OP3 i5 OCT review

Two of the occupied SATA III ports connect to the top of the case, where you’ll find an eSATA port and a shallow receptacle that accommodates an internal SATA drive directly to the outside of the case. There are also two USB ports on the top of the case, in addition to one that’s built into the memory card reader at the front. There are another ten USB ports at the back, including two USB3 ports. There’s also an eSATA port and a FireWire port, as well as the usual pair of PS/2 ports, 7.1 analogue surround sound connectors and optical S/PDIF output.

The i5 OCT comes with an excellent wireless keyboard and mouse set – Logitech’s MK710. A padded wrist rest and flat keys make the keyboard comfortable to use for hours on end, while the mouse is ergonomically shaped for the right-handed use. The 22in BenQ G2222HDL monitor produced excellent contrast, even backlighting and accurate colours, but we’d have preferred a larger display.

The i5 OCT is massively overclocked and its liquid cooling means that you won’t have to work around a bulky heat sink if you want to upgrade. We also appreciate the 2TB hard disk and three-year warranty. However, its 3D performance is weak compared to similarly priced PCs, and we’d prefer a larger monitor. The Wired2Fire Hellspawn XFire strikes a better balance of features and gaming performance.