Unlike the identically priced PalliComp Alpha Blade, the GX 2300 doesn't offer penpherals or a monitor. Instead, Computer Planet has managed to squeeze an attractive USB 3-equipped Cooler Master K380 case, a Seidon 120M all-in-one liquid cooler, a Cooler Master 700W PSU and a colossal stack of 16GB of Corsair Vengeance memory into the equation.
The GX 2303 has an unusual storage setup though. While the Palicomp Alpha Blade was kitted with a 120GB SSD and 2TB hard disk, the GX 2300 Gaming PC only has a 120G8 SSD. This is the bare minimum we consider necessary for your average gaming PC, and we'd much rather have seen 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard disk, given that even the latest games haven't pushed RAM usage beyond 5GB in our own tests. The lack of storage space could be an issue if you want to install more than five or six top-end games, but Computer Planet at least gives you the option to add a hard disk for an extra E59 - an upgrade we whole heartedly recommend.
That's our only niggle though. The K380 case is solid and compact, and it also features a side window, illuminated fans and an extremely tidy interior. It sports many mod cons too. such as dust filters, tool-free fittings, and front and back USB 3 ports, which make it a much more desirable rig than the Alpha Blade. Meanwhile, the Sedion 120M all-in-one liquid cooler has been mounted on the rear 120mm fan mount, with the fan acting as an exhaust. This is helped along by a 120mm side intake fan and front-mounted 120mm intake fan.
Other hardware includes a fine Giga byte GA-Z77 D3H motherboard, which pushes the Intel Core i5-3570K to 4.26Hz with a voltage of 1.17V. Meanwhile. the EVGA FTW-branded GeForce GTX 670 2GB sports a 90MHz overclock on the core, aswell as an effective 200MHz effective boost to its memory speed.
#1 The fine Gigabyte GA-Z77 D3H motherboard has been used to push the Intel Core i5-3570K to 4.2GHz with a voltage of 1.17V
#2 A single 120GB Corsair Force 3 SSD is the only storage included in the system - a hard drive will cost extra
#3 The EVGA FTW-banded GeForce GTX 670 2GB sports 90MHz core overclock, as well as an effective 200MHZ effective memory boost
PERFORMANCE
The numbers returned in our Media Benchmarks were a tad disappointing. but with the Alpha Blade's identical CPU clocked 400MHz higher, this was no surpnse. The GX 2300 managed an image editing score of 1,987 - nearly 300 points short of the Alpha blade. It was a similar story in the video encoding test. with its score of 3,271 noticeablys lower than the 3,674 achieved by the Alpha Blade. However, Battlefield 3 absolutely loved the GeForce GTX 670 2GB, returning a minimum frame rate of 64fps compared to the Alpha Blade's 46fps using the Radeon HD 7950 3GB.
At the default settings, the CPU was topped out at a delta T of 44°C and the CPU at 139°C, so we had some headroom. We managed to push the CPU to 4.4GHz using a vcore of 1.25V, with the delta T rising to 60°C. We also pushed the CPU clock to 1,090MHz, and the CPU RAM up 50MHz too. This resulted in a boost of 31 ps in the minimum frame rate in Battlefield 3. which rose to 67fps, and we also saw a marked jump in the Media Benchmarks scores. For example, the video encoding result rose by 262 points to 3,533, although the Alpha Blade's 4.6GHz CPU still had the edge.
At its out-of-the-box settings, the GX 2300 drew 275W from the mains at full load, and this rose to a shade under 300W once we'd overclocked it. Meanwhile, noise levels were fine at idle, with just a low thrum from the side and front intake fans being noticeable. The PCs fans did spin up under maximum load during our power draw test, producing a noticeable noise, but we've definitely heard worse, and it was a little quieter when playing games too.
CONCLUSION
Apart from the limited storage and overzealous amount of RAM, this PC has a pleasing choice of components. The CPU sports a healthy, if reserved, oaverclock and the graphics card has headroom for tinkering too. The case is much better than other examples we've seen in similarly priced systems too, offering expansion room for both cooling and storage. The cooler also enables the system to out perform most PCs with high-end air coolers and, with another 120mm fan, it;s likely you could get a higher overclock, while keeping noise and temperatures in check.
Of course, the GX 2300's main draw is its GeForce GTX 670, which gave it a huge lead over the Radeon HD 7950 3GB-equipped Alpha Blade in Battlefield 3. What's more, this card will also give you plenty of headroom at higher resolutions, the GTX 670 managed playable frame rates in every single one of our test games at 2,560, including Crysis 2 in DX 11 mode. Only the lack of sufficient storage means the GX 2300 loses out on an award - otherwise, it's a good buy.
Cons: Only a single 120GB SSD for storage; mediocre overclock
TESTER
CPU 3.4GHz IntelCore 17-3570K overclocked to 4.2GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H
Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1,600MHz DDR3
Graphics: EVGO. GTX 670 FTW
Sound: On-board
Hard disk: 128GB Corsair Force 3 SSD
Optical drives: Samsung DVD writer
Case: Cooler Master K380
Cooling CPU: Cooler Master Seidon 120M; case 1 x 120m side intake fan, 1 x 120mm rear exhaust fan, lx 120mm front intake fan
PSU: Cooler Master GX-Lite 700W
Ports: Front: 1 x USB 3, lx U582. Rear:4x USB 3,4 x U582. LAN, a udio out, mic, headphone, optical S/PDIF out, P5/2, HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI
Extras: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Supplier: www.computerplanet.co.uk
