PCR’s guide to gaming hardware

With the rise of e-sports as well as the recent boom in desktop gaming, there is now a stronger demand for gaming PCs and components. PCR checks out the latest PC gaming-specific hardware.

ASUS ROG SWIFT PG278Q
Distributor: VIP Computers
The ROG Swift PG278Q is a 27-inch gaming monitor which combines a 2560×1440 resolution with a 144Hz refresh rate. Its GamePlus technology come with crosshair overlays for FPS games and multiple in-game timers.
Specs: 1ms rapid response, Turbo key, DisplayPort 1.2, dual USB 23.0, VESA wall mouse capabilities.
SRP: £669

THERMALTAKE URBAN T81 GAMING CASE
Distributor: A One Distribution
Thermaltake’s Urban T81 is engineered to ‘provide enthusiasts with the ability to build the highest performing systems while retaining a simple, elegant and commanding appearance’.
Specs: Dual swing door design, liquid cooling support, air cooling system, fully modular.
SRP: £99

RAIJINTEK EREBOSS CPU COOLER
Distributor: Caseking
The EreBoss is a giant heat-sink with a slimline 140mm fan that is 13mm thick. It comes with multiple mounting kits for a wide range of sockets.
Specs: Available in red or black, anti- vibration rubber, nickel copper base, 6mm heat-pipe.
SRP: £29.99

AKASA 14CM VIPER HIGH PERFORMANCE S-FLOW
Distributor: Northamber
This 14cm fan features S-Flow blades to supply 30 per cent more airflow than a standard fan at the same speed. It has PWM auto speed control and its hydro dynamic bearing extends the fan’s life by up to 50,000 hours.
Specs: 600 – 1600RPM fan speed, 110.61CFM max airflow, 4-pin PWM connector.
SRP: £9.70

HANNSG 27-INCH HS271HPB
Distributor: Exertis Micro-P, Ingram Micro, Midwich
Designed for graphic-heavy gaming, the HannsG HS271HPB monitor features IPS technology and a super wide viewing angle with no blur, and fast data processing. It also as HDMI connectivity and built-in audio.
Specs: LED, 16:9, Full HD 1920×1080, VGA, DVI-D, HDMI, VESA.
SRP: £179.99

BE QUIET PC CASE
Distributor: Entatech
Be Quiet’s first ever PC case is padded with noise-insulation material and its HDD cages are fitted with silicon runners to absorb vibrations. The side panels can be adjusted to accommodate different cooling needs.
Specs: Dust filters, rubber interior, pre- installed fans.
SRP: £99.99

AOC G2460PG G-SYNC
Distributor: Exertis Micro-P, Tech Data, VIP Computers
With a 1ms response time, the g2460Pg G-Sync monitor from AOC redraws the screen more than twice as fast as conventional 60Hz displays and has an integrated DisplayPort connector.
Specs: 24-inch display, 80,000,000:1 contrast ratio, Nvidia G-Sync, eco mode, two USB 2.0, two USB 3.0.
SRP: £369

VTX3D RADEON R9 270 X-EDITION
Distributor: VIP Computers
With the ability to run multiple displays from a single graphics board, the VTX3D Radeon R9 270 X-Edition graphics card can expand your gaming field of view across a wider area.
Specs: HDMI, Windows 8 support, 2GB GDDR5 video memory, 1400MHz memory speed.
SRP: £124.99

MSI 970 GAMING MOTHERBOARD
Distributor: Entatech
MSI’s 970 gaming motherboard comes with the world’s first built-in hardware overclocking technology, OC Genie, which has a one-second overclocking option to deliver up to 20 per cent of extra performance for the CPU, memory and iGPU. It also comes with Smart Fan Control, letting users monitor the status of the fans in realtime and record fan speed, voltage and temperature status into a log file.
Specs: USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s, AMD CrossFire support, DDR3-2133(OC) memory support.
SRP: £TBC

BITFENIX NEOS ATX TOWER
Distributor: Caseking
Featuring large mesh holes to allow for unencumbered airflow to system components, the BitFenix Neos ATX Tower is designed to keep PCs cool during intense gaming sessions. It also comes with removable dust filters for both the front intake and the power supply. A windowed version is also available.
Specs: Available in numerous colours, includes fan and PSU dust filters, tool- free hard drive locking.
SRP: £29.99, windowed version £33.95

PALIT GEFORCE GTX 750 TI STORMX OC
Distributor: VIP Computers
The Palit StormX series is equipped with solid capacitors, ferrite core chokes, and an improved PWM design. The graphics card has support for HDMI output and Nvidia PhsyX technology.
Specs: GDDR5, 2048MB memory, Windows 7 support, DirextX 11, HDCP.
SRP: £104.99

POWERCOLOR RADEON R9 290 GRAPHICS CARD
Distributor: Entatech
Run multiple displays from a single graphics board with the PowerColor R9 290. The AMD App Accelerator creates a ‘co-processing’ environment in which the compute processing potential in the AMD Radeon Graphics processor works together with the system central processor in order to accelerate enabled applications.
Specs: 4GB GDDR5 memory, PCI-Express interface, DirectX 11.2 support, 512bit memory interface.
SRP: £290

ANTEC HCP-1000 PLATINUM POWER
Distributor: A One Distribution
Antec’s High Current Pro Platinum is fully modular with a 20+8-pin MBU socket. HCP Platinum’s 16-pin socket doubles the modular connectivity, supporting two different 8-pin connectors as well as future connectors of 10, 12, 14 or 16-pin.
Specs: 1000W continuous power, 135mm DBB silence, 80 Plus Platinum certified.
SRP: £147

AEROCOOL DEAD SILENCE GAMING CUBE CASE
Distributor: A One Distribution
Aerocool’s DS-Cube is designed for use with the latest small form factor components. Users have the choice between six colour variations, with each of the models being equipped with a removable and exchangeable top cover, allowing users to switch between the plain colour version for silence mode and a mesh design version for improved airflow.
Specs: Leathercoated panels, complete 240mm water cooling system, two USB 2.0, two USB 3.0, HD audio.
SRP: £43.50

GIGABYTE 9 SERIES MOTHERBOARDS
Distributor: Entatech
The Gigabyte 9 series motherboards support the latest 4th and upcoming 4th generation Intel Core processors. Included is SATA Express support for up to 10 Gb/s of data transfer as well as two-way SLI/three-way CrossFire multi-graphics support.
Specs: ESD protection for USB and LAN, killer E2200 gaming network platform, dualBIOS design.
SRP: £TBC

XIGMATEK AQUILA MICRO-ATX CASE
Distributor: Caseking
The base of this chassis is elevated at the front to provide extra intake airflow. Unlike other micro-ITX chassis, the interior of the Xigmatek Aquila gives you the option to use SLI or Crossfire in your build, not to mention being able to fit full length, top of the range gaming VGA cards. A windowed version is also available.
Specs: 330mm maximum graphics card length, supports Micro-ATX and Mini- ITX motherboards.
SRP: £69.95, Windowed version £74.99

GAMES SURROUND MUSE XL POCKET LT3
Distributor: Exertis Gem
The Muse XL Pocket LT3 is a USB bus-powered sound card that is ultra-compact and lightweight, specifically designed for enjoying 5.1 surround sound for playing games, watching DVDs and more.
Specs: Ergonomic volume control, quick mute, 5.1 surround effect, Xear3D technology for 3D positioning.
SRP: £29

AEROCOOL DEAD SILENCE 12CM FAN
Distributor: A One Distribution
The Dead Silence fan is the first in the world to use dual material injection for the fan blades which yields higher air pressure and stronger airflow, but at the same time minimises the noise level.
Specs: Fish eye surface, noise and shock reduction fan frame, fluid dynamic bearing.
SRP: £8.50

AKASA VENOM MEDUSA
Distributor: Northamber
Featuring eight high capacity heatpipes for rapid heat transfer, the Venom Medusa has optimised V-shaped notches to reduce airflow resistance and noise.
Specs: Copper base, aluminium fins, eight heatpipes, 14cm Viper-R fan.
SRP: £45.50

TURTLE BEACH MICRO II USB SOUNDCARD
Distributor: Exertis Gem
The Micro II USB sound card adds a stereo analogue output and an optical digital output to a Mac or PC. The stereo output drives powered speakers, headphones or an external recording device.
SRP: £25

CONTACT
A One Distribution: 0161 763 3633
Caseking: 01782 444 488
Entatech: 0333 101 1000
ExertisGem: .01279822822
Exertis Micro-P: 01282 776 776
Ingram Micro: 0871 973 3000
Midwich: 01379 649 200
Northamber: 02082967000
Tech Data: 01256 788 000
VIP Computers: 0871 622 7500