Hey guys!
I've had my new PC for almost 2 weeks now, so I think it's time to share my experience with it. To begin with I'd like to thank the moderators on this forum for the amazing job you do with recommendations and advice, as that really helped me create a system where everything works well together, and gave me drive to educate myself in PC components.
My system specs are a Ryzen 5 3600X CPU, Radeon RX 590 GPU, Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 3200Mhz 16GB, 1TB M.2 Storage on a B450 Aorus Elite Motherboard. I also included an AOC 32inch 1440p Monitor.
Order and Build Process
I submitted the order on the 5 day fast track, the build and testing process was completed in 3 days and I received the PC on the 4th day - even getting a Saturday delivery that I did not pay extra for. I was very impressed with this and wholeheartedly recommend the 5 day fast track for those who hate the waiting (it really is the worst part).
Delivery and Packaging
The PC and packaging arrived in good condition exactly when I was told it would. The boxes got rained on a bit on the way from the van to the house, but nothing you can do about that.
I was rather disappointed with the box the PC came in though, on the website it is described as a "Multi-adjustable computer system pack. This consists of a double wall carton containing hand-grips, shock absorbing cushion foam end caps and a top fitting box with lifting handles."
This was all that was inside the box, with a non-sealed plastic bag around the computer.
It didn't fit the grandiose description and seemed rather lackluster for transporting a £1200+ piece of equipment. This was the worst part of the experience but it worked as intended so who am I to judge! The computer also had some Instapak foam inside the PC case itself that was very well molded around the components to prevent vibration damage during transit.
Computer Performance and Overall Quality
After installing my own Windows 10 onto the PC I downloaded and ran some of my favourite games to test the performance. My go-to game World of Warcraft looks amazing in 1440p full ultra and still gets 95-100 fps. I've played a few other more demanding titles including The Outer Worlds, Borderlands 3, Forza Horizon 4, Witcher 3, Fallout 4 all on Very High to Ultra settings at 1440p and they run smooth as butter. I did get some crashing problems on Outer Worlds but that is an AMD driver issue and nothing to do with build quality.
The M.2 Drive is a staggeringly big upgrade even from a regular SSD, and makes HDD look like a fossil. It is absolutely the best decision I made in the whole system. I can do a cold boot that takes about 10 seconds from the time I press the power button to me being in Windows and opening this web page, and loading screens in games might as well not exist. In World of Warcraft you don't even get enough time to read the loading screen tip message before it's done..
The RGB case and components are very pretty and double as a desk lamp for those long gaming nights. Though it has been a bit of a headache trying to sync all my lighting together since they are from different manufacturers and all want to use their own software..
The PCS Frostflow CPU cooler is great and keeps the temperatures at or below 30c during light use and around 60-65c during heavy gaming. My only complaint is that the fan does get a bit too loud - enough to hear through a headset - when it ramps up under load. Thought my computer is quite close to me on the desk, I imagine if it was under the desk or further away it wouldn't be a considerable issue. I think next time I will opt for a water cooling CPU setup with those ultra silent Corsair maglev fans.
The inside of the case on the PSU/HDD shroud was a bit dusty and had very noticeable dirty finger marks on it upon delivery which was quite disappointing, it's a small thing I know but still something that shouldn't be ignored when you are advertising professional quality.
All in all I am very impressed with PCS and the system they've built for me, the small premium over retail prices is absolutely worth the professional build quality, and having the entire system under the same amazing collect & return warranty - which can be a big weight off the shoulders when you are spending so much money on a single thing. I would give them a solid 9.5/10 and happily recommend them to others considering a pre built system, and I myself will be a repeat customer later down the line.
Future Plans
The Radeon RX 590 is definitely the weakest link in the system, though it can still run 1440p Very High quality games smooth as butter, it will max out at 100% load on the more modern titles, and is probably going to stress itself a bit next year with big titles like Cyberpunk 2077 coming. Sometime next year I am going to be upgrading the RX 590 to a 5700XT, which was the originally planned GPU to have in there, but last minute budget changes forced me to downgrade.
Whilst the 1TB M.2 drive is incredible for load times and gaming, in hindsight 1TB is not enough total storage for someone like me who likes to keep a large steam library installed. So on that front I'm going to be getting an external USB 3 hard drive docking station with a couple of Firecuda SSHD (hybrid drives) to house my collection, with the more important/often used games going on the M.2 Drive. This also gives me a portable library which is nice. Hopefully by the time I need to build my next desktop PC the M.2 storage will be less cost prohibitive for those of us that like having those large libraries.
Anyway, that's my experience with PCS and again a big thank you to everyone that helped me with parts advice and PCS themselves for the excellent service.
I've had my new PC for almost 2 weeks now, so I think it's time to share my experience with it. To begin with I'd like to thank the moderators on this forum for the amazing job you do with recommendations and advice, as that really helped me create a system where everything works well together, and gave me drive to educate myself in PC components.
My system specs are a Ryzen 5 3600X CPU, Radeon RX 590 GPU, Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 3200Mhz 16GB, 1TB M.2 Storage on a B450 Aorus Elite Motherboard. I also included an AOC 32inch 1440p Monitor.
Order and Build Process
I submitted the order on the 5 day fast track, the build and testing process was completed in 3 days and I received the PC on the 4th day - even getting a Saturday delivery that I did not pay extra for. I was very impressed with this and wholeheartedly recommend the 5 day fast track for those who hate the waiting (it really is the worst part).
Delivery and Packaging
The PC and packaging arrived in good condition exactly when I was told it would. The boxes got rained on a bit on the way from the van to the house, but nothing you can do about that.
I was rather disappointed with the box the PC came in though, on the website it is described as a "Multi-adjustable computer system pack. This consists of a double wall carton containing hand-grips, shock absorbing cushion foam end caps and a top fitting box with lifting handles."
This was all that was inside the box, with a non-sealed plastic bag around the computer.
It didn't fit the grandiose description and seemed rather lackluster for transporting a £1200+ piece of equipment. This was the worst part of the experience but it worked as intended so who am I to judge! The computer also had some Instapak foam inside the PC case itself that was very well molded around the components to prevent vibration damage during transit.
Computer Performance and Overall Quality
After installing my own Windows 10 onto the PC I downloaded and ran some of my favourite games to test the performance. My go-to game World of Warcraft looks amazing in 1440p full ultra and still gets 95-100 fps. I've played a few other more demanding titles including The Outer Worlds, Borderlands 3, Forza Horizon 4, Witcher 3, Fallout 4 all on Very High to Ultra settings at 1440p and they run smooth as butter. I did get some crashing problems on Outer Worlds but that is an AMD driver issue and nothing to do with build quality.
The M.2 Drive is a staggeringly big upgrade even from a regular SSD, and makes HDD look like a fossil. It is absolutely the best decision I made in the whole system. I can do a cold boot that takes about 10 seconds from the time I press the power button to me being in Windows and opening this web page, and loading screens in games might as well not exist. In World of Warcraft you don't even get enough time to read the loading screen tip message before it's done..
The RGB case and components are very pretty and double as a desk lamp for those long gaming nights. Though it has been a bit of a headache trying to sync all my lighting together since they are from different manufacturers and all want to use their own software..
The PCS Frostflow CPU cooler is great and keeps the temperatures at or below 30c during light use and around 60-65c during heavy gaming. My only complaint is that the fan does get a bit too loud - enough to hear through a headset - when it ramps up under load. Thought my computer is quite close to me on the desk, I imagine if it was under the desk or further away it wouldn't be a considerable issue. I think next time I will opt for a water cooling CPU setup with those ultra silent Corsair maglev fans.
The inside of the case on the PSU/HDD shroud was a bit dusty and had very noticeable dirty finger marks on it upon delivery which was quite disappointing, it's a small thing I know but still something that shouldn't be ignored when you are advertising professional quality.
All in all I am very impressed with PCS and the system they've built for me, the small premium over retail prices is absolutely worth the professional build quality, and having the entire system under the same amazing collect & return warranty - which can be a big weight off the shoulders when you are spending so much money on a single thing. I would give them a solid 9.5/10 and happily recommend them to others considering a pre built system, and I myself will be a repeat customer later down the line.
Future Plans
The Radeon RX 590 is definitely the weakest link in the system, though it can still run 1440p Very High quality games smooth as butter, it will max out at 100% load on the more modern titles, and is probably going to stress itself a bit next year with big titles like Cyberpunk 2077 coming. Sometime next year I am going to be upgrading the RX 590 to a 5700XT, which was the originally planned GPU to have in there, but last minute budget changes forced me to downgrade.
Whilst the 1TB M.2 drive is incredible for load times and gaming, in hindsight 1TB is not enough total storage for someone like me who likes to keep a large steam library installed. So on that front I'm going to be getting an external USB 3 hard drive docking station with a couple of Firecuda SSHD (hybrid drives) to house my collection, with the more important/often used games going on the M.2 Drive. This also gives me a portable library which is nice. Hopefully by the time I need to build my next desktop PC the M.2 storage will be less cost prohibitive for those of us that like having those large libraries.
Anyway, that's my experience with PCS and again a big thank you to everyone that helped me with parts advice and PCS themselves for the excellent service.
