 28/30
55
 L A B S T E ST / GAMING MICE

ENDGAME GEAR
XM1R/£50 inc VAT

SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

T
he original Endgame Gear XM1 (see thumb buttons and the standard trio of left,
Issue 195, p57) impressed us with its right and scroll wheel buttons. A DPI button on
lightweight design and low price. the underside is the only addition.
With the updated XM1r, Endgame Gear has However, the DPI button can also change
added an uprated sensor and custom Kailh the polling rate, and settings for both are
GM 8 switches, and it’s also available in a indicated via two RGB LEDs that sit alongside
couple of new finishes. the button. It’s a useful system, although some
Instead of the plain matt black or glossy gamers will prefer to have a DPI button on the
white of the original, you can now get glossy top for making quick on-the-fly changes.
and matt translucent black versions. We All the main buttons feel tight and
tested the matt translucent (Dark Frost) responsive in action, with none of the
version for this review and it does look rather mushiness of some mice buttons. However,
good. The slight transparency gives a glimpse the scroll wheel button could be easier to
of what’s inside, while the smoky look gives press, and the notching on the scroll wheel is
the rest of the mouse a cool moody vibe. on the finer side, making it easy to scroll when
What lets the look down, rather, is the lack you press it instead of activating the button,
of any internal lighting, RGB or otherwise. which can throw you off if you use the wheel
This means you really do only get a hint of the in-game. accurate and able to cope with the fastest of
interior and miss out on the potentially cool Meanwhile, the cable is a lightweight and movements. This is a top-end, modern sensor
dispersed lighting look that the matt finish highly flexible braided affair that’s tethered to and its performance reflects that. The lack
could provide. the mouse. It offers a minimum of resistance of currently available configuration software
In terms of features, there’s not a lot going to your movements, which is ideal for first- restricts you to only using the preset DPI
on with this mouse. You get the basic selection person shooters. Four relatively small gliding settings, though, so your in-game settings can
of five main buttons, with just one set of side pads are attached to the underside of the take a bit of tweaking before you get the feel
mouse and they offer excellent gliding and you want.
stability. If you prefer larger pads, though,
Endgame Gear includes a set of two large Conclusion
pads in the box, which is a useful extra. The Endgame Gear XM1r offers excellent
Where this mouse notably differs from the gaming performance and a fetching smoky
competition is with its shape. The back is wider black design. It’s not packed with features, and
than the front, so it fills the area under your the wide-backed shape is of less universal
palm. Meanwhile, the sides slope aggressively appeal than some straighter shapes, but it’s a
inwards from the top to the bottom. As such, solid option if you can get on with the shape,
it lends itself to using a palm grip more than a and it’s also competitively priced.
fingertip grip, as the wide back limits the range
SPEC of motion under your hand and the sloping
Weight 68g sides don’t allow a great deal of purchase. VERDICT
Performance of the PixArt PAW3370 An intriguing shape that isn’t ideal for
Dimensions (mm) 66 x 122 x 38 (W x D x H)
sensor is flawless though. It’s smooth, fingertip grip, but the performance of this
Sensor PixArt PAW3370 - 19,000 mouse can’t be faulted.
DPI, 50g acceleration, 400 IPS

Buttons 5 (left, right, scroll wheel, back, forwards) ENDGAME INFINITY WAR DESIGN FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
12/20 12/20
76%
Cable 1.8m, lightweight braided + Excellent tracking - Shape isn’t universal
performance
- Very basic feature set PERFORMANCE VALUE
Extras DPI and polling rate control + Cool smoky look - No software yet
button on underside
+ Decent value 28/30 24/30
56
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us

C
A
EXT

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GLORIOUS PC GAMING us
tom P

RACE MODEL O/£50

C
inc VAT

E
PRE

AD
SUPPLIER box.co.uk
M
IUM GR

T
he Glorious Model O made quite a The whole back and base of the mouse
splash when it first arrived a few are perforated with small hexagonal holes,
tom P
years ago, thanks to its combination us
along with the rear quarter of the left and right

C
of fantastic shape, low weight and excellent buttons. Thanks to all that lost material, this
performance, all for a relatively low price. With relatively large mouse weighs just 67g, which
so many more companies joining in the puts it right among the lightest mice available.

AL
PR
lightweight mouse trend, though, does it still The insides here aren’t protected by any
FE
SSIO

N
O
have what it takes to compete? water resistance, but the circuitboard isn’t as
Well, one factor we still can’t forgive is the exposed as on the SteelSeries Aerox 3.
company name and the logo on the side of This combination of shape and lightness
the mouse. The joke had worn thin before the makes for a mouse that’s really easy to
company even existed and it sits ever less sling around your mouse mat. Your fingers
well as time goes on. Back to the mouse, and just naturally nestle in the concave sides MASTERFUL RACE TO THE
BOTTOM
although the competition has indeed ramped and curves in the left and right buttons, and + Fantastic, versatile
up, the Model O’s basic formula is still very the mouse is perfectly balanced under its
shape - Silly company name
much on point. back and forward buttons. It also works with + Very light - Only one RGB zone
It has a relatively large, symmetrical design just about any grip style for medium-sized + Excellent performance
with a very gently sloped rear and slightly hands, and it’s sufficiently mid-sized to
flared out front end. It’s a similar shape to the work with small and large hands to a lesser
BenQ Zowie S1 and essentially the same as extent as well. assigning up to six DPI levels for the DPI
the Razer Viper’s shape, but here of course Available in black and white versions, with button, and editing and assigning macros. One
you get holes. Lots of holes. both glossy and matt finishes, it’s reasonably slight disappointment is that the RGB lighting
attractive too, with its RGB-illuminated slashes zones aren’t individually controllable – it’s all
on the sides and around the scroll wheel. or nothing across the lot.
The buttons are on the lighter side in terms
of click response, but they still feel precise and Conclusion
we had no problems using the mouse in the The Glorious PC Gaming Race Model O
heat of battle. Likewise, the scroll wheel has remains one of the top symmetrical choices
deep notches in its rubber cover for excellent for first-person shooters. It’s light, has a great
grip, and very pronounced internal notches for shape, looks good and is competitively priced.
precise up and down control. There are lighter or smaller options (including
In terms of performance, the Model O the Model O-) but this is a great option for
employs the PixArt PMW3389 sensor, which average-sized hands and most grip types.
is a very capable unit that proved as flawless
SPEC in our gaming as we’d expect. However, a
Weight 67g very small gripe is that we’d like to see slightly VERDICT
larger glide pads on this mouse. Despite its Light, comfortable and with excellent
Dimensions (mm) 66 x 128 x 38 (W x D x H)
low weight, it doesn’t feel as smooth in action performance. There’s nothing not to like,
Sensor PixArt PMW3389 sensor, 16,000 as the Razer or Cooler Master mice on test. other than the name.
DPI, 50g acceleration, 400 IPS Meanwhile, the cable is a very flexible
Buttons 6 (left, right, scroll wheel, braided type. In fact, the braiding is very wide DESIGN FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
17/20 16/20
86%
back, forwards, DPI) and loose on the thin cabling beneath. It looks
Cable 1.8m, lightweight braided a bit strange but it hits the mark for offering
minimum resistance. Glorious’ software also
PERFORMANCE VALUE
Extras RGB lighting, DPI indicator on underside
lets you fully configure the mouse, including 27/30 26/30
57
 L A B S T E ST / GAMING MICE

LOGITECH G203
LIGHTSYNC/£22 inc VAT

SUPPLIER currys.co.uk

L
ogitech’s gaming mouse line-up is accurate tracking with no
a bit odd at the moment, as the unwanted acceleration or
company’s superb but pricey G Pro drops in accuracy due to fast
Wireless and G Pro X Superlight models aren’t motion. As such, the choice of
available in wired versions. Instead, if you want which of these two mice offers better
a compact, symmetrical, lightweight wired value is clear. What’s less clear is whether
mouse, the company offers two essentially the G203 Lightsync is a top choice in its class.
identical options, the £70 G Pro or the In terms of overall shape and proportions,
£22 G203. the design of this mouse is very similar to
Technically, the G Pro has the superior that of the Corsair Katar Pro XT. It has a similar
sensor – the company’s 25,000 DPI Hero tapered back end and sides that cut in quite reprogram the other buttons, and record and
model. However, with modern sensors severely, resulting in a small base to the assign macros. On the downside, the scroll
already being so good, the G203’s modest mouse and generally compact feel. So much wheel has quite light notches, making it too
8,000 DPI rating doesn’t really hold it back. so, in fact, that I didn’t particularly get on with easy to nudge the wheel when pressing it to
It coped just fine in all our tests, providing its shape, finding it too small for my hands, but trigger a middle click. Otherwise, the buttons
of course mileage will vary here. all feel snappy enough.
As with the Corsair mouse, the ergonomics Meanwhile, the cable isn’t as flexible as the
are helped by the sides having slight convex braided ultra-flexible types favoured by most
curves, providing slightly more surface to grip of the other mice on test this month, but it’s still
than the SteelSeries Aerox 3. However, this reasonably thin and bendable – we didn’t find
mouse is also relatively heavy for its size. Its that it pushed back against our movements
weight of 85g isn’t historically heavyweight too much.
but it’s at the top end of the scale these days,
making this compact mouse feel quite dense. Conclusion
The small glide pads on the base don’t help The Logitech G203 Lightsync is a great-value,
either, making it a relatively high-resistance perfectly capable gaming mouse. It has all the
LIGHT FANTASTIC LIGHT mouse to move. performance you should need and a simple
ENTERTAINMENT
+ Fantastic value For features, this mouse is as basic as its feature set that contains all the essentials.
- Shape isn’t
+ Solid gaming for everyone price suggests, but Logitech has still managed The shape isn’t for everyone, and it’s a little
performance
to pack some RGB lighting into the design, compact for our tastes, especially given that
- A little heavy for
+ Really low price its size which explains the Lightsync in the name. it’s not all that light, but smaller hands may find
- Scroll wheel moves This lighting swoops round the back of the it more accommodating. There’s nothing too
too easily mouse and illuminates the Logitech G logo. It remarkable here, but this is a decent budget
makes for a fetching appearance at this price, option for its price.
SPEC although it lacks the aggressive lines of many
Weight 85g competitors, which has the effect of making it
look a little cheaper and toylike. VERDICT
Dimensions (mm) 62 x 117 x 38 (W x D x H)
When it comes to the basics, you get six Cheap and cheerful, the Logitech G203
Sensor PixArt PMW3366, 8,000 buttons, with the sixth button being a top- Lightsync is also perfectly capable.
DPI, 40g acceleration, 400 IPS mounted DPI switcher. We found this worked
Buttons 6 (left, right, scroll wheel, well in terms of being out of the way enough DESIGN FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
10/20 12/20
72%
back, forwards, DPI) to avoid hitting accidentally, but being easy to
Cable 1.8m, non-braided press when needed.
The lighting and DPI settings can all be
PERFORMANCE VALUE
Extras RGB lighting
changed via Logitech’s software, and you can 20/30 30/30
58
 tom P
RAZER VIPER us

C
8K/£80 inc VAT

PP

D
ROV E

A
SUPPLIER currys.co.uk

W
e looked at the Razer Viper 8K in a textured rubber side pads, which ensure that
tom P
standalone review just a few months
ago (see Issue 213, p23) and found it
gripping this mouse is effortless. Whether your
fingers are dry, or your palms are sweaty, the
us

C
to be an excellent offering. Has our impression side grips provide excellent purchase.
changed in the intervening few months? Nope, Although this is a very light mouse by
not at all. This is still a fantastic mouse. historical standards, and it’s also nearly 20g

IT
CU
ST
OM K
The reasons to be cheerful start with it lighter than the heaviest mouse on test this
having a truly ambidextrous design, so lefties month, by today’s ultra-light standards it’s only
and righties can take advantage of its stellar mid-range in terms of weight. Weighing in at
design and features. Back and forward buttons 71g, it’s a good 20 per cent heavier than the very
tom P
can be found on both sides of the symmetrical
design, and they perfectly balance being easy
lightest mice available – those rubber sides
probably add a few grams.
us

C
to hit with your thumb while remaining out of The Viper 8K looks great too. The symmetry

A
EXT
the way of your ring and little fingers. Of course, of the mouse, along with the angular lines

TR
your mileage can vary here, depending on that edge the buttons and rubber side pads,
hand size and shape, as well as grip style, but RE
balance a simple classy feel with just a little bit L
this has been our finding. of aggression. The RGB-backlit, ouroboros- M E URATE
POLLING POLLING STATION
Meanwhile, the overall shape balances its esque Razer logo also looks good. + Superb shape - 8K polling fairly
pointless
proportions in a way that makes it useful for In terms of other features, the mouse is fairly +t Aombidextrous
m
all grip styles (although it’s mainly aimed at modest, with its tethered braided cable and s
u + FlawlessPtracking - Expensive

fingertip grip), making it hugely versatile. A simple button selection. Along with the thumb performance - Not the lightest
c

particular highlight is the addition of large, thick, buttons, you get just left, right and scroll wheel
E
PRE

buttons, plus a DPI switching button on the

AD

underside of the mouse. This is the common Conclusion

M R 8K is a fantastic gaming
trend with modern mice, but it’s notable here
given the relatively high price of this mouse
IU
The Razer Viper
M forGa host of reasons. Its shape is a good
mouse
– other than being ambidextrous, it doesn’t match for all sorts of hand sizes and shapes,
offer a lot in terms of meaningful extras over and the rubber on the sides means it stays
tom P
cheaper mice. Meanwhile, the cable is of
the modern ultra-flexible, braided type and
us secure no matter what. The truly ambidextrous
button layout further broadens its universal
c

it feels great, offering minimal resistance appeal, and the tracking performance is
to your movements. flawless. It’s right up there with the best mice
AL
PR

For gaming performance, the Viper 8K around. It’s quite expensive, but it delivers just
SPEC can’t be faulted. Its buttons feel crisp and FE about enough to justify the extra outlay.
SSIO
N
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Weight 71g responsive, while its scroll wheel is grippy,

with defined notches and a middle button
Dimensions (mm) 58 x 127 x 38 (W x D x H)
that’s easy to press without knocking the VERDICT
Sensor Razer optical - 20,000 DPI, wheel. Tracking is also flawless, but that’s An expensive but truly world-class mouse
50g acceleration, 650 IPS to be expected of even much less capable that’s suited to left and right-handed users.
Buttons 7 (left, right, scroll wheel, sensors these days. The 20K DPI and 600 IPS
2 x back and forwards) figures might be impressive, but sensors with DESIGN FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
18/20 15/20
84%
Cable 1.8m, lightweight braided half those figures are still excellent. The titular
8KHz polling rate is also largely overkill, with
Extras Ambidextrous, 8kHz polling rate,
many games not supporting it and those that
PERFORMANCE VALUE
RGB lighting, DPI button on underside
do seeing microscopic real-world gains. 30/30 21/30
59
 L A B S T E ST / GAMING MICE

STEELSERIES
AEROX 3/£50 inc VAT

SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk

S
teelSeries’ Rival 600 has been at found them rather slippery. The whole mouse
the top of our charts for the best is constructed from ABS plastic that hasn’t
FPS gaming mouse for a while been given any extra soft-touch or rubber
now, and it remains a great option. coating, but instead has a slightly rough finish
However, the company’s latest addition to that doesn’t provide much purchase.
its gaming mouse line-up is a symmetrical, The shape of the mouse doesn’t help here
lightweight design. either. The sides angle inwards towards the
The Aerox 3 weighs just 57g, putting it bottom and have a slightly concave feel, so
firmly in ultra-light territory and making it the your fingers don’t naturally sit in the middle
lightest on test. It achieves this thanks to the of the sides but rather hang on the very top optical sensor that will keep up with the most
now common method of filling the outer case edge, where the side buttons are located. extreme gaming movements.
with holes. Combine this with the fact that the back The mouse is also fully programmable
In this case, they’re square holes that cover widens out quite sharply, and there’s no via SteelSeries’ software, allowing you
the entire top and base of the mouse, as well flared-out front, and I found my fingers would to configure the lighting and button
as the rear of the left and right buttons. slide down and forwards, requiring a constant configuration. Here you can also change other
Inevitably, the holes do allow dust and resetting of my grip. As ever, your mileage settings, such as the number and level of DPI
grime to collect inside the mouse – and the may vary depending on your hand size and settings through which you can cycle with the
circuitboard within the shell is particularly grip style, but I struggled to get along with this top-mounted DPI button.
exposed – but all the innards are dust and mouse’s shape. A wireless version of the Aerox 3 is
water-resistant, so while the mouse might Otherwise, the Aerox 3 is an impressive available for £80 inc VAT as well, and it offers
end up looking grotty, it should still function. little mouse. Its RGB lighting looks great, essentially the same experience (we tested
It’s a shame SteelSeries hasn’t also shining around the base and out through the both), but with wireless convenience – it only
perforated the sides of the mouse, as we perforated structure, and the addition of a weighs a modest extra 11g as well.
detachable Type-C USB cable is a massive
boon. We feared that the cable might come Conclusion
loose, but we didn’t have any issues. The SteelSeries Aerox 3 is a very capable,
All the buttons feel crisp and fall to hand in very light mouse for a great price, and its
the right places, although we did occasionally detachable USB cable is a particularly useful
accidentally hit the thumb buttons – another feature that should guard against a damaged
symptom of those sloped, slippery sides. The cable ruining the mouse. However, the shape
scroll wheel also has a good grippy surface, of the mouse and the finish of its plastic
light action and well-defined notches, making makes gripping it a little tricky. Your mileage
it easy to use accurately in the heat of battle. may vary, though, and those with smaller
Meanwhile, the sensor has modest hands could fare better with it.
SPEC headline figures of 8,500 DPI and 35G
Weight 57g acceleration, but that’s fine – the tracking
didn’t hold us back. It’s still a top-notch VERDICT
Dimensions (mm) 67 x 121 x 38 (W x D x H)
Light and very capable but it’s not the most
Sensor SteelSeries TrueMove Core - comfortable mouse to hold.
8,500 DPI, 35g acceleration, 300 IPS AERATED FULL OF HOLES
Buttons 6 (left, right, scroll wheel, + Exceptionally light - Plastic finish is slippery DESIGN FEATURES OVERALL SCORE
12/20 19/20
77%
back, forwards, DPI) + Neat RGB lighting - Not our
favourite shape
Cable 1.8m, lightweight braided Type-C + Removable cable PERFORMANCE VALUE
- Plastic feels
Extras RGB lighting, removable cable slightly cheap
24/30 22/30
60
Join us as we lift the lid
on video games
ALL FORMATS
116 PAGES MONTHLY

LIFTING THE LID ON VIDEO GAMES

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Grand Theft Auto (that aren’t GTA)

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 R E V I E WS / HOW WE TEST

How we test
MOTHERBOARDS MONITORS
TEST PROCESSORS We test image quality with an
Angle-right Intel LGA1200 Intel Core i9-11900K X-Rite iDisplay Pro colorimeter
Angle-right AMD AM4 AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, and AMD Ryzen 9 3900X for and DisplayCal software to
standalone reviews that require comparisons with older results. check for colour accuracy,
contrast and gamma, while
Common test hardware between our CPU test rigs includes 16GB assessing more subjective
(2 x 8GB) of Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 3466MHz DDR4 memory, details such as pixel density and viewing angles by eye. For
a 2TB Samsung 970 Evo SSD, a 1TB PCI-E 4 Corsair MP600 SSD gaming, we test a monitor’s responsiveness subjectively and
and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition graphics card. then also use Blur Buster’s excellent ghosting UFO test to
All CPUs are cooled by a Corsair Hydro-X water-cooling loop, check the sharpness of the display in high-speed motion.
with two XR5 240mm radiators, an XD3 RGB reservoir and an XC7
RGB waterblock. We test with our RealBench suite and Far Cry New
Dawn on Windows 10 Home 64-bit. We also test the board’s M.2
ports, and record the noise level and dynamic range of integrated
audio using RightMark Audio Analyzer.
CPU COOLERS
We measure the CPU temperature with CoreTemp, and subtract
PROCESSORS the ambient air temperature to give a delta T result, enabling us to
test in a lab that isn’t temperature controlled. We load the CPU with
TEST MOTHERBOARDS Prime95’s smallfft test and take the reading after ten minutes.
Angle-right Intel LGA1200 Rocket Lake
MSI MEG Z490 Ace TEST KIT
Angle-right Intel LGA1200 Comet Lake Fractal Design Meshify C case, 16GB of Corsair Vengeance RGB
Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi Pro memory, 256GB Samsung 960 Evo SSD, Corsair CM550 PSU.
Angle-right AMD AM4 MSI MPG Gaming B550 Carbon WiFi
INTEL LGA1200
Common gear between our CPU test rigs includes 16GB (2 x Intel Core i9-11900K overclocked to 5.1GHz with 1.38V vcore.
8GB) of Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 3466MHz DDR4 RAM, a
2TB Samsung 970 Evo SSD and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 INTEL LGA1151
GPU. Cooling comes from a Corsair Hydro-X water-cooling Intel Core i5-9600K overclocked to 4.8GHz with 1.2V vcore.
loop with two XR5 240mm radiators, an XD3 RGB reservoir
and an XC7 RGB waterblock. INTEL LGA2066
We use the latest version of Windows 10 with security Intel Core i9-9980XE overclocked to 4.2GHz with 1.08V vcore.
updates, as well as the latest BIOS versions and drivers. We
record results at stock speed and overclocked, and our tests AMD AM4
include the CPC RealBench suite for image editing, video AMD Ryzen 9 5900X overclocked to 4.5GHz with 1.25V vcore, or
encoding and multi-tasking, Cinebench’s single and multi- AMD Ryzen 7 1700 overclocked to 3.9GHz with 1.425V vcore for
threaded tests, Far Cry New Dawn and Watch Dogs: Legion. standalone reviews that require comparisons with older results.
For our game tests, we record the 99th percentile minimum
and average frame rates either using the game’s built-in AMD TRX4
benchmark or Nvidia FrameView. Finally, we measure the idle AMD Threadripper 3960X overclocked to 4.2GHz with 1.265V
and load power consumption of the whole system, using vcore, 32GB of 3466MHz Corsair Vengeance RGB memory,
Prime95’s smallfft test with AVX disabled to stress the CPU. Samsung 960 Pro SSD, Corsair RM850i PSU.

62
 tom
ustom P
usstom PP

cc c

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P PP R O VEE

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P P ROV E
ROV
tom
ustom P
usstom PP

cc c

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AWARDS
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I TI TI T
C UC CU U
GRAPHICS CARDS S K
S TT O M K
STOM K
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tom
We mainly evaluate graphics ustom P EXTREME ULTRA
usstom PP

cc c

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cards on the performance they u Some products are gloriously over the top. They

RA
EX
offer for the price. However, we don’t always offer amazing value, but they’re

AA
E EX
R
R EE M E ULL

T XT T

T RT
outstanding if you have money to spend.
also consider the efficacy and

TR
REM E UL
noise of the cooler, as well as the ME U
tom
GPU’s support for new gaming features, such as ray tracing. ustom P
usstom PP PREMIUM GRADE

cc c

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Every graphics card is tested in the same PC, so the results are u
Premium Grade products are utterly desirable,

EE
PP

ED
RP
directly comparable. Each test is run three times, and we report M offering a superb balance of performance and

DDA
ERRE E
M I U M GRR

AA
the average of those results. We test at 1,920 x 1,080, 2,560 x MIUM GR features without an over-the-top price.
IUM G
1,440 and 3,840 x 2,160. tom
ustom P
usstom PP

cc c

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u PROFESSIONAL
TEST KIT These products might not be appropriate for a

L LA L
PR
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AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, 16GB (2 x 8GB) of Corsair Vengeance F gaming rig, but they’ll do an ace job at
F EE S SIIOO

NN N
OR R

AA
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RGB Pro SL 3600MHz DDR4 memory, Asus ROG Strix B550-E FESSIO workstation tasks.
SS
Gaming motherboard, Thermaltake Floe Riing 240 CPU cooler,
Corsair HX750 PSU, Cooler Master MasterCase H500M case, tom
ustom PP APPROVED
Windows 10 Professional 64-bit. cc us

CC
Approved products do a great job for the
money; they’re the canny purchase for a
GAME TESTS PP great PC setup.
DD
ROV E
AA

PP
Cyberpunk 2077 Tested at the Ultra quality preset and Medium ROV E
Ray Tracing preset if the GPU supports it. We run a custom tom
ustom PP
benchmark involving a 60-minute repeatable drive around Night us CUSTOM KIT
cc

CC

City, and record the 99th percentile and average frame rates For those gadgets and gizmos that really
I TI T
CC

from Nvidia FrameView. ST impress us, or that we can’t live without,

OM K
UU

ST
OM K there’s the Custom Kit award.
tom
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Tested at Ultra High settings with ustom PP
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resolution scaling set to 100 per cent. We run the game’s built-in
CUSTOM PC REALBENCH
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benchmark, and record the 99th percentile and average frame

XX

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R
R EE M E U LL
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TT

rates with Nvidia FrameView.

ME U
Our own benchmark suite, co-developed with Asus, is
to
st om P
Doom Eternal Tested at Ultra Nightmare settings, with resolution m P to gauge a PC’s performance in several key areas,
udesigned
us
cc

CC

scaling disabled. We run a custom benchmark in the opening using open source software.
EE
PP

AD
RR

level of the campaign, and record the 99th percentile and M

AD
EE

I U M G RR
MGIMP
average frame rates with Nvidia FrameView. This test requires a IU IMAGE EDITING
M G
minimum of 8GB of graphics card memory to run, so it can’t be Wetouse
m P GIMP to open and edit large images, heavily stressing
run on 6GB cards. usstom P core to gauge single-threaded performance. This
uone CPU
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test responds well to increases in CPU clock speed.

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Metro Exodus Tested at Ultra settings with no ray tracing and

R OR O

FE IO
NN

SS O
FHANDBRAKE
both Advanced PhysX and HairWorks disabled. We then test it ES SI H.264 VIDEO ENCODING
again with High ray tracing if the GPU supports it. We run the Our heavily multi-threaded Handbrake H.264 video encoding
game’s built-in benchmark, and report the 99th percentile and test takes full advantage of many CPU cores, pushing them to
average frame rates. 100 per cent load.

POWER CONSUMPTION LUXMARK OPENCL

We run Metro Exodus at This LuxRender-based test shows a GPU’s compute
Ultra settings with High performance. As this is a niche area, the result from this test
ray tracing at 2,560 x has just a quarter of the weighting of the other tests in the
1,440, and measure the final system score.
power consumption of our
whole graphics test rig at the HEAVY MULTI-TASKING
mains, recording the peak This test plays a full-screen 1080p video, while running a
power draw. Handbrake H.264 video encode in the background.

63
Elite Our choice of the best hardware available

Core component bundles

The fundamental specifications we recommend for various types of PC. Just add your preferred case and power supply, and double-check there’s
room in your case for your chosen components, especially the GPU cooler and graphics card. We’ve largely stopped reviewing power supplies, as
the 80 Plus certification scheme has now effectively eliminated unstable PSUs. Instead, we’ve recommended the wattage and minimum 80 Plus
certification you should consider for each component bundle. You can then choose whether you want a PSU with modular or captive cables.

Budget system with Entry-level RTX gaming

integrated graphics 6-core CPU, 1080p gaming
Needs a micro-ATX or ATX case.
Quad-core CPU, basic gaming We recommend a 500W 80 Plus power supply.
Needs a micro-ATX or ATX case.
We recommend a 350W 80 Plus power supply.
PRICE
COMPONENT NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
PRICE (inc VAT)
COMPONENT NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT)
Intel Core #215
CPU scan.co.uk £150
i5-11400F p16
AMD Ryzen 5 #194
CPU amazon.co.uk £250
3400G p20
ARCTIC #202
CPU COOLER scan.co.uk £18
Freezer 7 X p20

AMD Wraith air

#194 Nvidia GeForce #213
CPU COOLER cooler included N/A £0 GRAPHICS CARD overclockers.co.uk £699
with CPU p20 RTX 3060 p16

16GB (2 x8GB)
AMD Radeon Corsair
RX Vega 11 #194 Vengeance LPX #204
GRAPHICS CARD N/A £0 MEMORY scan.co.uk £91
integrated p20 Pro 3200MHz p74
into CPU (CMK16GX4M2Z
3200C16)

16GB (2 x8 GB) MSI MAG B560

Corsair #215
MOTHERBOARD Tomahawk WiFi scan.co.uk £170
Vengeance LPX #204 p18
MEMORY scan.co.uk £91 (ATX)
Pro 3200MHz p74
(CMK16GX4M2
Z3200C16) 500GB WD Blue
#204
STORAGE SN550 scan.co.uk £53
p24
(M.2 NVMe)
Asus TUF
B450M-Plus #204
MOTHERBOARD scan.co.uk £83
Gaming p74 Total £1,181
(micro-ATX)

UPGRADES
500GB WD Blue #204
STORAGE SN550 scan.co.uk £53
(M.2 NVMe) p24 AMD Radeon RX
SWAP #213
6700 XT (2,560 scan.co.uk £780
GRAPHICS CARD p19
x 1,440 gaming)

Total £477 1TB ADATA XPG

#215
SWAP STORAGE GAMMIX S50 cclonline.com £119
p43
Lite

64
2,560 x 1,440 Mid-range
gaming system gaming system
6-core CPU, 2,560 8-core CPU,
x 1,440 gaming
Needs an ATX case. We
2,560 x 1,440 and some 4K gaming
recommend a 550-600W Needs an ATX case with room for a 240mm all-in-one liquid
80 Plus Bronze power supply. cooler. We recommend a 750W 80 Plus Bronze power supply.
PRICE
COMPONENT NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT)
PRICE
COMPONENT NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT)
AMD Ryzen 7 #213
CPU scan.co.uk £389
5800X p44

Intel Core #213

CPU scan.co.uk £246
i5-11600K p49

Antec Neptune #204

CPU COOLER scan.co.uk £80
240 p16

Antec Neptune #204

CPU COOLER scan.co.uk £80
240 p16 #211
AMD Radeon RX
GRAPHICS CARD overclockers.co.uk £1,290
6800 XT p42

16GB (2 x 8GB)
AMD Radeon RX #213 Corsair
GRAPHICS CARD scan.co.uk £780 Vengeance RGB #210
6700 XT p19 MEMORY scan.co.uk £105
Pro 3600MHz p74
(CMW16GX4M
2Z3600C20)

16GB (2 x 8GB)
Corsair
Vengeance RGB #210 Asus ROG Strix #193
MEMORY scan.co.uk £105 MOTHERBOARD X570-E Gaming overclockers.co.uk £290
Pro 3600MHz p74 p44
(CMW16GX4M (ATX)*
2Z3600C20)

1TB ADATA XPG #215

STORAGE GAMMIX S50 cclonline.com £119
ASRock Z590 #213 p43
MOTHERBOARD scan.co.uk £276 Lite
PG Velocita p58

Total £2,273

1TB ADATA XPG #215

STORAGE GAMMIX S50 cclonline.com £119 UPGRADES
Lite p43

ADD SECONDARY Western Digital #166

overclockers.co.uk £80
STORAGE Blue 4TB p54

Total £1,606
Corsair H100i
SWAP CPU RGB Platinum #185
amazon.co.uk £125
UPGRADES COOLER (240mm AIO p82
liquid cooler)

ADD SECONDARY Western Digital

overclockers.co.uk
#166
£80 *This motherboard may require a BIOS update in order to
STORAGE Blue 4TB p54
recognise the new CPU.

65
E L I T E / THE BEST KIT

Core component bundles cont …

4K gaming system Content creation
8-core CPU, 4K gaming
system
Needs an ATX case with room for a 12-core CPU,
240mm all-in-one liquid cooler. We 2,560 x 1,440 gaming
recommend an 850W 80 Plus Gold
Needs an E-ATX case with room for a 280mm all-in-one liquid
power supply.
cooler. We recommend a 750W 80 Plus Gold power supply.
PRICE PRICE
COMPONENT NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE COMPONENT NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT) (inc VAT)

AMD Ryzen 9 #213

CPU scan.co.uk £530
5900X p45
AMD Ryzen 7 #213
CPU scan.co.uk £389
5800X p44
NZXT Kraken
X63 (280mm #207
CPU COOLER scan.co.uk £130
AIO liquid p47
cooler)
Corsair H100i
RGB Platinum #175
CPU COOLER amazon.co.uk £125
(240mm AIO p20 #213
AMD Radeon RX
liquid cooler) GRAPHICS CARD scan.co.uk £780
6700 XT p19

32GB (2 x 16GB)
Corsair
Dominator #210
AMD Radeon RX #212
GRAPHICS CARD scan.co.uk £1,500 MEMORY Platinum RGB scan.co.uk £175
6900 XT p44 p74
3600MHz
(CMW32GX4
M2D3600C18 )
16GB (2 x 8GB) MSI Prestige
Corsair #193
MOTHERBOARD X570 Creation overclockers.co.uk £440
Vengeance RGB #210 (E-ATX)* p48
MEMORY scan.co.uk £105
Pro 3600MHz p74
(CMW16GX4M
2Z3600C20) 2TB WD Black #215
STORAGE scan.co.uk £339
SN850 p49

Asus ROG Strix Total £2,394

#193
MOTHERBOARD X570-E Gaming overclockers.co.uk £290
p44
(ATX)*
UPGRADES

AMD Radeon RX
SWAP GRAPHICS #212
CARD
6900 XT scan.co.uk £1,500
p44
1TB WD Black #215 (4K gaming)
STORAGE scan.co.uk £185
SN850 p49

AMD Ryzen 9
5950X (16 cores #213
SWAP CPU scan.co.uk £740
Total £2,567 - more multi- p46
threaded power)

UPGRADES

ADD SECONDARY 4TB Western #166

ADD SECONDARY 4TB Western #166 STORAGE
overclockers.co.uk £80
overclockers.co.uk £80 Digital Blue p54
STORAGE Digital Blue p54

* This motherboard may require a BIOS update in order to * This motherboard may require a BIOS update in order to
recognise the new CPU recognise the new CPU

66
 Mini PCs
Our favourite components for building a micro-ATX or mini-ITX PC. Always double-check how much room is available in your chosen case
before buying your components. Some mini-ITX cases don’t have room for large all-in-one liquid coolers, for example, or tall heatsinks. You’ll
also need to check that there’s room for your chosen graphics card.

Mini-ITX Micro-ATX
Motherboards Motherboards
PRICE PRICE
CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT) (inc VAT)
Intel Z590 Gigabyte Z590I #214
scan.co.uk £270 Asus TUF
(LGA1200) Vision D p18 Budget AMD #204
B450M-Plus scan.co.uk £83
B450 (AM4) p74
Intel Z490 Asus ROG Strix #206 Gaming
scan.co.uk £275
(LGA1200) Z490-I Gaming p40

AMD B550 Asus ROG Strix #206 AMD B550 MSI MAG B550M #204
scan.co.uk £197 ebuyer.com £120
(AM4 budget) B550-I Gaming p44 (AM4) Mortar p42
AMD X570 Asus ROG Strix #198
scan.co.uk £270
(AM4 mid-range) X570-I Gaming p20
Cases
Cases CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
PRICE
(inc VAT)
PRICE
CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT) Fractal Design #180
BUDGET scan.co.uk £46
Cooler Master Focus G Mini p46
#206
ALL-PURPOSE MasterBox scan.co.uk £100
p18
NR200P Fractal Design #161
MID-RANGE scan.co.uk £75
Define Mini C p26
SilverStone #214
TOWER quietpc.com £95
LD03-AF p58

Networking
Streacom DA2 #214
PREMIUM quietpc.com £190
V2 p51

ATX cases CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE

PRICE
(inc VAT)

PRICE ROUTER TP-Link Archer #196

CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE overclockers.co.uk £280
(inc VAT) (WI-FI 6) AX6000 p57
Phanteks Eclipse #176
BUDGET overclockers.co.uk £48
P300 Glass p28
MESH ROUTER Asus AiMesh #196
amazon.co.uk £349
Antec DF700 #214 (WI-FI 6) AX6100 p54
BUDGET RGB scan.co.uk £70
FLUX p26

be quiet! Pure #202 TP-Link Archer #196

SUB-£100 scan.co.uk £99 WI-FI ADAPTOR overclockers.co.uk £60
Base 500DX p39 TX3000E p58
Fractal Design
#215
COMPACT Meshify 2 scan.co.uk £90
p20 # 200
Compact DUAL-BAY NAS
Synology DS220j box.co.uk £148
BOX p22
Fractal Design #212
HIGH AIRFLOW scan.co.uk £125
Meshify 2 p45

Phanteks Eclipse #202 DUAL-BAY Synology #174

MID-RANGE overclockers.co.uk £139 box.co.uk £207
P600S p44 MEDIA NAS BOX DS218play p34
Fractal Design #204
SUB-£150 overclockers.co.uk £140
Define 7 p18 2.5 GIGABIT #212
Phanteks Enthoo #187 DUAL-BAY QNAP TS-231P3 ebuyer.com £275
PREMIUM overclockers.co.uk £215 NAS BOX p25
Evolv X p24

67
E L I T E / THE BEST KIT

F = FREESYNC, G = G-SYNC, W = ULTRAWIDE

Monitors
Up to 25in Over 28in
PRICE PRICE
CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE (inc VAT) CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT)
24IN, 144HZ, IPS, #214
AOC 24G2U box.co.uk £176 31.5IN, 60HZ, VA, iiyama ProLite #205
1,920 X 1,080, F, G p28 scan.co.uk £370
4K, F XB3288UHSU p43
25IN, 240HZ, IPS, Acer Predator #209
amazon.co.uk £299
1,920 X 1,080, F, G XB253Q p57 32IN, 165HZ, VA, #214
Dell S3220DGF amazon.co.uk £399
25IN, 360HZ, IPS, Asus ROG Swift #212 2,560 X 1,440, F, G p28
overclockers.co.uk £699
1,920 X 1,080, F, G PG259QN p20 34IN, 144HZ, VA, #215
Cooler Master
3,440 X 1,440, W, ebuyer.com £549
GM34-CW

Up to 28in
F, G p30
iiyama #206
34IN, 144HZ, IPS,
G-Master cclonline.com £430
3,440 X 1,440, W, F p53
PRICE GB3461WQSU
CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT) 34IN, 144HZ, IPS,
LG UltraGear #206
3,440 X 1,440, W, currys.co.uk £799
34GN850 p55
27IN, 144HZ, IPS, #201 F, G
AOC 27G2U overclockers.co.uk £210
1,920 X 1,080, F, G p53 38IN, 144HZ, IPS, #208
LG UltraGear
3,840 X 1,600, W, currys.co.uk £1,499
38GN950 p30
Asus TUF F, G, HDR
27IN, 240HZ, IPS, #209
Gaming scan.co.uk £349 35IN, 200HZ, VA, #198
1,920 X 1,080, F, G p60 Asus ROG Swift
VG279QM 3,440 X 1,440, scan.co.uk £2,389
PG35VQ p58
W, G, HDR
27IN, 144HZ, IPS, Asus TUF #201
overclockers.co.uk £429
2,560 X 1,440, F, G Gaming VG27AQ

Non-gaming
p54

27IN, 240HZ, TN, #202

AOC AG273QZ overclockers.co.uk £480
2,560 X 1,440, F, G p27 PRICE
CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT)
27IN, 240HZ, IPS, Alienware #212 27IN, 75HZ, IPS, #210
dell.com £685 LG 27QN880 ebuyer.com £395
2,560 X 1,440, F, G AW2721D p21 2,560 X 1,440, F p26

Peripherals and audio

Gaming keyboards Gaming mice
PRICE NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE PRICE
CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE CATEGORY
(inc VAT) (inc VAT)
#201 Corsair M55 RGB #200
MEMBRANE Corsair K55 RGB amazon.co.uk £45 BUDGET GAMING amazon.co.uk £35
p45 Pro p24
BUDGET TKL HyperX Alloy #201 Glorious PC
amazon.co.uk £90 #215
MECHANICAL FPS Pro p46 FIRST-PERSON
Gaming Race box.co.uk £50
SHOOTER p57
#181 Model O
MECHANICAL Corsair K68 RGB amazon.co.uk £120
p53
Razer Naga #186
OPTICAL Asus ROG Strix #209 MMO amazon.co.uk £80
overclockers.co.uk £125 Trinity p52
ESPORTS Scope RX p43
MECHANICAL Corsair K95 RGB #164 #215
scan.co.uk £185 AMBIDEXTROUS Razer Viper 8K currys.co.uk £80
MMO Platinum p26 p59

PREMIUM Corsair K70 #193 Corsair Dark Core #202

scan.co.uk £150 WIRELESS amazon.co.uk £95
MECHANICAL Mk.2 Low Profile p56 RGB Pro p25
Razer
PREMIUM TKL Corsair K70 RGB #214 PREMIUM #210
scan.co.uk £140 Deathadder scan.co.uk £126
MECHANICAL TKL p31 WIRELESS p28
V2 Pro
LUXURY Ducky Shine 7 #212 ULTRA #211
overclockers.co.uk £175 Roccat Burst Pro scan.co.uk £48
MECHANICAL RGB p53 LIGHTWEIGHT p28
LUXURY Razer #213
#208 PREMIUM Logitech G Pro X
WIRELESS BlackWidow V3 scan.co.uk £180 currys.co.uk £159
p60 LIGHTWEIGHT Superlight p22
MECHANICAL Pro

68
 Peripherals and audio cont …
Game controllers Gaming headsets
PRICE PRICE
CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT) (inc VAT)

Logitech G29 #202 #210

RACING WHEEL currys.co.uk £269 BUDGET STEREO Roccat Elo X Stereo scan.co.uk £40
Driving Force p50 p56
Epos | Sennheiser #210
STEREO amazon.co.uk £68
GSP 300 p54
Microsoft Xbox One #191
GAMEPAD currys.co.uk £50 Corsair Virtuoso #204
Wireless Controller p56 WIRELESS ebuyer.com £160
RGB Wireless p50
PREMIUM Razer BlackShark #211
overclockers.co.uk £180
BUDGET FLIGHT Logitech Extreme #207 WIRELESS V2 Pro p26
currys.co.uk £40
STICK 3D Pro Joystick p52

FLIGHT STICK
Thrustmaster
T.16000M FCS scan.co.uk
#207
£150
Speakers
p56 PRICE
HOTAS CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT)

Non-gaming keyboards
#192
STEREO Edifier R1280DB amazon.co.uk £120
p57

PRICE
CATEGORY NAME SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT)
#203
WIRELESS MULTI-DEVICE Logitech K780 currys.co.uk £70
p58
#208
WIRELESS TKL MECHANICAL Keychron K2 Version 2 keyboardco.com £84
p57
Filco Majestouch Convertible 2 #203
TKL MECHANICAL keyboardco.com £140
Tenkeyless p55

PCs and laptops

Pre-built PC systems
PRICE
CATEGORY NAME CPU GPU SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT)
#214
6-CORE GAMING PC Specialist Torva Elite R AMD Ryzen 5 5600X AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT pcspecialist.co.uk £1,349
p36
#215
MINI-ITX GAMING Chillblast Fusion Diablo AMD Ryzen 5 5600X AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT chillblast.com £1,949
p34
Nvidia GeForce RTX #209
8-CORE RTX 3080 GAMING PC Specialist Obsidian I Intel Core i7-10700KF pcspecialist.co.uk £2,164
3080 p40
Nvidia GeForce RTX #209
WATER-COOLED 12-CORE GAMING Scan 3XS Absorbere AMD Ryzen 9 5900X scan.co.uk £5,818
3090 p46
Intel Core i9-10980XE Nvidia GeForce RTX #145
DREAM PC Scan 3XS Barracuda scan.co.uk £14,868
OC to 4.3GHz 3090 p58

Laptops
PRICE
CATEGORY NAME CPU GPU SCREEN SUPPLIER ISSUE
(inc VAT)
Gigabyte Aorus 15G Intel Core i7-10870H Nvidia GeForce RTX 15.6in 1,920 x 1,080 #213
RTX GAMING overclockers.co.uk £1,799
XC stock speed 3070 IPS 240Hz p30
PREMIUM RTX Intel Core i9-10980HK Nvidia GeForce RTX 17.3in 1,920 x 1,080 #215
Alienware m17 R4 dell.co.uk £3,499
GAMING stock speed 3080 IPS 360Hz p32

69
 Games
R I C K L A N E / INVERSE LOOK

SKILL CHECK
Skill trees have become omnipresent in video games, but
Rick Lane argues that they aren’t always what they seem

kill trees and upgrade systems used to be limited to unlocks will increase health by ten points, decrease cooldowns
S RPGs, but they’ve become staples of nearly all modern
games, from massive open-world games such as
by five seconds and make your attacks 2 per cent faster. It
will focus on incremental stat increases that are entirely
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, to shooters such as Doom Eternal. passive, thereby requiring no additional animations or new
Even Crusader Kings III has a skill tree that lets you manually mechanical features to function. There’s a sense of improving
upgrade your dynasty. your character, without actually altering how the game plays.
Skill trees and upgrade systems are a useful way to mediate Recent examples include Outriders and Cyberpunk 2077,with
player-progression, especially as games have grown larger the latter being a particularly egregious example. Cyberpunk’s
and more interactively diverse. They demonstrate the extent 2077’s upgrade system is enormous, with 12 different skill
of what a game’s systems have to offer, while also providing trees, each with around 20 different upgrades. Yet nearly all
regular progression breadcrumbs to of the available upgrades are passive,
keep players engaged. At least, that’s the Essentially, they’re skill-based incremental stat increases, with some
idea, but it isn’t always the case. Some adjusting those stats by as little as 3
games include skill trees out of a sense slot machines, cynically per cent. It’s almost impossible for a
of obligation, while others use them designed to keep you playing player to interpret what difference 7
to mislead the player about a game’s per cent damage to limbs will make to
actual depth. by giving you a token reward their experience.
In general, a good upgrade system Cyberpunk was released in a clearly
dedicates itself towards not only improving your character’s unfinished state, so it’s not unreasonable to wonder whether
stats, but also increasing the tools at your disposal and altering this massive yet shallow skill tree was designed to deliberately
the way you play the game. Every new ability you unlock in conceal the game’s lacks of mechanical and interactive depth.
Dishonored, for example, adds dramatically to your character’s This is where skill trees become problematic, because they
tool-set. Here, your abilities let you slow down time, possess can easily be designed to suggest a wealth of opportunities,
enemies and even link enemies together so that what happens when those ‘unlocks’ really exist primarily for the sake of
to one happens to them all. Upgrading those abilities also unlocking them.
changes how they work. For example, upgrading Possession Essentially, they’re skill-based slot machines, cynically
lets you possess different beings, from rats to humans. designed to keep you playing by giving you a token reward
In short, a good upgrade system clearly demonstrates how for pushing a button. This kind of design is increasingly rife in
its upgrades affect the way you play. A bad upgrade system gaming, and if we get better at identifying it, we’ll get better
will invest heavily in abstract numbers and percentages. Its games in the long run.

Rick Lane is Custom PC’s games editor @Rick_Lane

70
Oddworld: Soulstorm / £39.99 inc VAT

DEVELOPER Oddworld Inhabitants, Fat Kraken Studio, Sabotage Studio, Just Add Water and Frima Studio/ PUBLISHER Oddworld Inhabitants

O
ddworld Soulstorm isn’t bad, but it is a bad remake. to roughly the same number of hours of play. The opening EXODDUS
This ‘reimagining’ of Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus levels are also the least visually pleasing, placing a heavy + Looks (mostly)
removes much of what made the original game emphasis on brown and grey. good

unique and interesting, replacing it with flashy visuals and The real issue, however, is that this glitzy spectacle comes + Impressive level
design
needless gimmickry. at the cost of Oddworld’s distinctive personality. For starters,
Soulstorm rebuilds Exoddus from the ground up, there’s no fart button, a staple of the series since its inception.
completely changing the levels, mechanics and story. But the real loss is Exoddus’ emotionally driven Mudokons. SOULSTORM
Starting with the latter, the tale still revolves around the In the original game, Abe’s companions could be angry, sad - Extremely slow
start
Soulstorm brew and how it poisons Abe’s fellow Mudokons. or energised, all of which affected their behaviours and the
However, the story’s structure has been reshuffled, with resulting puzzles. This, along with much of Exoddus’ more - Missing Exoddus’
best features
Hollywood-budget cutscenes and action-driven set- nuanced gamespeak, has been discarded completely.
pieces added. Indeed, the game commences with a frantic Meanwhile, Soulstorm adds crafting into the game’s - Insipid crafting
system
evacuation of the Mudokon homeland as it’s assaulted by precision-focused puzzle-platforming. Alongside jumping,
Glukkon forces, with Abe’s tribe running for the hills as their sneaking, possessing enemies and rescuing Mudokons, Abe
camp is bombarded from above. can combine ingredients found in the world to create various
Visually, Soulstorm is undeniably impressive. The items, ranging from smoke grenades to exploding soda cans.
elaborate level design is excellent, playing with perspective Sadly, the crafting fails to add much to the Oddworld
and distance in clever ways and featuring breathtaking formula, while actively detracting from the experience. The /VERDICT
looping and twisting pathways. The levels are also much crafting is so simplistic it might as well not be included – it A disappointing
longer than previously, although it takes four or five of amounts to gathering resources from the immediate area, remake of
Soulstorm’s 15 levels for it to get going, which translates then pressing a button to make the relevant object. Abe’s Exoddus,
Soulstorm trades
What’s more, because Soulstorm uses a checkpoint
personality for
save system, whenever you die you have to collect all those bombast and
ingredients again. Anyone who has played an Oddworld comes off worse
game before will know that you die frequently, so this for it.
system adds an extra level of frustration.
Abe’s Exoddus was developed in just nine months. OVERALL SCORE

60%
Soulstorm, by comparison, took six years. The result is far
prettier and considerably longer, but ultimately a worse
game. Bigger isn’t necessarily better.
RICK LANE

71
 G A M E S / REVIEWS

Outriders / £49.99 inc VAT

DEVELOPER People Can Fly / PUBLISHER Square Enix

O
utriders is a game at war with itself, a looter- It relentlessly throws story points in which you have no
shooter where neither the looting nor the shooting investment at you, with seemingly major characters
are what make it worth playing. Developed by killed off before they have time to state their names. At
People Can Fly, creator of Bulletstorm, Outriders’ structure the same time, it’s reluctant to let you play, only allowing
seems focus-tested to be as generically appealing as intermittent control that’s regularly snatched away for
possible. However, it also has a rebellious streak, and a cover more plot exposition.
system that it doesn’t want you to use. It’s a weird, expensive Mercifully, once the intro is over, Outriders settles
mess that somehow comes together and just about works. into a much steadier flow. The broad goal is to meld the
It doesn’t look like it will swing that way at first though. cover shooting of Gears of War with the incremental loot
Taking place after the destruction of Earth, Outriders begins harvesting of games such as Destiny and The Division.
with the arrival of the generation ship Flores at a nameless, Your adventures across Outriders’ planet are split between
biologically verdant planet selected as humanity’s new 20 large, semi-open levels, each of which has a primary
home. You play as one of the titular Outriders, the Flores’ objective and several optional secondary missions. All these
special scout force tasked with paving the way for the involve shooting large numbers of enemies before stealing
OUTRIDERS colony’s establishment. their trousers, which are usually slightly better than your
However, a combination of bureaucratic foolishness current pair of trousers.
+ Excellent and a hostile, anomalous weather system destroys all the In both areas, Outriders is fine, but totally unremarkable.
character classes
colonists’ electrical systems and obliterates their efforts at While loot becomes rather more exotic later in the game, for
+ Spectacular,
bloody combat settlement, while your character is placed into cryostasis
+ More interesting after being wounded by the anomaly.
than it initially Defrosted 30 years later, your character awakens to
seems
discover the surviving colonists have split into two warring
factions, battling over meagre supplies in a tiny valley where
OUTSIDERS they’re safe from the anomaly. Fortunately, the anomaly has
- Confused and given you superpowers, and you’re promptly tasked with
tedious opening
finding a way to reconnect with the orbiting Flores, retrieving
- Loot takes a long supplies that will hopefully end the conflict.
time to get
interesting All this is communicated to you in the space of half
an hour, mostly through cutscenes. This makes for an
- Nothing massively
new introduction that feels simultaneously rushed and overlong.

72
at least the first ten hours, you’ll be fighting with drab pieces ability to kill enemies as quickly as possible and not be
of military equipment that you’ll often struggle to distinguish pinned down, making every encounter tactical, thrilling and
from each other. The combat system, meanwhile, is ripped spectacular. Trapping an enemy in a time bubble before
straight from Gears of War (People Can Fly previously stepping around their bullets to slice them with the temporal
worked on Gears of War Judgment). blade makes for a stunning display of cobalt-blue effects.
The most notable aspect of the gunplay is that it’s a lot Also, while the story is initially a confused mess, it
gorier than other looter-shooters, with heads bursting and eventually untangles those knots into a capable sci-fi yarn,
intestines falling out of enemies like a string of sausages balancing a pulpy, knockabout tone with a ruthless tendency
out of an overloaded plastic bag. This makes combat more to kill off characters when you least expect it. Similarly, after
viscerally satisfying than relying solely on numbers falling a rather bizarre initial obsession with World War I-style
out of enemies for damage feedback, but it doesn’t exactly landscapes, Outriders’ locations become more interesting.
make Outriders an essential purchase. You’ll traverse icy mountains, forests of giant trees and a
What does elevate Outriders above mediocrity is its sprawling shanty town built in the shadow of a wrecked
character classes. Your anomalous superpowers can be spaceship engine.
channelled into four different fighting styles. You could Yet while Outriders is better than you might expect, it still
become a Technomancer – a magical sniper who can isn’t a great game. Although environments may be varied,
conjure gun turrets and other equipment onto the battlefield. the level design is largely uniform. Combat arenas feel
Alternatively, you could be a Pyromancer (mid-range fire samey, and it’s only the character abilities that prevent fights
starter) or a Devastator (close-range tank built to absorb from becoming achingly repetitive. Indeed, the game often
huge amounts of damage and reflect it back at enemies). struggles to imbue variation into the combat.
Our favourite class, however, is the Trickster. The Trickster There are too few enemy types for the game’s size
is a hit and run character with the ability to manipulate time. as well, and although your character gains a new ability /VERDICT
Their powers include the ability to teleport instantly behind every few levels, you can only ever use three of them at A solid slice
of cooperative
an enemy, to create a slow-time field through which both once. Meanwhile, the skill tree is geared mostly towards
gunfighting with
enemies and bullets move as if passing through treacle, and incremental stat boosts rather than altering the functions of just enough
to hit them with a ‘temporal blade’ that rapidly ages them like abilities or general combat. surprises to make
the baddie in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. These are Outriders isn’t going to revolutionise gaming, but while it’s it worth playing.
combined with a passive ability, where the Trickster can heal less radical than some of People Can Fly’s previous efforts, it
themselves by killing enemies at close range. still holds some surprises. Its character classes are excellent, OVERALL SCORE
The Trickster transforms Outriders’ combat from its story is better than it initially seems, and both the shooting
crouching behind walls to a Doom Eternal-like rampage
of zipping around the battlefield using enemies as meaty
health dispensers. You gamble your survival on your
and looting are robust enough that they don’t detract from
the game’s more exciting systems.
RICK LANE
70%
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 G A M E S / REVIEWS

SPACEBASE
STARTOPIA / £45.99 inc VAT

DEVELOPER Realmforge Studios / PUBLISHER Kalypso Media

STARTOPIA
A
reboot of the 2004 management sim named medical services, security operations and rubbish recycling.
+ Base building simply ‘Startopia’, Spacebase Startopia dedicates Above this is the fun deck, where you build space discos,
basics are
enjoyable
itself to recreating the look, feel and mechanics of amusement arcades and an alien cat café. At the top of the
the original game. Unfortunately, this means it fails to evolve station resides the biosphere, which grows various resources
+ Looks good the concept of managing your own space station your station needs.
meaningfully, while also retaining and exacerbating the Constructing and expanding your base is fun, and although
DYSTOPIA problems that prevented Startopia from becoming a classic. the visual design lacks the consistency and precision of
- No new ideas While managing your own space station is Startopia’s Evil Genius 2, there are some loving details baked into
- Underwhelming premise, in practice you only ever manage part of it. The giant the simulation. Your alien guests will physically climb into
simulation metal doughnut that forms the game map is split into multiple sleeping pods, and recoil when examining the medicine
- Annoying segments, and you start inside only one of them. From provided at the space doctor. The way your mobile bins vomit
micromanagement
here, you must design the perfect intergalactic motorway up rubbish at the recycling facility is a particularly neat touch.
- Disastrous services, constructing an array of practical and recreational Sadly, new features are few and far between, and
humour
establishments catering for an array of alien species. although the simulation looks good, it lacks depth. There’s
What separates Startopia from other management sims is little meaningful interaction between you and the aliens, or
the structure of the station. Alongside the multiple segments, between different species of alien. Moreover, the reboot fails
the station has three different decks, each geared towards to address Startopia’s existing issues, particularly when it
a different function. In the station’s bowels is the utility deck, comes to tedious micromanagement. Manually collecting
/VERDICT providing basic habitation for vacationing aliens, alongside rubbish, squashing vermin and dealing with space pirate
If you need the incursions are all rudimentary busywork – they only distract
loo and see you from the fact that there isn’t much going on beneath
Spacebase Startopia’s hull.
Startopia looming Startopia’s biggest problem, however, it its risible attempt at
in the headlights,
humour. This takes the form of an AI companion who directly
cross your legs
and hold it in and constantly insults the player, deriding their capability as
for the next few a manager and generally being unpleasant. There’s no wit or
light years. variation to the jokes, just an incessant barrage of putdowns
that isn’t funny and ultimately makes you want to stop playing.
OVERALL SCORE At its best, Spacebase Startopia is an uninspired but
innocuous throwback. At its worst, it’s a tedious and actively

40% unpleasant experience. In other words, not that much

different from using an actual motorway service station.
RICK LANE

74
 tom P
us

C
TRIALS OF FIRE/ £15.49 inc VAT
PP

D
ROV E

A
DEVELOPER Whatboy Games / PUBLISHER Whatboy Games

P
resented as a virtual storybook, cracking the spine battlefield costs ‘willpower’, and the main way to accrue TRIAL OF FIRE
of Trials of Fire will see you select three brave willpower is to sacrifice cards. Consequently, every turn +uSs topresented
martly mP
adventurers and one of several quests on which to requires you to make tough decisions about which cards + Clever card-

C
send them. Travelling across a procedurally generated map, to use or burn. sacrificing mechanic
your heroic trio must complete a sequence of objectives More powerful cards cost more willpower to use, while + Impressive tactical
scattered across the game’s blighted landscape. As you there are other cards that provide free actions or even add range and depth

IT
CU
travel, you’ll need to regularly search secondary locations willpower to the pool when played. The board-state can
ST
for food and equipment to upgrade your abilities. affect your decisions as well. If your warrior is out of melee TRIAL BY OM K
Arriving at any location will trigger an encounter (a story range, for example, you might be better spending your ORDEAL
vignette picked randomly and presented through text). willpower on your hunter’s ranged attacks. - Quests and
tom P
characters lack
Each encounter must be resolved with a series of choices.
Some will require a skill check, while others will result in a
Then again, if you have multiple characters adjacent to
an enemy, attacking that enemy will trigger a combo strike, c uspersonality

C
battle. If the latter occurs, the game switches to a hex-based dealing additional damage. Alternatively, then, you could

A
battlefield map with both heroes and enemies represented spend those cards moving both your warrior and hunter into
EXT

as board game-style counters. On your turn, each character melee range, then using your remaining willpower on one big

TR
draws three cards from their deck, all of which will be used melee strike. RE L
during the turn. The broader design is built to fuel this combat system. ME U
Used, but not necessarily played. Trials of Fire’s most Despite being both turn-based and card-based, the combat
important mechanic is that cards act both as powers and feels excellent. Your hunter’s arrows thud into enemy
tom P
resources. Playing cards and moving counters across the counters, which explode when defeated. Levelling up and
finding new equipment unlocks more powerful cards and us
c

new party characters, both of which enable greater flexibility

/VERDICT
E

with your deck. You’ll unlock cards that boost your armour
PRE

Trials of Fire
AD

when you move, plus cards that steal cards from enemies
ticks all the
M
IUM GR
and cards that add more cards into your hand. The deck’s boxes of its
diversity is remarkable. broad conceptual
The only real negative is that the quests are a little staid. checklist.
Individual encounters are interesting, but the broader arcs
tom P
aren’t that engaging, while your characters lack personality
outside of battle. Otherwise, however, Trials of Fire is a finely us
OVERALL SCORE

85%
c

stitched mesh of different ideas, presented in a way that

even card game sceptics will find hard to resist.
AL
PR

RICK LANE

FE
SSIO
N
O

75
G A M E S / VIRTUAL REALITY

REALITY
CHECK
Rick Lane clambers
up some virtual
landscapes and checks
out the latest Oculus
Quest 2 software in his
latest VR roundup

NEWS REVIEW
RESIDENT EVIL 4 COMING THE CLIMB 2 /
TO OCULUS QUEST 2 £22.99 inc VAT
Like Doom and Skyrim, Resident Evil 4 shooters, with manual aiming and DEVELOPER Crytek/ PUBLISHER Crytek
seems destined to exist on every platform. reloading. Weapons will be holstered on
Even so, the announcement that this classic the player’s virtual body, meaning you won’t Released in 2016, The Climb was a unique VR
survival horror is coming to Oculus Quest 2 have to rummage through your inventory experience that acted as a fantastic showcase
still came as a surprise. to equip your shotgun. It even adds dual- for the technology. Inevitably, The Climb 2
Developed by Armature Games wielded weapons, which aren’t featured in can’t replicate the same ‘wow’ moments of
with Capcom’s input, it’s by no means a any previous versions of the game. the original, but it’s nonetheless a smart and
straightforward port. The Quest 2 version Positional audio is also being added to substantial iteration over its predecessor.
of Resident Evil 4 is being significantly Resident Evil 5, in order to help you keep The Climb 2 doesn’t add any radical new
retooled into a proper VR game. Unlike all track of off-screen enemies, while Capcom features – the core experience is still largely
other versions of the game, the Quest 2 has stated that over 4,500 textures have the same as the first game. Its globetrotting
version will be played in first person with been repainted, presumably to make the adventure comprises 15 different levels, each
fully optimised touch controls. 16-year-old game look sharper in VR. You of which tasks you with ascending a complex
Weapons and ammo are being can expect Resident Evil 4 to launch for VR vertical route. Using your Touch controllers,
redesigned to function like other VR later this year. you climb by moving your hands to different
handholds, using the controllers’ bespoke
‘grip’ buttons to grab hold, before ‘pulling’
yourself up.
In this way, you must carefully navigate
sheer faces, shimmy across ledges and
scramble up precipitous overhangs, all while
picking the correct handholds and monitoring
your grip to prevent you from falling.
The Climb 2’s most notable addition is two
new environment types – North and City. The
former transports you to an Arctic-like region
where you clamber frigid waterfalls and
icicle-lined crevasses, while confused polar
bears and puffins watch from the sidelines.
However, it’s City that represents the biggest

76
 NEWS
QUEST 2 V28
Normally we wouldn’t cover a software
tom P
us update in Reality Check, but the v28 update
for Oculus Quest 2 is a biggie. It adds a
c

C whole bunch of new and experimental

features for Oculus’ latest headset, some of
which have potentially radical implications
PP for your VR experience.
D

ROV E
A

The most notable addition is Oculus Air

Link, an experimental feature that lets you
change to the game. Mantling around City’s 2’s limited hardware. That said, it can still pair your headset with your PC via Wi-Fi,
tom P
glittering skyscrapers introduces several new
environmental features, such as ziplines, us
struggle to render far-off vistas. This may
be a consequence of overzealous foveated
then stream VR games directly from your
PC to the headset. While there are third-
c

scaffolding and revolving ‘trivision’ billboards. rendering, which maximises rendering detail party programs that already let you do that,
These new locations are mixed with the at the focus of your eye, while lowering detail this is Oculus’ official system for wireless
three existing environments – Canyon, Bay at the periphery. This works great when PC-to-VR gaming.
IT
CU

and Alps, all of which have had significant

ST
you’re facing the walls themselves, but In addition, v28 adds several new
redesigns to make their climbing more OM K
results in the fringes of the game’s panoramic features bundled under the title Infinite
diverse. Each climbing challenge has multiple views looking fuzzy. Office, which are designed to let you
routes you can explore, some of which are This is our only substantial complaint about perform more everyday tasks in VR. One
tom P
more dangerous than others. At times you’ll
need to leap across perilous gaps, or deal us
The Climb 2. It isn’t a significant leap forward
for Crytek’s virtual climbing series, but it does
of them lets you scan your desk and bring
it into VR, while another lets you track
c

with loose handholds and rickety ladders that more than enough to justify itself as a sequel your keyboard in VR, combining a 3D
can break away if you linger too long. There to one of the most unusual and rewarding VR representation of your keyboard with the
A
EXT

are even handholds that you have to clean games around. Quest’s built-in hand-tracking, so you can
TR

with a sweep of your hand first. RE L type accurately without having to remove
The Climb 2 also strives to improve CLIMB FALL ME U the headset. Initially, this latter feature will
general immersion. Handholds are more + More diverse locations - Some issues rendering only be compatible with the Logitech K380,
distant objects
subtly baked into the environment, lending + Multiple pathways but Oculus plans to expand compatibility to
t om
us P
a more natural feel to your climbing. Levels per level other keyboards over time.
are also filled with little details designed to + More nuanced climbing Finally, v28 adds support for 120Hz
c

capitalise on the stereoscopic 3D effect, such environments refresh rates, although currently there
E

as curious animals watching you from nearby are no apps that officially support it, so
PRE

VERDICT
AD

ledges, or jets flying past you at eye level OVERALL SCORE this is very much a feature for the future.
The Climb 2 is a fine
M
IUM GR
while you climb. Nonetheless, v28 represents a significant

80%
sequel to one of
For the most part, The Climb 2 is a visual VR’s best games. expansion of the Quest 2’s capabilities,
treat, eking an impressive amount of putting it even further out front as the best
detail out of the Oculus Quest and Quest all-round headset.
tom P
us
c

77
L
P
 F E AT U R E / CUSTOMISATION

BUILD A

BETTER PC
GIVE YOUR PC A PROFESSIONAL TOUCH WITH OUR TOP TIPS
ANTONY LEATHER SHARES HIS TOP TIPS AND TRICKS FOR PERFECTING YOUR PC BUILDING SKILLS

W
ith PCs consisting of just a handful of Not doing so can make for an unpleasant We’ve got plenty of experience in PC
components, you’d be forgiven for PC building experience and future problems. building here at Custom PC, and in this guide
thinking that putting them all Each step of the PC building process has been we’ll give you the tools to make your PC run as
together in the right order and installing honed over decades by enthusiasts, from cool and quiet as possible, look great and even
Windows is all you need to do to build a great picking the right components and limiting cable run faster. We’ve split this guide into several
PC. However, you’d also be very wrong. A huge clutter, to applying thermal paste and ensuring individual tips covering various aspects of PC
part of being a proper PC enthusiast is about cooling is up to scratch without making too building, so you can pick and choose the ones
taking pride in your creation and understanding much noise. There’s a wealth of tips and tricks that apply to your PC, tweak your existing build
the basics of crucial factors such as cooling and to get the very best out of your PC and ensure or use the information when you’re building a
airflow direction. it’s running as smoothly as possible. whole system from scratch.

78
BEFORE YOU START with pads on the CPU, while AMD CPUs have Secondly, make sure you remove your CPU
There are two steps when it comes to building delicate, bendable pins on the underside of the cooler’s protective cover. CPU coolers often
your PC that have the potential to seriously ruin processors – both sets of pins are incredibly come equipped with a plastic film on their
your day before you’ve even played a game, so easy to damage. underside to prevent the metal tarnishing
we’ll start by highlighting them and what steps When installing an Intel CPU, leave the or being scratched. This will kill its cooling
you can take to avoid making these mistakes. socket cap in place, open the latch and move capability if you leave it on, and it’s easy to
Firstly, be careful when installing your CPU. the CPU over the socket from a low height. forget, so remove it when you unbox the
Both AMD and Intel systems suffer from a This way, if you drop it you stand a chance of cooler. It’s all too easy to leave it on – even the
singular problem in slightly different ways, and not damaging the motherboard pins. Close best of us have done it at some point.
they both revolve around pins. Intel sockets the latch and allow the cap to pop off itself, so
have highly delicate pins that make contact the socket is protected for as long as possible.

Leave the plastic cap on the lid at first, so the socket Make sure you remove your CPU cooler’s protective
pins are exposed for the shortest amount of time cover before fitting it

HOW TO APPLY
CPUs, which have enormous heatspreaders.
Here, a large cross method of applying paste,
followed by dots or lines in the gaps to fill
them works best, a bit like drawing a Union

THERMAL PASTE
Jack flag.
There’s very little performance difference
between pastes these days, but we’ve
regularly used ARCTIC MX-4, Corsair XTM,
Noctua NT-H1, Gelid GC- Extreme and
Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut, and can
The key factor to remember with thermal paste, though, and it’s best to use slightly vouch for their performance. Many coolers
paste is that only applying too little will have different techniques for different sizes of come with paste pre-applied, but it’s always
any significant effect on cooling. Pastes that CPU heatspreader. handy to have spare paste in case you want
spread easily, and are quite liquid-like, can For Intel’s mainstream desktop CPUs, a to swap coolers or CPUs in the future.
spread evenly using just the pressure of the single thin line of paste from top to bottom
cooler – you just need to put a blob of paste in in the middle of the heatspreader will
the middle of your CPU that’s about the size consistently allow the paste to spread evenly.
of a grain of rice, and the pressure from the For AMD Ryzen and Intel high-end desktop
clamping mechanism will do the rest. CPUs, which both have larger heatspreaders,
Thicker, dryer pastes don’t spread as readily, a cross shape with thin lines of paste is
and while these are rare, the grain-of-rice best, allowing for an equal spread of paste
method can see these pastes fail to spread under pressure.
For the best results, apply thermal paste in
evenly in the gap between your CPU and Finally, the largest CPUs you’ll come across different shapes depending on the size of
cooler. There are better ways to spread the as a PC enthusiast are AMD’s Threadripper your CPU’s heatspreader

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 F E AT U R E / CUSTOMISATION

CHOOSE THE RIGHT your fans don’t need to spin up as regularly,

as the heatsink will absorb the heat from your
CPU first – the bigger the heatsink, the longer

CPU COOLER
this takes to happen. Secondly, with bigger
heat dissipation potential, cooling heavily
overclocked CPUs with more than eight cores
becomes easier and quieter.
This level of cooling should be the starting
point for the likes of AMD’s Ryzen 9 5950X,
Threadripper CPUs and Intel’s high-end
desktop CPUs. The downside is that these
massive air coolers with large heatsinks and
dual fans can cost as much as some all-in-one
liquid coolers.
All-in-one liquid coolers have several
benefits over CPU air coolers. They’re able to
offer more efficient cooling by dealing with
thinner heatsinks in the form of radiators, and
these radiators can be positioned so they
expel the warm air directly out of your case
instead of into it, which is what otherwise
happens with an air cooler.
The cooler supplied with some CPUs will handle An ARCTIC Freezer 7X offers more cooling power They’re also able to deal with the heat more
your CPU at stock speed, but not overclocked than a stock cooler, and at lower noise levels effectively at the source as well, with water
having a higher heat capacity than air. The
Some CPUs come with coolers in the retail acceptable amount of cooling for any given downsides are that some liquid coolers can be
box, which are designed to handle that CPU CPU, and many offer advice on which of their noisy, especially where pumps are concerned,
at stock speed. If you plan on overclocking coolers cope with specific CPUs, so that’s a there are more points of failure and they’re
your CPU, which makes it run hotter, that stock great place to start. comparatively expensive.
cooler can quickly become overwhelmed. This ARCTIC’s Freezer 7X and Freezer 13X,
is where third-party coolers come in, offering for example, are great for cooling 4-core or
more cooling power while often making less 6-core CPUs, but fitting them to CPUs with
noise. Even a relatively affordable cooler, such eight or more cores (from either Intel or AMD)
as the ARCTIC Freezer 7X or 13X, offers far can result in the fans needing to really spin up
more cooling power than a stock cooler, and at under heavy loads, which defeats the point
lower noise levels. of spending more money on a cooler. This
Picking the right cooler for your CPU can be limit is only due to its size and small number
tricky though. One of the metrics to see how of heatpipes.
much heat your CPU produces is its thermal Stepping up to a Deepcool Gammax GTE
design power (TDP), which is quoted by CPU V2 gets you a larger fan and heatsink for
manufacturers, specifying the thermal energy greater heat dissipation, resulting in a cooler
in watts that a CPU will produce. that will easily handle AMD and Intel CPUs
With AMD CPUs, this figure doesn’t refer to with eight, ten or 12 cores, albeit with limited An air cooler with a second fan will increase static
electrical power, although we’re still dealing overclocking potential. pressure without making much more noise
with watts and a joule per second is a joule per More expensive coolers justify their price
second, whatever energy you’re measuring. tags in a couple of ways. Adding a second fan
Intel, though, specifically defines TDP as will ensure that the heatsink is performing
related to power consumption. The difference at its best and dissipating as much heat as
here is that its CPUs can and do exceed the possible. They can also allow for better
TDP in boosting conditions, even if they adhere airflow at lower noise levels, since noise
to it in other conditions. As you can see, TDP doesn’t double if you add another fan, but
isn’t always an accurate measurement for the static pressure will increase, boosting
assessing cooling requirements. airflow through the heatsink.
Liquid coolers have radiators that can be
Cooler manufacturers do still use TDP as a Of course, a bigger heatsink will help too by positioned to expel warm air directly out
measurement of what’s required to offer an dissipating more heat. This can firstly mean of your case instead of into it

80
THE ART OF CABLE TIDYING
Cable tidying is a polarising task among PC Thankfully, modern PC cases make it
builders, with some people relishing spending relatively easy to do a decent job of cable
a weekend ensuring their PC is as tidy as tidying, but it’s still easy to mess it up if you
possible. Some even go as far as creating don’t know what you’re doing.
custom cables for their power supplies that fit Routing some cables before others,
perfectly in their case. knowing where to stow them and also how to
It’s easy to just plug in all your components use any included cable management systems
and leave the cables trailing anywhere, but are all vital when it comes to making sure you
poorly tidied cables can kill airflow by getting nail your build the first time. Even spending
in the way, and a mass of spaghetti can also an hour tidying up your cables will mean your Deal with the other cables
hinder upgrade access and troubleshooting, PC looks better, is easier to maintain and may This part is very case-specific and one rule
plus they look terrible. even run cooler too. definitely does not fit all. Some cases have
limited stowage space for cable slack under
the PSU cover, and some cases don’t have a
Only use necessary PSU cables PSU cover at all.
If you have a modular PSU, only use the In the latter case, try to anchor the rest of the
cables you need. However, if you think cables behind the motherboard tray, adding
future additions to your PC warrant using them next to the main strand of cables to the
extra cables, such as SATA and Molex left of the motherboard tray, then along the
cables, or an extra graphics PCI-E cable, bottom of it. With every case, avoid stuffing
it’s worth attaching those cables now the cables near any vents and keep them well
rather than doing it once you’ve installed away from case fans. Group them together
your PSU, especially if you can easily tuck and check that the bundle won’t prevent the
them away out of sight. side panel from closing easily.

Start with main cables

Each case is different when it comes to
cable tidying, but they often require
you to tie up all your cables between
the motherboard tray and side panel.
Doing so can often mean the side panel
becomes impossible to fit, so the first
step is to anchor the main cables in place.
Start by routing the 24-pin ATX and 8-pin
CPU cables from your PSU.
Thread the former through the cable- Tie up the cables
routing hole that will be nearest to the If your bundles don’t interfere with the side
position of the ATX connector on your panel, use the included cable ties or Velcro
motherboard, and thread the 8-pin CPU straps to anchor the cables in place. Our two
cable through the hole above where your top tips here are to invest in extra cables ties, as
motherboard will be installed. Ideally, cases rarely include enough in the box. It can be
you want to do this before you install your handy to have ties of different lengths too, for
motherboard to make installation as easy as dealing with various thicknesses of bundles.
possible. Once these cables are in place, install cables than the side holes, especially if its Even better, albeit a little more expensive, is
your motherboard and graphics card. connectors are on the side rather than the far to use Velcro ties. Velcro can do a much better
Thread the latter’s power cables through edge. Route these cables up the left side of job of gathering cables together to look neater,
the hole nearest to the graphics card. Some your motherboard tray, which is where case and will be much easier to remove – it’s also
cases have PSU covers with cable-routing manufacturers usually place the main cable- reusable, unlike standard plastic ties. However,
holes in them, and these can be a better routing features, such as anchor points or you may still need to use plastic cable ties to
place to thread your graphics card’s power Velcro ties. secure your cables to your case’s anchor points.

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 F E AT U R E / CUSTOMISATION

Find other cable-stowing spaces OTHER CABLE-TIDYING

If there’s not enough space to bunch the CONSIDERATIONS
cables behind the side panel, then you’ll need Plenty of cases can often pose further
to find other locations for some of them. This challenges when it comes to cable tidying.
usually involves tucking them under the PSU Some mini-ITX cases, and larger cases at the
cover, and Velcro is again a great tool here, cheaper end of the spectrum, lack PSU covers,
as it enables you to tie up the cables in tight leaving you with a tricky situation when it
bunches to stow in front of your PSU. comes to hiding and tidying your cables. Again,
custom anchors can be a huge help here,
and don’t be afraid to secure cables in every
available space.
Create your own anchor points You have two options and you’ll likely need
Quite often, cases simply won’t have enough to use both of them. Firstly, gather your cables
anchor points to tie all your cables in the in bunches and anchor them as out of sight as
best places, but it’s easy to make your own possible, again avoiding vents and fans and
ones. Adhesive cable anchors can be fixed avoid hampering your case’s airflow. The next
anywhere in your case, and they can help to option is to find alternative routes inside your
tidy cables behind your motherboard tray, case’s chassis, such as beams and internal
as well as helping to deal with RGB cables, fittings. Anchoring your cables to these
front panel cables, SATA cables and liquid parts will allow the cables to blend in with
cooler cables. the interior.
Making your cables look attractive and work
Use fan and lighting hubs as an aesthetic feature in your case is a great
A fantastic way to deal with the reams of way to beat the cable-tidying gremlins and is
spaghetti that are often accompanied with especially useful in cases with little space for
RGB lighting and multiple fans is to use a hub. stowage. The easiest way to do this is to buy
These can simply split a fan or RGB header on a custom cable set for your PSU.
your motherboard into numerous outputs, Many manufacturers, such as Corsair,
allowing you to route all your fan and lighting offer their own kits, while companies such
cables to one point and control them all from as cablemod.com can create custom kits for
a single motherboard header, or to control your own PSU, allowing you to specify the
all the parts attached to a single hub using colour of every cable strand, as well as the
software. Some cases and coolers include length of the cables, meaning your cables can
these hubs as standard, and some also sport be made to the perfect length for your build.
manual lighting and fan speed controllers
too, avoiding the need for software.

Find alternative routes inside your case’s A custom cable set for your PSU will
chassis, such as beams and internal fittings help to smarten up your case’s interior

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AIRFLOW
AND COOLING
Airflow is the most critical consideration when
building your PC – if your components get too
hot, they can often throttle performance and
Always point your CPU air cooler in
even live shorter lives. Thankfully, ensuring the same direction as the rear fan
your case has good airflow is relatively simple.
As long as you have good airflow, you can ORIENTATE YOUR CPU AIR
generally deal with the heat dumped into your COOLER CORRECTLY
case by graphics cards and CPU air coolers. The rear fan installed in a typical case can
Most cases are designed with a front-to- actively aid CPU cooling by getting shot of the
back airflow design, which will be evident in warm air from your CPU cooler and promoting
the locations of their fans and dust filters. This the front-to-back airflow arrangement. In
is logical too, since many PCs have their rear We recommend having one front fan in line with your short, it can act as a second CPU cooler fan,
ends sat against walls or other stuffy locations CPU and another one in line with your graphics card helping to draw air through the cooler and
under desks – it’s much better to dump hot air prevent it pooling at its rear. For this reason,
into these locations than draw air from them. you should always have your CPU cooler
A front-to-back setup also means that pointing in the same direction as the rear fan.
every component benefits from airflow -
generally speaking, your PSU, graphics card WHERE SHOULD YOU LOCATE
and motherboard are stacked vertically, with LIQUID COOLERS?
your graphics card in the middle of the case All-in-one liquid coolers are designed to have
and usually hindering any attempt at bottom- the pump sitting lower than the radiator, and
to-top or chimney airflow arrangements. If for the radiator to act as a reservoir, trapping
you’re fairly new to the PC building scene, here air inside it instead, so it doesn’t find its way to
are a few key airflow factors to make sure you your pump and cause it to be noisy. A few of
get right at the start. these coolers are refillable, in which case you
Pointing a fan directly at your graphics card from can top up the coolant occasionally, and place
HOW MANY FANS? below can help if it has a flow-through cooler design the pump and radiator wherever you like. If
In any case, a rear exhaust fan is essential for you can’t refill yours, though, the coolant can
a number of reasons. Drawing air into your one rear exhaust fan. After that you see slowly evaporate, which can lead to some
case with front fans is critical, but a rear fan can diminishing returns, although placing extra radiator orientations seeing your pump receive
significantly aid the removal of warm air from fans in key locations can boost cooling for not air rather than water. After this point, it will get
your case, irrespective of whether your case much money. If your case only has one front noisy and eventually stop working.
has negative or positive airflow. fan, consider shifting this up, so it sits in line
The former means that you have more air- with your CPU cooler, then add a second fan
pushing power getting air out of your case than below it that’s in line with your graphics card.
getting air into it, meaning that air will be drawn This will ensure that both components are
in through any open sections in your case, aided as much as possible by direct airflow,
which can potentially mean dust ingress too. and it can also help to move warm air that’s
Positive air pressure, on the other hand, means been exhausted out the sides of the graphics
more air is being drawn into your case using card to the rear of the case. Adding a bottom
fans, which is generally preferable, as those fan pointing at your graphics card can help
nooks and crannies will now be expelling air. cool it too, especially if you have an Nvidia
To achieve a positive airflow setup, you Founders Edition RTX 3000-series card
just need to have one or two more intake with flow-through fans – if you’re using one
fans than exhaust fans – as a bare minimum, of these cards, adding a roof fan can help to The roof of your case is the best location
we recommend having two front fans and expel the hot air too. for a liquid cooler’s radiator

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 F E AT U R E / CUSTOMISATION

directly on your motherboard, since its hot

spots are being cooled using the waterblock.
Another issue with vertical graphics card
mounts is that they require the use of a
PCI-E riser cable. At the moment, all case
manufacturers include PCI-E 3 riser cables,
which not only lack support for PCI-E 4, but
A fan will push more air through a radiator than it will can also cause serious stability issues if you
pull through it from the other side use them with a PCI-E 4 enabled GPU and
motherboard combination. A way around this,
For this reason, it’s best to have the radiator though, is to drop back to PCI-E 3 mode in your
in the roof of your case, which will mean any Placing your graphics card right next to an unvented motherboard’s BIOS on your PCI-E slot.
side panel seriously impacts airflow
air in the loop will sit in the radiator and not
find its way to the pump. It also means that COOLING MINI-ITX CASES
mounting the radiator in the front of your case A common misconception with mini-ITX
is unwise, at least in the long term, since the air cases is that they’re small and therefore must
could transfer to your pump, as the latter won’t be stuffy, hot and generally undesirable for
be lower than the radiator if the tubes are at high-end PCs. The fact is, there are so many
the top. varieties in terms of internal design, that any
If you have the tubes at the bottom of the blanket statement is inaccurate in the first
radiator when it’s mounted in the front, then place. As we’ve already mentioned, some
any air that does find its way to your pump will mini-ITX cases sport vented side panels for
likely stay there. Mounting the radiator in the graphics card cooling and for this reason they
roof has another benefit too, which is that the can actually outperform larger cases when it
PCI-E 3 riser cables supplied by case manufacturers
warm air it exhausts will be expelled straight can cause serious stability issues with a PCI-E 4 comes to cooling.
out of the case and not be dumped back into it. graphics card and motherboard Modern mini-ITX cases can also support
radiators, so it’s generally easy to cool your
WHERE SHOULD YOU However, there are hidden dangers from CPU and even add custom liquid cooling. In
MOUNT RADIATOR FANS? mounting your graphics card in this way. For fact, with many mini-ITX cases lacking decent
Plenty of tests have been performed over the starters, many vertical mounts place the CPU cooler height support, liquid cooling
years to work out whether fans are best placed graphics card right next to the side panel, and is often the best way to cool your CPU in a
so they push or pull air through a radiator. even those that are sensibly offset away from mini-ITX case. However, just like a CPU cooler
In general, there isn’t much difference, but it still have less clearance than if the graphics heatsink, the volume of air in a mini-ITX case is
the highest static pressure is behind the fan card were simply sat in your motherboard’s smaller and as a result, can warm faster than in
blades, not in front of it, which means a fan will PCI-E slot. larger cases.
push more air through a radiator than it will pull This lack of clearance, and the fact that glass For this reason, it’s advisable to fill all
through it from the other side. side panels aren’t vented, means your graphics available fan mounts to shift the air quickly.
This is important with radiators, as some card will have to fight harder for air, making its This doesn’t mean having your fans on full
designs can be far more restrictive in terms fans spin up more regularly to higher speeds speed all the time, just that you’ll want plenty
of airflow than a CPU air cooler, so static and it will run warmer too, potentially affecting of fans to keep the air moving through the
pressure is important. However, there are boosting speeds. We’ve run our own tests with case. Similarly, it’s a bad idea to put any
some instances where case or motherboard this on numerous occasions and it’s always extra heat into the case, so it’s best to install
components require fans to be placed in the the same – vertical graphics card mounts are radiators so that they exhaust warm air out of
roof of your case and the radiator below them usually a bad idea for air-cooled cards. the case, rather than into it.
– doing so won’t result in significantly worse There are some exceptions, though, such as
cooling performance. cases with vented side panels. Admittedly, you
won’t be able to see your graphics card here,
VERTICAL GRAPHICS but you shouldn’t be wary of a case’s cooling
CARD MOUNTS just because it has a vertical graphics card
Many graphics card coolers have sexy designs, mount. Many mini-ITX cases have this type
which makes it a shame that in most cases of setup and they still offer excellent cooling
they end up face down and obscured from thanks to vented side panels that allow the
view. This is one reason why vertical graphics card to breathe.
card mounts are popular, as they allow your The other exception is if your graphics card
graphics card’s cooler and fans to be visible is water-cooled. Here, there will be little if any A mini-ITX case with a large vented side panel
through a glass side panel. difference compared with it being mounted can outperform the cooling of some ATX cases

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ILLUMINATION
RGB lighting isn’t for everyone, but some
degree of illumination can make your PC
look decidedly cool. However, with LED
strips being quite expensive and coming
with various connector types, you’ll need
to know which ones work with your own
hardware and where to place them to avoid
wasting money.

Best strip locations

For good illumination of your whole PC, the
roof of your case close to a windowed side
panel is the best place for LED strips. This
setup will also mean you won’t be blinded
by the LEDs if your PC is on your desk
either. Another great place is at the rear of
the case facing forwards. This can look great,
with pinpoints of light pointing forwards in the Connectors Proprietary connectors
case, but it can be a bit much if you look at it There are two types of standard RGB Some RGB lighting components connect to
from this angle for long periods. connectors. The first have four pins, and they their manufacturers’ hubs and controllers
generally only allow you to change the colour using proprietary connectors, and these
of the entire strip or RGB component at the aren’t compatible with standard 3-pin and
same time. If you want lighting effects that 4-pin LED components. However, companies
move along strips, or you want to control such as Corsair and Phanteks, which often
individual LEDs, you’ll need to opt for a 3-pin restricted users to their own ecosystems, are
digital connector. Modern motherboards now opening up some of their hardware to
usually support both, although you’ll need standard connectors as well.
to use your motherboard’s software to It’s worth checking before you buy, but
control them. there are ways around it. Adaptors converting
proprietary connectors to standard connectors
Cutting strips to length are available on eBay and Amazon, so if you’ve
Some LED strips can be cut to length at fallen in love with some proprietary RGB gear,
specific points, which is useful for splitting head to Google and type the manufacturer
one long strip into numerous lengths, or name plus ‘RGB adaptor’. You might get lucky.
simply trimming them to a manageable size.
The cutting points are clearly marked on the
strips, and the circuitry inside is wired so that
cutting the strip doesn’t break the circuit,
allowing for all LEDs to receive power and
lighting-related signals.

Using extension cables

Getting LEDs into the right location in your
case will invariably require the use of
extension cables, which are usually included
with your motherboard and RGB lighting
hardware. However, additional lengths of
both 3-pin, 4-pin and proprietary extensions
are available separately if you need more.

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 F E AT U R E / CUSTOMISATION

Software vs physical control

RGB lighting can be controlled by software or
physical means, with buttons on cases and
separate controllers being common features.
Software will give you more detailed control,
especially when it comes to controlling
individual LEDs with 3-pin addressable LED
strips or picking exact colour shades.
However, if you’re happy with a pre-set
lighting effect or standard colour, then a
manual controller can mean you don’t need to
install software, which isn’t always particularly
easy to use. There are third-party manual
controllers available too, and even wireless
remote controls.

Recommended hardware RGB fans can also be

The easiest way to add RGB lighting to your purchased separately, but
PC is to use standard 4-pin or 3-pin LED strips beware of them tying you
and connect them to your motherboard. into certain ecosystems.
These are readily available from most PC We’d recommend using the
retailers. Coolers such as the Antec Neptune same RGB fan make and
series include their own hubs that can control model throughout your PC,
these LED strips, so if you’re building a new though, as the colour accuracy
PC, opting for a cooler that can do this can and vibrancy can vary a lot
save money. between different models.

HARDWARE INSTALLATION
Install your memory correctly
If you’re not intending to fill all the memory
slots on your motherboard, make sure you
fill the right slots to enable specific memory
channel modes. This will be detailed in your
motherboard manual, but with motherboards
equipped with four slots offering dual-channel
memory support, which is most mainstream
Intel and AMD boards, the second and fourth
slots are the ones you’ll need to fill.
Meanwhile, for quad-channel boards with
eight slots, you usually need to use slots one,
three, six and eight.

Use the right M.2 slot

We’ve looked at several PCI-E 4 SSDs in this
month’ Labs test (see p42), but sadly not all
M.2 ports support this standard. Check your
motherboards specifications to identify the
right port to get the most out of your chosen enabled – not all M.2 slots support
PCI-E SSD. You’ll need to do this for SATA M.2 them, but at least one M.2 port
SSDs as well, as these are powered using the on your motherboard will usually
SATA controller and aren’t PCI-E or NVMe- accommodate one.

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Use an M.2 heatsink
Keeping a high-speed SSD in check under
extended loads is important, as it can get
toasty in some situations, causing it to throttle.
Most boards include a heatsink for the primary
M.2 slot, but some cheaper or older boards
don’t. Third-party heatsinks are available from
the likes of EK – they’re easy to install and
often better-looking than bare SSDs too.

Where to place hard disks

Some cases allow you to mount hard
disks in all manner of locations, but
this isn’t always a good idea. Hard
disks can get toasty under sustained
loads and it’s best to locate them in
well-ventilated places near case fans,
especially if you’re using several of
them. If your case offers anti-vibration
mounts, they’re definitely worth using,
as the vibrations from a hard disk can
make a lot of noise in an otherwise
quiet PC.

Which PCI-E slots to use Check your motherboard accessories

Your motherboard’s top 16x PCI-E slot is Premium motherboards often include handy
usually the one you want to use for your tools that can make your life easier when
graphics card, as it’s the one slot that’s building a PC. Specifically, block adaptors
guaranteed to offer the full 16 PCI-E lanes it and on some motherboards, these slots are allow you to connect your case’s front panel
needs. Occasionally, you may want to use a configurable to similar speeds. However, some connectors together and install them all
lower slot, for example if your graphics card’s are limited to just four PCI-E lanes, which can in one go on the front panel pins on your
backplate fouls another component. If there’s impact on gaming performance, so check your motherboard, which is otherwise a very
no other option, you can use another slot motherboard’s manual first. fiddly job.

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 F E AT U R E / CUSTOMISATION

Many motherboard EFI systems

offer elaborate fan control curves

COOL, BUT IS IT QUIET?

If you have sensitive ears, or you don’t want system using buttons, dials
fan noise to interrupt important audio work, or software. A simpler
there’s plenty you can do to make sure noise method is to use fan speed-
levels are kept to a minimum without making limiting cables. These work
cooling suffer. with 3-pin or 4-pin fans
and sit between them and
USE YOUR MOTHERBOARD’S EFI the motherboard, simply
Modern motherboard EFI systems can control reducing the resulting
both 3-pin and 4-pin fans, and most offer speed without needing to
elaborate fan control suites that allow detailed delve into the EFI.
control over your fan speeds. Fan control
curves allow you to set the speed at specific BE CAREFUL
temperatures and can even shut down fans WHEN LIMITING
completely under low loads, which is ideal if FAN SPEED
you just want to kick back and watch Netflix in Limiting fan speeds can A physical fan controller enables you to reduce
peace and quiet. reduce noise significantly, but isn’t without fan speeds without needing to delve into the EFI
risk. You’ll need to check your hardware’s
OTHER WAYS TO temperatures when playing games or All GPUs are different in terms of their
CONTROL YOUR FANS when your PC is performing other high-load typical operating temperatures, but you
There’s a few other ways to control your fans, tasks. You don’t want your CPU or graphics should aim to keep GPU temperatures below
such as fan controllers and resistor cables. The card temperature to rise too much, or their 80°C and CPU temperatures below 90°C for
former allows you to hook up several fans to a coolers will simply spin up and become noisier safety, and likely much lower than this to avoid
single hub, which either offers its own control to compensate. their cooler becoming unpleasantly loud.

88
KEEP IT CLEAN
If dust clogs your case, you’ll be undoing all
of the great work you’ve done following our
guide so far – dust can impact on cooling,
causing your fans to spin faster and creating
more noise.

Clean the filters

Use a household vacuum cleaner to remove
dust from your case’s filters every three to
six months. These filters are designed to trap
dust and they usually work well. Remember
to check them all, as some can be hidden out
of sight. Using a brush attachment can help to
dislodge any clumps and allow the hoover to
pick it up.

Install additional filters

If some fan vents or other areas lack dust
filters, extra filters can be purchased quite
cheaply, allowing you to add them yourself to
specific locations. It doesn’t matter whether
this is inside or outside the case, as long as
they seal the openings.

Use an air duster

An air duster is a fantastic tool for blasting dust
and detritus out of your PC. They can deal
with dust filters too; however, this is best done
outdoors, as particularly dirty PCs can shed
clouds of dust. Cheap mini cordless vacuum
cleaners are, sadly, usually terrible in terms of
their suction power, so unless you’ve spotted
one with good reviews, we recommend
leaving them alone and sticking to household
vacuums and air dusters instead.

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 F E AT U R E / ANALYSIS

DO YOU NEED
A FAST SSD?
SSDS CONTINUE TO GET FASTER AND FASTER, BUT CAN YOU GENUINELY USE THAT EXTRA
SPEED? EDWARD CHESTER AND BEN HARDWIDGE FIND OUT JUST WHAT DIFFERENCE THE
LATEST SUPER-FAST PCI-E 4 SSDS MAKE TO REAL-WORLD USE

T
he revolution brought about by Not all SSDs are created equal, though, and perform day to day don’t put much strain on
affordable solid-state storage has nor has progress on making SSDs ever faster our storage. Other than booting up your PC,
been a slow and steady one. When and more capacious halted. So, while multi- loading games and moving around the odd
first introduced, solid state drives (SSDs) terabyte SSDs are now relatively affordable, file, what else do you need fast storage for?
weren’t all that fast in practical terms, didn’t you’ll still be looking at opting for slower SSDs To answer those questions and more,
last long and were very expensive, making to get such capacities without breaking the we’ve put a range of different drives to the
them the reserve of enthusiasts only. bank. Meanwhile, the very latest PCI-E 4 test in various real-world scenarios, from
However, as the years have gone by, we’ve drives offer astonishingly fast performance hard drives all the way up to the latest
finally got to the stage where SSDs have but don’t come cheap. NVMe SSDs, to find out just where the extra
almost completely taken over from hard All of which begs the question of just how performance can be felt and when it might
drives, offering blisteringly fast performance, fast an SSD your typical PC user needs. Are be worth spending the extra.
low cost and reliability. It’s now not you better off spending your money on extra But first, with so many SSD variants, let’s
uncommon for desktop PCs with several capacity, faster performance or a balance recap the current options available to you and
terabytes of storage to use only SSDs. of the two? After all, many tasks that we the technology that powers them.

90
SSDs have evolved PCI-E 4 standard doubling the bandwidth up
from using the old SATA
to 7000MB/sec.
standards of hard drives
to new compact form Realistically, the current situation is that
factors such as M.2 your PC storage options break down into
four main categories. You can either buy a
3.5in hard drive, a 2.5in or M.2 SATA SSD, a
Storage evolution really got to enjoy the prospect of 3.5in SSDs, PCI-E 3 M.2 SSD or a PCI-E 4 M.2 SSD, with
Peruse the menus of your favourite online but 2.5in SATA SSDs are still commonplace performance and price increasing as you
tech retailer and you’ll find half a dozen main and they tend to offer good value – it’s move from one to the next. But just what is
types of storage. At the cheapest end of the relatively easy for manufacturers to stuff lots the performance difference?
market (in terms of cost per gigabyte) are of storage into (in SSD terms) quite a large
hard drives, while at the top sit the latest form factor. Crunching the numbers
PCI-E 4 SSDs, with plenty of options in The next big change in SSDs was the There’s a massive difference between the
between, but what differentiates them all? embracing of new form factors, with some performance of a hard drive and the latest
Let’s get back to basics. drives being mounted directly on PCI-E SSDs, but not all the steps in performance are
Most obviously, hard drives and SSDs are cards, while we also saw the development equal, so let’s break it down. With a hard drive,
completely different technologies. Hard of tiny mSATA and M.2 cards. Crucially, the biggest encumbrance to performance is
drives rely on spinning platters of magnetic some of these form factors can still use the access time. Because the read/write heads
material, which are then manipulated by SATA interface standard, which is limited to have to physically move to the right spot
read/write heads that move back and forth 550MB/sec read/write speeds, regardless and the magnetic platters also have to spin
across the surface of the disk. Traditionally of the speed of the underlying silicon.
available in 3.5in or 2.5in form factors for However, as native operating system
use in desktop PCs and laptops respectively, support for non-SATA drives has improved,
they used to be available with a number of we now see SSDs tap directly into the
interface options. However, they now nearly PCI-E system interface using the new
all use the SATA standard, which defines SSD-dedicated storage protocol called non-
both the physical cable connection and the volatile memory express (NVMe). This new
protocol used to transmit data. protocol is limitless in terms of theoretical
It’s this same cabling and protocol system performance, while the speed limits of PCI-E
that the first SSDs used, with the new purely far exceed that of SATA, with a typical four-
electronic form of data storage simply lane (4x) PCI-E 3 connection offering up to It’s easier for manufacturers to stuff lots of storage
replacing the internals of the drive. We never 3,500MB/sec of throughput and the latest into the relatively large 2.5in form factor

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The latest SSDs possess some truly

Typical claimed drive specs astonishing performance figures

Access time Max sequential Max sequential Max random Max random
Drive type Form factor Interface Protocol
(lower is better) read write read write
2.5in/3.5in
Hard drive SATA SATA 10ms 550MB/sec 550MB/sec 125 IOPS 225 IOPS
SATA
M.2/2.5in
SSD SATA SATA 0.03ms 550MB/sec 550MB/sec 100,000 IOPS 80,000 IOPS
SATA
SSD M.2 PCI-E 3 NVMe 0.03ms 3,500MB/sec 3,000MB/sec 500,000 IOPS 450,000 IOPS
SSD M.2 PCI-E 4 NVMe 0.03ms 7,000MB/sec 5,000MB/sec 1,000,000 IOPS 700,000 IOPS

round, it can take a relatively long time to they’ll top out at sequential read and write
start reading or writing data. So, a hard drive’s speeds of just 550MB/sec. As such, these
average access time is typically in the region drives aren’t much faster than hard drives for
of 10-15ms, regardless of its later read or reading and writing large sequential chunks
write speed. of data (although their access times are still
Meanwhile, the purely electronic nature hugely better).
of SSDs means they’re much quicker to get The next option is to move from a SATA
going, with access times in the region of drive to a PCI-E 3, NVMe drive, with most
0.03ms, over 300 times faster. Notably, the such drives available in an M.2 form factor
latest, fastest SSDs don’t improve much on (PCI-E expansion card SSDs used to be
this figure – it’s throughput where big leaps commonplace but less so these days,
have been made. and for most home use, they’re not worth
This access time advantage is reflected considering). The faster NVMe standard and
in the number of random read or write PCI-E interface allow these drives to hit up
operations a drive can perform. That is, where to 3,500MB/sec sequential read and write
the disk is having to hop about from one area speeds, with random read and write speeds
to another to read or write small chunks of up to 500,000 IOPS.
of data, rather than reading or writing one Finally, we come to the very latest PCI-E
continuous (sequential) stream of data. 4 NVMe drives, which basically double up
That slow access time means a hard those performance numbers. Accordingly,
drive can perform roughly 125 random sequential speeds hit up to 7,000MB/sec Mechanical hard drives have much slower access
read operations per second or 225 write and random speeds can hit 1,000,000 IOPS. times than solid state drives
operations. In comparison, even today’s most Breaking down those numbers, it’s
basic SSDs can perform nearly 100,000 easy to see why the general consensus SATA SSDs to PCI-E 3 SSDs, we see up to a 7x
input/output operations per second (IOPS) of SSD performance is one of diminishing uptick in sequential speeds and a 5x increase
for both reads and writes. It’s for this reason returns. Moving from a hard drive to an SSD in random speeds.
that SSDs feel so much snappier than hard nets a 300x improvement in access time Then, with the move from PCI-E 3 to
drives in use. (that’s maintained with faster SSDs) for a PCI-E 4, both sequential and random speeds
However, the most basic SSDs are limited 800x increase in random read IOPS (444x receive just a 2x improvement. The PCI-E
to the relatively slow SATA standard of random write IOPS), but with only a small 4 figures might look astonishing, but they
communication. You can generally buy SATA improvement in the maximum sequential represent a much smaller proportional leap
SSDs in either 2.5in or M.2 form factors and read/write speed. As we then move from than the move from SATA to PCI-E 3.

AS WE THEN MOVE FROM SATA SSDS TO PCI-E 3

SSDS, WE SEE UP TO A 7X UPTICK IN SEQUENTIAL
SPEEDS AND A 5X INCREASE IN RANDOM SPEEDS

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Opening Photoshop with a 277MB PSD
file was barely quicker on a PCI-E 4
drive compared with a PCI-E 3 one

SATA SSDs are now

The real-world consequences noticeably slower than
It’s one thing to discuss the theoretical the latest NVMe drives,
advantages of ever faster SSDs, but the proof but they still offer a major
upgrade over hard drives
of the pudding is in real-world usage, which
is what we set out to test. We took a typical
example each of a modern 3.5in hard drive
(WD Blue 4TB), a SATA SSD (Samsung 850
Evo), a PCI-E 3 SSD (Samsung 980) and a
PCI-E 4 SSD (Samsung 980 Pro), and put
them through a host of tests.
To start off, we simply installed PCMark 10
on the drive, which is a hefty multi-gigabyte
installation. The program was installed from
a compressed installation file already copied
to the drive. Now, because much of the
installation process for software for which the
installer is already on the hard drive is taken
up with the CPU unpacking the software, we
saw very little difference between the four
drives. Just three seconds, or just over 3 per
cent, separated all four results.
This test also confirms one of the strong
points of hard drives, which is that they’re
generally quite good at writing (and reading) Next up, we recorded how long it takes improvement over the PCI-E 3 drive, though,
sequential chunks of data, which is largely to launch Photoshop from scratch while again suggesting the CPU is the limit when
what an installation is doing once the CPU has opening a 277MB PSD file, and here we start we get to drives of this speed.
unpacked the data. Meanwhile, at the other to see those SSDs stretch their legs. While For our next test, we loaded each drive
end of the scale, the whole process is clearly the hard drive took 30 seconds, the SATA with a Windows installation and tested how
completely limited by CPU speed, so there’s SSD took just 19 seconds and the PCI-E 3 long each took to boot from a cold start to
no advantage to faster SSDs. drive just 14. The PCI-E 4 drive showed no the desktop. We omitted the hard drive

93
 F E AT U R E / ANALYSIS

M.2 is now the de facto standard SSD form factor,

but not all M.2 drives are created equal

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A FAST BOOT DRIVE THAT

WILL HOLD YOUR GAMES AND SOFTWARE, IT’S
WORTH BUYING A DECENT PCI-E 3 NVME SSD

for this test, instead leaving the SSDs to but the SATA drive falls back by ten seconds. although this actually reduced significantly for
battle it out, and the story was again one of In theory, you’re only booting your PC once the largest 55.6GB test (down to just 17 per
modest gains. The PCI-E 4 drive eked out a a day, so what’s ten seconds of difference cent), suggesting the on-board RAM or SLC
one-second advantage over the other two going to make, but there are certainly cache of the drives was affecting the tests.
drives – a hardly worthwhile gain, we’re sure situations where you want your PC to boot up Regardless, this test really showed just where
you’ll agree. as quickly as possible, so a ten-second saving SATA SSDs and hard drives are lacking.
However, that test was with a clean is worth having. For our final test, we made use of that
installation of Windows. Adding several You could argue our next test isn’t really PCMark 10 installation and ran the program’s
more startup apps – Adobe Creative Cloud, a real-world one – as duplicating data is secondary storage tests that mimic a
Ubisoft Connect, Origin, Bethesda Launcher, inherently a pointless task – but nonetheless host of real-life software storage access
Steam and GOG Galaxy – to the mix created it certainly shows what these different drives patterns, such as booting Windows, starting
a different picture. Here we see the two can do when shunting around real files. We up Battlefield V and Call of Duty Black Ops
PCI-E drives again split by just one second ran three tests, taking a cluster of several files 4 and doing some heavy processing in
totalling 3.13GB (six large files), 18.8GB (36 Adobe Photoshop.
large files) and 55.6GB (4,703 small media In the Windows boot test, we again see
files), and copied and pasted each from and to how this isn’t affected massively by the
the same drive. This essentially asks the drive different types of SSD, but that hard drives are
to read and write in a sequential manner as miles off the pace. Indeed, the latter is a trend
quickly as possible at the same time. we see right across the board.
Sure enough, we saw massive differences When it comes to the other tests, we
across all the drives, with the PCI-E 4 drive consistently see a barely perceptible
finally able to stretch its legs. For instance, advantage moving from PCI-E 3 to PCI-E
There aren’t many real-world performance benefits in the 18.8GB test, the PCI-E 4 drive was 4, but a decent improvement from SATA to
to PCI-E 4 SSDs over PCI-E 3 drives 54 per cent faster than the PCI-E 3 drive, PCI-E 3, showing that the upgrade is worth it

94
 BENCHMARK RESULTS
for any data storage that will sometimes be
FILE TRANSFER MB/SEC SOFTWARE INSTALLATION SECONDS
called upon to provide fast storage access. 3.13GB (6 files) Time to install PCMark 10

Meanwhile, as if we didn’t know already, Samsung

FILE 980 Pro (PCI-E
TRANSFER 4)
MB/SEC 2,001 Samsung 980 Pro
SOFTWARE (PCI-E 4)
INSTALLATION SECONDS 88

you really shouldn’t be using hard drives for 3.13GB (6 files)

Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) 1,162 Time to install980
Samsung PCMark 10 3)
(PCI-E 88
Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 267 Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 8890
any other purpose than bulk backup storage Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4)
108
2,001 Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4)
WD Blue
Samsung (hard
980 drive)
(PCI-E 3) 1,162 WD Blue
Samsung (hard
980 drive)
(PCI-E 3) 8891
these days. Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 267600 1,200 1,800 2,400 Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 25 50 75 90100
WD Blue (hard drive) 108 WD Blue (hard drive) Lower is better
91
18.8GB (36 files) SOFTWARE OPENING SECONDS
Why don’t faster drives Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4)
0 600 1,200 1,800
1,759
2,400 0 with 277MB
Open Photoshop from scratch 25 PSD file 50 75 100
Lower is better
make a big difference? 18.8GB (36 files)
Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) 1,149 Samsung 980 Pro
SOFTWARE
Open
OPENING
Photoshop
Samsung 980from scratch
(PCI-E
14
(PCI-E 4) SECONDS
3) with 277MB
14 PSD file
Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 162
With our testing done, it’s clear to see that Samsung 980
WD Blue
Pro (PCI-E
(hard
4)
drive) 69
1,759
Samsung
Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro (SATA)
(PCI-E 4) 14 19
Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) 1,149
while ever-faster SSDs can make a difference Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 162 600 1,200 1,800 2,400
WD Blue
Samsung (hard
980 drive)
(PCI-E 3) 14 30

in a few isolated cases, by and large any WD Blue (hard drive)

55.6GB (4,703 files)
69 Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 25
19 50 75 100
Lower is better
WD Blue (hard drive) 30
decent modern SSD is adequate in most Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4)
0 600
600
1,200 1,800 2,400 BOOTRACER SECONDS
Windows 10 clean boot 0 25 50 75 100
instances. At the very least, most buyers don’t 55.6GB (4,703980
Samsung files)
(PCI-E 3) 516
Samsung 980 ProSECONDS
(PCI-E 4) 34
Lower is better
Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 144 BOOTRACER
need to be shopping for the fastest PCI-E 4 Samsung 980
WD Blue
Pro (PCI-E
(hard
4)
drive) 60
600
Windows 10 clean
Samsung boot 3)
980 (PCI-E 35
Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) 516
drives unless they feel they really need the Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 144 600 1,200 1,800 2,400
Samsung
Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro (SATA)
(PCI-E 4) 35
34

very fastest storage and are prepared to pay WD Blue (hard drive)
FILE TRANSFER SECONDS
60
Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) 0 25 35 50 75 100
Lower is better
Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 35
the price. But why is that? Why is all that latent 3.13GB (6 files) 0 600 1,200 1,800 2,400 Windows 10 boot with startup software
0 25 50 75 100
37
performance advantage going to waste? Samsung
FILE
3.13GB
980 Pro (PCI-E
TRANSFER
(6 files)
4) 2
SECONDS Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4)
Windows 10 boot
Samsung 980with startup
(PCI-E 3) software 38
Lower is better
Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) 3
Well, the simple fact of the matter is that Samsung
Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro 4) 212
(SATA)
(PCI-E
Samsung
Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro (SATA)
(PCI-E 4) 37 47

storage speed is no longer the performance WD Blue

Samsung (hard
980 (PCI-E 3) 330
drive) Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) 0 25 38 50 75 100
Lower is better
bottleneck for most tasks, even ones Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 12 250 500 750 1,000
Lower is better
Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 47

WD Blue (hard drive) 30 25 50 75 100

that seem like they’re putting a strain on 18.8GB (36 files) 0
Lower is better
0 250 500 750 1,000
performance. When Windows is booting up Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4)
18.8GB (36 files)
11
Lower is better
Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) 17
or a game is loading, a lot of time is spent with Samsung
Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro (SATA)
(PCI-E 4) 11 162

the CPU unpacking and manipulating data WD Blue

Samsung (hard
980 drive)
(PCI-E 3) 17 280

and processing all manner of tasks. Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 250
162 500 750 1,000
Lower is better
WD Blue (hard drive) 280
Meanwhile, unless you’re moving big bulk 55.6GB (4,703 files)
0 250 500 750 1,000
loads of data or performing very specific Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4) 95
Lower is better
55.6GB (4,703980
Samsung files)
(PCI-E 3) 111
specialist workloads that constantly read Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 370
Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4) 95
and write data back and forth, storage access WD Blue
Samsung (hard
980 drive)
(PCI-E 3) 111 955

tends to come in short bursts. So, once the Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 250 500
370 750 1,000
WD Blue (hard drive) Lower is better
955
massive gains were made in access time by
0 250 500 750 1,000
moving from hard drives to SSDs, that ability Lower is better

to quickly start and stop delivering or writing PCMARK 10

WINDOWS 10 BOOT SECONDS CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS 4 STARTUP SECONDS
data was met. Clearly, there was a little bit of
Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4) 47 Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4) 13
residual performance left untapped by being WINDOWS 10 BOOT
Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3)SECONDS
47 CALL OF DUTY
Samsung BLACK
980 (PCI-E 3) OPS
14 4 STARTUP SECONDS

restricted to SATA connection speeds, but Samsung

Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro (SATA)
(PCI-E 4) 47 67
Samsung
Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro (SATA)
(PCI-E 4) 13 26
WD Blue (hard drive) 129
even then most such drives are fast enough WD Blue
Samsung (hard
980 drive)
(PCI-E 3) 47 303 Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) 14

Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 100 200 300 400 Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 26 100 200 300 400
for most people’s needs. 67
Lower 129 Lower is better
WD Blue (hard drive) 303 is better WD Blue (hard drive)

Certainly, if you’re looking to just swap BATTLEFIELD V STARTUP SECONDS

0 100 200 300 400
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP HEAVY USE SECONDS
0 100 200 300 400
Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4) 15 Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4) 28
over your bulk storage and backup drives to BATTLEFIELD
Samsung 980V STARTUP
3) 16 SECONDS
Lower is better Lower is better
(PCI-E ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
Samsung 980 (PCI-E 3) HEAVY
30USE SECONDS
solid state, SATA models will be more than Samsung
Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro (SATA)
(PCI-E 4) 15 39 Samsung
Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro (SATA)
(PCI-E 4) 28 67

sufficient. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a WD Blue

Samsung (hard
980 drive)
(PCI-E 3) 16 160 WD Blue
Samsung (hard
980 drive)
(PCI-E 3) 30 331

fast boot drive that will hold your games and Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 39 100 200 300 400
Lower is better
Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 67100 200 300
Lower331
400
is better
WD Blue (hard drive) 160 WD Blue (hard drive)
OVERWATCH STARTUP SECONDS
software, it’s worth buying a decent PCI-E 3 0 100 200 300 400 0 100 200 300 400
Samsung 980 Pro (PCI-E 4) 13
NVMe SSD. However, spending big on PCI-E OVERWATCH
Samsung 980STARTUP
(PCI-E 3) 14SECONDS
Lower is better Lower is better

4 drives is only really worth it for specialist Samsung

Samsung 850
980 Evo
Pro (SATA)
(PCI-E 4) 13 26

tasks and, dare we say it, showing off. One WD Blue

Samsung (hard
980 drive)
(PCI-E 3) 14 131

Samsung 850 Evo (SATA) 0 100 200 300 400

day, prices will fall further, and PCI-E 4 will 26
Lower is better
WD Blue (hard drive) 131
simply become the new standard, but until 0 100 200 300 400
we get to that point, it’s fair to say that most Lower is better

people don’t need to spend big money on

PCI-E 4 SSDs yet.

95
 C U STO M I SAT I O N / HOBBY TECH

G A R E T H H A L FAC R E E ’ S

Hobby tech
The latest tips, tricks and news in the world of computer hobbyism,
from Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and Android to retro computing

REVIEW
PiStorm

O
fficially, the Commodore Amiga died
in 1996, 11 years after Commodore
brought the innovative machines to
market with the Amiga 1000. In reality, there
are people out there from whom you will
never take their Amigas – even if the legal The PiStorm is a remarkable Amiga
rights surrounding the trademarks, accessory at an incredible price
technology, hardware, software and so on are
increasingly muddied in the face of competing order quantities, the community around the input/output (GPIO) header, the PiStorm
legal claims. PiStorm organises semi-regular group buys, allows the Amiga to treat the Raspberry Pi as
It’s this band of enthusiasts that’s keeping in which an assembled board, requiring only a replacement processor and more.
the Amiga alive with new hardware, typically the headers to be soldered in place, can cost as Installation is simple – remove the
designed to bridge the gap between classic little as $13 US (around £9 ex VAT). processor from your Amiga 1000, 500 or 500
and modern computing. The most popular In a market where your average Amiga Plus, and push the PiStorm into its place. Add
of these are accelerators, designed to increase accelerator costs 5-15 times as much the Raspberry Pi on top, with a micro-SD card
a stock Amiga 1000 or 500 from its aging money, an accelerator for that little would loaded with the lightweight Linux distribution
7MHz Motorola 68000 to a system that’s be remarkable, but the PiStorm is far from a of your choice, and you’re done.
a little faster. simple accelerator. The board itself is simple, The software side is a little trickier.
The PiStorm, designed by Amiga fan driven by an Intel Altera MAX II complex PiStorm is a constantly evolving project, and
Claude Schwarz, is just one of them, but one programmable logic device (CPLD) – akin to there’s no ready-to-run software image.
that stands out from the crowd for a variety a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), but The documentation walks you through
of reasons. The first is its open hardware; simpler and cheaper. downloading and compiling the software,
Schwarz doesn’t sell the PiStorm, but instead The CPLD acts as ‘glue logic’ between the updating the CPLD and finally loading the
publishes the source code and design files host Amiga and a Raspberry Pi single-board Muhashi emulator. It’s here that the PiStorm
for anyone to submit to a PCB fabricator. computer in an unusual fashion. Connected cuts its costs – rather than having a real
If you don’t fancy fighting with minimum via the Raspberry Pi’s 40-pin general-purpose processor or an FPGA loaded with a soft

96
 A Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ connects
The PiStorm nestles in an Amiga’s CPU socket, to the PiStorm via its GPIO header
with the stock processor removed

core, the PiStorm connects the Amiga to a Motorola 68020 and a 128MB chip memory graphics (RTG) card, a common form of add-
software emulator. expansion. Tweak the configuration and you in card that gives an Amiga high-resolution
This unusual blend of real and emulated can increase that to a Motorola 68040 – albeit and high-colour-depth capabilities. Better
hardware unlocks additional features too. By with a few compatibility issues that are still still, when configured as an RTG – a task that
default, the PiStorm is configured to act as a being worked on – with 8MB of additional requires adjusting the configuration on both
Zorro II memory – just about the most you the Raspberry Pi and the Amiga itself – the
could ever fit in a classic Amiga. video is output from the Raspberry Pi’s HDMI
NEWS IN BRIEF Handling the CPU and RAM is just the port, making it easy to connect your Amiga to
beginning though. The PiStorm’s keyboard modern monitors and TVs.
Olimex jumps and mouse pass-through also allow you to In short, the PiStorm is remarkable. It’s
on Pico wagon connect USB peripherals to the Raspberry Pi not perfect – the ability to boot from physical
and have them control the Amiga. Meanwhile, Kickstart ROMs didn’t work during testing, for
Bulgarian open hardware specialist Olimex a network pass-through, which will allow example, with the PiStorm failing unless a
has announced a carrier board for the the Amiga to use the Raspberry Pi’s Wi-Fi ROM dump file was provided, and when the
Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller (see connection, is on the road map. Amiga is powered off, the Raspberry Pi loses
Issue 212), along with its own Pico-style The PiStorm can also turn hard drive power without shutting down safely. Also,
RP2040 development board dubbed images, or physical block devices, into SCSI among other compatibility issues, it’s currently
the RP2040-Py. The RP2040-PICO-PC Amiga drives, making it easy to expand your limited to the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+, with
turns a Raspberry Pi Pico into a personal Amiga’s storage. The board acts as a real-time Raspberry Pi 4 and Compute Module 4
computer, with DVI-over-HDMI video clock as well, setting the Amiga’s clock to the support in progress, but for the money there’s
output, analogue audio, micro-SD storage Raspberry Pi’s clock – which is, in turn, set still nothing else like it.
and more. The RP2040-Py, meanwhile, automatically over the network via NTP. More information on the PiStorm is
is a pin-compatible drop-in Pico The board isn’t finished there either. The available from custompc.co.uk/PiStorm,
replacement, boasting a UEXT connector, PiStorm can also emulate a retargetable where you’ll also find a readme file containing
reset button, 2A 3V3 DC-DC converter, an a link to the Discord channel where group buys
The board is surprisingly simple, with
optional second micro-USB power input a CPLD at its heart to act as ‘glue logic’ are organised.
and JTAG debug support. See custompc.
co.uk/OlimexPico for more information.

97
 C U STO M I SAT I O N / HOBBY TECH

REVIEW
Remodo X

R
emotec’s Remodo X is billed as ‘a is whether you’re using Windows or macOS.
designer remote for Raspberry Pi,’ For those looking to control a Raspberry Pi,
which is only partially true – but, the answer is most likely ‘neither’, but that’s
perhaps, true enough to cut the company a not an option.
little slack. The low cost of the Raspberry Pi The Remodo X has only four buttons
family of single-board computers, combined on its face, marked with symbols and with
with their origins as devices based on a the primary button highlighted in an eye-
system-on-chip developed by Broadcom catching orange. However, the device can
for multimedia set-top boxes, make them a be configured for eight total control tasks,
popular presence in home theatre setups. through a differentiation between short-press Billed as ‘a designer remote for Raspberry Pi’,
Their easy extensibility and, in modern and long-press actions. The configuration the Remodo X is surprisingly versatile
variants, built-in wireless and wired network can be stored in profiles, for easy switching.
capabilities mean they’re equally popular Disappointingly, though, choosing a particular
for smart home and automation tasks. Both type of profile from selections, including Kodi,
these usages have one factor in common: OpenHAB, Spotify, Instagram and more,
it would be handy if you could control them doesn’t load a configuration preset but simply
without hooking up a keyboard and mouse. changes the profile’s icon.
That’s where the Remodo X comes in – a There are three ‘key types’ for each of the
compact, sleek and programmable Bluetooth eight possible key presses. There are ‘third
Low Energy (BLE) remote.
The fact that Remotec is rather bending
the truth here is obvious from the moment
you insert two AAA batteries into the device
and set about configuring the remote –
there’s no Raspberry Pi software to be found.
Instead, the controller is configured using an
Android or iOS application running on your
smartphone or tablet.
Hitching the device to the
Raspberry Pi wagon was
clearly an idea that came late
in development, as the first
question the software asks

The remote is plastic

and lightweight, but
feels reassuringly
well built in the hand

The remote can’t be programmed on the Raspberry

Pi, instead requiring a mobile app

98
 NEWS IN BRIEF

Microsoft brings Linux

graphical apps to
Windows subsystem
Microsoft has launched a preview of
what it calls WSLg, adding support for
running graphical applications in the
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
on Windows 10.
‘WSL lets you run a Linux
environment, and up until this point has
focused on enabling command line
tools, utilities, and applications,’ explains
Microsoft’s Craig Loewen. ‘GUI app
support now lets you use your favourite
Linux GUI applications as well.’ WSLg There are only four programmable
includes support for 3D acceleration, buttons, but eight possible actions
meaning Linux-exclusive games are through short and long presses
compatible, and is available in Windows
10 Insiders preview build 21364 or higher. party apps/services shortcuts’, which at example. The addition of an infrared emitter on
the time of writing only includes controls for top of the Bluetooth Low Energy connection
Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams further also extends its capabilities, allowing
and Skype. There are also HID keys, which one key to fire up your hi-fi while another
can be configured for any key combination, press gets your Raspberry Pi playing your
multimedia keys or mouse scroll actions. favourite music.
Finally, there are ‘infrared device keys’ to The handset is also well designed. While
control non-Bluetooth devices, such as it’s made wholly from plastic and surprisingly
amplifiers, TVs and air conditioning systems. lightweight, it feels well made and the keys
There’s a lot of flexibility here, but depress crisply with no discernible mush.
integrating it with the Raspberry Pi is another A single status LED can be found at the top,
matter. The official instructions, hidden away while the shiny lower half slides down to
on GitHub, aren’t the easiest to follow – at one reveal the battery compartment.
point, they walk the reader through installing The only part that feels like a missed
the TED Talks plug-in Kodi, for no discernible opportunity is the bundled dock. Its flip-out
reason. Once you’ve paired the remote with kickstand, and the inclusion of screw holes for
the Raspberry Pi’s Bluetooth radio, though, wall mounting, are both welcome, but the dock
the world is your oyster. When configured itself is too light for desktop use. Rather than
for keyboard inputs, the Remodo X is ready pulling smoothly out of the stand when you try
to control absolutely any software you could to remove it, the Remodo X has a tendency to
imagine – providing, that is, the software bring the stand along for the ride, folding the
accepts keyboard inputs. kickstand back into the body of the dock for
At first, it looks as though the Remodo X good measure.
can’t quite seem to settle on its purpose. As the Raspberry Pi supports Consumer
As a dedicated Raspberry Pi device, you’d Electronics Control (CEC), meaning playback
expect dedicated Raspberry Pi software for can be controlled using a TV’s remote control
configuration; as a smart remote, four buttons and communicated to the Raspberry Pi over
– even though they map to eight keys – feels HDMI, the Remodo X isn’t strictly speaking a
a little restrictive. With a little work, though, the must-have accessory. However, its flexibility,
flexibility of the Remodo X becomes clear. particularly for non-multimedia tasks such as
The Remodo X By not being tied to any particular software, smart home control, make it a handy add-on.
uses two AAA
it’s easily integrated into any workflow – one The Remodo X is available to buy from
batteries, which
last well thanks preset offers the ability to use the gadget custompc.co.uk/RemodoX for a price of
to a sleep mode as a presentation clicker with a laptop, for £20 (ex VAT), plus shipping.

9999
 C U STO M I SAT I O N / HOBBY TECH

REVIEW
Using Open-Source Projects

C
reate, Share, and Save Money Using You never actually learn to create or use
Open-Source Projects, which we’re anything in the book without visiting a URL.
calling Using Open-Source Projects, so The section on ‘open-source cameras’, for
it doesn’t take over this page, by Dr Joshua M instance, is a mere 308 words long and looks
Pearce, aims to look at a range of open-source at just one project – Elphel (elphel.com), which
hardware and software projects. However, it’s as concentrates on specialist hardware and
wide as an ocean and as deep as a puddle. software for 3D photogrammetry.
Aimed at ‘beginning hobbyists and makers’, In the same chapter you’ll find a look at
the book highlights projects across as many ‘free software for photo lovers’, which spends
fields as possible. In order, the book covers: just 54 words talking about the existence of
recipes, ‘life hacks’ and household tips; digital ‘DigiCamControl’ (digicamcontrol.com), then
photography and open-source cameras; art; 304 words talking about the GNU Image
music, music software and instruments; book Manipulation Program (gimp.org) – using an
digitisation, book sharing, and paper and audio example of a black and white image from the
book creation; videos; maps and geographic Great Depression being colourised to highlight
information system (GIS) data; clothing; its capabilities. However, the book is printed in
woodworking ‘and other old-school skills’; faded black and white, making both the original This book could have been a fantastic resource,
electronics; 3D printing and milling; scientific and colourised versions look identical. but it’s just too shallow
equipment; citizen journalism; recycling; ‘big free The chapter on video is particularly
stuff’ such as cars, buildings and ‘free electricity’, egregious. It’s just four and a third pages long, primarily taken up with pictures and the last of
plus ‘how to make a million dollars of value’. with imagery taking up the equivalent of one which is given over to references.
You get all this in 165 pages – including the full page. The majority of chapters clock in at There are other problems too. The URL
introduction, a chapter on the philosophy of between five to ten pages, with the longest given for Local Motors’ Rally Fighter car, which
open source, an essay about the future of open – Chapter 12, on ‘Making and Sharing Digital isn’t actually open source, is localmotors.com,
source and an index. If that doesn’t sound like At-Home Manufacturing’ – being a mere 16 but there’s nothing there bar a single picture,
enough pages, that’s because it isn’t. pages, several of which are either wholly or with only a few more details to be found at the
actual project site at rally-fighter.com
For those wholly unfamiliar, this book
could provide a useful road map of selected
projects in particular fields – guiding the reader
to websites in order to learn more. There’s
nothing more though.
The closing chapter, ‘Making the Future of
Sharing’, is interesting but contains a figure
showing the growth in scholarly papers
referencing open-source software or
hardware that stops at 2017, four years before
the book’s publication. The introduction,
meanwhile, conflates open-source, free
software and the Creative Commons
organisation and its licences as all being
equivalent, which is definitely not the case.
Using Open-Source Projects is published
by McGraw Hill’s TAB DIY impression
under ISBN 978-1-260-46176-3, and can
be purchased from blackwells.co.uk for
The print quality is poor, and wholly black and white, including a figure highlighting a colourised photograph £14.67 (VAT exempt).

Gareth Halfacree is a keen computer hobbyist, journalist, and author. His work can be found at freelance.halfacree.co.uk @ghalfacree

100
 F O R T H E W I N / COMPETITION

WIN
ENDGAME GEAR
MICE AND MOUSEPADS
Endgame Gear is kindly offering some
fantastic gaming mouse bundles to three
lucky Custom PC readers. Each bundle
not only contains one of the company’s
£50 XM1r gaming mice in a classy
translucent Dark Frost colour scheme,
but also includes one of Endgame’s top-
line MPX390 mousepads worth £50.

ENDGAME GEAR XM1R

The XM1r is a refresh of the acclaimed

3
Endgame Gear XM1 gaming mouse. With
the inclusion of the new PixArt PAW3370
optical sensor and Kailh GM 8 switches,
topped with two new transparent shell
editions, the XM1r has been designed BUNDLES TO
with precision and style in mind. BE WON!
The XM1r’s responsiveness is significantly
improved by the sensor’s resolution of
up to 19000 CPI, 1mm of lift-off-distance
and its ability to track at up to 400 IPS.
Every effort has been made to squeeze
the last ounce of performance from this
sensor. Meanwhile, the Custom Kailh GM
8 switches have been pre-sorted to an
operating force of 55-60gf, which results
in an extremely pleasant and fast click.
and hard pads. Its black surface made of
ENDGAME GEAR MPX390 CORDURA is particularly tough, as well as
With the MPX390 Endgame Gear offers being dirt and water-repellent, and it offers
demanding gamers the mousepad they’ve excellent sliding properties. The base of the
always wanted. With its unique combination mousepad is made of yellow silicone. The
of silicone and CORDURA, it offers a unique Endgame Gear MPX390 isn’t just a non-
feel and combines the advantages of soft slip pad, but it also has a smooth surface.

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY AT CUSTOMPC.CO.UK/WIN

Competition closes on Friday, 9 July 2021. Prize is offered to participants in the UK aged 13 or over, except employees of the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Trading, the prize supplier, their families or friends. Winners will be notified by email no more than 30 days after the competition
closes. By entering the competition, the winner consents to any publicity generated from the competition, in print and online. Participants agree to receive occasional newsletters from Custom PC magazine. We don’t like spam: participants’ details will remain strictly confidential and
won’t be shared with third parties. Prizes are non-negotiable and no cash alternative will be offered. Winners will be contacted by email to arrange delivery. Any winners who have not responded 60 days after the initial email is sent will have their prize revoked.

101
 MODDING / OPINION

A N TO N Y L E AT H E R ’ S

Customised PC
Case mods, tools, techniques, water-cooling gear
and everything to do with PC modding

Should there be more water-cooling bundles?

T
his month I’ve been playing
with a hardware bundle that
MSI and EK sent me, which
includes MSI’s MPG Z590 Carbon WiFi
board plus a waterblock that cools the
CPU as well as the VRMs. You also get
EK’s leak tester thrown into the package,
plus a voucher worth €50 to spend in
EK’s online store.
The two companies partnered up
for the Z490 version of the board as
well, but that board was decidedly mid-
range and water-cooling it seemed a
little pointless in the first place. The new
board, though, is much beefier, both in
terms of its 16-phase power delivery
and its price. At £300 inc VAT, it’s firmly
in premium territory even if the MPG
range sits below the MEG range in MSI’s
motherboard arsenal.
Meanwhile, the bundled waterblock
EK and MSI’s bundle
has a fairly standard-looking design includes an MPG The inclusion of all the gear in one box cooling, and maybe even quite a few
that cools the CPU and both banks of Z590 Carbon WiFi is definitely a boon, saving you having to seasoned veterans, don’t own one yet.
VRMs – I definitely prefer these types of motherboard, a fish around for a compatible waterblock The results were good too, with a
CPU and VRM
blocks to ones that just cool your CPU, as on EK’s website. The inclusion of EK’s 5-10°C drop in VRM temperatures, and
waterblock, a leak
it usually pays to cool as many hot spots tester and an EK leak tester is a great idea as well – I our water-cooling system was able to
on your motherboard as possible. store voucher suspect that many newcomers to water keep Intel’s Adaptive Boost Technology

102
active for our entire 15-minute stress waterblock, as well as a leak tester, it’s
test on our Core i9-11900K. This means essentially a no-brainer.
that all of its eight cores sat at 5.1GHz This got me thinking about whether
and didn’t move a megahertz. other manufacturers should follow suit.
However, it wasn’t the performance We already have pre-water-cooled
that impressed me most with the MPG motherboards, but they’re invariably
Z590 Carbon EK X, but the price. The hugely expensive due to their unique
kit currently costs £450 inc VAT, which integrated design.
includes the motherboard, leak tester Comparatively, the waterblock
and waterblock. When you price up included here has only been tweaked
these components individually, and slightly between models, so it isn’t
consider the included voucher too, expensive to design, plus it’s easy to fit,
you’re looking at over £530. especially as the motherboard has also
That’s an £80 saving, and the had its heatsinks removed.
The waterblock
voucher could pay for your tubing and Water-cooling kits very often don’t covers the Bundles such as this one offer a
fittings, or go towards paying for a pump, meet both these criteria, and they motherboard’s great way for manufacturers to make
reservoir or GPU waterblock. Being able also remove customisation from the VRMs as well as their products more accessible, and to
your CPU, both of
to sell extra gear is probably why EK equation. I think most people will want encourage enthusiasts to head to their
which were cooler
included the voucher too, but the point to choose their own fittings, tubing than with high-end websites to buy the rest of their gear,
is that this bundle saves you money and and coolant, and this bundle enables AIO liquid coolers especially if a voucher is included. If we
includes all the gear (or money) needed you to do that. If you want this board save money in the process then that’s
to get the product working. with a compatible CPU and VRM a win-win situation.

In praise of slim fans

I
n our last fan Labs test, we a radiator with fans that measures just
included Noctua’s NF-A12x15, 35mm thick. This makes water cooling
which was the first slim now possible in cases where it wasn’t
120mm fan we’d tested at Custom PC. before. That’s pretty exciting, especially
Despite measuring only 15mm thick vs if, like me, you love water-cooling small
the usual 25mm for a standard fan, it form factor systems.
performed very closely to its fatter I’m seeing increasing numbers of
counterparts. If you want to squeeze people using them, and not just for
There are now
a fan into a tight spot that’s too small to space-saving purposes. They actually numerous models graphics cards to use these fans to
otherwise use a normal fan, you have look neater if they’re on show, and of slim 120mm blow air through the heatsink for better
a very good option in the NF-A12x15. they’re popular with cases that have fans from which performance – I’ve covered this in the
to choose
What’s more, using these fans with lower fan mounts, where you can point How To section on p102.
a super-slim radiator, such as those in air at graphics cards for better cooling. Amazingly, just a few years ago, there
the XSPC TX series, means you have Some people have even modded their were just one or two slim fans available,
including Noctua’s model, but during
a recent Internet search I uncovered
a total of nine models from different
manufacturers. There’s a whole bunch
of price points too, with some fans being
much more affordable than the pricey
Noctua one. That’s good news, as while
the Noctua slim fans might be great, it’s
Slim fans are around
10mm thinner than still going to cost a fortune to kit out your
standard fans case and several radiators with them.

Antony Leather is Custom PC’s modding editor @antonyleather

103
 M O D D I N G / HOW TO GUIDES

How to
Install a
distro plate
Antony Leather shows you how to
transform your water-cooling tubing
1 / CHECK FOR CUSTOM PLATES
routes by fitting a distribution plate Sadly, not all cases have custom distro plates available, even premium
cases, so start by checking Google to see if there are any models
into your case available for you case. Several manufacturers make them, so you might
be in luck, and some models even include pump mounts.
TOTA L P R OJ E C T T I M E / 2 H O U R S

T
he amount of custom high-end water-cooling hardware
available these days is staggering, with many components
that traditionally had to be custom-made now available as
off-the-shelf products. Cases are a good example. A decade ago, if
you wanted a distribution (distro) plate – a large acrylic block that has
numerous ports and often a reservoir built into it – for your case, you’d
have to make it yourself.
However, there are now plenty of off-the-shelf models that are
made for specific cases or are even universal, fitting into fan mounts in
nearly any case. We’ll be taking a look at how to choose one for your
case, the different types available and how you can use them to make it
easier to route tubing through your case.
2 / USE A UNIVERSAL DISTRO
TO O L S YO U ’ L L N E E D Custom distro plates can be tricky to obtain, and are also expensive, but
universal ones are more readily available and will fit in practically any
PC case – even small ones. They usually fit into 120mm or 140mm fan
mounts, although you can’t have one installed at the same time as a fan.

Distro plate
overclockers.co.uk

3 / REMOVE CASE PARTS

Universal distro plates often require the sole use of a fan mount, and
the rear mount is usually the best place to install them, both for tube
routing and aesthetic reasons. Remove any components, such as fans
3M picture hanging strips 3M mounting tape or GPU brackets, to make room for you to test-fit the plate.
Most hardware stores Most hardware stores

104
 7 / MOUNT DISTRO WITH SCREWS
Universal distro plates can be mounted in two ways. Those that use
fan mounts are simple to install, as they use standard fan screws and
screw locations. You may even get lucky in areas with vents if they line
up with the screw holes on the plate.
4 / CHECK FOR BEST LOCATION
You might want to put the distribution plate on show, which is usually a
simple job with custom-made plates that sit in the front of the case or next
to the motherboard. With universal fan mount plates, the rear fan mount
gives the best visibility, but you also need to consider your tubing routes.

8/ MOUNT DISTRO WITHOUT SCREWS

If you want to mount the distro plate in an alternative location, such as
against a section of the case without fan screw holes, you can use 3M
mounting strips or 3M mounting tape to secure it. The strips are thicker,
5 / MAKE TUBE ROUTING EASIER
but act like Velcro. The tape is thinner and stronger, but harder to remove.
There are situations where using a distro plate can actually make it easier to
route tubing through your case. For example, in this case the motherboard
and graphics card are in separate chambers, but the distro plate can offer an
easy way to direct coolant from one chamber to another.

6 / WORK OUT TUBING ROUTES 9 / INSTALL YOUR FITTINGS

Work out your final tubing routes – you don’t need to use all the ports, Once your distro plate is installed, check it’s secure by giving it a wiggle
just enough to route the coolant through the plate and then to your and then install your fittings. Be sure to check that your fittings have
components. Check for components fouling the ports on the plate, O-rings attached first. You don’t want to find that one is missing and
especially with universal plates that might not account for unique case have to detach all the tubes from your distro plate once your system is
or motherboard features. at the leak-test stage.

105
 M O D D I N G / HOW TO GUIDES

How to
Mod your
GPU cooler 1 / CHECK FOR REPLACEMENT FANS
Antony Leather shows you how to If you’ve broken a blade on one of your graphics card’s fans, there’s a
good chance there’s a replacement set available. EBay is a great place to
replace your graphics card cooler’s fans find them, so if you’re here because your graphics card is currently out of
action and would prefer to keep the stock cooler, you may be able to just
replace the existing fans.
TOTA L P R OJ E C T T I M E / 2 H O U R S

G
raphics card coolers are far better today than they were ten
years ago, and modern cards are generally pretty quiet now,
even in games. However, their fans are often very slim, and
lack sufficient airflow and static pressure to make the most of your
GPU’s heatsink, even at full speed. If you’re looking to cut noise, increase
cooling and even lift boost frequencies, there’s a simple modification
you can perform.
Replacing your graphics card’s fans with high-performance case fans
can not only cut noise levels, but increase cooling too. Best of all, it’s
relatively easy to do, requiring just a couple of fans and cable ties.
However, you need to know a few tricks to getting everything working,
so if you want to get your graphics card cooler tweaked in time for
summer, this guide is for you.

TO O L S YO U ’ L L N E E D
2 / MEASURE GRAPHICS CARD
If you want to boost cooling, then adding custom fans is the way to go. To
do this, first measure the width of your graphics card’s heatsink in order to
assess the size of fans you’ll need. Large heatsinks can accommodate
120mm fans while smaller ones may need 92mm models.

Fan splitter cable

overclockers.co.uk

Micro screwdriver set Fans

amazon.co.uk overclockers.co.uk

3 / CHOOSE CUSTOM FANS

Once you’ve chosen your fan size, you have a couple of further options.
If there’s limited space, you can use slim fans to allow your graphics
card to adhere to tight height limits. Otherwise, standard-height fans
with at least 2,000rpm speeds should do the trick and a fan splitter
Cable ties Thermal probe cable will enable you to use just one power header.
Most hardware stores overclockers.co.uk

106
4 / CHECK FOR SOFTWARE CONTROL
You can’t use your graphics card’s fan connector to power the new 7 / TEST GPU COOLING
fans, so you’ll need to use a motherboard fan header. Check if your Before you get going, check the GPU temperature, so you can see if
graphics card’s temperature can be used to control the fan speed in your modding has actually improved temperatures. Download GPU-Z
your motherboard’s software. Alternatively, Argus Monitor can do this (techpowerup.com) and Unigine’s Valley benchmark (benchmark.
(argusmonitor.com), but it costs around £20. unigine.com), run the Valley benchmark for ten minutes and take a GPU
core temperature reading using GPU-Z.

8/ IDENTIFY CABLE TIE ANCHORS

You can secure the cable ties to the GPU backplate, spare mounting
holes or slip the ties through and under the heatsink. If you have no
other option, heatpipes can also work as anchors, but they’re not ideal,
5 / CHECK EFI FAN CONTROL as they can get hot. You only need to hold the fan using two diagonal
The EFI can often have options that are missing in the software, so mounting holes to secure it, but ideally use all four.
be sure to check there for both GPU and thermal probe temperature
inputs – both of them are useful for controlling the new GPU fans.

6 / USE A THERMAL PROBE

If there’s no GPU temperature input, you can fix the fan speed to a 9 / IDENTIFY FAN SHROUD SCREWS
suitable level manually, or use a thermal probe if your motherboard If possible, only remove the fan shroud and fans on your graphics card
supports them. This connects to your motherboard with the other end – you probably won’t need to remove the entire cooler and heatsink.
sitting inside the GPU heatsink – you then adjust the fan speed in the Doing so will also likely void your warranty, but with our card, at least we
software or EFI to keep GPU temperatures in check. could remove the fans and shroud without breaking the warranty seals.

107
M O D D I N G / HOW TO GUIDES

10 / REMOVE SCREWS
The screws can have a mix of head types, so make sure you have the 13 / LINE UP NEW FANS WITH HEATSINK
correct tool to hand before you start. Once you remove the shroud, You want the new fans to exhaust air into the heatsink, so align them with
place the screws back into it for safe keeping, and keep any additional their base sections sitting on it. You also want the fans to cover all or most
ones in a sealed bag or container in your graphics card’s box. of the heatsink, even if the final contraption looks a bit lopsided as a result.

11 / UNPLUG POWER AND LIGHTING CABLES

Carefully lift the shroud, but beware of any cables that are still
connected to the card’s PCB. You’ll need to detach these cables before
fully removing it. If there are lighting elements that can remain attached
to the heatsink or PCB, and don’t foul the fans, feel free to keep them 14 / S ECURE USING CABLE TIES
and leave their cables attached. You’ll need the right length of cable ties to mount the fans. Use a piece of
string to mimic the ties so you know the lengths of ties you’ll need to buy.

15 / TEST NEW FANS

12 / REMOVE SHROUD AND FANS Finally, reinstall your graphics card and run the same test you did earlier
Go ahead and lift the shroud and fans off the heatsink. There may be for the same amount of time. Our GPU core temperature fell from 67°C
hidden screws or connectors you haven’t yet spotted, so if there’s to just 47°C and only hit 53°C with the fans reduced to inaudible speeds.
resistance, check they’ve all been removed. The fans may well stay The memory temperature dropped from 72°C to 50°C at full speed, and
behind; lifting the shroud will give you access to the remaining screws. 58°C with the fan speed reduced.

108
 CO M M U N I T Y / FOLDING

Folding@home
Join our folding team and help medical research
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109
M O D D I N G / READERS’ DRIVES

Readers’ Drives
Project Mini Z
Michael Sheppard cut and bent
several steel panels to make the
open-air chassis for this water-
cooled mini-ITX PC

What inspired you to build

this mini open-air PC, and what
were your design goals?
Michael: The idea was
to create an iteration
of my previous project, ideas. However, I would like to try doesn’t work within a system. The
Project Z. My main digital drawing and 3D designing cable routes were dictated by the
goal was to downsize a little more, as I now have access location of the motherboard and
the footprint using a to a small CNC machine. As I had wherever was convenient – I just
mini-ITX motherboard the original micro-ATX Project went with what made sense.
and a full-sized ATX Z case at hand, I went straight to I also CNC-cut some panel-
power supply, as marking out locations for various mounted combs – I wanted this
well as making a few components and marking holes for upgrade, as in the last build, I fed
/MEET THY MAKER design improvements cables straight onto the case using a the cables through each hole in the
to make it more marker pen – this made it easier for chassis. This new way was much
Name Michael Sheppard
user-friendly. me to visualise the end result. tidier and gave me the ability to
Age 31 remove the cables in one go for easy
Occupation Chef Where did the That’s some lovely neat maintenance or upgrades.
design process start, cabling! How did you go about The runs of water-cooling
Location Sunderland
and how did you planning the routes for the cables tubing required a lot of visualising,
Main uses for PC go about planning and tubing? planning and sketching. I knew I
Gaming, video editing this build? Michael: Cables are always an had to take the tubing through the
and CNC design Michael: Pen and important aspect for me – they can case rather than around it or over
Likes Food, PC, gaming paper is always my make or break any system. I design the top, and it made sense to put
and YouTube first choice when and custom-make all my cables, as the radiator on the inside, reducing
Dislikes Sitting still and starting any project well as ones for local modders in the the footprint by 30mm. In the end,
relaxing (time is money – it makes it so easy industry and UK YouTubers such it made more sense to use a parallel
and life’s too short) to quickly design as eTeknix – this gives me a little loop, which gave the system a much
and brainstorm new experience with what does and cleaner and tidier look.

110
 How did you get the Why did you use soft black
custom logo design onto tubing and clear coolant?
the GPU waterblock? Michael: The tubing is 16/10mm
Michael: I purchased a vinyl cutter ZMT by EK Water Blocks, and this
last year, which has opened up is the first soft-tubing build I’ve
a whole world when it comes to ever done. I chose soft tubing, as it’s
making modifications. I’d spent a a lot easier to manipulate around
lot of money on stencils and stickers bends, which is definitely needed
for previous builds, so it made sense on a system this shape. The coolant
to buy a vinyl cutter, as it would was a toss-up between using clear
give me so much freedom with or pastel orange. I went with clear
personalising builds in the future. in the end, as I thought it would look
I went about making a backplate better with the RGB waterblocks.
and waterblock decals by firstly
taking a picture of my graphics card, Tell us about the
in this case an AMD Radeon RX Vega build process.
64. I then transferred the pictures Michael: I went with 2mm-thick
to the software and cropped it steel sheet that I’d recycled from
to the exact measurements in the last (Project Z) build. Basically,
physical form. it involved me cutting 30 per cent
I then pretty much based my off the top, cutting off the pre-
design around the backplate, trying bent radiator side and rebending
to incorporate a similar look to it to make it shorter. The end
the Star Wars light-speed stripe. I result made the case 6 x 10 x 12in
wanted to keep a factory-made look, (W x D x H) .
as painting this lovely aluminium I wanted to improve the location
felt like a crime. I also put the Z of the I/O panel by putting it on
and be quiet! logos on the top, and the top – in the original Project
carried on the line and dash effect Z, the panel was too close to my
throughout the design. desk, resulting in me having to use

111
M O D D I N G / READERS’ DRIVES

angled adaptors to plug in a mouse and then thought about how I

and keyboard. was going to mount the bracket
The second major design above the radiator. The idea was to
improvement was adding holes show off the backplate and have
for fan airflow – in the last build, it parallel with the front 240mm
the radiators were mounted on radiator, but this location was too
standoffs but they still didn’t get tight for the riser cable, so I moved
enough air. This whole process was to plan B.
done using an angle grinder, a small This involved using 23 x 43mm
cutting disc on a Dremel, hacksaw angled steel – I cut into the wider
blades, files and 240-grit sandpaper side at a 45-degree angle and bent in
just to smooth out those lines. the shorter side to square up against
it. I then took it to my local garage
Did you come across and put some welds in the join to
any difficulties? add some extra strength. After that,
Michael: The main issue was that it was a case of adding the PCI-E
I didn’t quite have room to mount riser bracket to that.
the graphics card in the way I I think if the case had been 1in
originally planned, which was with longer then the original plan would
no riser cable and going straight have worked fine. However, if I had
into the PCI-E slot. I went through made the case longer, I don’t think
several new designs in my head and I could have made a parallel loop,
resorted to cutting down a PCI-E which I think is one of the cleanest-
riser bracket several times to reach looking aspects of the final build.
its final form.
I knew the fit was going to How many radiators and fans
be super-tight, so I ordered the did you use?
smallest riser I could find, which Michael: There are two 240mm
was a Phanteks 150mm model, EK Classic SE radiators – one on the

The maximum temperature of the CPU is

SYSTEM SPECS 45°C, and the GPU temperature is
generally in the high 30s
CPU AMD Ryzen 5 3600
GPU AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Storage Crucial P1 NVMe 512GB
SSD
Memory Patriot Viper Steel
3600MHz
Motherboard Asus Strix B450i
AM4
PSU be quiet! SFX-L 600W
Cooling EKWB Velocity RGB CPU
Block, EKWB Quantum Kinetic
D5 Pump and Reservoir, 2 x
EKWB 240 SE Classic Radiators,
EKWB ZMT 16/10mm tubing, 14
x 16/10mm EKWB silver nickel
fittings, 2 x 45-degree rotary silver
nickel fittings, 4 x 90-degree rotary
silver nickel fittings, Bitspower full-
cover nickel/acrylic waterblock for
Vega 56/64, 4 x be quiet! Silent
Wings 3 fans

112
 WIN CORSAIR HYDRO X
WATER-COOLING GEAR
To enter your rig for possible inclusion in Readers’ Drives,
your build needs to be fully working and, ideally, based in
the UK. Simply send us a couple of photos on Twitter (@
CustomPCMag) or Facebook (CPCMagazine), or email
low-res ones to ben.hardwidge@raspberrypi.com. Fame
isn’t the only prize; you’ll also get your hands on some
fabulous prizes, courtesy of Corsair.

Corsair Hydro X Series XD3

RGB Pump/Reservoir C
The Corsair Hydro X Series XD3 RGB Pump/
WORTH
£151
Reservoir Combo features a high-
performance DDC PWM pump,
integrated RGB lighting and in-loop
temperature sensor to drive even the
most compact custom cooling systems.
It has a high-performance Xylem DDC
PWM pump controlled via PWM to
inside rear and the other on the temperature of the CPU is 45°C, and deliver the perfect flow balance for your loop. There are also
front outside, loaded with four be the GPU temperature is lower – it’s 16 individually addressable RGB LEDs, which light up the
quiet! Silent Wings 3 fans. Both generally in the high 30s. This is pump head to produce stunning, customisable lighting
radiators are placed at the end of quite a surprise when you consider effects to match your build.
the loop, pulling air away, although that the Radeon Vega 64 GPU can
airflow isn’t really an issue with the pull around 300W – the Bitspower
open-case design anyway. waterblock does a fantastic job here. Corsair Hydro X Series XC7
How are the PSU and reservoir How long did the build
RGB CPU Water Block
mounted on the main chassis? process take? The Corsair Hydro X Series XC7
WORTH
Michael: The power supply is Michael: I started in mid-March RGB CPU Water Block combines
£70
mounted using an ATX-to-SFX and it was completed in early April. premium construction, vivid RGB
bracket, again attached to a piece I did aim to for it to be started and lighting and extreme cooling
of 23 x 43mm angled steel. The finished in March, but lockdown performance to become the
intention was to house a standard and family life caused a few delays. centrepiece of your water-cooling
ATX power supply measuring up loop. It has a nickel-plated copper
to 150mm, but with the ability Are you completely happy cold plate and more than 60 high-
to possibly go up to 165mm. The with the end result, or do you wish efficiency micro-cooling fins, which
reservoir uses the standard EKWB you’d done some of it differently efficiently draw heat away from your CPU, lowering operating
UNI pump bracket for 120mm fan in retrospect? temperatures and allowing for maximum overclocks. You
mounts. That’s then mounted to the Michael: I’m really over the moon can choose the AM4/LGA1151 or LGA2066 version.
radiator through the fans, with the with the end result. There are some
vertical D5 pump clamp housing revisions I’d like to make, such as
the reservoir. extending the footprint to house Corsair Hydro X Series XR5
What are the CPU and GPU
the radiator on the inside and have
the graphics card not plugged into
240mm Radiator
WORTH
temperatures like? a riser cable. The idea is to be able The Corsair Hydro X Series XR5 £55
Michael: I’ve only been doing to make these systems and fulfil 240mm Water Cooling Radiator
some 2,560 x 1,440 gaming since custom orders from a single piece delivers extreme custom cooling
I completed this project, but of aluminium and include custom performance, with a 30mm radiator
they’re much better since the cables. A VRM waterblock would thickness and premium copper core. Its
rebuild from my last mod, thanks also be a good addition, or a fan over dual 120mm fan mounts on each side are ready for
to better airflow and better paste that area for cooling – it does get your most ambitious custom cooling build, and its 25
application. The maximum warm after long sessions. micron-thick cooling fins offer a high thermal transfer rate.

113
 OPINION

JA M E S G O R B O L D / HARDWARE ACCELERATED

PLAY YOUR CARS RIGHT

James Gorbold discovers the similarities between buying a new PC and a car

ver the past few months, my trusty steed has begun under specific conditions. For example, the 24GB of a RAM
O to show its age, developing all sorts of quirks and
ultimately no longer living up to its name. This has
on a GeForce RTX 3090 is utterly useless for gaming, but
absolutely essential for 3D rendering, and is arguably even
meant the start of the same exhaustive process of selecting more important than the 3090’s tonne of compute cores
and buying a new car that I went through earlier this year here. Similarly, as I discovered through my research, a plug-
when my old PC started to fail me. in-hybrid car is barely any more efficient than a mild hybrid
The process of buying a new car has many similarities to for the sort of journeys I undertake each month.
buying a new PC. After all, both purchases represent significant The analogy continues the further you research too, with
outlay for most of us, so it pays to do your research. While I close similarities between the decisions PC buyers make
don’t have the same passion for cars as PCs, the process of over monitors and car buyers make over gearboxes, both
research is interesting. of which are down to personal preference. After all, while
For instance, whether you’re buying a car or a PC, you should IPS monitors are clearly more superior for graphics work
always start with considering how you’re going to use it. In PC than TN monitors, that’s not necessarily true for fast-paced
terms, that means which games and/or applications you’ll be competitive games. Similarly, an automatic gearbox is great
running alongside what room you’ll need for everyday driving, especially in urban
for add-in cards and drives; in other words, locations, but a manual gearbox provides
which shape and style of case you need. The 24GB on a GeForce RTX more control over performance.
Cars start off similarly too, with myriad 3090 is useless for gaming, You can also draw parallels between
body shapes, all of which have an equally technologies such as CPU and GPU boosting
important role in determining suitability but essential for 3D rendering automatically, and new car tech, such as
for different tasks and types of journey. lane assist and auto parking – features that
Despite the choices, it shouldn’t be surprising then that the were inconceivable not many years ago.
PC and car markets are dominated by a jack-of-all trades PC and car buyers also benefit from being able to choose
choice – the ATX case and hatchback chassis respectively. models from two very vibrant markets, new and second-
Once you’ve settled on a case for your PC, or a chassis for your hand. Even the payment system is similar, with both
car, you need to think about the most important component. purchases typically costing well above the disposable income
For prospective PC gamers, and a lot of computing professionals, of most buyers, necessitating either saving up or buying on
that means choosing the right GPU. The analogy in cars is the a credit scheme.
powerpack, not just the power rating of the engine but the There is one notable difference here, however, and that’s
power source, be it petrol, diesel, electric or some sort of hybrid. while it’s possible to buy or hire a car on credit and then
Just like your GPU choice, choosing the right powerpack return it according to the conditions of the contract, no
not only determines responsiveness and performance but PC manufacturer has managed to successfully replicate a
also efficiency, with some options being far more efficient similar deal yet.

James Gorbold has been building, tweaking and overclocking PCs ever since the 1980s. He now helps Scan Computers to develop new systems.

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Get the competitive edge you need to unleash your full gaming potential with the 24’’ and 27‘‘ G-Masters
offering 0.8ms MPRT and 165Hz refresh rate. Armed with FreeSync Premium you can make split second
decisions and forget about ghosting effects or smearing issues. The ability to adjust brightness and the
dark shades with the Black Tuner delivers greater viewing performance in shadowed areas and the IPS
panel technology guarantees superb image quality.

0.8ms
MPRT

Fixed stand versions:

24‘‘ G2470HSU-B1 & 27‘‘ G2770HSU-B1 Find your match at
Version with height adjustment: gmaster.iiyama.com
24‘‘ GB2470HSU-B1 & 27‘‘ GB2770HSU-B1
 You dream it.
We build it.
PCs designed and custom-crafted for a totally individual look in your home

Scan recommends

Contact the Custom Build Team

scan.co.uk/3xs/custom-shop • 01204 47 47 47