Aria Gladiator Sparta i5 Overclocked Bundle Review

Aria Gladiator Sparta i5 Overclocked Bundle Review

Introduction

At the beginning of the month we took at look at the first of the Haswell bundles from Aria.co.uk, the Sparta i5 Nano. With an overclocked Core i5, some quick Crucial RAM and the excellent Gigabyte Sniper M5, it was a hugely impressive collection of components at a very reasonable price.

However, we know that £530 can be too much for some people in these austere times. What if you wanted the Core i5-4670K but without spending so much?

That’s where the Aria Gladiator Sparta i5 Overclocked bundle comes in. It’s based upon the same principles as the Nano version, but with a few reductions in the specification of parts to bring it in under the £400 mark. Considering that we thought the Nano was great value for money and had good performance, and that the difference between motherboards is usually fairly slight, this has all the potential to be one of the best value for money packages around.

So without further ado, let’s see what you’re getting for your money.

Technical Specifications

With the Nano still fresh in the mind, there are only two changes between the Sparta and the Sparta Nano. With the Sparta we’re reviewing today you get 1600MHz Corsair Vengeance memory rather than the 1866MHz Crucial, and the motherboard is the Gigabyte Z87-HD3. Otherwise you’re getting the same overclock, the same CPU, same cooler and same excellent service and warranty as you do on the Nano.

• Overclocking: Intel i5 professionally Overclocked to 4.40GHz from 3.40GHz included in the price – Optimised GLADIATOR Overclock profile saved in the BIOS provides unsurpassed processing power
• CPU: 4th Generation Intel Core (Haswell) i5-4670K Quad-Core Unlocked Processor – 6MB Cache
• Graphics: Intel HD 4600 GDDR3 DirectX 11 Graphics
• RAM: 8GB Corsair Vengeance Arctic White LV PC3-12800C9 1600MHz DDR3 (2x4096MB) Dual-Channel Memory
• Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z87-HD3 Intel Z87 Express Chipset Motherboard – AMD CrossFire Ready.
• Cooler: Scythe Ashura High Performance Quiet CPU Cooler – 140mm PWM Fan
• Audio: Onboard 2/4/5.1/7.1 Channel High Definition Audio
• FREE GC-3 3.5g Extreme Performance Thermal Compound – Best thermal interface material on the market
• FREE Five Piece Comfortable Magnetic Tipped Screwdriver Kit – Easy upgrade your current PC
• FREE 8GB ARIAnet JetFlash 530 USB 2.0 Flash Drive – Back up GLADIATOR Overclock profile saved on the flash pen including instructions on how to install
• INCLUDED Full 24 Month Collect & Returns Warranty

Time to take a look.