Palicomp’s Phoenix i5 Solar Flare desktop PC outclasses the competition, with a far superior specification and significantly better performance.
We've had some complaints from users that Palicomp has supplied the Phoenix i5 Solar Flare desktop PC with different components to those specified and tested by PC Advisor. Palicomp assured us that if this had occurred it was an honest mistake but - as with any PC purchase - we urge readers to check that the specifications they are purchasing are the same as those in this review.
Like most PCs at this price, it comes with 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a one-terabyte (1TB) hard drive. In every other key area, however, the Palicomp Phoenix i5 Solar Flare desktop PC goes one step beyond.
Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs are now the most popular choice at this price. The Palicomp Phoenix i5 Solar Flare is the only desktop PC here to specify the 3.3GHz Intel Core i5-2500K. This is the fastest Core i5 chip you can buy, and it’s multiplier-unlocked for easy overclocking. The Palicomp scored a staggering 166 points in our WorldBench 6 real-world speed test.
Whereas most of the PCs here use motherboards based on the entry-level H67 chipset, Palicomp has selected a board based on the more expensive P67 chipset for its Phoenix i5 Solar Flare. It doesn’t provide integrated graphics, but it offers enthusiast features, Bluetooth, overclocking and three PCI Express x16 slots.
The P67 chipset is always going to be a much faster option for any K-series CPU, but the motherboard found inside the Palicomp Phoenix i5 Solar Flare is a more expensive version than those found in some £1,000-plus PCs.
AMD’s excellent ATI Radeon 6850 graphics card is found in every other PC on test, but Palicomp has managed to include the quicker 6870. The Phoenix i5 Solar Flare is unsurprisingly the fastest PC here for gaming, with a lead of up to 14fps over its rivals in Stalker (‘Ultra’ settings).
It may lack a Blu-ray drive, but the 24in full-HD monitor and set of external speakers make the Palicomp Phoenix i5 Solar Flare a decent multimedia PC, too.
Budget desktop PCs: chart ranking
- Palicomp Phoenix i5 Solar Flare
- Arbico i5-2568 Pro HD
- Chillblast Fusion Event
- Dino PC Elmisaur 2400
- Mesh Evolution GTX PCA
Also see:
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Comments
Andrew Harrison said: Hi AndyThe XFX components look about right as substitutes But please get in touch with me directly so I can clarify some other points andrewharrison at idgcoukThanksAndrew HarrisonReviews Editor
Andypenn12 said: Palicomp have now offered a refund acceptance of current pc with a 75 refund or exchange of components detailed above withXFX 850W PRO with Easy RailXFX ATI 6870 1GB Graphics card2 x 2GB CORSAIR XMS3 or 1 x 4GB Corsair VengeanceWe can also offer the 8 for the speakers so you can source an alternate setCan anyone tell me if the alterative pc components are equivalent to or better than the original Solar FlarecomponentsThanks
Nickypaliwoda said: Hi AndyWe are aware of your issues and have reciebed your e-mail my support manager will e-mail you very shortly with some options to resolve your issues We just want a positive ending to this as we anytime that things go wrong we aim to correct them as quickly as possible and to ensure that customers are happy with the resolutionKind RegardsNicholas PaliwodaManaging Director
Andypenn12 said: Dear MattIt may help for you to have the order number WEB4646Thanks again
Andypenn12 said: Thanks MattThats great I hope for a satisfactory resolution
Matt Egan said: Ive contacted Palicomp on your behalf and asked them to get in touch and straighten this out
Andypenn12 said: I toohave been sent a Solar Flare that does not match the specificationsof the review that appears here despite assurances that I would be Iaccepted an upgrade of the motherboard to a GIGABYTE Z68X-UD3P-B3NEW B3 VERSION USB Keyoard and Mouse Evo Labs KM-E001UB andextended 3 year carefree warranty but turned down the offer of 1 4GBmemory stick instead of 2 2GB They sent me the 1 4GB Elixir Iwas also sent cheap Evo Labs speakers 20 about 5 rather than theLogitech S220s which I was told on the phone were in stock and wouldbe sentThe PSUthat arrived was not a Thermaltake 750 but a Powercool 80PlusPC750Auba-B I think that this is not an adequate replacement andeverything I can find about it including the price backs up mysuspicions The graphics card supplied was not the Sapphire Radeon6870 but a VTX Radeon 6870 Palicomp say that this is an upgrade butagain my digging around suggests that it is no such thing and issimply a way for them to cut costs It would be great if someonehere especially PC Advisor themselves could confirm my suspicionsabout these componentsI amcurrently in negotiation with Palicomp over the order and unless theyagree to supply the machine as ordered I will cancel it under theDirect Selling Regulations There are some other issues includingnot receiving an invoice until I asked for one but I will not go onfurther now Suffice to say the other things that I have read aboutPalicomp now have a familiar ring to themI wouldappreciate if someone would get back to me before Friday since I haveto decide whether to cancel the order by then if Palicomp do notagree to the machine that was agreed on