PC Specialist Aurea i3-530X review

PC Specialist’s Aurea i3-530X is based on a new Intel Core i3-530 processor, which means it has an integrated HD graphics chip, and as a result there’s room on the motherboard for a dedicated graphics card, should you wish to upgrade. As it stands, it’s not capable of playing games – even with settings turned right down, we couldn’t get a playable frame rate in Call of Duty 4.

It can however play HD video content, although it’s a shame the monitor won’t be able to display it at its full 1,920×1,080 resolution. The supplied HannsG 22in monitor only supports 1,680×1,050, but at least it has a DVI input, and PC Specialist bundle a decent DVI cable in the box. We found its colours to be reasonably natural, although a slight red cast and average contrast meant images didn’t look quite as punchy as we’d like.

While a free graphics card slot will please those who prefer to choose their own graphics card, those who aren’t interested in gaming will appreciate the raw power that PC Specialist have achieved by overclocking the Core i3 chip from its stock speed of 2.93GHz to 3.4GHz. This resulted in a gain of 13 points overall in our benchmarks compared to a similarly specified PC, and makes it one of the fastest Core i3 PCs we’ve seen.

However, PC Specialist only offers a one year warranty, which may worry those who are concerned that the extra speed may come at the expense of reliability, especially as the company hasn’t replaced the stock Intel CPU fan. Enthusiasts might be happy to upgrade the fan, but those looking for a PC that won’t require much maintenance should be wary.

Elsewhere in the case, we found plenty of room for expansion. Two free hard disk bays should suffice for most people, and there are three free RAM slots. This is unusual, as DDR3 memory is dual channel and is normally found in pairs, but we tested the system with two 1GB modules and found no significant difference in performance. Your first upgrade should be to add one more 2GB module, however, especially if you plan on editing large images or video files.

On the outside, there are nine USB ports but no eSATA or FireWire ports. A memory card reader is useful for those with a digital camera. As well as 5.1 surround sound outputs, the HDMI port can output digital audio to an AV amplifier. The wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse set only use one USB port, and are of a good quality: the keyboard has a light action, and the mouse has a large wheel that can be pushed side-to-side for horizontal scrolling.

The inclusion of a new Core i3 processor, leaving a spare PCI-E x16 slot for a future graphics upgrade, is a sensible design. However, overclocking the processor without upgrading the stock CPU fan is a bit worrying, especially as PC Specialist don’t offer a longer warranty, and the lack of a Full HD monitor lets the Aurea down. Mesh’s Ice3 530CS also has a Core i3-530 and a free graphics card slot but comes with a Full HD monitor, while CyberPower’s Ultra Triton XT has a Full HD monitor and comes ready to play games.