PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
With custom PC sales remaining resilient in a tough desktop market, the demand for components is still going strong. Dominic Sacco takes a look at the hottest new gear available to stock, from PSUs to GPUs and SSDs…
BEQUIET PURE POWER PSU
Distributor: Northamber
The Pure Power L8 600W power supply promises affordability, dependability and best-in-class features. Be Quiet says the PSU combines ‘rock-solid voltages, strong reliability, high efficiency’ and is also exceptionally quiet.
Specs: 600W
SRP: £69.99
ASUS B85-PLUS MOTHERBOARD
Distributor: Spire Technology
ASUS motherboards guard a PC with 5X Protection, using components like DIGI+ VRM digital power design for precise CPU power on demand, ESD units tested to strict standards that eliminate electrostatic interference, and resettable fuses around DRAM slots. A micro-ATX B85M-G PLUS version is also available.
Specs: Intel B85, 1150, ATX, CrossFire, USB 3.1 Type-C, 4 x DIMM RAM slots, 32GB max memory.
SRP: £89.99 (micro-ATX version is £79.99)
ZOTAC GEFORCE GTX 970 GRAPHICS CARD
Distributor: Entatech
The GeForce GTX 970 is a high-performance graphics card designed for serious gaming. Powered by new NVIDIA Maxwell architecture, the GPU doubles the performance of previous-generation cards and supports tear-free G-SYNC technology. Plus, it boasts 4K-quality gaming – even on 1080p displays.
Specs: PCi-E 3.0 x16 (2 x DVI), HDMI DisplayPort (VGA Adaptor), 4GB GDDR5 7010MHz, Core Clock 1076MHz.
SRP: £299.99
PANRAM DRAM
Distributor: Spire Technology
Panram’s DDR3 Value Series is ideal for the entry-level user with a competitive price, giving users an affordable way to improve the performance of their computer. It supports Intel Extreme Memory Profiles (XMP) technology.
Specs: 4GB, DDR3, 1600MHz (PC3-12800), CL11, DIMM Memory, Single Rank, OEM (Tray).
SRP: £24.95
BEQUIET DARK ROCK TF HEATSINK
Distributor: Spire Technology
This top-flow cooler with two powerful heat sinks is an extension of the BeQuiet product series Dark Rock. Spire says it strikes the perfect balance between cooling and serenity with ‘no compromise’ in silence and performance.
Specs: 4-pin PWM fan connectors, fan dimensions 135 x135x22mm, 1,400RPM rotation speed.
SRP: £64.95
COOLER MASTER B SERIES V2 500W PSU
Distributor: Entatech
This power supply boasts efficiency higher than 85 per cent under typical load operation. It features Active PFC and PWM Combo Control, a silent 120mm fan and green power design to meet Energy Star requirements.
Specs: +12V rail, 120mm fan, over 85 per cent efficiency.
SRP: £39.99
ASUS PCI EXPRESS ADAPTER
Distributor: Spire Technology
The ASUS PCE-AC68 is a new 802.11ac Wi-Fi PCI Express Adapter that upgrades a desktop from using Ethernet cables to industry-leading 802.11ac at up to 1.3GBps. Plus, the external magnetised antenna is adjustable.
Specs: 1,300 max data transfer rate, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, frequency of 2.4GHz/5GHz, 64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP.
SRP: £55.49
LACIE 1TB EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE
Distributor: Beta Distribution
This rugged external hard drive features Thunderbolt USB 3.0, SATA 5,400rpm and a 110MBps maximum read transfer rate. The portable device is designed for use on the go, with IP 54-rated resistance to the elements.
Specs: USB 3.0, SATA 5,400rpm, max external data transfer rate 1,280MBps, max read transfer rate 110MBps.
SRP: £111.67
TP-LINK PCI NETWORK ADAPTER
Distributor: Spire Technology
As a 32-bit 33/66MHz PCI-bus Gigabit Ethernet adapter, the TG-3269 is a 10/100/1,000Mbps unit with single UTP/STP and Auto-Negotiation (Nway) function support.
Specs: 32-bit PCI, Supports ACPI, compliant with PCI2.2, IEEE 802.3, max data transfer rate 1,000MBps.
SRP: £4.95
MUSHKIN STRIKER 480GB SSD
Distributor: Spire Technology
Mushkin comes with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Phantoms game and a free Squad Starter Pack worth £29.99. It has a three-year warranty, TRIM support, SmartFlush, SmartRefresh and is also shock resistant.
Specs: 2.5-inch, SATA3, 7mm, 91k IOPS, R/W 565/550 Mbps, read up to 565MBps and write up to 550MBps.
SRP: From £134.95
SAMSUNG 850 PRO 512GB SSD
Distributor: Northamber
The Samsung 850 PRO SSD is based on 3D V-NAND flash, offering ‘exceptional’ read/write performance, reliability and power management efficiency. It delivers up to twice the speed, density and endurance of conventional flash.
Specs: 512GB storage space
SRP: £219.99
COOLER MASTER HYPERr 412S COOLER
Distributor: Entatech
The Hyper 412S CPU Cooler is designed for optimum heat dissipation at low fan speeds. It features wider fin gaps and a precise heat pipe layout that directs each of the four heat pipes across CPU ‘hot zones’.
Specs: Four heatpipe tower CPU air cooler, 120mm fan, 900RPM fan speed.
SRP: £34.99
BEQUIET DARK POWER PRO 11 PSU
Distributor: Spire Technology
The Dark Power Pro 11 1,000W model has a power conversion topology that delivers 80PLUS Platinum performance, and BeQuiet says it’s the most technologically advanced power supply it has ever built.
Specs: 1,000W, AC 100-240 V, 135mm SilentWings 3 fan, dimensions 193 x 150 x 86 mm, five-year warranty.
SRP: £159.95
COOLER MASTER CM STORM ENFORCER CASE
Distributor: Entatech
The new chassis from Cooler Master contains a wealth of features for gamers including SSD drive support and a removable/rotatable HDD cage to support top-end video cards. It has two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 slots.
Specs: Dimensions 22.9 cm (W) x 52.35 cm (D) x 48.45 cm (H), weight 8.9kg, 200mm Red LED fan.
SRP: £84.99
SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB SSD
Distributor: Beta Distribution
Samsung’s new 850 EVO is designed with state-of-the-art SSD advancements including 3D V-NAND technology. As predecessor to the 840 EVO, the 850 has a new three dimensional chip design that boosts performance.
Specs: Internal drive, 250GB storage capacity, 512MB drive performance buffer, SATA/600 interface standard.
SRP: £71.23
CONTACT:
Beta Distribution 020 7531 2828
Entatech 0333 101 1000
Northamber 020 8296 7066
Spire Technology 01202 828444
