PCSpecialist Arc Elite R

A colourful and stylish system that gives Intel's Arc A770 graphics every opportunity to shine

- TIM DANTON

After years of dangling the promise of its own line of has finally delivered. Both the Arc A750 and A770 surprised us with their competitiveness last month (see issue 339, p62), often outgunning their AMD and Nvidia rivals - although losing out for value for money.

We were also impressed by the A770's aesthetics, with an addressable RGB strip that runs around the bottom edge of its otherwise understated casing. Even with the lights off, or with white rather than flashy colours, it looks stylish. PCSpecialist doubles down on colour by using ARGB fans and memory, and the overall effect is suitably eye-catching.

So this isn't a PC for wallflowers, and if you prefer your computer to be seen and not heard you may not like the constant whirr of fans. It's never intrusive, but the Wired2 Fire Predator X7 opposite is quieter in general use. One reason for the Arc Elite R's whirr is that the A770 is fond of electricity, and that contributes to the 101W idle power draw - almost twice that of the Predator.