ubuysa
The BSOD Doctor
It's been a few weeks now since I took delivery of my latest PCS built PC so it's review time. Here's the build......
Case
COOLERMASTERCM690 III ADVANCED CASE (GREEN)
Processor(CPU)
Intel®Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700 (3.4GHz) 8MBCache
Motherboard
ASUS®Z170-E: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory(RAM)
16GBHyperX FURY DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB Kit)
GraphicsCard
INTEGRATEDGRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st HardDisk
2TBWD BLACK 3.5" WD2003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
M.2SSD Drive
512GBSAMSUNG SM951 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2150MB/R,1550MB/W)
1st DVD/BLU-RAYDrive
24xDUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
PowerSupply
CORSAIR650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
PowerCable
1x 1 Metre European Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
ProcessorCooling
NoctuaNH-D15S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
ThermalPaste
STANDARDTHERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
SoundCard
ONBOARD6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/WiredNetworking
WIRELESS802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USBOptions
2PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
OperatingSystem
GenuineWindows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
OperatingSystem Language
UnitedKingdom - English Language
DVDRecovery Media
Windows10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
OfficeSoftware
NOOFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NOANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft®Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
ASUSPA238QR 23" PROART SERIES MONITOR
Keyboard& Mouse
ASUSCerberus Gaming Keyboard
GamingChair
GTOmega PRO Racing Office Chair - Black Next RedLeather
Webcam
MicrosoftLifeCam Studio
CableManagement
3x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
ExternalHard Drive
WD3TB My Book USB 3.0 External HDD - WDBFJK0030HBK
Warranty
3Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3Year Labour)
Delivery
2- 6 DAY DELIVERY TO EUROPE (COUNTRY DEPENDANT)
BuildTime
StandardBuild - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1
As you can see I bought the whole nine yards, including keyboard, monitor, and chair (decent chairs are hard to come by on Crete). I don't game, hence no need for a dedicated graphics card, the on-board GPU does all I need it to.
Configuration and ordering was the usual simple process. It's so helpful being able to experiment with different components to get exactly the right balance of performance and cost. I paid by bank transfer so my order went into the system the next day.
PCS contacted me several times during the pre-production phase. Firstly the HyperX FURY RAM was out of stock, so PCS upgraded me FOC to the HyperX SAVAGE. Also the Noctua NH-D15S was downgraded with my agreement to the U14S because PCS were concerned about bending issues on some D15S's during transit. I'd way over-speced the cooler so this wasn't an issue for me (and my U14S was not bent on arrival).
It took 16 days from order to shipment, but since I'm on Crete it took another 10 days to get to me. All three packages arrived together and undamaged however.
PCS's packaging really is top notch. I almost had to dismantle the box containing the PC to get it out, it was so well packed. The items in the other boxes were similarly well packaged. Everything was undamaged and nothing was missing. PCS even put a warning sticker on the PC case to let me know there was more packaging inside protecting the cooler.
Performance is outstanding, the M.2 SSD really does make a difference to overall system performance. It's very slick and responsive, so much so that my SSD based (SATA) PCS Optimus IV laptop now feels quite sluggish in comparison.
I've not felt the need to stress it to find out how cool it runs under extreme loads, but the CPU idles at around 23 deg C and I've never got it over 40 deg C at all yet. The PC is in a desk cupboard too. Cooling was an issue for me (it gets hot on Crete in the summer) and it's already clear that overheating is not going to be an issue for me with this PC.
The Asus Proart monitor is a delight. Very clear and crisp and the IPS screen is visible from almost any angle. There are plenty of config options on the on screen menu too. Anyone getting one should turn off the human sensor however, it just doesn't work reliably.
The Asus Cerberus keyboard is also pretty good. I like the illumination, I don't need a desk light at night now, but it does look as though it came from a Klingon battle-cruiser. It's also supposed to be splash proof – though I've not tested that, and don't intend to! It is quite noisy however, my wife has already asked me to type more quietly...
I thought I'd made a mistake with the GT Omega Racing chair (in red). Although it matches the red keyboard illumination very nicely it does look as though I've stolen it from a Ferrari. Having used it for a while now though I'm delighted. I have a weak back and the lumbar support in this chair is excellent. It's also adjustable in so many ways that it's easy to get just the right seating position. I can live with looking like a boy racer....
There have been no issues with anything I bought from PCS in the few weeks I've had it and it's exactly what I'd hoped for. Another very satisfying and successful purchase from PCS that exactly meets my needs and expectations. Thanks to everyone at PCS, I will be back again, I wouldn't dream now of going anywhere else.
Case
COOLERMASTERCM690 III ADVANCED CASE (GREEN)
Processor(CPU)
Intel®Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700 (3.4GHz) 8MBCache
Motherboard
ASUS®Z170-E: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory(RAM)
16GBHyperX FURY DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB Kit)
GraphicsCard
INTEGRATEDGRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st HardDisk
2TBWD BLACK 3.5" WD2003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
M.2SSD Drive
512GBSAMSUNG SM951 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2150MB/R,1550MB/W)
1st DVD/BLU-RAYDrive
24xDUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
PowerSupply
CORSAIR650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
PowerCable
1x 1 Metre European Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
ProcessorCooling
NoctuaNH-D15S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
ThermalPaste
STANDARDTHERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
SoundCard
ONBOARD6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/WiredNetworking
WIRELESS802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USBOptions
2PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
OperatingSystem
GenuineWindows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
OperatingSystem Language
UnitedKingdom - English Language
DVDRecovery Media
Windows10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
OfficeSoftware
NOOFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NOANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft®Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
ASUSPA238QR 23" PROART SERIES MONITOR
Keyboard& Mouse
ASUSCerberus Gaming Keyboard
GamingChair
GTOmega PRO Racing Office Chair - Black Next RedLeather
Webcam
MicrosoftLifeCam Studio
CableManagement
3x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
ExternalHard Drive
WD3TB My Book USB 3.0 External HDD - WDBFJK0030HBK
Warranty
3Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3Year Labour)
Delivery
2- 6 DAY DELIVERY TO EUROPE (COUNTRY DEPENDANT)
BuildTime
StandardBuild - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1
As you can see I bought the whole nine yards, including keyboard, monitor, and chair (decent chairs are hard to come by on Crete). I don't game, hence no need for a dedicated graphics card, the on-board GPU does all I need it to.
Configuration and ordering was the usual simple process. It's so helpful being able to experiment with different components to get exactly the right balance of performance and cost. I paid by bank transfer so my order went into the system the next day.
PCS contacted me several times during the pre-production phase. Firstly the HyperX FURY RAM was out of stock, so PCS upgraded me FOC to the HyperX SAVAGE. Also the Noctua NH-D15S was downgraded with my agreement to the U14S because PCS were concerned about bending issues on some D15S's during transit. I'd way over-speced the cooler so this wasn't an issue for me (and my U14S was not bent on arrival).
It took 16 days from order to shipment, but since I'm on Crete it took another 10 days to get to me. All three packages arrived together and undamaged however.
PCS's packaging really is top notch. I almost had to dismantle the box containing the PC to get it out, it was so well packed. The items in the other boxes were similarly well packaged. Everything was undamaged and nothing was missing. PCS even put a warning sticker on the PC case to let me know there was more packaging inside protecting the cooler.
Performance is outstanding, the M.2 SSD really does make a difference to overall system performance. It's very slick and responsive, so much so that my SSD based (SATA) PCS Optimus IV laptop now feels quite sluggish in comparison.
I've not felt the need to stress it to find out how cool it runs under extreme loads, but the CPU idles at around 23 deg C and I've never got it over 40 deg C at all yet. The PC is in a desk cupboard too. Cooling was an issue for me (it gets hot on Crete in the summer) and it's already clear that overheating is not going to be an issue for me with this PC.
The Asus Proart monitor is a delight. Very clear and crisp and the IPS screen is visible from almost any angle. There are plenty of config options on the on screen menu too. Anyone getting one should turn off the human sensor however, it just doesn't work reliably.
The Asus Cerberus keyboard is also pretty good. I like the illumination, I don't need a desk light at night now, but it does look as though it came from a Klingon battle-cruiser. It's also supposed to be splash proof – though I've not tested that, and don't intend to! It is quite noisy however, my wife has already asked me to type more quietly...
I thought I'd made a mistake with the GT Omega Racing chair (in red). Although it matches the red keyboard illumination very nicely it does look as though I've stolen it from a Ferrari. Having used it for a while now though I'm delighted. I have a weak back and the lumbar support in this chair is excellent. It's also adjustable in so many ways that it's easy to get just the right seating position. I can live with looking like a boy racer....
There have been no issues with anything I bought from PCS in the few weeks I've had it and it's exactly what I'd hoped for. Another very satisfying and successful purchase from PCS that exactly meets my needs and expectations. Thanks to everyone at PCS, I will be back again, I wouldn't dream now of going anywhere else.