PCSpecialist Arc Nova S Review

Introduction and Test Setup

Introduction

Thanks to the insanity of both the festive season and CES it doesn’t feel five minutes since we reviewed the PCSSpecialist Volt 750. That was a system based around the Intel Arc A750. Probably the first time that the Intel Arc graphics cards proved to be a real contender.

We’d only just caught our breath and the Intel Arc B580 dropped 0n our desk. With new drivers seemingly appearing every week, and the excellence of Intel’s XeSS Super-Sampling technology, it’s a beast. In fact we think that Intel have had more success with their AI XeSS design than AMD have with their frame generation. Certainly if you care about image quality as much as you do raw FPS, you’ll be shocked at how good the newest Intel GPUs are.

PCSpecialist have always been excellent at maximising value. Indeed it’s probably their raison d’etre. Yes their build quality is always spectacular. However, when we look at how systems used to be and how they are now, the impact PCS have had on the market is incalculable. Every PCSpecialist system is a perfect balance, with no item of hardware more expensive, or more powerful, than it needs to be. They make insanely capable premium systems too, but their ability to squeeze full value from a low price point is unparalleled.

Let’s find out how the newest model in their range, the gaming focused Arc Nova S, stacks up.

Test Setup

Intel Core i5-12400F
Intel Arc B850
Gigabyte B760 DS3H DDR4
16GB Corsair Vengeance 3200MHz
1TB PCS M.2
Windows 11
Corsair CX-650 PSU
PCS Frostflow 100 V3 CPU Cooler