Wow, well, that seemed like the longest wait EVER... But I have to say that the end result is worth it, now that my new gaming rig has finally arrived and is now up and running!
The spec:
Case
AeroCool DS Cube White Edition Window Mini-ITX
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790 (3.6GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H81I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
500GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Seidon 120M High Performance Cooler
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
IIYAMA E2481HS 24" LED WIDESCREEN, D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI 1920x1080 (£139)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1
The setup:
The setup wasn't completely without any hitches at all - the keyboard and mouse wouldn't work when I first switched on the pc, but a quick Google from my ipad brought up an issue with Windows 7 not recognising the USB3.0 ports during first setup, so I had to use a different port and then it was fine?? All the ports seem to work now.
The performance:
Well, I bought this PC basically to run Wildstar, as my laptop although runs Guild Wars 2 well at high settings really struggles with it - sub 20fps in populated areas. This PCS machine however seems to eat it for breakfast, with FPS ranging from 120+ in my housing plot, to 80+ in populated zones, all on ultra settings. So, I'm very happy
The verdict:
All in all I would definitely use PCS again. The only downside for me was that the wait was very long - exactly 28 days from placing the order to having my new PC delivered to my door. So it was a long way from the 7-9 working days quoted at point of sale. The graphics card I chose would not fit in the case, so I had to change the case, but I received no call from PCS to let me know so my order languished in pre-production for 12 days before finally getting built. I was told that no components were out of stock, the problem was only the case/card. In future I would definitely opt for the fast track option. The PC however is worth the wait, the build quality is fantastic, and it does everything I want it to do. Although bought as a mini-PC, the Aerocool DS Cube case is really not very mini :stuart: but I'm happy with it, fits nicely on my desk in the corner.
Some pics:
The spec:
Case
AeroCool DS Cube White Edition Window Mini-ITX
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790 (3.6GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H81I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
500GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Seidon 120M High Performance Cooler
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
IIYAMA E2481HS 24" LED WIDESCREEN, D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI 1920x1080 (£139)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1
The setup:
The setup wasn't completely without any hitches at all - the keyboard and mouse wouldn't work when I first switched on the pc, but a quick Google from my ipad brought up an issue with Windows 7 not recognising the USB3.0 ports during first setup, so I had to use a different port and then it was fine?? All the ports seem to work now.
The performance:
Well, I bought this PC basically to run Wildstar, as my laptop although runs Guild Wars 2 well at high settings really struggles with it - sub 20fps in populated areas. This PCS machine however seems to eat it for breakfast, with FPS ranging from 120+ in my housing plot, to 80+ in populated zones, all on ultra settings. So, I'm very happy
The verdict:
All in all I would definitely use PCS again. The only downside for me was that the wait was very long - exactly 28 days from placing the order to having my new PC delivered to my door. So it was a long way from the 7-9 working days quoted at point of sale. The graphics card I chose would not fit in the case, so I had to change the case, but I received no call from PCS to let me know so my order languished in pre-production for 12 days before finally getting built. I was told that no components were out of stock, the problem was only the case/card. In future I would definitely opt for the fast track option. The PC however is worth the wait, the build quality is fantastic, and it does everything I want it to do. Although bought as a mini-PC, the Aerocool DS Cube case is really not very mini :stuart: but I'm happy with it, fits nicely on my desk in the corner.
Some pics: