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Here at KitGuru we love high end gaming hardware, however we also appreciate that some people don't want to spend £1800 on a mighty graphics card such as a Gigabyte RTX 4090 Gaming OC, and you can include your reviewer in that group. It is a similar story with fabulous and expensive CPUs such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D… so how would you feel if we told you the PCSpecialist Tempest Nova gaming PC is available for £1099 inc VAT? Admit it, that sounds good.
Watch video via Vimeo (below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE
Specification:
- CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F
- CPU Cooler: PCS FrostFlow 150 Series
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B660M DS3H BIOS F20
- Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4-3200MHz
- Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti 8GB GDDR6
- SSD: 1TB Solidigm P41 Plus Gen 4
- Power supply: Corsair RM750e 750W 80 Plus Gold
- Case: PCS Prism TG White ARGB
- OS: Windows 11 Home
In our video we go through the specification of the Tempest Nova in some detail. These photos are merely intended to remind you of the major components and the minimalist nature of the PC, as well the tidy build performed by PCSpecialist.
These screengrabs of CPU-Z and GPU-Z confirm the specification of the CPU, memory and graphics which have clearly been selected to minimise costs while still offering a certain level of grunt. You may have your doubts about how well this hardware can perform so hang on to your hat and take a gander at our testing charts.
Testing and Performance: CPU
Cinebench R23 Multi Core
In Cinebench R23 Multi Core the Core i5-13400F CPU does a reasonable job however it is limited by its quad core configuration.
Power Consumption
On the plus side the CPU settles down after its Boost phase and draws a mere 65W which is lovely and economical.
CPU Temperature
The low power draw of the Core i5-13400F means the CPU is very cool under load despite using an air tower cooler. The other CPUs in this chart are cooled by a 360mm AIO.
Cinebench R23 Single Core
In the Cinebench R23 Single Core test the PCSpecialist system performs reasonably well, indicating the Tempest Nova should be well suited to tasks that are not too demanding.
Blender 3 Classroom
Blender is a test of raw CPU grunt and the Tempest Nova performs exactly as we would expect, performing in line with a previous generation AMD Ryzen 7.
Gaming – Borderlands 3, Hitman 3 and Far Cry 6
As we discuss in the video, the results below are tested with an RX 6950 XT GPU – far more expensive than the RTX 3060 Ti used here, so we are not expecting the Tempest Nova to compete. We simply use these figures a guideline and instead focus on the raw frame rate numbers on offer.
Borderlands 3 at 1080p
In gaming our first impressions are less than stellar however take a closer look at the numbers and the mists part to reveal an interesting truth. In Borderlands 3 at 1080p the Tempest Nova runs at an impressive frame rate on Badass Image Quality.
Hitman 3 at 1440p
It is a similar story in Hitman 3 at 1440p where, admittedly, there is a gulf between the average and 1% low frame rates however the PCSpecialist hauls along and delivers a good experience.
Hitman 3 at 1080p
Hitman 3 at 1080p is a revelation. Good Lord, this PC delivers the goods.
Far Cry 6 at 1080p
In Far Cry 6 at 1080p the PCSpecialist does a very good job despite using far cheaper hardware than every other system in the chart. An average of 117fps is far beyond our expectations.
Gaming – Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Watch Dogs: Legion
Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1080p
In Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1080p you can see exactly what is going on with the PCSpecialist Tempest Nova. This is a game that can scale to extreme frame rates and while the average of 170fps doesn't look great on the chart it is clearly delivers all the speed you require for a good gaming experience.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1440p
Increasing the resolution to 1440p has a minor impact on frame rates and the game continues to haul along at an impressive speed.
Watch Dogs: Legion at 1080p
Watch Dogs: Legion is a tough test on the Ultra preset but despite that we see decent frame rates from the Tempest Nova.
Before we started this review I had my doubts that a combination of Intel Core i5-13400F and DDR4-3200 RAM would provide a decent basis for a gaming PC and neither was I sure about the RTX 3060 Ti graphics card.
Dominic, by contrast, was confident as he previously reviewed a Cyberpower Infinity X123 Pro PC that used a Core i3 and regular RTX 3060 to good effect. And blimey was Dominic ever correct as the PCSpecialist Tempest Nova delivered impressive results in various games at 1080p and 1440p. Admittedly you won't need a monitor with a refresh rate above 120Hz unless you're an esports fanatic, but the gaming experience is genuinely impressive considering the calibre of hardware.
This is excellent news as we reviewers genuinely hate suggesting you should move upmarket from a £500 CPU to a £700 model or push out the boat and spend £300 on a 64GB DDR5 kit as the ‘extra RAM may come in handy'. Often this is good advice but there are times when a budget product that does exactly what it promises is all you need, and that is true of the PCSpecialist Tempest Nova. It delivers a superior gaming experience to a console but can also be used for email, spreadsheets, photo editing and other tasks that just work better on a large screen.
You can buy the PCSpecialist Tempest Nova for £1,099 HERE.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
Pros:
- Excellent value for money.
- Impressive 1440p gaming performance.
- Smart looks and RGB lighting.
Cons:
- The CPU cooler gets noisier than we would expect.
- No USB Type-C on the front I/O
- The case looks a bit empty and over-sized.
KitGuru says: PCSpecialist Tempest Nova is a great option for 1080p or 1440p gaming without breaking the bank.
