Month: July 2022

Overclocker’s Hoplite is powered by the AMD Ryzen 2700X and the RTX 2060 WindForce making it a gaming powerhouse at 1080p.

Overclockers is known for putting together powerful machines so you don’t have to, making sure they’re rigorously tested and checked before they’re sent out of the factory. The Hoplite is certainly no exception and is able to run the latest titles right out of the box striking a great balance between having enough power without over-spending on any one component.

Price & Availability
You can find the Hoplite on the Overclockers website.where it was originally £1,479.95 but is now just £1,299. The specs we have here including an AMD Ryzen 7 2700x and GeForce RTX 2060 WindForce OC 6GB).

At the bottom of the page, you’ll be able to configure the build to your liking if you’d like to alter some components. The build we’re testing is the higher end of the specifications, but if you’re looking to save some extra money you can change the CPU down to the 2600X without impacting gaming performance too much.

Make sure you take a look at our best gaming PC chart to make sure you’re getting the right machine for your needs.

Design & Build
The Hoplite comes in a black Kolink Phalanx RGB Gaming Case. This case combines the best of both worlds by both looking great and being extremely practical at the same time.

The dimensions for the case are 210 x 510 x 445mm (WxHxD) making it a reasonably sized product. It’s not a massive case though and you shouldn’t have too much trouble fitting it into your setup, but the efficient design still means plenty of room within the case for larger graphics cards (up to 370mm) and taller CPU Cooler Heights (up to 160mm).

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The Vulcan S2 deploys an RTX 2070 to offer more gaming power than its rivals at a lower price. Find out more about this PC Specialist gaming machine in our full review.

The PC Specialist Vulcan S2 is a superb gaming system on paper, with better components and a lower price than its main rival. But have corners been cut in order to bring this system in under budget, or is a true mid-range marvel that can handle 1440p gaming for less cash than the competition?

Price
This £1,394 machine is built around two key components: an Intel Core i7-9700 processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card. You’ll need to buy it direct from PC Specialist.

That’s a lot of power for this price, and it squares up well against its key rival. The Overclockers Hoplite originally arrived at £1,479, but now it costs £1,299 – so it’s £100 cheaper than the PC Specialist machine. That rig relies on an AMD Ryzen 7 2700X CPU and RTX 2060 graphics.

The Vulcan S2 is protected by the standard PC Specialist deal, which is a three-year labour deal with one year of parts protection and one month of collection coverage.

Design & Build
PC Specialist has used one of its own enclosures for this machine. It’s called the PCS P209, and it nails most of the current trends. There’s a tempered glass side panel, a magnetic dust filter on top, and a slab of metal at the front.

It looks like loads of other recent cases – including the Kolink Phalanx RGB used by the Overclockers Hoplite. That PC’s enclosure also has a tempered glass side panel and a dust filter in the roof, but its front-mounted trio of RGB LED fans are more eye-catching.

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This cheap gaming PC from Asus offers reasonable 1080p pace and a solid CPU, but its other components, physical design and noise levels undermine its performance levels. Find out more in our full review.

The Asus ROG Strix GL10CS is a big-brand gaming PC with a budget price, decent specs and wide availability. That sounds great on paper, especially if you’re looking for an affordable machie from a trusted name – rather than building it yourself, or buying from an unfamiliar manufacturer.

Is the Asus a bargain, though, or does this big-brand box fall behind its rivals? Find out in our full review.

Price & Availability
The Asus’ £849 price makes it one of the cheapest gaming desktops around. The machine reviewed here includes an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card and an Intel Core i5-9400F processor.

Several different specifications are available if this rig doesn’t suit. A £799 version drops down to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics and ditches the SSD. Paying £1,199 will get you a more powerful rig that reinstates the SSD and upgrades to RTX 2060 graphics.

In the USA, the Asus is configured slightly differently. The cheapest model, at $849, includes a Core i5 CPU and a GTX 1050 GPU. The $899 model upgrades to a Core i7 chip, and you’ll have to pay $1,399 for a GTX 1660 Ti alongside that Core i7 processor.

Surprisingly, the Asus price compares well with machines from local companies – big-brand machines like this are usually more expensive.

In the UK, machines with the GTX 1660 Ti start at £969 from Chillblast and £899 from PC Specialist.

more than $1,100 at CyberPower to get a desktop with the GTX 1660 Ti and a Core i5 CPU, although prices drop a little if you accept an older AMD chip.

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This is the ninth iteration of Trident desktop from MSI, and the game-focussed brand has done a solid job of carving a niche for these small, tempting gaming desktops. There’s plenty to like about this eye-catching PC, but this big-brand machine also faces several challenges.

For starters, smaller systems just don’t suit every gamer – and big companies like MSI always face tough competition from local specialists that sometimes deliver more performance at similar prices.

Price & Availability
The machine reviewed here has the model number 9S6-B92611-085. It has an RRP of £1,349 but you can get it from Very for £1,249. It uses an RTX 2060 GPU and a Core i5-9400F processor alongside 16GB of memory, a 256GB SSD and a 1TB hard disk.

If you want a slightly cheaper version, AO has the Trident A for £1,199 if you don’t mind less RAM and a smaller SSD. In France, the gaming PC is €1,279 at FNAC, down from €1,649.

In the US, look out for the model number 9SC-430US. This machine costs $1,299 and still includes the RTX 2060, but elsewhere it’s got a Core i7-9700F processor and a 512GB SSD.

Other models are available, although they’re not always called the Trident A – the Trident X branding is used for beefier machines with RTX 2070, RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards, more powerful processors and RGB LED CPU coolers.

Check out our best gaming PC chart for some more options.

Design & Build
The MSI Trident A 9th-gen is consistently impressive. The dimensions are a good starting point: this rig is just 130mm wide and 396mm tall, which makes it about half the size of a conventional tower. That makes this machine easier to stow into smaller spaces under desks and in cramped bedrooms – and easier to take to LAN events.

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The AlphaBeta i5 RTX is a gaming PC from a new company and it’s trying to take a new approach to selling PCs. Instead of relying on buyers who already know plenty about PCs, or blinding people with jargon, AlphaBeta is trying to keep things simple and attract gamers who want to make the switch from consoles – or get involved in esports.

To that end, the AlphaBeta i5 RTX is a small, accessible machine with a sub-£1,000 price tag and plenty of mid-range power.

Price & Availability
The AlphaBeta i5 RTX costs £999 and is based around an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super GPU and a Core i5-9600KF processor with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD.

The firm also sells Core i5-based Booster and Pro machines – the former has a weaker CPU and an RTX 2060 Super, while the latter has an RTX 2080 Super graphics card and 32GB of memory. There are also specifications available based on Core i7 processors and AMD Ryzen chips.

The AlphaBeta has two main rivals. The small MSI Trident A is a mini-ITX machine with an RTX 2060, and it now costs £1,099.

The PC Specialist Vulcan S2 won awards in the summer, and it was updated by PC Specialist to include an RTX 2070 Super. That precise machine is now no longer available from PC Specialist, but it’s possible to replicate the specification using the firm’s website. That machine now costs £1,482.

Check out our best gaming PC chart for some more options.

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