Ginger6 G6 Vision review
Needs more RAM to make the most of its great components
Specifications
3.1GHz Intel Core i5-3450, 4GB RAM, 23.6in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
If you’re planning on upgrading in the future, there are plenty of expansion options inside the midi tower chassis. Its three vacant 5.25in external drive bays, one external 3.5in drive bay and four internal 3.5in bays should provide ample room for additional storage, but you’ll need a screwdriver because there are no tool-free mounting mechanisms.
The motherboard is also well equipped, with three empty RAM slots, three unoccupied SATA ports, three PCI slots, two PCI Express x1 slots and two PCI-E x16 slots. However, the dual-slot graphics card obscures one of the PCI-E x1 slots.
Cooling is well covered, with four 120mm fans installed throughout the case. The single front intake and single rear exhaust creates a constant flow of air, while the two side-panel fans push cold air onto the CPU cooler and graphics card. Ginger 6 has used the default Intel heat sink, but you shouldn’t have to worry about heat buildup unless you add a lot of extra hard disks or expansion cards.
The included AOC 2436Vwa monitor has a very useful USB hub, as well as VGA and DVI inputs and a set of internal speakers. It’s a 1080p panel and we thought its image quality was distinctly average. Its Microsoft keyboard and mouse set is basic, but felt reasonably well built.
The G6 Vision might have a very fast SSD, but Ginger 6 has had to sacrifice in other areas to keep costs down. For a similar amount, you can find an overclocked system with more memory and a faster graphics card, such as the Palicomp Alpha Excite.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | *** |
Processor | Intel Core i5-3450 |
Processor external bus | 100MHz |
Processor multiplier | x31 |
Processor clock speed | 3.1GHz |
Processor socket | LGA1155 |
Memory | 4 |
Memory type | DDR3 |
Maximum memory | 32GB |
Motherboard | Asus P8Z77-V LX |
Motherboard chipset | Intel Z77 |
Ports | |
USB2 ports (front/rear) | 2/6 |
Firewire ports (front/rear) | 0/0 |
eSATA ports (front/rear) | 0/0 |
Wired network ports | 1x 10/100/1000 |
Wireless networking support | none |
Internal Expansion | |
Case | midi tower |
PCI-E x1 slots (free) | 2 (1) |
PCI-E x16 slots (free) | 2 (1) |
Free Serial ATA ports | 3 |
Free memory slots | 3 |
Free 3.5in drive bays | 2 |
Hard Disk | |
Hard disk model(s) | Crucial CT128M4SSD2 + Seagate ST1000DM003-9YN162 |
Interface | SATA3 |
Total storage capacity | 1,144GB |
Graphics | |
Graphics card(s) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Se |
Graphics/video ports | HDMI, DVI, VGA |
Sound | |
Sound | Realtek HD Audio |
Sound outputs | 7.1 line out, optical S/PDIF out |
Speakers | none |
Removable Drives | |
Supported memory cards | none |
Optical drive type(s) | DVD+/-RW +/-DL |
Display | |
Viewable size | 23.6 in |
Screen model | AOC 2436Vwa |
Native resolution | 1,920×1,080 |
Screen inputs | VGA, DVI |
Other Hardware | |
Keyboard | Microsoft Wired Keyboard 600 |
Mouse | Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical 1.1A |
Software | |
Software included | none |
Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
Operating system restore option | restore disc |
Buying Information | |
Warranty | one year collect and return |
Price | £800 |
Details | www.ginger6.com |