Final Thoughts
I really think that AVADirect has done a great job with this Affinity HTPC System. First lets talk about configuring the system, delivery, and initial impressions. AVADirect configured the system for us, but their website is extremely easy to use and allows your to fully configure your system to the exact components you want. Our system came to use very quickly and was packaged quite nicely. Along with our system we received an accessories box that had all of the extra parts, cable, and user’s guides from the components. These are great to have, especially if you planned on adding to the system. Upon our initial inspection of the system everything was installed correctly and there were no visible marks on the case or anything like that. When we powered our system on it was CLEAN, no bloatware, no trials or games or anti-virus, a completely clean system! We really liked that!
As a home theater PC system the Affinity will have no problem handling your media needs. First off the system just looks great and the Grandia Series SST-GD09 is the perfect choice. You still get two front USB 3.0 ports where you can connect storage or even your keyboard and mouse. The GTX 1050 inside will have no issues at all displaying video content on your TV, even a 4K TV. The CPU has enough horse power as well, we watched multiple 4K videos on this system and there was no lag at all.
Now as a gaming PC the Affinity will get the job done at 1080p, but if you are working with a 1440p or 4K display gaming performance will fall behind on AAA titles. We tested six games at 1080p at very high settings at in almost all of the tests we achieved 60 FPS or higher. Now if you wanted to game in a higher resolution and stay at 60 FPS you are going to need to turn the quality down. But you will be able to play competitive eSports titles no problem with this system and Steam’s Big Picture mode is just great with this system.
Having a system like this sitting in your home theater compared to an old system in a tower is like night and day. First off it has the hardware to handle all of your media tasks, but you can also do some gaming on it as well. Most importantly it looks great and is not loud at all, even during gaming sessions. The system AVADirect configured for us came to $1549, but they start at $949. These systems are also backed by a 3-year limited parts warranty, and a lifetime labor warranty so you definitely have peace of mind when buying from AVADirect.
Pros:
– Great initial impressions
– Clean build and great cable management
– More than powerful enough for all media needs
– Clean Windows install (no bloatware or trials)
– 60 FPS at 1080p gaming
– Lifetime labor warranty
Cons:
– The GTX 1050 won’t game too well in resolutions over 1080p
