Feb PC of the Month

So, I'm probably not going to make myself very popular here, and apologies to PCS, but:

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/desktop-pcs/pc-of-the-month-feb/
https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/configure-review/297/


Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275R TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-9700K (3.6GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF Z370-PLUS GAMING II: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 2070 - HDMI, DP
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
256GB INTEL® 760p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 3210MB/sR | 1315MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD

Price £1,649.00 including VAT and Delivery
This is discounted from £1879 (according to the product page)


A similar, manually configured build:

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275R TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-9700K (3.6GHz) 12MB Cache
---Get Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 & More w/ select Intel CPUs!
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF Z370-PLUS GAMING II: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
256GB INTEL® 760p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 3210MB/sR | 1315MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD

Price £1,666.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/pms0y6RXQZ/


It's a decent spec, it's balanced, and doesn't skimp on RAM frequency or PSU brand. But given the huge markup of the Asus 2070, it's basically a (just) free upgrade to an Asus RTX 2070 over Zotac/Palit versus the manually configured spec.

So anyone rushing to the "Order Now" button on seeing the discount should probably pause, and think about a range of options. You might prefer a manually configured spec with a bit of customisation instead (customisation and choice being one of the main points of coming to this site in the first place ofc).


The Asus RTX 2070 is currently only £7 cheaper than Palit/Zotac 2080. £7, not even joking.

Good point, but this one looks like the usual good deal - I make it £170 off the manual configuration and there isn't much I'd change:

https://www.bit-tech.net/reviews/tech/pcs/pc-specialist-vortex-ultima-r-review/1/

That is a very nice spec. And the Zotac AMP! being in the review build is nice - though I suppose PCS don't guarantee the AMP!

You're right, there's not much to change. A 2TB HDD might have been nice. Also, the article just says Corsair 500D but it seems to be the 500D SE (PCS don't do the non-SE, and the system comes with the Commander Pro which is an SE feature).

And just to say, my comments on the Feb build aren't meant to rip on PCS as much as Asus's pricing.

The do seem to be selling the non-SE version (sort by brand, for Corssair and then click on the £133 offering) but must have the wrong images associated with it.

The only £133 case I see is the 750D which is an older case, best known for being rather big - I was looking in the intel-z370-pc configurator though is the 500D non-SE in another one? They did used to sell it I think

They did used to sell it, but you are right - I confused the 750 and 500, sorry!

Good new spec here: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/configure-review/298/


Case
THERMALTAKE V200 TEMPERED GLASS RGB EDITION GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Eight Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.35GHz/20MB CACHE/AM4)
---Tom Clancy's The Division 2 FREE w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs!
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X470-PLUS GAMING (DDR4, 6Gb/s, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2933MHz ~ (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP, DVI - VR Ready!
---Get Battlefield V -OR- Anthem with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
256GB INTEL® 760p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 3210MB/sR | 1315MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

£1299

(manual spec, £1427): https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-pc/tre6YfRzRt/