Quick, forward-looking DDR5 may not be the strongest in terms of latency, yet bandwidth is more than ample. It is very, very fast, though we wonder if the notoriously thirsty chip is getting a little hot under the collar irrespective of the custom loop.
If anything, we’re surprised the Blade Ultra doesn’t creep past the 2,000 mark in the single-core test. PerformanceĬore i9-12900KS, as expected, is right up there in the CPU charts. That figure implies PCSpecialist isn’t charging a premium to build, deliver and support the system with a standard three-year warranty that includes a month of collection costs, parts cover for the first year, and labour for the duration.
#X1440P DIRT 3 WINDOWS#
Totting up all the various parts brings the component bill up to around £4,500, including Windows 11. With so much opportunity, wouldn’t it be better to build it yourself? The DIY approach is always fun however the cost saving might not be significant. Point is, you’re never likely to run out of room. Heck, there’s even space for a 420/480 alongside the motherboard. Cooler Master’s case can house a second 360mm radiator in the roof (the top panel comes away to help ease installation), and though the bottom fans are largely decorative, they can be augmented with another 360mm radiator if you prefer. Curiously, all eight 120mm fans are configured as exhausts, favouring a negative air pressure configuration.ĭespite the custom Hydro X loop, there’s ample scope to expand should you feel the need. PCSpecialist augments the trio of tilted bottom fans with a further five three on the top radiator and two on the rear. Graphics cards can measure up to 490mm in length, there are a dozen 2.5/3.5in storage bays, and you have more fan mounts than you could shake a stick at. Such is the scope of the case that upgradeability is ample. Cooler Master’s promise of a “futuristic lighting effect” sounds speculative, but credit where it’s due, HAF 700 Evo does look terrific in the flesh.
Network connectivity is well catered for with the motherboard affording both 2.5GbE and Wi-Fi 6, while the chassis’ eye-catching front fascia presents audio jacks, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, and a customisable Iris LCD display flanked by striking edge-lit intake blades. Everything is sewn together using 12mm Hydro X XT hardline tubing, and extra flourishes include clear Mayhems X1 watercooling fluid and individually sleeved power-supply cables.
#X1440P DIRT 3 PRO#
There’s a lot going on, including XC7 RGB Pro CPU block, XG7 RGB 30 Series Strix GPU block, XD5 RGB pump/reservoir combo and two radiators a 240 at the rear, plus a 360 in the roof. Rounding out the component hymn sheet is a 2TB Samsung 980 Pro M.2 SSD, 4TB Seagate IronWolf Pro 3.5in hard disk, 1,200W Corsair HX Series Platinum-rated power supply, and a whole host of Corsair Hydro X liquid-cooling accoutrements. Choice of GPU could be argued both ways – RTX 3090 or 3090 Ti would be that little bit quicker, but either would tip the build closer to the £5k mark. The fast-but-not-ridiculous sentiment extends to graphics, where we find a third-rung Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. Plenty potent, albeit perhaps a tad reserved for a build of this magnitude there’s clearly room for E-ATX, and super-fast DDR5-6000 would feel right at home in this manner of rig. The quickest of Intel’s 12th Gen bunch is installed atop an Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard outfitted with 64GB (2x32GB) of Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR5-5200 memory. SpecificationĪn immense build is practically a prerequisite, so what exactly do you get for the best part of five thousand pounds? PCSpecialist’s CPU of choice is a flagship Intel Core i9-12900KS Limited Edition processor whose eight performance and eight efficient cores allow for 24 threads operating at a peak frequency of up to 5.5GHz.
PCSpecialist’s rig will set you back £4,499, though going by current retail pricing, 10 per cent of that outlay is attributed to the case alone. That sense of trepidation extends to the price tag. It’s so rare these days that the Blade Ultra feels a tad unnerving I can sense its presence in the room, a black hole waiting to engulf anyone and anything that comes near. As many an enthusiast will testify, builds of these proportions used to be commonplace. With so much other tech championing smaller, thinner and lighter form factors, such a beast feels like a welcome blast from the past.