mgsolidus
Enthusiast
Hello!
I've had my PC Specialist desktop for 11 days now, and I've been using it for many hours a day since. So, here I am sharing my experience so far.
Firstly, the specifications:
Case: Zalman Z11 Plus
CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7750
RAM: 4GB Samsung Dual-DDR3 1333MHz (1x4gb)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M
1st HDD: 500GB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 16MB Cache
DVD Drive: 24X Dual Layer DVD Writer
Memory Card Reader: Internal 52 in 1 card reader
Power Supply: 450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling: Standard AMD CPU Cooler
Network Facilities: Wireless 802.11n 300mpbs Wireless PCI Card
Everything else is standard, no operating system.
What has changed
4GB Samsung RAM replaced with Transcend JetRam 1333MHz 8gb (2x4gb)
60GB Kingston V300 Solid State Drive added.
AMD FX-6300 overclocked to 3.8GHz. Update: Now replaced with FX-8350.
AMD Radeon HD 7750 overclocked to 1GHz. Update: Now replaced with HD 7870.
The Transcend RAM will perform almost identically to the Samsung RAM, and the Kingston V300 SSD is offered here, so my review is with these components added.
Process, Production, and Build Times
Only in the "Pre-Production" stage was my order slow, staying in that stage for 11 days; 4 days more than the maximum amount of days stated on the order page.
I did contact support using the in-built message system asking if anything was wrong, and I was told the delay was due to a large amount of orders. This is absolutely fine, I understand how it is.
Testing and Quality Control was completely the same day, despite the order page stating it takes 1-2 days for each of them, impressive.
From the day of my order, it took 18 days for the desktop to arrive.
Score: 9/10
DPD and Packaging
I am very impressed with DPD and PC Specialist regarding delivery. The evening before my desktop arrived, I received a text message telling me to expect my desktop the following morning. I had paid extra for pre-noon delivery, and received my package at about 11:15AM.
The packaging was excellent. Plenty of tape, extra thick padding inside, very tightly fit. This machine wasn't going anywhere.
Score: 10/10
The Build
The Zalman Z11 Plus looks the part, I am very happy with it. I am equally happy with the build quality and tidiness inside the case. PCS did a great job here; the cables are neat, everything is in place securely.
The only downside is the 2 USB 3.0 cables sticking out of the back, but I expected this when I ordered the Zalman. This is no fault of PCS.
Score: 10/10
Performance
The AMD FX-6300 is blazingly fast. Though it may seem slow to some of you with extreme desktops, it isn't for me, especially since this is an upgrade from a i3-2350m in my laptop. Everything I do is very snappy. Extracting archives, rendering videos, opening programs, all done extremely quick.
The Radeon HD 7750 is a very good budget card. I am able to play Planetside 2 and Blacklight: Retribution, 2 very graphically intensive games, comfortably. 40-60 fps is the average using a combination of high and medium settings.
The Kingston V300 SSD is fast, very fast. I'm booting into Windows 8 in under 10 seconds. That's all I need to say I think.
Score: 10/10
Noise
The Zalman Z11 Plus isn't quiet, but it isn't too noisy. You can easily hear the 5 fans in a silent room, though it surprisingly doesn't get any louder under heavy load. I'd say the noise is perfectly acceptable.
Score: 9/10
Great scores all round. I came to PCS with a tight budget, and got exactly what I wanted. A good looking, fast computer with great gaming performance.
I'll continue to upgrade this rig. I intend on getting an AMD Radeon HD 7870 in about 5 months to keep up with current games, but for now I couldn't be happier.
Thank you PCS team!
mgsolidus out.
I've had my PC Specialist desktop for 11 days now, and I've been using it for many hours a day since. So, here I am sharing my experience so far.
Firstly, the specifications:
Case: Zalman Z11 Plus
CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7750
RAM: 4GB Samsung Dual-DDR3 1333MHz (1x4gb)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M
1st HDD: 500GB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 16MB Cache
DVD Drive: 24X Dual Layer DVD Writer
Memory Card Reader: Internal 52 in 1 card reader
Power Supply: 450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling: Standard AMD CPU Cooler
Network Facilities: Wireless 802.11n 300mpbs Wireless PCI Card
Everything else is standard, no operating system.
What has changed
4GB Samsung RAM replaced with Transcend JetRam 1333MHz 8gb (2x4gb)
60GB Kingston V300 Solid State Drive added.
AMD FX-6300 overclocked to 3.8GHz. Update: Now replaced with FX-8350.
AMD Radeon HD 7750 overclocked to 1GHz. Update: Now replaced with HD 7870.
The Transcend RAM will perform almost identically to the Samsung RAM, and the Kingston V300 SSD is offered here, so my review is with these components added.
Process, Production, and Build Times
Only in the "Pre-Production" stage was my order slow, staying in that stage for 11 days; 4 days more than the maximum amount of days stated on the order page.
I did contact support using the in-built message system asking if anything was wrong, and I was told the delay was due to a large amount of orders. This is absolutely fine, I understand how it is.
Testing and Quality Control was completely the same day, despite the order page stating it takes 1-2 days for each of them, impressive.
From the day of my order, it took 18 days for the desktop to arrive.
Score: 9/10
DPD and Packaging
I am very impressed with DPD and PC Specialist regarding delivery. The evening before my desktop arrived, I received a text message telling me to expect my desktop the following morning. I had paid extra for pre-noon delivery, and received my package at about 11:15AM.
The packaging was excellent. Plenty of tape, extra thick padding inside, very tightly fit. This machine wasn't going anywhere.
Score: 10/10
The Build
The Zalman Z11 Plus looks the part, I am very happy with it. I am equally happy with the build quality and tidiness inside the case. PCS did a great job here; the cables are neat, everything is in place securely.
The only downside is the 2 USB 3.0 cables sticking out of the back, but I expected this when I ordered the Zalman. This is no fault of PCS.
Score: 10/10
Performance
The AMD FX-6300 is blazingly fast. Though it may seem slow to some of you with extreme desktops, it isn't for me, especially since this is an upgrade from a i3-2350m in my laptop. Everything I do is very snappy. Extracting archives, rendering videos, opening programs, all done extremely quick.
The Radeon HD 7750 is a very good budget card. I am able to play Planetside 2 and Blacklight: Retribution, 2 very graphically intensive games, comfortably. 40-60 fps is the average using a combination of high and medium settings.
The Kingston V300 SSD is fast, very fast. I'm booting into Windows 8 in under 10 seconds. That's all I need to say I think.
Score: 10/10
Noise
The Zalman Z11 Plus isn't quiet, but it isn't too noisy. You can easily hear the 5 fans in a silent room, though it surprisingly doesn't get any louder under heavy load. I'd say the noise is perfectly acceptable.
Score: 9/10
Great scores all round. I came to PCS with a tight budget, and got exactly what I wanted. A good looking, fast computer with great gaming performance.
I'll continue to upgrade this rig. I intend on getting an AMD Radeon HD 7870 in about 5 months to keep up with current games, but for now I couldn't be happier.
Thank you PCS team!
mgsolidus out.
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