PCSpecialist review | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 30 Mar 2023 15:36:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png PCSpecialist review | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 PCSpecialist Vulcan Pro (8700K & 1080 Ti) System Review https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/dominic-moass/pcspecialist-vulcan-pro-8700k-1080-ti-system-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/dominic-moass/pcspecialist-vulcan-pro-8700k-1080-ti-system-review/#respond Tue, 13 Feb 2018 08:50:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=363419 Looking for a GTX 1080 Ti and 8700K system for less than £2000? You need the PCSpecialist Vulcan Pro

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There is no doubt that the PC components market is currently in turmoil. Ethereum mining has driven GPU prices through the roof – to frankly absurd levels – while a global NAND/DRAM shortage has pushed DDR4 memory prices up and up. If you're looking to build a high-end gaming PC, I can't remember a worse time to do it. PCSpecialist, however, wants to carry that burden for you by offering its Vulcan Pro system – complete with GTX 1080 Ti and i7-8700K – for just £1749.

With the rest of the spec boasting 16GB of Corsair Vengeance RGB RAM, 1.5TB of storage space – 512GB of that thanks to a speedy NVMe drive – as well as a Corsair H80i V2 liquid cooler, the PCSpecialist Vulcan Pro looks like a well-rounded system that offers fantastic value for money. Can it live up to its potential and deliver the goods? Let's find out.

Specification:

  • Case: InWIN 101 MID TOWER GAMING CASE
  • Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™i7 Six Core Processor i7-8700k (3.7GHz) 12MB Cache
  • Motherboard: ASUS® TUF Z370-PLUS GAMING: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs – RGB Ready
  • Memory (RAM): 16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
  • Graphics Card: 11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti – HDMI, 3x DP GeForce – GTX VR Ready!
  • 1st Hard Disk: 1TB WD BLACK 3.5″ WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
  • M.2 SSD Drive: 512GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 2050MB/s R | 800MB/s W)
  • Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
  • Processor Cooling: Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
  • LED Lighting: 2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
  • Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit – inc Unlimited Downloads or a physical copy on either a USB or DVD

If we were being picky, there are a couple of minor flaws within the PCSpecialist Vulcan Pro system. First of all, the InWin 101 chassis is perhaps not the most well-built case on the market. It's only a budget case after all – retailing for £67 – but its steel panels do feel a bit flimsy. I'm also convinced that the case's plastic feet would snap off the moment any force is applied to them.

Given the 101's compact nature – it barely fits an ATX motherboard due to the placement of the PSU at the top of the case – cable management is tricky. As you can see in the images above, there are a few trailing front panel connectors which are visible at both the top and the bottom of the motherboard. Matters aren't helped by the fact that the single intake fan (positioned on the right hand side of the case, next to the motherboard) uses a rather ugly black, red and yellow cable.

In short, while the case does sport a lovely tempered glass panel and interesting internal layout, the high-end parts do feel a bit out of place in this lower-tier chassis.

However, those points are – as I mentioned – only valid if we were being picky. The simple fact of the matter is there is no possible way any individual could build a system with this selection of components for less money than what PCSpecialist is offering. At £1749 – which includes the cost of building, shipping and honouring the 3-year included warranty – I make that to be at least £250 cheaper than the cost of buying all the individual components separately.

Because of that, it is very easy to forgive the rather average case. Keeping the cost down there has obviously allowed PCSpecialist to go big on the components that really matter – namely, the graphics card and processor.

Testing

As demonstrated by the above charts, the combination of GTX 1080 Ti and i7-8700K emphatically delivers the goods. You're guaranteed high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p resolutions, while 40FPS seems a rough average for 4K gaming using ‘very high' settings.

PCSpecialist could've overclocked the CPU, though, as it has been left at stock clocks. This means the all-core turbo frequency for the chip is 4.3GHz, when we know these chips can easily hit north of 5GHz.

However, the benefit to not overclocking becomes obvious when we get to thermals – a maximum temperature of just 63C for the i7-8700K is almost unheard of. The blower-style graphics card doesn't perform as well as a more sophisticated card would, but it gets the job done.

Another consequence of these impressive thermal results is that noise levels are far from a concern. The system emits a gentle hum while idling which is audible but far from intrusive. The thing is, it doesn't really get much louder under load as the liquid cooler is more than capable of taming the stock-clocked CPU. As such, even quiet music would drown out the noise from the Vulcan Pro.

Lastly we come to power consumption. A peak reading of just 339W puts the power draw at just over 50% of the Corsair 650W TX-M's rated capacity, which ensures optimal efficiency and low noise levels as the fan is not having to spin much, if at all. Adding in a second GTX 1080 Ti for SLI is also a possibility, though that would be stretching the power supply to its limits.

Closing Thoughts

To my mind, the PCSpecialist Vulcan Pro is undoubtedly a high-end gaming system that appeals thanks to its competitive price – at just £1749, there is simply no way an individual could build the same system for less money. In fact, by my calculations, the total cost of the Vulcan Pro's components is over £2000. With that in mind, the Vulcan Pro is actually a fantastic bargain.

On another day, in a time where GPU prices are more sensible, we may well have been a bit more critical of the relatively flimsy case, or the front-facing cable management. However, as it stands, we just can't argue with this combination of parts considering the price.

As such, if you had even the faintest thought of building your own high-end system in the coming days or weeks – don't, at least not until prices return to normal. Instead, go with the PCSpecialist Vulcan Pro and you'll get it built, shipped and covered by warranty for £250 less than what you'd pay if you built it yourself.

You can buy the Vulcan pro for £1749 HERE.

Pros

  • Simply unbeatable value given the current climate.
  • i7-8700K and GTX 1080 Ti is a winning combination.
  • Impressive thermals.
  • Low noise levels.
  • Compact.

Cons

  • InWin 101 case is a bit basic.
  • CPU could've been overclocked.

KitGuru says: Even with a couple of minor flaws, these are very quickly forgotten when you consider the price of the Vulcan Pro. At £1749, there's just no way you're going to get a better deal on a high-end gaming PC given the current market situation.

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PCSpecialist Lafité Ultrabook Review https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/dominic-moass/pcspecialist-lafite-ultrabook-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/dominic-moass/pcspecialist-lafite-ultrabook-review/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2015 07:46:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259953 Ultrabooks have become increasingly popular over the last few years thanks to their portable yet powerful nature. However, prices remain high – in many cases you can be paying over £1000 for a new Ultrabook. PCSpecialist's Lafité aims to change that. Priced at just £499, Lafité ships with the latest Broadwell-U CPU, a 1080p display …

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Ultrabooks have become increasingly popular over the last few years thanks to their portable yet powerful nature. However, prices remain high – in many cases you can be paying over £1000 for a new Ultrabook. PCSpecialist's Lafité aims to change that. Priced at just £499, Lafité ships with the latest Broadwell-U CPU, a 1080p display panel and SSD storage. Is this the Ultrabook you should be getting?

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Specifications

  • Chassis & Display: Lafité Silver Aluminium Chassis: 13.3″ Matte Full HD IPS LED (1920 x 1080)
  • Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™ i3 Dual Core Processor i3-5010U (2.10GHz)
  • Memory (RAM): 8GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
  • Graphics Card: INTEL® HD GRAPHICS 5500 (Only with Intel® Core™ CPUs)
  • Memory – Hard Disk: 240GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
  • Dimensions (W x D x H): 325mm x 219mm x 18mm
  • Weight: 1.42Kg
  • Card Reader: Integrated 2 in 1 Memory Card Reader (SD, MMC)
  • Sound Card: Realtek 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
  • Bluetooth & Wireless: GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-3160 M.2 (433Mbps, 802.11AC) + Bluetooth
  • USB Options: 1 x USB 3.0 PORT + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
  • Battery: Lafité Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (6,300mAh)
  • Power Lead & Adaptor: 1 x UK Power Lead & 40W AC Adaptor
  • Keyboard Language: LAFITÉ SERIES INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD
  • Operating System: Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit – inc DVD & Licence DPK
  • DVD Recovery Media: Windows 8.1 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
  • Office Software: FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
  • Anti-Virus: BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY – FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
  • Notebook Mouse: INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
  • Webcam: INTEGRATED 720P 30 FPS HD WEBCAM
  • Warranty: 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
  • Insurance: 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft

Being an Intel certified Ultrabook, PCSpecialist have had to meet a few criteria to get that certification. Perhaps the most obvious of these criteria is the thin and light chassis, which is very portable and attractive. Lafité weighs just 1.42KG, and is a mere 18mm thick. Both figures are hugely impressive, and mean you will have absolutely no problems carrying Lafité around with you. It is so light it is barely noticeable when carried in a rucksack, for instance.

The silver aluminium design also adds a touch of class, though there are inevitable comparisons with the MacBook Air – especially considering Lafité has the same tapered chassis design and a black island keyboard. Still, such comparisons are no bad thing as MacBooks are well constructed laptops in their own right. Given that the outer chassis is also completely devoid of any logos or branding, Lafité looks simple and clean while the aluminium feels durable and classy.

In terms of connectivity ports, what we have is a fairly standard affair for a thin and light laptop. The left edge features a charging port, 1x USB 2.0, a combo audio jack and a reset pinhole. The right edge has an SD card reader, 1x USB 3.0, a HDMI port and a Ethernet port. So there are not masses of options, but anything more is getting unreasonable for a laptop which is just 18mm thick.

Once the lid has been opened, the black Island keyboard greets you, which contrasts nicely against the silver body of the laptop. The keyboard itself is in a standard UK configuration, though it is important to note the power button is part of the keyboard rather than a separate button positioned elsewhere. There is next to no key travel, but this has to be expected from such a thin laptop. It takes some getting used to but is still usable.

My main area of contention is the trackpad, as it makes a noticeable ‘sweeping' sound as you use it. It is not awful, but it is not the smoothest trackpad I have ever used. Responsiveness improved when I adjusted the pointer speed in Windows, but with the default settings it is somewhat sticky.

Inside, we have a Core i3-5010U CPU – the U denoting Ultra Low Power, as the CPU has 15W TDP. This is paired with 8GB of single-channel RAM, while storage is provided by a 240GB Kingston V300 SSD. This makes for a very responsive and speedy system, and a competitively priced one at that.

You will have no problems at all with general tasks like media playback or web browsing, with the PCMark Vantage score below is a real testament to how good a general computer Lafité is. Some fairly light Photoshop work is also comfortable, but that is only really an added bonus as Lafité is not meant for any serious imaging work.

It should go without saying that Lafité is not a gaming machine. It crawled through 3DMark Fire Strike as slowly as you would expect, so just to be extra clear – you will not be gaming on this Ultrabook. The general system responsiveness, though, is exceptional, which makes Lafité a great option for office tasks, particularly as it is so portable.

Benchmarks

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As for the benchmarks, I have already mentioned that Fire Strike was far too demanding for the integrated Intel HD 5500 graphics as you can clearly see by the scores. Cloud Gate was able to run more smoothly but Lafité is in no way, shape or form going to be handling the latest games. The Handbrake encoding time of less than 8 minutes is noteworthy in that it is the fastest I have seen so far.

Battery life

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In the PCMark 8 battery benchmark test, Lafité lasted just over four and half hours. This is a very strong score, and you can be assured of all day battery life when using Lafité for everyday tasks as office jobs are not battery-intensive at all.

Closing thoughts

All in all, PCSpecialist's Lafité is a very capable Ultrabook at a very competitive price.

For £499, you get a thin and light aluminium chassis, which houses the latest Broadwell-U i3 processor, 8GB RAM and a 240GB SSD for storage. Of course, as Lafité is from PCSpecialist, it can be configured with different processors and storage options to name but a few. Our specific review model costs £499.

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Lafité is very attractive and slim – weighing just 1.42kg and measuring just 18mm thick. Despite that, it is still very responsive and fast thanks to the Kingston SSD and i3-5010U. These components are a great combination, which makes Lafité a perfect solution for almost anybody looking for a laptop for general computing tasks.

You can buy the pre-configured model I tested from PCSpecialist for £499 inc VAT, or you can configure your own laptop here.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

Pros

  • Ultra-thin and ultra-light.
  • Attractive aluminium chassis.
  • Very affordable Ultrabook solution.
  • Sharp 1080p display.
  • i3, SSD and 8GB RAM make for a nippy system.

Cons

  • Trackpad is a bit noisy and can feel sticky.
  • Limited storage space.

KitGuru says: PCSpecialist have made a great Ultrabook with Lafité. It is super-portable and can handle everyday computing with consummate ease.
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