Custom PC UK

To provide the ultimate magazine for PC enthusiasts with a passion for performance hardware and customisation, delivered with wit, style and authority.

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Custom PC

METEOR LATE • With Meteor Lake apparently delayed, Richard Swinburne argues that a Raptor Lake refresh is better for good-value system building anyway

THE POWER OF BOYCOTTS • Tracy King turns her sceptical eye to the principle of customer power when companies change their behaviour

AMD UNVEILS X3D ZEN 4 CHIPS

INTEL UNLEASHES 6GHZ FLAGSHIP

GEFORCE NOW GETS RTX 4080 UPDATE

CORSAIR SAYS RELAX

DON’T MISS THE BRAND NEW ISSUE!

ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti AMP EXTREME AIRO / £960 inc VAT • SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

NZXT H9 FLOW / £169 inc VAT • SUPPLIER nzxt.com/en-GB

EK NUCLEUS AIO CR240 LUX D-RGB / £140 inc VAT • SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

BE QUIET! PURE ROCK LP AND NOCTUA L9A / £45 inc VAT (be quiet!); £40 inc VAT (Noctua) • SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk (be quiet!); amazon.co.uk (Noctua)

SOLIDIGM P44 PRO / 2TB £204 inc VAT, 1TB £115 inc VAT (reviewed,) 512GB £85 inc VAT • SUPPLIER laptopsdirect.co.uk

THERMALTAKE TOUGHFAN 12 RGB AND NZXT F140 RGB DUO / £125 inc VAT (Thermaltake triple pack); £65 inc VAT (NZXT twin pack) • SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

THERMALTAKE ARGENT E700 / £800-£1,300 inc VAT (depending on colour) • SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

ALIENWARE AW2523HF / £390 inc VAT • SUPPLIER dell.co.uk

PC SPECIALIST COBALT SUPREME-R / £1,799 inc VAT • SUPPLIER custompc.co.uk/Cobalt

ACER PREDATOR HELIOS 300 SPATIALLABS EDITION / £3,699 inc VAT • SUPPLIER custompc.co.uk/Helios300

NETGEAR ORBI RBK763S / £500 inc VAT • SUPPLIER netgear.com

REVIEWS / CUSTOM KIT • Phil Hartup checks out the latest gadgets, gizmos and geek toys

REVIEWS / HOW WE TEST

Core strength • Antony Leather reviews 13 of the latest processors from Intel and AMD, including a couple of golden oldies, to see which ones offer the best bang per buck

AMD RYZEN 5 5600X / £159 inc VAT • SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

AMD RYZEN 5 7600X / £249 inc VAT • SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

AMD RYZEN 7 5800X3D / £330 inc VAT • SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

AMD RYZEN 7 7700 / £330 inc VAT • SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

AMD RYZEN 7 7700X / £350 inc VAT • SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

AMD RYZEN 9 7900 / £430 inc VAT • SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

AMD RYZEN 9 7900X / £443 inc VAT • SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

AMD RYZEN 9 7950X / £570 inc VAT • SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

INTEL CORE i5-13400F / £210 inc VAT • SUPPLIER ebuyer.com

INTEL CORE i5-12600K / £290 inc VAT • SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

INTEL CORE i5-13600K / £329 inc VAT • SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

INTEL CORE i7-13700K / £424 inc VAT • SUPPLIER box.co.uk

INTEL CORE i9-13900K / £590 inc VAT • SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

CPU LABS RESULTS

Elite • Our choice of the best hardware available

CLOSING TIME • Choppy economic waters in 2023 could spell the end of the blockbuster open world, warns Rick Lane

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide / £32.99 inc VAT

The Callisto Protocol / £49 inc VAT

PENTIMENT / £14.99 inc VAT

SOMERVILLE / £22.49 inc VAT

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CPU • Edward Chester explores the origins of what we now call a CPU, from the basic principles to the many innovations that have been incorporated into their designs along the way

THE 25 GREATEST PC GAMES OF ALL TIME •...