Review: PC Specialist Vanquish R4

Final Thoughts and Rating

We're getting a real sense of déjà vu around these parts. When the first gaming rigs armed with third-generation Intel processors arrived this time last year, we surmised that system integrators faced a challenging question: how do you introduce new PCs that are fundamentally better than the outgoing Sandy Bridge crop?

"Sandy Bridge was so good that it's easier said than done, and Ivy Bridge's make-up doesn't lend itself well to this particular task; CPU performance isn't a big step up, and the third-generation processors don't overclock quite as well their predecessors."

Fast forward 12 months, and we're in very familiar waters. Fourth-generation Haswell continues to focus on improving IGP performance and maximising battery life, resulting in modest CPU performance gains and, it seems, another knock on overclockability.

Putting together a fourth-generation Intel gaming system that's far superior to last-generation equivalents is going to be easier said than done, particularly at a price-comparable level. PC Specialist clearly knows how to build a high-performance rig - the Vanquish R4's tidy build quality is testament to that - but it may need to be more imaginative with smaller, quieter machines if it's to tempt existing Ivy Bridge users.

As it stands, this is a fast and well-rounded Haswell build, but there's no obvious reason for users of second- or third-generation Intel processors to rush out and upgrade.

The Good

Armed with a fourth-generation Intel Core processor
Excellent full-HD gaming performance
16GB of RAM and SSD as standard
Tidy build quality
No bloatware

The Bad

Certain components could be quieter
Limited overclock compared to Ivy Bridge
Not a massive improvement over last-generation

HEXUS Awards

PC Specialist Vanquish R4

HEXUS Where2Buy

The Vanquish R4 gaming PC is available to purchase from PC Specialist.

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At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.