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Wired2Fire Fury VX5 review

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Verdict

Blu-ray and near-silent operation make for a tempting high-definition option

Review Date: 23 Dec 2010

Reviewed By: Mike Jennings

Price when reviewed: £492 (£578 inc VAT)

Overall Rating

Features & Design
4 stars out of 6

Value for Money
5 stars out of 6

Performance
4 stars out of 6

Wired2Fire’s Fury VX5 comes with one of the most ambitious overclocks we’ve ever seen on a budget PC, boosting the 2.93GHz stock speed of the Intel Core i3-530 to a formidable 4.4GHz.

It’s a massive tweak that pays dividends in our benchmarks: the Wired2Fire’s score of 2.32 is an extremely impressive result and one of the best we’ve seen from a low-cost machine. It’s evidence that the Wired2Fire will be able to cope with the most intensive applications.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Intel's integrated graphics. We rarely see desktop systems rely on the weak GPU that’s integrated into the processor, and it’s easy to see why manufacturers normally plump for discrete graphics: a score of 17fps in our 1,366 x 768 Low quality Crysis benchmark is testament to that.

At least it excels with media, running our 1080p test clips with no stuttering and proving similarly smooth with streaming HD content on both YouTube and BBC iPlayer – gamers, though, will want to look towards a system like the Chillblast Fusion Rapier, which includes an Nvidia GeForce GTS 450 graphics card.

Wired2Fire has spent the money saved on its graphics hardware on a Blu-ray drive. It's an impressive addition for such a cheap machine, and the rest of the specification - 4GB of RAM and a 1TB hard disk - doesn't let the VX-5 down either.

The Bosse Pure is a new chassis in the PC Pro Labs, but it falls prey to the build quality and design issues that hamper numerous other budget machines: its panels feel flimsy, and the glossy design looks cheap. It's better inside, however. For starters, it's larger, and so Wired2Fire has been able to do a decent job of keeping cables tidy, with most sensibly routed and excess wires lashed to struts and panels.

The Titan Fenrir CPU cooler works well, too - it's whisper-quiet and ideal for a media system. The noise levels also benefit from the lack of a graphics card and case fans, and make the Wired2Fire one of the quietest systems we’ve seen.

The peripherals are a mixed bag. Few budget systems include speakers, so we’re glad to see the Creative A60 set included here but, while their mid-range clarity and volume is good, bass is lacking. The BenQ G2222HDL monitor has problems, too: while the 1080p native resolution and 22in diagonal impress along with its bright colours, the grainy finish to the screen is all-too-obvious, especially across brighter areas.

Nevertheless, the Wired2Fire is still a tempting media option thanks to its Blu-ray drive and near-silent operation. The Chillblast Fusion Rapier is a better all-round option thanks to its discrete graphics, but this is a tempting alternative.

Author: Mike Jennings

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Comments

User comments

Consider including VAT in the price

If, as I imagine, most people interested in this kind of PC are individuals not companies can we please consider including VAT in the price by default - including the tagline (a 'sub-£500 PC').

By longn on 23 Dec 2010

"Price when reviewed: £492 (£578 inc VAT)"
- Subheading at the top of the page.

Seriously longn, is that not clear enough?

By Mr_John_T on 23 Dec 2010

re: not clear enough

Mr_John_T: I am not making a big critique here - it is definitely a minor thing.

Personally, I just think that it would be better to make the main price shown include VAT - as when people see a headline saying 'less than £500' on the homepage they may reasonably assume that means less than £500 including VAT.

Regular readers will be familiar with the lack of VAT (and I am a regular) but most people do not operate in a non-VAT world - particularly those interested in buying a spruced up media pc.

By longn on 23 Dec 2010

VAT should be included in the price

I totally agree with longn; Referencing prices that exclude the VAT is deceptive, particularly as most of us will have to pay for the VAT as well!

By sanjayj1 on 23 Dec 2010

Longn and sanjay1 are right!

Pardon the previous typo, toddler bouncing on my lap!

At this price point, it would be great if PC Pro persuaded manufacturers to submit models with a price inclusive of VAT. Though I run a small business my income is quite low so I am not in a position to claim VAT back.

Wired2Fire do have a great range of configurations and I'm about to place an order for a VX5 sans monitor and peripherals with a Core i5 upgrade for about £500 inclusive of VAT!

By wrathgar11 on 26 Dec 2010

No Monitor Included!

OK, so I have just configured this system for my dad which I thought was Ideal with it having a 22 BenQ Monitor. After carefully configuring the system upgrading the PSU/Graphics taking care not to alter any options for the monitor. (The Monitor options were were showing as Nan which I took to be as this was part of the deal.) I checked out and paid for the system and lo and behold there is no monitor included in my order. A swift phone call and the person on the other end tried telling me I needed to order the monitor separately which would have pushed the price up another 100 quid or more even though the offer (and web page) clearly stated it had one with it. Nether less I cancelled my order there and then. Sorry guys.

By Cookieman on 14 Mar 2011

A swift update

After being in further contact with wired2fire I notice they have swiftly updated the website. The BenQ monitor is now listed again as part of the offer. Sorry but too late... A customer lost

By Cookieman on 14 Mar 2011

System price had dropped by £102 though

Hello Cookieman, just to point out that the monitor was not there by default, but the system price had dropped by £102 to reflect this. So the deal was exactly the same on the PC. You were not paying for something you were not getting.

By Wired2Fire on 14 Mar 2011

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