CUSTOM PC CPC230 PC magazine #230 User Guide
- June 3, 2024
- CUSTOM PC
Table of Contents
CUSTOM PC CPC230 PC magazine #230
Highlights
The state of Intel graphics
The launch of Intel’s new graphics cards hasn’t exactly gone to plan, but
Richard Swinburne still hopes they will see the light of day.
Is the game industry really recession proof?
Tracy King takes a sceptical look at the latest speculation about the games
industry’s ability to weather the incoming storm.
Fractal Design Meshify 2 Nano
Fractal’s new mini-ITX case is bold and cold but isn’t the most compact case
in its class.
AOC Agon Pro AG274QG
With its 240Hz refresh rate and 2,560 x 1,400 pixel resolution, AOC’s new
gaming monitor packs in an impressive feature set, as you’d hope given its
sky-high price.
Keychron Q1 V2
With its rock-solid build quality and versatile customisation options, the
Keychron Q1 V2 is a great keyboard foundation, but it doesn’t come cheap.
Roccat Kone XP Air
With dozens of buttons, a charging dock and lots of RGB lighting, Roccat’s
latest gaming mouse just about has it all.
Memory Labs test
Antony Leather tests out 11 of the latest DDR4 and DDR5 memory kits to find the ones that offer the best bang per buck.
Trackball Labs test
Ideal for compact workspaces and reducing the likeliness of a repetitive
strain injury, five of the latest trackballs are put through their paces by
Edward Chester.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
This nostalgic pixelated beat ‘em up provides some fantastically fun arcade
action.
Choice memories
Memory has always been a slightly tricky part of a PC to pick but with our comprehensive guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to choose the right RAM for your system.
Game Pass
Rick Lane takes a comprehensive look at Microsoft’s Game Pass game
subscription service, exploring how it works with developers and having a look
at some of the upcoming games.
How to
Antony Leather shows you how to etch glass side panels and install a water-
cooling distro plate.
Retro tech
Stuart Andrews looks back at the Intel Pentium Pro, a rather maligned CPU at
the time, but one that made a big impact over time.
Readers’ drives
Jerome Kelty guides us through the creation of his ultra-minimalist mini-ITX
chassis design.
Memory imbalance
With DDR4 and DDR5 battling it out for our affections, James Gorbold looks
into the sales figures for both to see how the battle is shaping up.
Cover guide
Regulars
- 3 From the editor
- 8 Richard Swinburne
- 10 Tracy King
- 12 Incoming
- 38 Custom kit
- 40 How we test
- 62 Elite products
- 68 Inverse look
- 74 Reality check
- 94 Hobby tech
- 99 For the win
- 100 Customised PC
- 102 How to guides
- 107 Retro tech
- 110 Readers’ drives
- 114 James Gorbold
Reviewed
CASES
- 16 Fractal Design Meshify Nano
- 18 Thermaltake Tower 500
FANS
- 20 ADATA XPG Hurricane 140 ARGB
- 20 be quiet! Silent Wings 4 140mm
- 21 Thermaltake SWAFAN 12 RGB
- 21 Thermaltake SWAFAN 14 RGB
MOTHERBOARDS
- 22 NZXT N5 Z690
MONITORS
- 24 AOC Agon Pro AG274QG
KEYBOARDS
- 26 Ducky One 3 SF
- 27 Keychron Q1 V2
MICE
- 28 Roccat Kone XP Air
GAMING LAPTOPS
- 30 Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE
PC SYSTEMS
- 34 Chillblast Fnatic Pioneer
- 36 CyberPower Infinity X127 Plus
Custom kit
- 38 Geekey Multi-Tool
- 38 Kensington Combination Lock
- 38 PDP Electric
- 39 Lazy Readers
- 39 Kensington Contour 2.0 Pro
Memory Labs
- 45 ADATA XPG Spectrix D45G
- 46 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR4
- 47 Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro
- 48 G.Skill Trident Z Neo
- 49 G.Skill Trident Z Royal
- 50 Kingston Fury Beast DDR4 RGB
- 51 Kingston Fury Renegade DDR4 RGB
- 52 ADATA XPG Lancer RGB
- 53 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5
- 54 Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RGB
- 55 Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5 RGB
Trackball Labs
- 59 Elecom Huge Trackball M-HT1DRBK
- 60 Kensington Expert Mouse Wireless Trackball
- 61 Kensington Orbit Wireless with Scroll Ring
- 62 Logitech MX Ergo
- 63 ProtoArc EM01
Games
- 69 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
- Shredder’s Revenge
- 70 Raft
- 72 Starship Troopers: Terran Command
- 73 The Looker
- 74 Shores of Loci
Hobby tech
- 94 StarFive VisionFive
- 96 Flipper Zero