HST News Blog

WIN an ASUS Cerberus Gaming Bundle that includes a Gaming Keyboard, Mouse, and XXL Mouse Pad, all thanks to HST’s newest competition opportunity.

About the prize:

Great value starter bundle for someone getting into PC gaming or someone looking for a quality set at a great price (RRP £89.98).

Cerberus LED backlit USB gaming keyboard:

• Fully SECC metal plate for rugged durability for continuous gaming.
• Splash-proof design with drain hole which protects against spilt liquids while gaming.
• 12 macro keys for tactical flexibility for all in-game commands.
• Fully rubberized feet to enhance friction for strong movements for intense gaming.

Cerberus LED indicator USB gaming mouse:

• DPI control with four customisable levels for the speed needed for gaming sequences.
• Convenient LED colour indicator for sensitivity level information at a glance.
• Stylish ambidextrous design for right- or left-handed gamers.
• Improved rubber side grips to reduce sweating and slipping for intense gaming.

Cerberus XXL gaming mouse pad:

• Consistent surface texture ensures precise control for any mouse type in games.
• Non-slip natural rubber base provides extra grip for full control in gaming sessions.
• Anti-fray stitching is neat and durable to prevent ageing after years of gaming.
• Comfortable to support your hand and wrist to minimise fatigue in long gaming stints.

How to enter:

To be in with a chance of winning the ASUS Cerberus Gaming Bundle simply Like our Facebook page, OR Follow us on Twitter at @HighSpecTechUK, AND Tag a friend in the Facebook competition post, OR Retweet the Twitter competition post.

Entries close at midnight on the 24th August 2018, where the winner will be chosen at random. What are you waiting for?

One Update to Rule them all

When Shadow of War launched, it was a rather rocky start for the game due to the controversies surrounding it. The industry blight of microtransactions being the main one. At launch, the idea was that they were there if you wanted them, but you didn’t need to use them to complete the game.

The Shadow Wars told a different story, the final act of the game was a grind fest. Upon reaching this point most players quickly realised that they were under levelled and their army severely underpowered when faced with the foes they were tasked with defeating. It felt as though that portion of the game had been shoehorned in to give the MTX a reason to be there. Buying the loot boxes didn’t give you an easy route to the end game as the items received from them would always be equal or just below the players level. Many players simply didn’t have the time or money to complete the final act so simply left it alone and missed out on the true ending for the game.

A new Dawn?

WB and Monolith have listened to the player feedback and with the latest update, the game finally feels like it should have done upon release. MTX has now been removed from the game altogether and the final chapter has been changed to suit this. With narration from NPC’s and a shorter slog, it feels more in line with the rest of the game. New rewards also await anybody that has yet to complete it and will be available for use for any players that have already finished the game.

The update also brings a host of quality of life changes that aid the removal of the MTX, as well as help the game to feel more complete. The changes include a raised level cap for the player up to 80 and foes up to 85. Also, there are new prestige skills which can be levelled as well after Act III. The ability to spend the in-game currency Mirian to raise the level of gear to match Talion as long as you have completed the gear challenges before doing so. And two new skins; Celebrimbor and Dark Eltariel.

For a full list of all changes that the update brings click here.

With so much focus on MTX in the industry removing them was a logical step for Shadow of War to take. After playing the original base game some fans feel that it is too little too late as the game has already been tarnished by its rocky start. Even if it doesn’t bring everybody back to playing the game it may well serve to bring new players to the table now that the MTX has disappeared. Other companies would do well to take a leaf out of this book as it may yet be possible to save the industry from intrusive MTX if they listen to their players.

Let us know your thoughts on Shadow of War and Microtransactions in gaming below.

We played Shadow of War upon release using the HST Draco i5 8400 1050Ti Gaming PC and we have started our journey again to fully benefit from the latest update using our HST Enso Ryzen 5 1400 Quad Core 1060 Gaming PC.

What are you waiting for, get your rig of power today, assemble your army and take back Middle Earth!!

F2P never looked so good!!

Free to play is a term that usually goes hand in hand with Pay to Win. Warframe changed that. Digital Extremes released the game back in 2013 and it was nothing special. A shooter that offered a limited pool of activities and customisation.

How times have changed, DE updates the game on a very regular basis adding new content all free of charge. There are currently over 50 Warframes and 100 weapons to choose from, with a lot of content to cover trying out a new frame or weapon never gets old.

Space Ninja’s

The opening introduces you to the Tenno and their frames, after being awakened from a cryosleep they are tasked with bringing peace and balance back to the solar system.

You have a choice of 3 frames to start with, Mag, Volt, and Excalibur. All have different abilities and uses. No two frames ever feel the same. The one thing that all frames share is insane agility, and power. The movement systems in the game can feel overwhelming to a new player but once you have the basics down it quickly becomes one of Warframes best features. Combining slides, bullet jumps and rolls to traverse the environment never gets old. It gives you the freedom to fly over a chasm and clear all enemies in a single leap or dash around them cutting them down with ease.

The abilities and power that each frame possess gives you a sense of invincibility when facing single enemies and leave you feeling pretty good when against a group. Take Excalibur, the original Frame, with some crowd control and a devastating ultimate standing toe to toe when outnumbered can feel daunting but the battle quickly turns to your favour. Trinity, on the other hand, works best when used in a group, due to the abilities that buff and heal teammates. Enemies wither against you whilst your team gets stronger.

Missions

When you start your journey as a Tenno you make your way through the star chart visiting all the planets within the solar system. There are 14 different mission types that you can encounter when completing the chart.

Each has their own objectives and feel, exterminate tasks you with destroying X number of enemies to break their ranks before extraction whereas Spy tasks you with retrieving data from 3 consoles without alerting the enemy faction to your presence. Each map is based on the enemy faction and takes inspiration from them, so they feel unique to each area.

As you play through the missions leveling your frame and weapons your power grows, struggle to complete a mission don’t worry try something else and come back stronger and better equipped to deal with the challenges before you.

The Grind

Being a free-to-play game isn’t easy, Warframe gives you complete control over how you want to play and progress. Want to stick to one frame, fine. Want to collect an army of frames to choose from, go for it.

Each area has a boss which drops blueprints, these are essential to creating new frames and weapons. The only problem is they all take time to build. Each frame takes a minimum of 84 hours to build. This may seem like a long time but with so much to do your excitement only grows when waiting for your new frame to be ready. You can either earn everything that the game has to offer simply by playing the game, or you can use Platinum.

Platinum is the premium in-game currency that is used to buy anything outright and skipping the waiting time. It is mainly used for cosmetic items which add a whole new level of customisation to your frames. Platinum can be bought with hard earned cash, but again DE looks to buck the current microtransaction trend by allowing you to trade your in-game items with other players for Platinum. It has created a stable and usable in-game economy, which means you can get whatever you want from the market with Platinum that hasn’t cost you anything at all. There has been a lot of focus on the grind that the game offers and buying things with Platinum. It can be off-putting to new players to start with, as it can feel slow and drawn out at times, but the more you play the quicker the grind gets.

Expansions

DE updates the game on a regular basis but last year saw the release of the biggest content drop to date – The Plains of Eidolon. An open world space with a multitude of creatures to kill, and caves to explore. It even has Warframe fishing! A 10-story high boss also awaits the bravest Tenno. It was a massive leap of faith for them moving from space stations and corridors to open land.

Now they are looking to expand on that with the two new expansion packs announced at TennoCon 2018. The first is Fortuna, which will see the player taken to an open world settlement on Venus. Also, introducing a new faction Solaris United, a group of cyborgs that have made this their home. Coming with Fortuna is the Bondi-K Drive, a hoverboard that adds yet another level to the already satisfying movement tech within the game. New enemies and pastel hues provide even more to the ever-growing lore and content that Warframe offers. The second expansion announced is Codename: Railjack. Taking you off the planets and into space. DE plan to introduce space combat with this expansion allowing the player and their allies to engage in some truly frenetic battles.

We have put around 50 hours into the game so far, which is a relatively low amount of time to be able to see everything that the game has to offer. Every time you jump into the game you always feel a sense of progression towards something; a new frame, new planet, or simply just leveling your chosen gear.

Played on the HST Enso Ryzen 3 1200 Quad Core 1060 Gaming PC
https://hst.co.uk/gaming-pc-s/gaming-pc/hst-vanguard-ryzen-3-1200-1060-gaming-pc.html

What are you waiting for? Join the fight today Tenno.

At last after a long wait…. the impressive NEW Assassins Creed game was revealed at the Game Spotlight 2018.

The trailer presented sends you back to Ancient Greece in a time of a war-torn country and gives you the stealth action roles of 2 remarkable characters. Alexios and Cassandra have been bequeathed powerful weapons and now they can use them for supreme fast action role play.

There’s absolutely EVERYTHING in this new game you would expect from Ancient Greece games and war. Alongside traditional Assassins Creed abilities of fighting we see sailing, ship battles, and as much armour, swordplay, and shields as you could ever wish for in hand to hand combat on the sea and on the beach!!

But that’s not all!

On top of all that you will be involved in horseback riding, swimming, a fight with a bear (it is after all Ancient Greece!) and there’s even a hint of romance in amongst some partying....and nobody parties like the Ancient Greeks!!

This ultimate game play will be available in October 2018 - but are you ready? This is a fast action stealth adventure needing top of the range gaming equipment – essential for extreme combat. We recommend our HST Crystal Black i9 7900X 32GB 1080Ti Gaming PC for the best gaming experience.

Assassins Creed Odyssey definitely gets the thumbs up from us!

Have you ever wanted to be part of a highly trained squad in gritty realistic war time situations?

Do you have the fast action reflexes to adapt and fight successfully in different countries?

Battlefield 5 takes you back to assault and sniper masterclass multiplayer combat action in World War II but with a realistic major difference. These war zones are in the countries we know little about and yet did play an important part in winning the war.

So, do you want to fight in the French countryside, The Netherlands, in the ruins of Rotterdam – or in Norway north of the Arctic Circle where conditions are from easy?

This phenomenal gameplay will take you there. You become engrossed in some gripping situations in a solo campaign, or online multi player and additionally a battle royale mode.

Basic info on storylines:  set in 1943 you follow a young woman who must fight to save her family by joining the Norwegian resistance against the Nazis. There is a set of smaller stories where we follow this woman through intense war-torn countries, but with a perspective of saving your family not saving the world.

If you are prepared for this totally gripping and fast action gameplay you must check out your weapons…. i.e. is your gaming equipment up to the challenge? HST have some ultimate gaming PC’s and can even make them up to your specifications if you wish.

Announced at E3 2018 Shadow of the Tomb Raider promises to be the darkest entry in the origin trilogy so far.

This release sees Lara complete her transformation and become the Tomb Raider that we all know and love.

Following on from the events of the last game Lara is still battling with the mercenary group Trinity. When the race for a Mayan artefact goes wrong it forces Lara to make some tough decisions and become more self-aware due to the power that she now has at her disposal. The game gives you more tools than ever to deal with the threat of Trinity and the impending apocalypse.

The core gameplay hasn’t changed and still retains most of what made the other games so enjoyable, albeit with some refinements. The game has more of a focus on stealth and evasion this time round, not too dissimilar to the Batman: Arkham Trilogy. Underwater swimming has also seen some tweaks with additions such as air pockets and a faster swimming speed. The upgrade and crafting system has also been given the same treatment with refinements and additions aplenty.

Set for release on the 14th September 2018 make sure that you have everything ready to play Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Customise your own PC to get ready for the coming apocalypse Customisable Gaming PC’s.

In our new blog post, we take a look at our HST Crystal White i9 gaming PC’s, focusing on the Crystal case, Intel CPU, Nvidia graphics card and Corsair Hydro Cooler.

Corsair Crystal 570X

The Corsair Crystal 570X includes three vivid SP120 RGB LED fans and a built-in LED controller to keep your components cool. Meanwhile, the four-panel tempered glass enables you to show off every component of this HST PC and add an element of style to your gaming setup.

Intel Core i9 7900X 3.3GHz 10 Core CPU

The earliest of Intel’s new X-Series i9 range, this processor comes with a high core and thread count, Turbo Boost 3.0 to increase the processor’s frequency when needed, hyper threading tech to process two threads per physical core and the most PCIe lanes of any desktop processor. Thanks to its high-tech specification, this Intel Core i9 CPU provides the HST Crystal i9 Gaming PC with powerful processing allowing you to enjoy a fast-paced, extreme performance gaming experience.

Nvidia Geforce GTX 1080Ti 11GB

Based on the NVIDIA Pascal architecture this PC’s graphics card features 11 Gbps GDDR5X memory, an impressive 11GB frame buffer and next-gen VR experiences to provide up to 3 times faster gaming performance.

Corsair H115i AIO Hydro RGB Cooler

This all in one RGB cooler features a 280mm radiator for low-noise cooling, reduced friction and bold styling, allowing you, and your overclocked CPU, to keep your cool during high-speed gaming marathons.

The Crystal 7900X PC and its high-tech components have been specifically designed with the avid gamer in mind to provide the best gaming experience for the latest games, including Fortnite, Call Of Duty WWII and GTA V. To enhance your gaming experience, purchase the HST Crystal White i9 7900X 1080Ti Gaming PC today!

At High Spec Tech, we know how frustrating it can be when you think you’ve found your perfect gaming PC but discover certain elements aren’t what you want.

That’s why we’ve introduced our Custom Gaming PC’s! Here, we run through some of our most frequently asked questions about our custom gaming PC’s.

Why Should I Build My Own PC?

We’ve all been there. You’ve found the perfect gaming PC but one piece of hardware just isn’t quite right. If only it had an ASRock B250M Pro4 Intel Socket 1151 Kaby Lake Micro ATX Motherboard. Instead of a C Gigabyte GA-H110M S2H Intel Socket 1151 Micro ATX Motherboard.

HST’s custom gaming PC’s solve all design and specification issues and put you in charge of your PC’s hardware, case and software!

HST Core i5 7500 7th Gen Kaby Lake Customisable Gaming PC's - From £389.35

What Can I Actually Customise on HST’S Gaming PC’s?

Our custom gaming PC’S allow you to choose your own RAM, Case, CPU, Motherboard, Graphics Card, Hard Drive and Power Supply. They really do give you the choice and freedom to build the perfect PC for you!

HST Core i5 7500 Kaby Lake Customisable Gaming PC's - From £336.53

Does It Cost More To Customise My PC?

One of the great things about our custom gaming PC’s is that you can control the price. You can choose the most expensive components, or choose our lower budget options, it really is up to you.

All our configurable options display product prices and any additional costs, so you can keep an eye on the price and adjust to stick to your budget.

HST Coffee Lake VR Ready Customisable Gaming PC's - From £702.56

I’m Unsure Which Components I Should Choose

All of our product and component descriptions contain full specifications to help you choose which component is most suitable. But, if you’re unsure which option will work best for your needs, or would just like some impartial advice, our PC experts will be more than happy to help!

Our custom gaming PC’s offer you a wide range of choice so you can build the best gaming PC at a price that suits you. Shop our custom gaming PC’s today and start building your perfect PC!

As you would expect, Intel’s Core i9 processors have more capabilities and a higher spec than their counterpart Core, i7, i5 and i3 CPUs. However, with a higher spec comes a higher price tag, so, should you really buy an Intel Core i9 PC? Here, we analyse the Core i9’s main features, comparing them to their predecessors.

Cores and Threads

The Core i9 series has more cores than its predecessors, meaning a Core i9 CPU can handle more data, threads and tasks simultaneously.

The Core i9 series ranges from 10 to 18 threads, massively out-running the Core i3, i5 and i7 ranges. As though this wasn’t enough, the core i9 CPUs support Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology, meaning each core can serve multiple threads. For example, a standard, 10 core, i9 processor could run a massive 20 threads!

HST H700i Red i9 7900X 1080Ti Gaming PC - £3,199.99

Clock Speed

The clock speed of a CPU is measured in GHz and refers to the number of pulses per second that are generated by an oscillator, a component that sets the processor’s tempo.

The Core i9, like the Core i5 and i7, benefit from Intel’s Turbo Boost technology. Turbo Boost allows your CPU to use less power and generate less heat by increasing the speed of your CPU only when needed.

This means that although the Core i9 7900X appears to have a relatively average clock speed, 3.3GHz, it can automatically boost itself up to 4.5GHz with this impressive feature.

HST Crystal Red i9 7900X 1080Ti Gaming PC - £3,199.99

Cache Size

CPUs store data you use continuously in its cache to help improve its overall speed. The more cache a CPU has, then the faster it will be able to complete these repetitive tasks.

Intel’s Core i9 processors’ L3 cache, ranges from 13.75 MB to 24.75MB, setting it apart even from the Core i7 that features 8MB of cache.

HST H700i White i9 7900X 1080Ti Gaming PC - £3,199.99

All of these features seem incredibly impressive, but, are they worth investing in? For your average PC user who wishes to complete every day browsing tasks, then no. However, for high speed gamers looking to play the latest games in a high setting and complete multiple tasks simultaneously and quickly, a Core i9 CPU is one of the best you can get!

High Spec Tech have a great range of Core i9 Gaming PC’s in stock, plus, our PC experts are on hand to help you find and customise the right PC for you! So, what are you waiting for? Check out our great range of Core i9 PC’s today!

Who Are High Spec Tech?

Founded by technology experts with over 10 years’ experience, High Spec Tech are a premium, one stop shop for all of your technology needs!

With a passion for technology and gaming, we take pride in stocking leading brands such as Corsair, NZXT ,ASUS and Samsung, to provide a great range of high specification laptops, PC systems, gaming pc’s, peripherals and components that are suitable for everyone from the avid gamer to the IT novice.

Why Buy From High Spec Tech?

High Quality PC’s

At High Spec Tech, we’re that confident in the build and quality of our products we offer extended warranties and customisable elements on selected PC’s, so you can be assured you’re receiving a bespoke, quality PC that is built to last.

Outstanding Customer Service Team

Our customer service team are happy to help you with any queries or give impartial, personalised advice for any requirements you may have regarding our products.

So, whether you’re looking for the latest Gaming PC, a professional PC, a HD monitor or to upgrade your hard drive or solid-state drive, High Spec Tech is the computer retailer you can depend on.

Build Your Own PC

At High Spec Tech we know how frustrating it can be when you think you’ve found your perfect gaming PC, but, discover certain elements aren’t what you want.

That’s why we’ve introduced our Custom Gaming PC’s, where you can choose your own RAM, Case, CPU, Motherboard, Graphics Card, Hard Drive and Power Supply. Plus, our team will be on hand if you need any advice.

So, whether you’re looking for the latest Gaming PC, a professional PC, a HD monitor or to upgrade your hard drive or solid-state drive, High Spec Tech is the computer retailer you can depend on.

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