Whilst I have only had my PC for a few days, I wanted to provide a review based largely on my experience from initial research all the way to receipt and set up.
I went for the spec below, based on a requirement for a system that could support 1440p gaming as well as photo editing in lightroom and photoshop. No comments on the clearly overkill PSU – it was one of only a few in stock at the time.
Case – Fractal Define 7 Black Quiet Mid-Tower
CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
Mobo – Asus TUF X570 Plus Gaming
RAM – 32gb Corsair Vengeance 3200Mhz
GPU – 8gb Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 Super
Storage 1 – 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA III
Storage 2 – 1TB Seagate Firecuda NVMe
PSU – Corsair 1200w HX Series
Cooler – CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240
Wireless Card – Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
Pre-order – 9/10
The whole experience, thanks to this forum, was fantastic. I had spent a bit of time randomly smashing together configurations and then discovered Scott’s helpful guide on PC building. This along with the regular replies on other people’s builds (every second post seems to be a spec checker) gave me a good handle on what I required for my needs. Whilst it is not the case for everyone, when I drop a significant sum on an item, I want to ensure I know what I am buying. Further, if I am going to keep on top of regular maintenance – both hardware and software – I need to know what I have got and how I should best look after it.
Anyway, having not purchased a performance PC since about 2003, finding this forum was a bit of a turning point. I realised that what I had originally configured was complete garbage and I started from scratch, taking into account my current and future use needs as well as my monitor. Incidentally, this ‘research’ led me to purchasing a new monitor to fit in with the above.
Whilst I eventually decided upon a final build, my evolving knowledge (and an increase in budget) led me to make a few changes whilst the system was in pre-production. I have no idea if this feature is a standard thing for custom PC builders, however it has proven extremely useful in my case.
So, in summary a solid 9/10. Thanks to all those that answered my questions and helped me to spec my build. You lot really are a set of unsung heroes.
Pre-production – 4/10
I’m not going to use this as an opportunity to bash PCS but I can’t not comment on it in the context of my experience. Quite frankly this part of the experience was very poor indeed.
Communication was non-existent, even when it was quite clear (from this forum) that PCS were struggling to keep on top of builds. I do appreciate that the wider situation is such that things are more difficult for manufacturers however in crisis situations communication is key. PCS really let themselves down in this regard.
I did contact PCS directly on three occasions and it was quite clear that their staff had not really been briefed on how to handle what was an escalating situation. Every conversation I had let to a completely different outcome – it was as if I was a new customer every time I called them. I’m not sure if PCS customer service staff have the ability to keep customer notes on file however I would suggest that they seriously look into this for future, just so that they can provide customers with consistent and informed information.
As I said, this is not intended to be a rant so I will leave things here. For any prospective customers, it does seem as though customer feedback has been received and taken on board, so I would be comfortable saying they have started addressing the issues I faced.
Build, test & delivery – 9/10
Quick! The PC went into build and test on the Tuesday and was ready for dispatch on Wednesday. I cannot comment on how they test as it is beyond my technical knowledge. I was kept in the loop on the different stages via email, which was good.
What I can say is that to untrained eye, the internals have been put together in a clean manner. Cable management looks good and everything is neat and tidy. I had heard good things about PCS build quality, and I have not been left disappointed. Very impressed indeed.
Delivery was quick (next day) and everything arrived well packaged and in one piece.
Performance – 10/10 (so far)
I have not had a chance to really push the PC however my initial view is I am impressed. I have spent a bit of time setting it up, installing updates and programmes, and so far, everything has gone smoothly (touch wood). I have run a few tests on the machine – using HW monitor and cinebench – and all seems to work as it should and within the temperature ranges you’d expect. I am looking forward to some more demanding photoshop work and I will likely update this review once I have transferred across my files and libraries.
In terms of noise, I have been using laptops for so long now that I don’t really know what I expected from a desktop. I did have some reservations as despite purchasing a quiet case I went for the Coolermaster 240 which I had heard was on the louder side. I need not have worried however as the PC runs quiet, even under load. I’m sure there are things I can do to make it even quieter however I am really happy with it as it is.
Overall – 7.5/10
I am being super critical here and as you can see, the only problem I have had has been with communication (or lack of). Everything else has been truly fantastic and I will certainly be a repeat customer. Thanks again to all who helped on here - without you I would have a comparatively rubbish system!
I went for the spec below, based on a requirement for a system that could support 1440p gaming as well as photo editing in lightroom and photoshop. No comments on the clearly overkill PSU – it was one of only a few in stock at the time.
Case – Fractal Define 7 Black Quiet Mid-Tower
CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
Mobo – Asus TUF X570 Plus Gaming
RAM – 32gb Corsair Vengeance 3200Mhz
GPU – 8gb Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 Super
Storage 1 – 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA III
Storage 2 – 1TB Seagate Firecuda NVMe
PSU – Corsair 1200w HX Series
Cooler – CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240
Wireless Card – Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
Pre-order – 9/10
The whole experience, thanks to this forum, was fantastic. I had spent a bit of time randomly smashing together configurations and then discovered Scott’s helpful guide on PC building. This along with the regular replies on other people’s builds (every second post seems to be a spec checker) gave me a good handle on what I required for my needs. Whilst it is not the case for everyone, when I drop a significant sum on an item, I want to ensure I know what I am buying. Further, if I am going to keep on top of regular maintenance – both hardware and software – I need to know what I have got and how I should best look after it.
Anyway, having not purchased a performance PC since about 2003, finding this forum was a bit of a turning point. I realised that what I had originally configured was complete garbage and I started from scratch, taking into account my current and future use needs as well as my monitor. Incidentally, this ‘research’ led me to purchasing a new monitor to fit in with the above.
Whilst I eventually decided upon a final build, my evolving knowledge (and an increase in budget) led me to make a few changes whilst the system was in pre-production. I have no idea if this feature is a standard thing for custom PC builders, however it has proven extremely useful in my case.
So, in summary a solid 9/10. Thanks to all those that answered my questions and helped me to spec my build. You lot really are a set of unsung heroes.
Pre-production – 4/10
I’m not going to use this as an opportunity to bash PCS but I can’t not comment on it in the context of my experience. Quite frankly this part of the experience was very poor indeed.
Communication was non-existent, even when it was quite clear (from this forum) that PCS were struggling to keep on top of builds. I do appreciate that the wider situation is such that things are more difficult for manufacturers however in crisis situations communication is key. PCS really let themselves down in this regard.
I did contact PCS directly on three occasions and it was quite clear that their staff had not really been briefed on how to handle what was an escalating situation. Every conversation I had let to a completely different outcome – it was as if I was a new customer every time I called them. I’m not sure if PCS customer service staff have the ability to keep customer notes on file however I would suggest that they seriously look into this for future, just so that they can provide customers with consistent and informed information.
As I said, this is not intended to be a rant so I will leave things here. For any prospective customers, it does seem as though customer feedback has been received and taken on board, so I would be comfortable saying they have started addressing the issues I faced.
Build, test & delivery – 9/10
Quick! The PC went into build and test on the Tuesday and was ready for dispatch on Wednesday. I cannot comment on how they test as it is beyond my technical knowledge. I was kept in the loop on the different stages via email, which was good.
What I can say is that to untrained eye, the internals have been put together in a clean manner. Cable management looks good and everything is neat and tidy. I had heard good things about PCS build quality, and I have not been left disappointed. Very impressed indeed.
Delivery was quick (next day) and everything arrived well packaged and in one piece.
Performance – 10/10 (so far)
I have not had a chance to really push the PC however my initial view is I am impressed. I have spent a bit of time setting it up, installing updates and programmes, and so far, everything has gone smoothly (touch wood). I have run a few tests on the machine – using HW monitor and cinebench – and all seems to work as it should and within the temperature ranges you’d expect. I am looking forward to some more demanding photoshop work and I will likely update this review once I have transferred across my files and libraries.
In terms of noise, I have been using laptops for so long now that I don’t really know what I expected from a desktop. I did have some reservations as despite purchasing a quiet case I went for the Coolermaster 240 which I had heard was on the louder side. I need not have worried however as the PC runs quiet, even under load. I’m sure there are things I can do to make it even quieter however I am really happy with it as it is.
Overall – 7.5/10
I am being super critical here and as you can see, the only problem I have had has been with communication (or lack of). Everything else has been truly fantastic and I will certainly be a repeat customer. Thanks again to all who helped on here - without you I would have a comparatively rubbish system!
