Ginger 6 G6 Ultra i70 review
This PC lacks an SSD for fast booting, but we were particularly impressed by its 3D gaming performance
Specifications
4.5GHz Intel Core i5-3570K, 8GB RAM, 23.6in 1,920×1,080 display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
The Ginger 6 G6 Ultra i70 is a well-made system that uses one of Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processors, the Core i5-3570K. It’s a fast processor in its own right, and here it has been overclocked to a speed of 4.5GHz, producing an overall score of 134 in our benchmark tests. We’ve seen faster overclocks on the processor, but this is easily powerful enough to run any modern application.
The graphics card is particularly impressive. It’s a 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 and its performance means that the Ultra i70 is eminently well-suited to gaming. We got an average frame rate of 108fps in Dirt 3, and a frame rate of 45fps in Crysis 2. With two DVI ports, an HDMI port and a DisplayPort, there are plenty of connection options. It can also handle triple-monitor gaming and works with compatible 3D displays and glasses.
The supplied monitor, an AOC 2436VWA, only has DVI and VGA inputs, but it’s a decent screen with a variety of colour modes. It also has a built-in single-port USB hub, which could be handy if you prefer to keep your PC on the floor.
There are three USB ports on the case’s front panel, one of which is built in to an excellent memory card reader that can handle everything from microSD to xD cards. The front panel also has the usual audio I/O.
At the back, the Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboard has six USB ports, only two of which are USB3. The motherboard also has a PS/2 port, an optical S/PDIF audio output and three 3.5mm audio outputs on the back, alongside a Gigabit Ethernet port. We’d have liked more connections, but it covers the basics.
Inside, you’ll find three unused PCI slots, one usable PCI-E x1 slot (the other’s blocked by the graphics card in the main PCI-E x16 slot) and a second PCI-E x16 slot, which actually runs at x4. The motherboard’s equipped with two 4GB memory modules to provide 8GB of RAM. There are two vacant slots for easy upgrading, and the motherboard can handle a maximum of 32GB of memory, but 8GB should be enough for most users.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | **** |
Processor | Intel Core i5-3570K |
Processor external bus | 100MHz (DMI) |
Processor multiplier | x45 |
Processor clock speed | 4.5GHz |
Processor socket | LGA1155 |
Memory | 8 |
Memory type | PC3-12800 |
Maximum memory | 32GB |
Motherboard | Asus P8Z77-V LX |
Motherboard chipset | Intel Z77 |
Ports | |
USB2 ports (front/rear) | 3/6 |
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 | 4 |
Free memory slots | 2 |
Free 3.5in drive bays | 5 |
Hard Disk | |
Hard disk model(s) | Seagate Barracuda (ST2000DM001-9YN164) |
Interface | SATA2 |
Total storage capacity | 2,000GB |
Graphics | |
Graphics card(s) | 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 |
Graphics/video ports | 2x DVI , HDMI, DisplayPort |
Sound | |
Sound | Realtek ALC889 |
Sound outputs | 5.1 line out, optical S/PDIF out, line out, mic in |
Speakers | none |
Removable Drives | |
Supported memory cards | SDXC, Memory Stick Pro, MMC, XD, Compact Flash II, microSD, M2 |
Optical drive type(s) | DVD+/-RW +/-DL BD-ROM |
Display | |
Viewable size | 23.6 in |
Screen model | AOC 2436Vwa |
Native resolution | 1,920×1,080 |
Screen inputs | DVI, VGA |
Other Hardware | |
Keyboard | Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 800 |
Mouse | Microsoft Wireless Mouse 1000 |
Software | |
Software included | none |
Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
Operating system restore option | Windows disc |
Buying Information | |
Warranty | one year collect and return |
Price | £1,000 |
Details | www.ginger6.com |