All you need in a desktop PC
Big PC boxes are traditionally known as ‘towers’. This one takes the term pretty literally. It could comfortably house the headquarters of a small country’s secret police. Bucking the trend for show-off neon-lit fishtank systems, there are no windows. What happens inside is the stuff of tales told by mothers to frighten their children. We shall not speak of it.
Oh all right, we’ll speak of it. This new PC from Chillblast isn’t really as sinister as it looks. And it doesn’t really need the huge case, because it relies for its computing power on an i5 processor from Intel’s latest Skylake range, which has a basic integrated graphics processor, rather than relying on a separate 3D graphics card.
What the case mainly contains, in fact, is empty space. And that’s a good thing, because if you need more features later, you’ve got room to add them with a minimum of fuss. The 500-watt power supply is ready for the extra load, and the the internal cables are neatly arranged. Besides the empty fast PCI-Express x16 slot, there are two PCI-E x1 slots, one of which houses the 802.11ac Wi-Fi card that’s so often missing from desktop PCs. That means you have the choice of connecting the Ethernet port straight to your router or connecting to it wirelessly.
A standard 1TB hard drive provides ample space for your programs and files, but there’s also a speedier 120GB SSD, where Windows 10 is installed. The operating system felt very quick and responsive, and our tests confirmed that the 3.2GHz quad-core i5-6500 processor coped admirably, even with demanding tasks like video editing. With plenty of room for air to circulate, noise levels stayed at a very acceptable level.
The 8GB of memory supplied will suffice for most purposes, and there are two extra free slots, so you could double it for around £30 or even take it to the maximum 32GB. As it stands, this isn’t a gaming PC, but older 3D titles and casual puzzle-type apps from the Windows Store are perfectly playable.
For external connections, there are two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports at both the front and back, while a USB Type-C port on the rear panel caters for the latest, fastest accessories. A memory card reader on the front panel takes both SD and microSD cards, so you can quickly import photos and videos from cameras. Software and films normally come from the internet these days, but if you do need to play or burn DVDs, Chillblast will fit a drive for an extra £20, neatly concealed behind the case’s front door.
Your £630 gets you all this plus an Asus VC239H monitor. At first glance, it looks surprisingly small, but in fact the 23in screen is quite adequate, with a Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It’s unusually compact because of its narrrow bezel, a feature you’d normally expect on much pricier units. We were impressed by the picture quality too: colour and contrast were good, and remained so from a wide range of viewing angles. Both this and the PC have HDMI, DVI-D and VGA connections, so you can take your pick (DVI-D being the usual choice) and save the others for any other screens you might want to add.
Chillblast even includes a decent Logitech MK270 wireless keyboard and mouse set. All in all, the Fusion Quartz is a complete and well-rounded system with plenty of scope for future upgrades, and at this price it’s highly recommended.
VERDICT
If graphics performance isn’t your priority, your money’s well spent on this comprehensive and speedy desktop PC.
SPECIFICATIONS
3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5-6500 processor • 8GB memory • Intel HD Graphics 530 • 1TB hard drive • 120GB SSD • 4x USB 3.0 ports • 4x USB 2.0 ports • 802.11ac Wi-Fi • HDMI port • DVI port • VGA port • WIndows 10 • 468x230x475mm (HxWxD) • Two-year warranty