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In conclusion, the PCSpecialist Fusion Spark system performed very well overall during our standard CPU tests and other benchmarks. The only real let down was the speeds of the NVMe M.2 SSD, but we can forgive this as compromises clearly had to be made to keep the system under £1000.
My experience with the system overall has been positive, part choices are solid for the price point and it’s been cable managed well. The i5-11400F is particularly strong CPU, delivering great performance across the board without breaking the bank.
Gaming wise, the stock system with the RX 5500 XT 4GB actually faired pretty well and it’s certainly capable of gaming at 1080p, especially if you’re willing to sacrifice some image quality settings to get even better frame rates.
This system is intended to be upgraded however, and this is exactly where you see the Fusion Spark really shine. The performance boosts from our tests with the RX 6700 XT show that this is actually a very viable option for those that can’t source a high-end GPU currently and demonstrates that this system really does benefit from the upgraded GPU, giving great real-world results as seen from our gaming benchmarks.
If you're worried about upgrading the GPU yourself, PCSpecialist do offer this as an additional service for £69. If you're not confident doing it yourself this could be a stress-free way of boosting your frame rates in the future, the only downside being it would involve packing up and shipping the whole PC back to PCSpecialist.
Another thing to mention is that a second PCIe 8-pin power connector was easily accessible, with PCSpecialist using a daisy-chained 8-pin + 6+2-pin cable. If you're planning an even bigger upgrade and need two 8-pin cables, then you do get spares in the box to use with the semi-modular PSU but you will have to install these yourself. Realistically, the 750W PSU will be fine to use with even an RTX 3080 or RX 6800 XT, so there is scope for a huge GPU upgrade down the line.
At just under £1000 I think this is a great system to consider if you’re in the market for a new system without paying an extortionate amount for a current graphics card. Saving money by buying a system like this with an upgrade path means you can start saving for when those cards eventually become available at reasonable prices, while still being able to use and enjoy the system even when gaming.
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Pros:
- Great price point with a 1080p-capable GPU included.
- Consistent black theme throughout with matching RGB fans.
- Great cable management.
- Upgrade path makes this system shine with a better GPU installed.
- Makes PC gaming in 2021 more accessible to those with lower budgets.
Cons:
- You may be potentially waiting to upgrade the GPU for quite some time.
- Stock RX 5500 XT isn't suited for 1440p gaming.
KitGuru says: If you're looking to build or buy a new system but cannot find any GPUs available at reasonable prices, then the idea of an upgrade path system, such as the Fusion Spark by PCSpecialist , is definitely an option to consider. The Fusion Spark performed well with the stock specs but truly excelled once the GPU was upgraded to something more powerful. How long you will wait to obtain a better GPU is another story though.
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