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The Helio Ultra prebuilt desktop from PCSpecialist is an interesting machine released in interesting times. The system performed well during our gaming tests (for full details please watch our video review on YouTube) and excelled when gaming at 4K in certain titles. The Ryzen 7 9700X processor found in the system did perform ok and will definitely please anyone looking to pick up a prebuilt system, however with the release of the X3D Zen 5 chips on the not too distant horizon, it may be worth waiting if you're currently using Zen 4 and are looking to upgrade.
As we have come to expect from PCSpecialist, the build was put together with care and attention to detail, the rear cable management being a particular highlight. The only disappointing feature in regards to design and aesthetics is the lack of white cable extensions for some of the cables. The GPU has a white cable and most others do not, which leads to a slight imbalance in the overall look of the system.
The Helio Ultra contains fast system memory – 32GB (2x16GB) of Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR5 running at 6400MT/s. It's great to see memory speed being increased over previous PCSpecialist systems we've reviewed and it will benefit the performance of the Ryzen processor.
The 2TB Samsung 990 Evo M.2 SSD used for storage is a strange drive. The capacity being 2TB is a positive point, as game install sizes are ever increasing, but the connection speed is a bit misleading. While on the paper the drive is compatible with both PCIe Gen 4.0×4 and PCIe 5.0×2 – the Gen5 connection utilises just two PCIe lanes, which leads to theoretical speeds which match using PCIe 4.0×4 over 4 lanes. Our tests revealed that the drive actually performs slightly better when using PCIe Gen 4.0×4. This has to be manually configured as the out of the box BIOS settings (set to Auto) led to PCIe 5.0×2 being utilised, though the differences are marginal.
The PCS Lumin ARGB case was a particular highlight of the build. It has plenty of room for cooling and a striking geometric vent design. It can also be placed horizontally for some variety.
Aside from those slight negative points, the Helio Ultra is a good system. Pricing is very competitive when compared to build a system with a very similar specification. When accounting for operating system licensing, warranty and build costs the gap closes even further and makes picking up a prebuilt from PCSpecialist even more compelling.
You will can purchase the Helio Ultra desktop PC from PCSpecialist for £1899 including VAT HERE.
Pros:
- Latest generation Ryzen 7 9700x AMD CPU.
- 32GB of fast 6400MT/s memory.
- Versatile case which can be placed horizontally.
- Good 1440p gaming performance.
- Fair pricing vs building your own.
Cons:
- Only the GPU power cable has a white extension, the others are left stock.
- Required some updates to get the most out of the CPU.
- PCIe 5.0×2 M.2 SSD runs faster when configured to use PCIe 4.0×4 – this was not setup by PCSpecialist out of the box.
KitGuru says: The Helio Ultra is a good performer and will suit anyone in need of a system right now. If you're upgrading, it may be worth waiting to see what the X3D Zen 5 chips have to offer when they are released.
