PCSpecialist Amethyst Elite Review
Up Close
Up Close
PCSpecialist always supply their systems with all the screws and adaptors you would receive if you brought the components separately. The importance of this cannot be overstated. If you think it’s pointless, try and find a single cable for your power supply, or a drive bracket for a case. Eventually you’ll realise it costs a fortune. This way you can upgrade in the future without subsequently incurring additional expense.
The second thing for which PCSpecialist are famous is the packing foam. The Amethyst Elite is no exception. We’ve reviewed dozens of systems and all of them have arrived in perfect condition. We are sure that’s this is not just the quality of their boxes, but also this Instapak foam.
The PCSpecialist Amethyst Elite eschews the usual gamer focused case. Instead it uses the Fractal North. We reviewed the white one which had oak wood, while the black one here has a Walnut fascia. Genuine walnut by the way. If you’ve grown tired of cases which appeal to teenagers, then this more modern aesthetic will suit any home. We are especially fond of it. Subtle but also classy.
We certainly don’t recall many cases that have gold plated front panel connectors. Two USB Type-A and a Type-C cover all your needs. You can also see that this is genuine walnut on the front, and not a mere veneer.
The rear has plenty of room to vent any hot air that builds up. You can also see the connections offered up by the popular ASUS TUF Gaming B650-Plus WiFi. The PCSpecialist Quantum Master S we recently reviewed uses this exact motherboard. It’s the perfect blend of cost-effectiveness and performance while also giving you lots of connection options.
Inside
The Amethyst Elite isn’t just subtle on the outside, but continues that trend inside too. There is explicitly no RGB lighting to be found. Not a jot. So if you want a case that lights up like a Christmas tree, this might not be for you. Obviously being a PCSpecialist system you can tailor it to suit your needs. However, our review system is all about understatement.
The CPU Cooler is the DeepCool AK620 Zero Dark. Evidently named to emphasise the lack of RGB. Unlike most of the PCSpecialist systems we review, this doesn’t use their FrostFlow cooler. Though we don’t expect that this will mean lessened cooling performance.
The star of the show is obviously the Radeon RX 7900 GRE. We’ve reviewed two versions of the card earlier today. We know some of you like another way to check performance, and this Amethyst Elite using the excellent Ryzen 7800X3D gives us an alternate set of results. It also let’s us play without needing to rebuild our test rig.
If you want a lot of cool air in your system then you’ll need intake fans. The wood panel on the front of the Fractal North doesn’t impede airflow, despite it looking like it might. It’s a carefully designed thing. With two Fractal 120mm case fans the latest PCSpecialist system promises enough airflow to keep everything cool. We’ll find out how it performs soon.
32GB Of Corsair Vengeance 6000MHz DDR5 will ensure your overall experience is never limited by a lack of RAM. Using the Vengeance emphatically reinforces the careful component choice we’re always lauding PCSpecialist for. They could have stuffed the Amethyst Elite with shiny RGB memory, instead they’ve stuck to the understated, price vs performance ethos. This is still a shedload of PC for the money.
As you can see when it’s running, nothing is lit up at all. We’ve taken the side panel off to emphasise the old-school looks when it’s running.
