PC Gamer Presents - PC Hardware Handbook - May 2018

ROUND-UP

MOBO

MOBO

MSI’s X370 aesthetic may not be for

everyone, but it’s hard to argue with

just how well equipped it is. With two

M.2 PCIe x4 slots, one featuring MSI’s

heat shield, and reinforced PCIe and

DDR slots, the list is vast as to what

this motherboard can support.

Although integrated

graphics hasn’t been featured

MSI X370

GAMING PRO CARBON

http://www.msi.com £175

Two memory slots allow for dual-

channel DDR4 for a total of 32GB

of up to 4133 MT/s memory. The

others are replaced by a DIMM.2 slot,

usable with Asus’ add-in card,

allowing you to run two M.2 PCIe

x4 NVMe SSDs via the DRAM

bus, enabling zero bottlenecks

outside of thermal throttling.

We spent ages combing over AMD’s motherboards, trying to find out just

which one offers the best value. This was the clear winner.

It’s nice to see AIB manufacturers do something crazy for once, and the

Apex is a marvel of mechanical engineering and an overclocking masterpiece.

It’s expensive, but it’s still more

affordable than a Formula or Code.

CHIPSET/SOCKET: Z270 / LGA1151 / FORM FACTOR: AT X /

MEMORY SUPPORT: 64GB DDR4 @ 4133 MT/S /

M.2 / U.2 SUPPORT: 2X M.2 / SATA SUPPORT: 4X SATA

6GB/S / REAR I/O: 6X USB 3.0, 1X USB 3.1 TYPE A, 1X

USB 3.1 TYPE C, INTEL GIGABIT ETHERNET, 5.1 AUDIO,

OPTICAL OUT, HDMI, DISPLAY PORT, 2X PS/2 PORTS.

on the lineup yet, we suspect that the

Ryzen 3 series may be APUs.

CHIPSET/SOCKET: X370 / AM4 / FORM FACTOR: AT X /

MEMORY SUPPORT: 64GB DDR4 @ 3200 MT/S / M.2 / U.2

SUPPORT: 2X M.2 / SATA SUPPORT: 6X SATA 6GB/S /

REAR I/O: 2X USB 2.0, 4X USB 3.0, 1X USB 3.1 TYPE A,

1X USB 3.1 TYPE C, INTEL GIGABIT ETHERNET, 5.1 AUDIO,

OPTICAL OUT.

ROG GLADIUS II

http://www.asus.com £80

RGB for everyone. The Gladius is

its own entity now, and a far cry from

the Deathadder clone we saw with the

first iteration of this model. The

design is comfortable and well built,

the cable dependable and the palm

grip feels just right. The

only hiccup? The fairly

hefty price.

G413 CARBON

http://www.msi.com £100

We’ve been using this keyboard for

a while, and it’s safe to say we’re in

love. The crisp aluminium finish is

lush, the no-fuss red backlight is

enjoyable, the clean design

outstanding and the USB

passthrough just what we need.

Couple that with Logitech’s own

Romer G switches, and a

relatively tidy price tag,

and you have us sold.

ARCTIS 7

http://www.steelseries.com £158

Wireless headsets with a ski

band for a headrest; what’s not to love

about the Arctis 7? It’s comfortable,

clean-looking and generally a

well-rounded headset. The

headphone drivers could use some

love, widening that soundscape and

whacking up the bass, but

otherwise they’re a solid

pair of cans for the price.

Worth a listen.

87 %

78 %

94 %

84 %

95 %

Reviews

HARDWARE

ASUS

MAXIMUS IX APEX

http://www.asus.com £285