All-round Deluxe PC - August 2012

By Koen Crijns,

The all-round Deluxe PC will last you a few years without requiring any upgrades. It is a bit more expensive, but is very complete as well. Using the internet, gaming, business applications, photo and video editing - all of these are possible on a good all-round PC, and you should never feel that you are lacking in performance for any of those activities.

This means a good processor and graphics card from the upper mid-range segment. Fast, yet affordable. You also need enough RAM and storage space, not to mention an attractive chassis and reliable power supply that can last several years. Of course you need a quality monitor, mouse and keyboard, as these are used very frequently.

This PC will cost more than the standard all-round PC, but it is also more powerful and has higher-end components. If this exceeds your budget somewhat, then you can have a look at out standard All-round PC instead.

Please note: the PC Buyer’s Guide is compiled based on independent component tests performed by Hardware.Info. If no new, superior products are released that should replace one or more of the components, then the component(s) will remain the same as the previous month.

If you want to know more about how we compile our PC Buying guides, have a look at this article.

Configuration

Processor - Intel Core i5 3570K

When possible, the Deluxe all-round PC should have state-of-the-art high-end components. That is currently the Ivy Bridge architecture from Intel, more specifically the i5 3570K. It has a free multiplier, but no HyperThreading. It makes it possible for the processor to run at higher speeds.

You can read about all of the advantages of this CPU in our in-depth review.

Specifications Test results

Memory module - Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB DDR3-1600 CL9 kit

With current RAM prices 8 GB is more than justified for a Deluxe all-round PC. We picked the low-profile version of Corsair Vengeance modules, DDR3-1600 CL9. These are affordable and performed well in tests.

Specifications Test results

CPU cooler - Corsair Hydro Series H80

In the computer chassis we picked there isn't room for an extremely tall water cooler, but a 12x12 cm fan fits without a problem. We used the Corsair Hydro Series H80. It's not the cheapest cooler, but it performs very well.

Specifications Test results

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H

In our round-up of 32 Z77 motherboards the Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H micro-ATX board came out as the best in its class, with quality onboard audio and a good price. It has four USB 3.0 ports and 10 USB 2.0 ports. It's also standard overclocked a little.

Specifications Test results

Graphics card - Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 OC 2GB

A deluxe all-round PC deserves a powerful graphics card that can handle any video game on everything but the highest settings or resolution. The Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 OC 2GB did very well in our test, and it's graphical processing power is used more and more for non-game applications.

Specifications Test results

Hard disk/SSD - Crucial m4 128GB

The Deluxe all-round PC of course needs a fast SSD as start-up disk, and a hard disk for storage. As SSD we chose the Crucial M4 128GB, a very fast yet affordable SSD.

Specifications Test results

Hard disk/SSD - Samsung Spinpoint F4 EcoGreen 2TB

The hard disk in our Deluxe all-round PC is a Samsung Spinpoint F4 EcoGreen 2TB.

Specifications Test results

Optical drive - Optiarc BD-5850H

Two optical drives is overkill nowadays, so we chose a combined Blu-ray / DVD burner. The chassis we are using for the Deluxe PC only takes slot-in optical drives, so we went with a Sony/Optiarc BD-5850H that can burn Blur-rays up to 100 GB.

Specifications Test results

Case - SilverStone Fortress FT03 Titanium

Sometimes you encounter a chassis that does something different, like the SilverStone Fortress FT03. It places the graphics card vertically, has plenty of internal space and has a unique appearance. It has room for an SSD and two hard disks. It's not the cheapest, but that's not what you want for a Deluxe PC.

Specifications Test results

Power supply - Be quiet! Pure Power L8 630W CM

A Deluxe PC needs a quiet power supply, and one that is modular. The Be Quiet Pure Power L8 630W did very well in our round-up of 500-700 watt PSUs. It has enough capacity, is very silent, efficient and has low ripple rates and stable voltages.

Specifications Test results

Keyboard - Logitech Wireless Combo MK520

A solid PC needs a solid keyboard and mouse. We chose the Logitech Wireless Combo MK520, an affordable mid-range desktop set.

Specifications Test results

PC speaker set - Audioengine A2

Unless you are a gamer or frequently watch movies on your PC, you're better off with a 2.1 (stereo + subwoofer) speaker set than a 5.1 speaker set, or even a very good 2.0 set.

A nice, high-end product is the AudioEngine A2. It's compact yet reproduces a full and spacious sound with a balanced sound signature. The low-end isn't as good as with a separate subwoofer, but with most music genres these small speakers sound excellent.

Specifications Test results

Monitor - Dell UltraSharp U2412M Black

The Dell UltraSharp U2412M performed very well in our test. The e-IPS panel has 1920x1200 pixels, is colour fast with excellent values, has lots of options and settings, and the price is very reasonable. You can find cheaper screens, but not better for this price. Whether you want to edit photos or play games, this monitor will do a good job.

Specifications Test results

Configuration overview		Price
Processors	Intel Core i5 3570K	£188.97
Memory modules	Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB DDR3-1600 CL9 kit	£58.26
CPU coolers	Corsair Hydro Series H80	£87.99
Motherboards	Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H	£100.83
Graphics cards	Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 OC 2GB	£172.03
Hard disks/SSDs	Crucial m4 128GB	£102.07
Hard disks/SSDs	Samsung Spinpoint F4 EcoGreen 2TB	£103.87
Optical drives	Optiarc BD-5850H	-
Cases	SilverStone Fortress FT03 Titanium	£118.84
Power supplies	Be quiet! Pure Power L8 630W CM	£75.26
Keyboards	Logitech Wireless Combo MK520	£59.63
PC speaker sets	Audioengine A2	£163.25
Monitors	Dell UltraSharp U2412M Black	£230.75
Add as wish list	Average total price:	£1,461.75