It’s hard to keep track of how many PCs are turning up these days with Intel’s Core i5-2500K clamped into the motherboard, but its balance between performance and affordability makes it easy to see why this has become the go-to chip for PC manufacturers. Palicomp’s Phoenix i5 Destiny is the latest to arrive.
The “K” edition processor signifies that the chip included here is an unlocked edition, and Palicomp has taken advantage by boosting the 3.3GHz core clock to a healthier 4.5GHz. The affect is palpable. Aided by 4GB of DDR3 RAM, the Destiny hurtled through our new application benchmarks to score 1.1 – impressive for a mid-range system.
The Phoenix i5 Destiny’s graphical grunt, provided by an ATI Radeon HD 5670, is disappointing, though: it didn’t quite meet the mark in our 1,920 x 1,080 High quality Crysis test with an average score of 25fps. Still, it’s adept enough to handle gaming at moderate levels, thanks to a score of 46fps in our 1,600 x 900 Medium quality test.
Given the rest of the package, we’re inclined to forgive the modest gaming performance. The 22in AOC monitor is a fine budget choice, partnering a Full HD resolution with solid colour reproduction, and although the cheap Logitech 2.1 speakers lack the sparkle of pricier sets, they’re great for the money.
The presence of a Blu-ray reader, meanwhile, is a bonus we hadn’t expected on a PC at this price. We only wish Palicomp had left enough in the budget for a less plasticky keyboard and mouse set.
Money spent on the specification has obviously been saved on the chassis. The Cooler Master Elite 330 won’t win any design awards, but it’s a reliable budget chassis that’s easy to use once its flimsy side panels have been removed.
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