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7 Boot Camp returns Our conference heads to Manchester with a brand new format
19 Top tech PRs PCR lists 24 of the most reliable press officers in the UK industry
28 Argos acquisition We explore what the Sainsbury’s deal means for the chain’s future
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RIFT AT RETAIL Indie stores left wanting as virtual reality sides with the big boys THE OCULUS Rift virtual reality headset is heading to retail in September, but smaller chains and independent stores are being left out – for now. Oculus has partnered with five major retailers in GAME, Amazon, Currys/PC World, Harrods and John Lewis, as it opts for a selective supply strategy. But should the Facebook-owned firm, along with the rival HTC Vive device, be leaving other retailers out of the loop at launch? Read our full analysis on page six.
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CONTENTS & COMMENT
Follow us @pcr_online
MEET THE TEAM
CONTENTS
COMMENT
REGULARS Dominic Sacco Editor
06 Analysis: Oculus Rift 08 Number Crunching
dsacco@nbmedia.com @Dom_Sacco
11 Appointments 11 Events 12 Opinion 36 Mystery shopper
Jonathan Easton Deputy Editor
38 Retailer of the month: PC
jeaston@nbmedia.com
Utilities
@jonman247
39 Reseller Profile: Primo IT 39 Gaming notebooks vs. desktops Sophia Murray Staff Writer
FEATURES
smurray@nbmedia.com
07 Boot Camp North 14 State of gaming 16 The big interview: Overclockers
Sarah Goldhawk Account Manager @sarzgoldhawk
channel 25 Nvidia 10 series notebooks 28 Sainsbury’s acquisition of Argos 32 PCR’s Women of the Year
Dan Bennett Designer
finalists
dbennett@nbmedia.com
34 Toshiba interview
Jason Dowie Production Executive jdowie@nbmedia.com
PRODUCTS 41 Gaming components 44 Gaming accessories 47 Nvidia Titan X 48 Recommended products
Andrew Wooden Interactive Entertainment Content Director awooden@nbmedia.com @pcr_online
OUT OF OFFICE 52 In The Hot Seat: Ebuyer’s Charles Floyd 53 Industry Tweets 54 Team of the Month:
Incorporating
Cyberpower
NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Associations
ISSN: 1742-8440 www.pcr-online.biz
IT’S A MIX of emotions for me this month: I am of course super excited to report that the Oculus Rift is coming to retail, but sad that this is my last issue as editor of PCR. We’ve been writing about virtual reality for years now, so it’s a relief to finally see the Rift arrive in the UK. I think the £549 price tag is reasonable for a fresh and exciting piece of technology like virtual reality, and a bold move from Oculus to under-cut the HTC Vive by some £200. What I can’t quite understand is the company’s decision to leave independent retailers out of the equation. The Rift has partnered with a select few of the big boys, like Amazon and Currys/PC World, and while those guys will obviously offer broad customer reach, they still can’t compete with the expert knowledge and service of a local dealer, in my opinion. We all know that consumers must try VR headsets for themselves to fork out the high asking price, so hopefully later in the year Oculus and HTC will make the correct move and truly open up the market to VR. They had better act quickly – the PlayStation VR arrives in October priced at £349, and Intel has just announced its own ‘Project Alloy’ device using 3D RealSense technology.
19 Top PRs in the tech
sgoldhawk@nbmedia.com
Editorial: 0203 871 7373 Advertising: 0207 354 6000
A new dimension
“I’ve enjoyed every minute working in this fast-paced and exciting industry, with so many talented individuals. I hope you’ve enjoyed our editorial content in that time.” It is with a heavy heart that I announce I am leaving PCR after three years. I’ve enjoyed every minute working within such a fast-paced and exciting industry, with so many talented individuals, and I hope you’ve enjoyed our editorial content in that time. I particularly enjoyed visiting you all in your offices and warehouses, from Ian Parry’s messy system building desk at Overclockers, to Ingram’s sponsored cupboards, Yoyotech’s man cave and Ebuyer’s warehouse to name a few. I’m even going to miss the pranks from that silly Northerner Mr Jon Atherton (you still owe me one for that pulled interview). Anyway, on a more serious note, PCR will be in very capable hands going forwards, with Jonathan Easton and Sophia Murray steering the ship in the future. So please add them to your press mailing lists, and why not give them a few nice exclusives while you’re at it? I’m off for a new journey into the world of eSports – I hope you’re thinking about how you can get involved in this exciting area too. Dominic Sacco, Editor dsacco@nbmedia.com
READ THE LATEST STORIES AT
PCR-ONLINE.BIZ ANALYSIS
Is Oculus turning its back on indies a mistake? The Rift virtual reality headset hits retail on September 20th, but will only be stocked by select majors including PC World and Amazon. Dominic Sacco asks the channel if this is the correct move, or if Oculus is missing a trick…
WAITING FOR virtual reality (VR) to hit the mass market has felt like an eternity, but the Oculus Rift is finally about to hit store shelves. The Rift will be priced at £549 – some £200 less than the rival HTC Vive headset. After much anticipation it will launch on September 20th. Facebook-owned company Oculus has decided to initially partner with a select few retailers in the UK: Amazon, John Lewis, Currys/PC World, Harrods and GAME. PCR understands that the Rift will not be available to other retailers (including independents) at this stage, though there are rumours suggesting Oculus will open up its distribution ‘selectively’, to include other stores after the Christmas period. The plan is apparently to invest more money into key partners and centres around the country, so that consumers can get hands-on with the VR device. Sources say that Exertis or Tech Data may have a deal in place with Oculus, but neither 6 | PCR September 2016
distributor – or Oculus itself – responded to PCR’s requests for confirmation. This is a similar approach to HTC’s retail model with the Vive, which has launched with brands such as Scan, Currys/ PC World and Overclockers. Utopia Computers director and Network Group B2C director Craig Hume believes focusing on a select few retail partners may be a mistake. “I’m really excited about the Oculus Rift, and hopefully we’ll see actual stock arriving for some retailers, if not all retailers,” he told PCR. “If they’re just going to a few retailers, that’s upsetting. If that’s the case, I think they’ve unfortunately misunderstood the market. As Context’s Jonathan Wagstaff explained, consumers need to try virtual reality in order to be able to understand it. “I think independent retailers are lined up perfectly to be able to deliver that experience, to talk to people and explain it. I think Oculus would be surprised at just how well indies can shift
“They’ve unfortunately misunderstood the market. I think Oculus would be surprised at just how well indies can shift these units.” Craig Hume, Utopia Computers
these units. We’re all sitting wait for them. We just can’t get our hands on them. “I guess the danger is Oculus and HTC have an opportunity to capture the market before other headsets arrive. This time next year, there are going to be other brands and other options. If Oculus and HTC have not managed to capture the market, they’ve missed a big opportunity.” One senior distribution source told PCR anonymously that while they were gutted to not be supplying the Rift to the channel, they understand why Oculus is taking a focused approach. “It would have been a great honour to stock the Rift – there’s a lot of pent up demand for that product,” they said. “I imagine there may be limited production for the Oculus so it will probably be allocated to just a few people. It’s understandable. It’s hard to start with mass production when you have a brand new product or bleeding edge technology
that is very expensive to make. You don’t want to sell too many initially in case there are design faults.” Overclockers UK says that seeing is believing. It opened a demo station for the Vive earlier this year and says that’s been a success. “A lot of people have been sceptical about VR but have tried out the Vive with us and think it’s so amazing, they now want to get one,” said Overclockers UK executive director Steve Ling. “It’s gone really well for us. It’s all about getting customers in to try it, attaching sales on top and advising the customer what hardware they need to run it. It would be great to get the Rift in the channel and for retailers to get their hands on stock like this.” Elsewhere, Intel announced ‘Project Alloy’ in August – its own wireless virtual reality headset. The device uses Intel RealSense camera technology to give the impression of placing real-world objects into a virtual one. www.pcr-online.biz
READ THE LATEST STORIES AT
PCR-ONLINE.BIZ BOOT CAMP NORTH
PCR’s Boot Camp events have had influential speakers including Centerprise boss Rafi Razzak
EXPO DEMO ZONE
FUTURE HUB: TECH & BIZ INNOVATION
10:30 – 11:00 EXHIBITOR TECH DEMO 1: HOME AUTOMATION
10:00 – 10:20 OPPORTUNITIES IN VR & AR FOR THE CHANNEL
11:30 – 12:00 EXHIBITOR TECH DEMO 2: 4K MONITORS
11:00 – 11:20 THE CHANNEL IN 2025
14:00 – 14:30 EXHIBITOR TECH DEMO 3: HOME STORAGE 15:00 – 15:30 EXHIBITOR TECH DEMO 4: GAMING 15:30 – 16:00 EXHIBITOR TECH DEMO 5: SECURITY
14:20 – 14:40 THE INTERNET OF THINGS – IT’S HERE
SPEED NETWORKING 10:20 – 10:40 SPEED NETWORKING SESSION 1 ȃ SPEED NETWORKING SESSION 2 ȃ SPEED NETWORKING SESSION 3
15:10 – 15:30 VIDEOCONFERENCING & ‘SMART’ TECHNOLOGIES FOR BUSINESS 15:40 – 16:00 THE SMART HOME
RETAIL MASTERCLASS THEATRE 10:00 – 10:20 GUARANTEEING THE IDEAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN YOUR STORE 11:00 – 11:20 HR/STAFF RETENTION – FORTIFY YOUR WORKFORCE 14:20 – 14:40 SELLING ONLINE – A NEW WAY OF THINKING 15:10 – 15:30 SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOU 15:40 – 16:00 GIVE YOUR SALES A SHOT IN THE ARM
New format for Boot Camp North Our conference and expo returns with a brand new format on November 16th, this time taking place at the Renaissance Manchester Hotel. PCR runs through all the details… PCR BOOT CAMP North 2016 takes place in just a few months’ time – and this time we’ve revamped proceedings. Boot Camp North will return on November 16th at the Renaissance Manchester Hotel. The new event is taking everything that was great about previous events, and revamping it with a host of new, innovative features tailored directly to boosting your business, as well as linking you up with future business partners. We’ll still be providing you with vital, in depth industry data and expert advice, but www.pcr-online.biz
now the sessions are separated into themed pillars reflecting the varying business types operating in the channel, meaning you can select the ones that speak directly to you and your business. We are taking proposals for conference speakers (see ‘Want to talk?’ for more details on how you can get involved). Content will run across an ‘Expo Demo Zone’, the ‘Future Hub: Tech & Biz innovation’, and the new ‘Retail Masterclass Theatre’. On top of this, we’re adding in a speed networking system, delivering you a series of
quick-fire meetings tailored around who you want to do business with – it’s a great way to quickly acquire key leads between the conference sessions. This is on top of the exhibitor area and the networking café which is open all day. As with previous Boot Camps, we are delighted to offer all this to retailers and resellers completely free. Details on how to sign up will be announced soon, so check the PCR website for more. For any general enquiries, contact awooden@ nbmedia.com
@pcr_online #PCRBOOTCAMPNORTH
GET INVOLVED For vendors, distributors, service providers and trade organisations interested in being involved – whether attending, being part of the conference, or exhibition – contact Sarah Goldhawk sgoldhawk@ nbmedia.com for information on packages available.
WANT TO TALK? We are now open to proposals for speaking slots at the event. If you are interested in speaking, please contact Andrew Wooden at awooden@ nbmedia.com
SUBJECT AREAS INCLUDE: Q The Future of the channel Q Internet of Things Q Videoconferencing & ‘smart’ technologies for business Q The smart home Q Customer experience in your store Q HR/staff retention Q Sales strategy
PCR September 2016 | 7
STATS
Number
crunching
A round-up of the most important stats and facts in the tech channel…
-8.3%
£16.1m
Apple sold 10 million iPads in the third quarter of 2016, a year-on-year dip of 8.3 per cent. (Apple)
PC shipments reached 16.1 million units in the second quarter of 2016 — a 4.7 per cent year-on-year decrease. (IDC)
$200m Venture capital firms have invested $200 million in UK tech start-ups since the Brexit. (Financial Times)
LG Display is investing $1.75 billion in flexible OLED displays. (LG)
5.8m
There were 5.8 million incidents of fraud and computer misuse in the UK last year. (ONS)
8 | PCR September 2016
£1.75bn
11 The new Nvidia Titan-X has 11 teraflops. (Nvidia)
$1bn The eSports market is predicted to surpass $1 billion in value in 2017. (SuperData)
www.pcr-online.biz
PEOPLE & EVENTS
Midwich embarks on hiring spree MIDWICH: The tech distributor has hired 30 new employees across the group. Ranging from brand campaign manager, logistics coordinator, solutions specialist and general sales manager, Midwich says its new employees highlight the firm’s ongoing investment in its people and operations. EXERTIS: The supplier has announced two senior appointments in the office automation (OA) and document scan markets. ALISTAIR COYNE and THERESA DOWNES are the latest recruits to join the Exertis print business, and both previously worked at IT and AV supplier Midwich. INTEL: The chip giant has announced ISABELLA VILLEGAS-TORRES as its new in-house PR in the UK. She replaces ANNA CHENG, who has moved into an Internet of Things sales role at Intel. Villegas-Torres will be working in the UK enterprise communications department, ENTANET: The voice and data wholesaler has appointed PAUL DIAMOND chief operating officer. The former RAF squadron leader has been tasked with driving further efficiency and quality assurance to support the firm’s growth strategy. Diamond said: “I’m delighted to be joining HUAWEI: Tech vendor Huawei has appointed EVA WIMMERS as the new president of Huawei Honor in Europe, and VP of Honor Global. As part of her role, she will help establish the Honor smartphone brand in the European market and expand its marketing, sales and brand.
www.pcr-online.biz
EVENTS The UK’s channel calendar is full of important events. Here are some highlights for upcoming dates…
Chris Bloxsome (left) and Lloyd Platt (right) at Midwich
Midwich has also announced that LLOYD PLATT and CHRIS BLOXSOME have joined the Samsung specialist team. Platt becomes senior product manager and Bloxsome becomes specialist. Both will be focusing on large format display, commercial and hotel TV.
Alistair Coyne and Theresa Downes have joined Exertis
Coyne takes responsibility for the overall OA and document scan strategy, whilst Downes will manage the Samsung strand of the OA business. The OA and document scan team provides products and services from technology vendors such as Samsung, OKI and Lexmark.
Intel’s Isabella Villegas-Torres
alongside external agency Hill + Knowlton Strategies. She has been at Intel since January 2013, and has held the roles of customer business analyst and UK B2B marketing manager in that time. In the latter role, she managed marketing plans with Intel stakeholders, publishers and partners, as well as content.
ECOMMERCE EXPO
Entanet’s Paul Diamond
Entanet at such an important and a dynamic time in its development. Having celebrated its 20th year in business earlier in 2016, Entanet is now looking to achieve significant financial growth and operational maturity. This is a progressive business with an excellent and growing reputation.”
PCR WOMEN OF THE YEAR
Huawei’s Eva Wimmers
She will be leading an experienced team that consists of experts from different countries in Europe. GEORGE ZHAO, president of Honor, commented on the appointment: “With Eva’s experience on-board, we will take the Honor brand and products to the next level in the European market.”
IFA 2016 Berlin, Germany SEPTEMBER 2ND – 7TH The IFA show in Berlin is the leading trade show for consumer electronics in Europe. The latest products and innovations are shown off to the trade. IFA offers an overview of the international market and attracts the attention of trade visitors from more than 100 countries.
TARGET OPEN DAY 2016 Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford SEPTEMBER 16TH Following three years at The Village Hotel in Leeds, Target’s 2016 Open Day has moved to larger facilities at The Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford. Managing director Paul Cubbage says the move has been made to help facilitate an extended exhibition and training programme.
FUTUREFEST 2016 Tobacco Dock, London SEPTEMBER 17TH – 18TH FutureFest is a weekend festival of ideas, talks and interactive performances aimed at inspiring people to change the future. The weekend festival will have speakers including technology journalist Kate Russell and games industry veteran Rhianna Pratchett.
Olympia, London SEPTEMBER 28TH TO 29TH The eCommerce Expo brings thousands of online retail professionals together, with suppliers of e-commerce technologies and services for two days of networking, education and inspiration. The event is themed across several areas including marketing, platforms, payment and logistics.
Sway Bar, Holborn OCTOBER 14TH For this year’s PCR Women Of The Year event, we recognise inspiring females in the UK tech market and add new awards including ‘Mentor of the Year’. Tickets to the event are just £59 (plus VAT) and this will include free drinks and nibbles. www.pcrwomenoftheyear.com
PCR September 2016 | 11
OPINION
The rise and rise of Gaming is a silver bespoke PC builders lining for IT When it comes to specs, PC trounces consoles. Entatech business development manager Andrew Williams looks at how system builders are taking advantage of the situation… card and less on other components, WITH THE PC gaming market such as the case. dominating console, it comes as no When it comes to cases, it’s all surprise that the PC build market is on about brand loyalty, with Fractal the rise. Design, Corsair and Cooler Master as Entatech has held a strong the leading brands in the market. presence within the system integrator Those who are less specific on their market since its establishment over 25 brand of choice will opt for a cheaper years ago. alternative, with a generic opening We’ve been witness to just how price point. much the market has evolved, we’ve Memory and motherboards are seen a change in the market leaders, another strong area for Entatech, with the demands of the user, and how sales for branded memory particularly much users are willing to pay for the high amongst PC builders. latest bespoke build. Those opting for a high to premium There’s been a massive increase in machine will often opt for Corsair or the sales of PC builds this year, which HyperX memory, with entry to midhas been heavily fuelled by the PC level machines suiting gaming market. ADATA solutions. With so many The biggest brands available for challenge that system gamers – whether “Gamers choose integrators will face is novice or enthusiast – to invest more on the marketplace and the price points vary massively. the graphics card where they will be able to sell their builds Entry level builds and less on other without losing out start at around £499, on profit. mid-point around components.” The grey market has £599 and premium Andrew Williams, made it difficult for builds hitting Entatech some builders to anywhere from £899 successfully sell their to £2,000. builds to end users, and it is That being said, we are aware of unfortunately not a problem that will some specialist gaming partners be easily resolved. selling custom builds for as high We don’t believe that there will be as £10,000. any threat from the ‘A-brands’ such as We specialise predominantly in the ASUS, Alienware or MSI, and that our higher end of the market, and sales leading brands will remain dominant have surged following the release of within this field, in part due to their new VGA technology from AMD fantastic price points. and NVIDIA. In our opinion, the sales of various When it comes to purchasing a PC performance PC builds will remain build, users know they need a high strong as technologies evolve in the quality graphics card for the best future. And this, in turn, will further performance available. boost the market presence of many of As a result, most gamers will choose to invest more on the graphics Entatech’s leading brands. Andrew Williams is a business development manager at Entatech. www.entatech.com
12 | PCR September 2016
Gaming presents a great opportunity for the IT market. GFK’s Dominic Ashford shows that even though the overall market is in decline, gaming still presents an area of growth…
mice was three per cent lower in Q2 THE SECOND quarter of 2016 saw 2016 compared with 2015. This continued challenges to the retail IT reflects the increasingly competitive market. The overall market declined nature of the gaming market, in value by six per cent compared demonstrated by the fact that there with the same period of 2015. Traditional computing and tablets were six per cent more brands selling gaming mice in Q2 2016 than 2015. contributed significantly to this Another area benefiting from PC drop. Areas such as storage and gaming is the monitors market. networking that had previously Although desktop PCs sales fell 12 been strong also slipped into per cent year-on-year in Q2 2016, decline. However, some areas of IT, monitors sales increased by 31 per many associated with PC gaming, cent. This suggests that consumers provide something of a silver lining. are replacing their monitors and The most consistent area of embracing multi-monitor setups. growth associated with gaming has Monitors with gaming features been peripherals. Gaming grew by 143 per cent year-on-year keyboards saw a year-on-year and these monitors increase of 27 per were on average 88 cent in Q2 2016, per cent more while gaming mice expensive than grew by 34 per cent “PC gaming monitors without over the same time demonstrates these features, again period. The demonstrating how increase for these there are gaming can offer a areas came across opportunities in premium to the IT the whole retail IT channel. Larger channel, with the IT retail screen sizes and growth for both sector.” higher resolutions are keyboards and Dominic Ashford, GfK also increasing in mice in the online significance to the and traditional monitors market. channels. The graphics card market Indeed, the growth rate for increased by five per cent year-ongaming keyboards was stronger in year in the second quarter of 2016. non-internet sales (an increase of 28 The majority of this growth was per cent) than the online equivalent through online sales. (27 per cent growth). This Overall, the growth of gaming demonstrates how gaming can be peripherals hardware has not been positive for retailers. It also reflects enough to offset the declines in the fact that a significant amount of tablets and computing. the appeal of these kinds of However, these areas products lies in their ergonomics, so demonstrate that there are being able to interact with them inopportunities in the IT retail sector, store can be a draw for consumers. and that this opportunity isn’t However, it’s not all positive. The limited to price promotion online. average selling price for gaming Dominic Ashford is a senior account manager at GFK. www.gfkrt.com/uk
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GAMING SPECIAL
I
State of play PC gaming is getting more powerful, more affordable and giving consoles a run for their money. Jonathan Easton takes a look at the current state of the market and asks the channel which direction it’s going next…
T COULD BE argued that the games industry has never before seen quite the level of disparity between consoles and PC as it does in 2016. Technology is constantly evolving, and while the latest consoles were relatively powerful when released in 2013, the gulf between consoles and PCs in 2016 is incredibly vast. This has led to the point that midgeneration hardware refreshes are required for the consoles to even attempt to keep up. “Consoles have become their own victims,” says Cory Lees, product marketing executive at Target Components. “As games become more and more demanding of the hardware they use, and the games start to get more and more immersive, consumers are growing increasingly aware of the restrictions that games consoles have.” Likewise, PNY’s EMEA PC components product manager, Pauline Monin, says: “In today’s rapidly evolving market, consoles quickly become outdated as new gaming technologies infiltrate into the gaming scene.”
cadence is much more frequent – you can take advantage of new hardware when it comes out or when your budget permits it.” Equal to the extra technical oomph, Monin claims that PCs provide the best value while technology is evolving at such a rapid pace: “PCs can be upgraded and adapted to stay up-to-date with new technologies, games, graphics and accessories. The longevity of PCs is attracting those gamers who want to play the latest games but don’t wish to fork out for new consoles every few years.” Performance has, ultimately, led to the perception that PC is the optimal destination for games. And this isn’t just in niche online circles but from mainstream reviewers, argues Lees: “Unless the game is a console exclusive, there will always be a comparison between consoles and PCs. In every review the PC game is clearly superior.” It is not just the technical capabilities and affordability of high-end PC components that has led to a boom, but a whole host of other factors, chief among them being the rise of virtual reality (VR).
“There will always be a comparison between consoles and PCs. In every review the PC game is clearly superior.” Cory Lees, Target Components There is a widespread belief amongst the industry that this unexpected obsolescence has driven console gamers to PC. When it comes to gaming, performance is king and PC has the edge. Jeremy Mortenson, Crucial DRAM senior product marketing manager, is one person who believes that consoles are too narrow for the scope of modern gaming. He states: “There are few limitations when it comes to the performance of your PC gaming rig, which is so much different than consoles. “Being able to upgrade your components is a major advantage. The PC upgrade
14 | PCR September 2016
Many people believe that VR will be one of the key forces driving gamers towards PC going forward. Monin says that “the rapid adoption in VR will be a game changer as it becomes more affordable and bumps older and more basic gaming consoles out of the picture”. Daniel Charbit, EMEA marketing manager at Alienware, similarly states that consoles are “still unable to deliver VR in all its glory.” Lees, however, provides a hint of skepticism about the emerging technology. He comments: “VR is still in its infancy and is predominantly focused around the www.pcr-online.biz
GAMING SPECIAL
entertainment industry, We have experienced in the past that the entertainment industry is fad driven (see 3D TVs).” He also predicts that “the entertainment industry will move on to Augmented Reality (AR)”. Charbit, by contrast, believes that VR “is much more than a fad”, stating that VR is “estimated to grow into an $80 billion market by 2025”. In spite of the gusto with which many are approaching VR, it is currently an expensive niche that is out of the pricerange of many gamers. This has not been helped by the UK price rise of the HTC Vive due to currency concerns. In addition, it is still impossible to actually find a high-end VR headset on the High Street. VR as a mass consumer medium is still in its early stages and its potential success is very much open to debate. By contrast, one thing that cannot be disputed is the size to which eSports has grown in such a short period
www.pcr-online.biz
of time – and the positive effect it is having on the PC gaming space. “The explosion in popularity of eSports and the global interest in competitive gaming has been fantastic for PC gaming as a whole”, says Alienware’s Charbit. eSports is itself an area that is exponentially growing, with analysts expecting the industry to be worth $1 billion by 2019. The industry’s rise in popularity can only be a positive thing for PC gaming, states Lees: “eSports is a great promotional tool for PC gaming. We are starting to see more and more major brands jumping on this and supporting these events. It will continue to grow and become more mainstream, which in turn will encourage more PC and gaming accessories sales.” Is there an image problem with the sector? “PC gaming needs to lose the old stigma of teenage
“The explosion in popularity of eSports has been fantastic for PC gaming as a whole”. Daniel Charbit, Alienware
boys in a bedroom playing games,” adds Lees. “The press still portrays the industry as this, when it is clearly much more.” PC gaming doesn’t just have this perception problem to deal with, but also one surrounding accessibility. PNY’s Monin says that making consumers understand what PC gaming is all about is vital to its mainstream appeal: “Education is key to making PC gaming appealing and accessible to consumers. Console gaming is more enticing due to the simplicity and ease, while PC gaming can be a lot more complicated. “Demystifying technical jargon and translating it into something understandable for the users is key to success.” Accessibility and visibility are also key to PC gaming’s long-term success. This is the next frontier for PC gaming that the likes of Overclockers UK and Alienware are trying to dominate.
In this month’s big interview (page 16), Overclockers’ Steve Ling says that the company’s partnership with GAME is “designed to make it easier to jump from console to PC gaming” and to help “first time buyers choose the right PC”. Charbit shares this sentiment: “Alienware’s goal was to make PC gaming as easily available and as immersive as possible”. PC gaming is already thoroughly established and is – to many consumers and critics alike – considered as the best way to game. There is no doubting the technical superiority of PC gaming systems over consoles in regards to everything from graphical fidelity (4k) to performance, along with the platform’s advantages with VR. The future looks bright, but even though it has a very vocal core fanbase, there is still work to be done in getting PC gaming fully in the public eye.
PCR September 2016 | 15
THE BIG INTERVIEW
Pushing the boundaries System builders have lots of opportunities in the PC gaming space, with the rise of VR and strong demand for high-end systems. Overclockers UK is one of the leading players, with builds like the OrionX and a partnership with GAME. Jonathan Easton asks executive director Steve Ling about gamer buying habits‌
16 | PCR September 2016
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THE BIG INTERVIEW
H
ow has 2016 been for Overclockers so far, in comparison to recent years? 2016 has been a fantastic year so far for Overclockers UK. The year started with the rollout of our partnership with GAME, bringing PC gaming back to the High Street in over 10 stores. More recently we worked with Multiplay to open a Gaming Arena at the Trafford Centre store in Manchester, which is a dedicated floor for PC gaming. The first quarter of 2016 saw the launch of virtual reality (VR) headsets and we partnered with HTC Vive to make VR a reality. We built a 20 square metre extension to our shop to provide a dedicated room-scale VR experience for members of the public to try VR for free. We have been steadily building a catalogue of demos and games so customers can tailor their experience. We have continued to push the boundaries, creating some of the world’s fastest PCs. Launched at Computex in Taiwan, the 8Pack OrionX gained international recognition due to its complex design and outstanding performance. Q2 saw the launch of NVIDIA 10 series graphics cards, and thanks to some great work we launched with the biggest range of cards available on the market. This was followed by a range of new Radeon cards from AMD – and again Overclockers UK led the way. What do you think of the latest range of graphics cards from both NVIDIA and AMD? It is great to see these new ranges come to market with products for all types of gamers, from class-leading performance to priceeffective eSports solutions. The GPU is the most important consideration when purchasing a gaming PC, especially in conjunction with VR. Competition is healthy for consumers and enables games to bigger and better. Keep up the good work!
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Why do you think PC gaming has seen such a rise in the past few years? Do you feel that consumers are turning away from consoles to PC, and if so, why? Many console gamers progress to PC gaming and will usually continue to game on both devices. It seems that kids are getting into PC gaming earlier, influenced by the growth in YouTube content. Combine this with the growth in eSports, where a majority of games are PC-based and it is easy to see why PC gaming is growing in popularity. I do not think consumers will turn away from consoles, as they provide a cheaper entry to gaming – and the impending arrival of VR will generate more excitement. In what ways do you think Overclockers will be affected by Brexit? The fast and steep decline of the pound immediately after Brexit resulted in around a 10
“Virtual reality is certainly no fad. We are at the start of a revolution.” Steve Ling, Overclockers UK
per cent increase of prices in a short space of time, and we have had to manage this situation. With so many product launches and VR driving demand for hardware, we have not seen any negative impact on business as a result. There is a lot of speculation about the future of the economy. We are used to market prices fluctuating with exchange rates, as a majority of tech products are imported, and I doubt we will see anything quite so abrupt. If we do see a fall in consumer spending, it will likely be in the form of extending the use of existing
tech products such as TVs. I believe that the growth in PC gaming will be relatively unaffected. What do system builders such as yourselves provide to customers that tier one vendors can’t? The most obvious benefit is that we can customise our systems to meet customer demand. At Overclockers UK it is not just about selecting hardware specification, we also pay a lot of attention to colour and design. We offer a range of options including inhouse modifications and custom made hard line water-cooling. Another key benefit is that we can bring new technology to market far quicker. While tier one vendors have a channel full of systems featuring previous generation hardware, we are able to build and ship the latest available products. We also have the ability to tune this latest hardware, providing some of the fastest PC systems in the world. You’ve jumped onto the VR train, dedicating an entire section of your site to it. How big a role do you think virtual reality will play in consumers’ PC purchasing choices going forward? Virtual reality is certainly no fad. We are at the start of a revolution in the way we interact with gaming and entertainment. Headsets will improve, become smaller, more affordable and wireless. Developers will utilise this technology to bring us new and immersive experiences. Around this, a range of devices and accessories will come to market. The purchase decision right now depends very much on which games they play and the resolution of the monitor, 4k for example. The situation with VR is very much the same and our role is to assist customers to ensure they enjoy a fantastic gaming experience. What new tech excites you most in system building? While new technology is great to play with, building systems
The £30,000 OrionX is a top-of-the-range beast
is becoming an art form. The advances we have made in designing colour-coordinated systems with custom watercooling solutions bring a new level of satisfaction in building the best PCs. What do you think is the most important thing that consumers look for in a PC purchasing experience? Consumers are all different and purchase decisions will depend on many factors, including if they are a firsttime buyer. Overall the most important thing is to deliver a good balance between price and performance. Consumers are constantly looking for a great PC at a great price, but importantly you cannot afford to deliver something that does not meet their expectations. A survey has found that almost half of consumers in the UK don’t know about tailored experiences when buying at retail. Offering lots of different options is one of your selling points. Why do you think that others fail to capitalise? Being able to offer a broad selection of build to order PCs is a time consuming process and requires a level of expertise. We have our own dedicated team who take care of this, meaning that the
latest component selection is always there for customers. While we pride ourselves on it, others may not have the necessary resources to undertake a detailed process like this, or may not have the same customer demographic as us. A section of society will only know famous retail brands and are happy to purchase an off-the-shelf solution that meets their budget. Tell us about your relationship with GAME and what it means to be visible to High Street shoppers. Our partnership with GAME is an important stepping stone in raising awareness of PC gaming. Our solution is designed to make it easier to jump from console to PC gaming, helping first time buyers to choose the right PC. Combine this with GAME’s interest free offers, reward points and trade-in schemes and we have a winning formula on the High Street. Do you see the Game Arena in Manchester as an entry for eSports into the mainstream? Will the Arena expand to more stores? Yes, the Multiplay Gaming Arena in the Trafford Centre is somewhere for everyone to visit and get involved with eSports in person. Watch this space! PCR September 2016 | 17
TOP PRS
THE TECH CHANNEL’S PR GURUS Who are the top PRs currently working in the UK tech channel? We asked PCR’s esteemed readership to nominate those they think are among the best public relations executives, who go above and beyond to ensure a company’s message is on point. Here are our top picks …
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PCR September 2016 | 19
TOP PRS
JEN ANDERSSON PR Manager, Northern Europe Nvidia
NATALIE BOON Channel Marketing Specialist ASUS
IAIN BRISTOW PR Manager and Regional Lead EMEA AMD
Jen joined Nvidia in March 2012 after holding positions at B2B and B2C PR agencies, during which she successfully launched Skype into the UK market and was instrumental to its success. As PR manager for Nvidia, she supports both brand and product work across the UK and Northern Europe. This summer Jen has been particularly busy bolstering Nvidia’s presence at E3 and the mammoth (in more ways than one) Titan X product launch.
Having started working as a marketing and PR intern for technical recruitment company Vertex a few years back, Natalie secured local radio coverage and shortlisted for the eGaming Review – Recruiter Of The Year award in 2013. She joined ASUS UK in July 2013, taking responsibility for social media, the Student Ambassador program and a myriad of digital and experiential marketing projects. As of September last year, she transitioned to manage channel marketing for ASUS UK.
Iain has been working for AMD for over five years and has brought a wealth of skills to bear to the numerous roles he has held, which currently sees him driving strong PR for AMD across product lines. Iain is – through his management of a team of PR and community managers based across EMEA – tasked with ensuring consistent messaging across multiple channels. In the words of his peers, Iain is ‘highly effective, skilled at building relationships and extremely proficient in all aspects of communications and marketing’.
SARAH CHARD Director The PR Room
VICTORIA CHERNIH PR Manager Sennheiser
Sarah founded The PR Room in 2002, building one of the UK’s leading consumer electronics, lifestyle and IT public relations agencies. She quickly got into tech PR after graduating from university and has excelled ever since. Those who nominated Sarah picked out the fact she works hard to personalise The PR Room’s approach and press material to suit each media outlet, looking at relationships in the long term rather than just a one-off. This approach has helped The PR Room amass a client roster that includes Bullguard, Sennheiser and Beurer UK.
Victoria joined Sennheiser in 2013, with responsibilities that include managing and working with a large number of external PR agencies across the UK and Nordic regions, along with managing the corporate PR strategy and plan that includes all of Sennheiser core business divisions. In addition, Victoria is responsible for dealing with media enquiries and keeping up with news relevant to the industry. There is no typical working day for Victoria – she faces new opportunities and challenges which she takes in her stride and finds motivating and rewarding. Her most recent project was the launch of the acclaimed HE 1 set of headphones.
JOE COWELL Northern Europe PR & Community Manager AMD
20 | PCR September 2016
Joe currently works across PR and community management for AMD across Northern Europe, including the UK. He previously worked at Text 100, where he helped AMD to increase its brand and performance within the countruy. Joe also has experience working at Zaboura Communications, Dennis Publishing, Hope&Glory PR, Frank PR and W Communications. The ex-journo, gamer and budding guitarist has built up quite a media contact book over the years.
KERRI CHARD Managing Director Pick n Mix PR Having represented technology companies for 15 years, Kerri is a prevalent PR and marketing strategist, boasting long term relations with both clients and the media. Committed to embracing evolving communication methods, she promises her clients the most up to date service. Kerri is highly regarded for her ability to become an extension of her clients’ teams to provide the most personal and educated service.
MICHELLE CROSS Senior PR Account Manager The PR Room Having joined The PR Room nearly four years ago, Michelle’s contribution and standing with her colleagues and clients has made her one of the company’s most valuable members. Michelle’s different and friendly approach to PR has lead to journalists, bloggers and influencers to really enjoying working with her. She has created solid relationships, ensuring she is offered unique opportunities. She has become a vital part of the team who always secures first class media coverage for The PR Room’s technology clients, including headset manufacturer Sennheiser.
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TOP PRS
RACHEL GORDON European Marketing Manager Mad Catz
HAYLEY GREGSON PR Manager – UK and ROI Argos
NICK HAYWOOD UK PR Specialist Razer
IAN HOOD CEO and Co-Founder Babel PR
Online now accounts for more than 50 per cent of all Argos sales as the retailer continues its digital transformation. With the task of relaying that change – and 2015 initiatives such as FastTrack same day delivery – Hayley has thrived. And with Sainsbury’s buy out of Argos owner Home Retail Group having been green-lit, she will be heavily involved in relaying the details of the deal to the massed ranks of the UK’s press, both consumer and trade.
Thanks to Nick’s PR nous, Razer has positioned itself front and centre of gamer needs during the rise of eSports and online gaming, with its burgeoning array of connected devices and software. The company had a busy E3 with several product announcements. Razer also confirmed its first open mass tournament. This was a lot of information to convey, but it was expertly done by Nick, who always makes sure the media is provided with the images and backgrounders they need before they even have to ask.
Ian has nearly 30 years’ experience working with both small and large technology brands including Google, Dell, Philips, Tiscali and Epson. Having worked both in-house and agencyside during his career, his understanding of the wider PR landscape provides him with a unique view on how to successfully build a brand. Today, Ian is actively involved in Babel client campaigns and he is renowned for his cool head and quick thinking when it comes to crisis management. He’s also very happy when tinkering with old motorbikes.
LUKE KARMALI Account Executive Bastion
JULIA LAVIN Account Manager Axicom (Dell)
STEVEN LEVITT PR Manager Overclockers UK
SUZANNE MCNICHOLAS Senior Marketing Executive Mitra Marketing
Luke joined Bastion in January having previously help the post of UK editor and video host at IGN. This gave him a nice perspective of both the media and agency sides of the business. Over the three and a half years that Luke was at IGN he built up a deep understanding of the games industry and honed his skills in production as a frequent host of IGN’s video features. With Bastion’s recent account wins and the launch of the company’s new video division – Turnstile Productions – Luke was a natural choice to join the team.
As an enterprise tech enthusiast Julia is ideally suited to the Dell account at agency Axicom. Julia is an extremely helpful press officer, who goes the extra mile to ensure journalists have what they need to tell an entertaining and informative story. She is happy to assist when called upon, and will also take the initiative to offer stories and interviews to media. Julia has been an exceptional driver of Dell’s PR strategy in the UK and a pleasure to work with.
Steven has been focusing on Overclockers UK PR for a year. Over that time he’s certainly been kept a busy man, having publicised several significant initiatives for the company. One high profile project was a major partnership with GAME to take PC gaming back to the High Street. He was also part of the team that launched the 8Pack OrionX, which is one of the fastest consumer PCs in the world – the campaign reached a wide range of media, including business giant Forbes. ‘Helpful, knowledgeable and quick to respond’, said one of the people who nominated him.
In August, Suzanne joined Shrewsbury-based agency Mitra Marketing. Having previously served as a marketing executive at Entatech, where she was responsible for the company’s retail and networking and communications vendors, including Philips, Fujitsu, Kaspersky and TP-Link, Suzanne has proved to be an excellent member of the marketing team. Developing and executing marketing plans for each vendor, Suzanne’s role required close observation of quarterly targets, desired skus and budget.
After cutting her teeth in the PC industry almost 20 years ago, Rachel Gordon now holds an incredibly varied role as Mad Catz’ European marketing manager. Calling Rachel Gordon’s job role diverse would be a bit of an understatement. She is involved with retail and trade marketing, events, social media, product launches, merchandising, eSports sponsorships among other aspects of Mad Catz’s business. Her success in this role convinced our judges to award her with the 2015 PCR Women of the Year Marketing and PR accolade.
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PCR September 2016 | 21
TOP PRS
SAM MOHR Senior Account Executive Jargon PR
NARELLE MORRISON COO and Co-Founder Babel PR
OLLY MOORBY Business Manager Fujitsu Enterprise of Exertis
Sam’s skills are in working with smaller and more complex technology clients. He brings creativity to niche markets, particularly the IT channel, working with a number of companies to carve a profile that differentiates them from the rest of the market. Sam’s clients include some of Jargon PR’s longest serving clients, who he has helped to retain for his three years working at the company, including Cambridge tech darling RealVNC, cloud reseller Ancoris and channel services provider Agilitas. He’s also had a number of pieces published providing PR advice in PR Week and Real Business.
Narelle is a champion of equality, diversity and flexible working within the PR industry. Her business acumen and analytical nature have seen her move from being one of the biggest revenue generators in previous agencies, to setting up her own successful and profitable business. As part of her team development initiative, Narelle encourages employees to learn and foster new PR skills, become versatile business professionals, and work smarter rather than harder. This has led to the creation of a team of tenacious, creative and business savvy PR professionals that will become the future of the industry.
Olly is a well-known and respected professional, with good connections and focused on delivering value to partners. With a clear understanding of the business, Olly is a key enabler, creating profile, relationships, partnerships and opportunities – all of which has meant that partner growth and success has accelerated. As one nomination stated, he’s also committed to responding to requests, challenges and demands of a fast moving and dynamic environment.
HELEN SMITH Director Brunswick Group (Dixons Carphone)
ARJANG SALEHI Head of Notebook PR & Marketing MSI
SHAUN WOOTON Co-Founder & Principal Consultant Otto PR & Communications
Helen is a member of Brunswick’s consumer industries sector team, advising listed and unlisted retailers and consumer-facing companies on a range of corporate and financial communications issues, including tech giant Dixons Carphone. Her experience includes M&A, IPOs and other financial situations, corporate positioning, profile-raising, thought leadership campaigns and crisis communications. Helen is mostly based in London, and has also spent time working in Brunswick’s New York office.
Described as a ‘one man, walking, talking marketing machine’ by one of the people who nominated him, Arjang is known by his peers to be smart, capable and professional in his dealings with the media. Always front and centre for the MSI cause when it comes to industry events and expos, he also – if you’ll forgive the cliché – does a lot of charity work, proving he can climb mountains inside and outside of the tech channel.
Shaun is a much-liked and multilingual corporate communications professional, with extensive global experience and a focus on helping tech companies and brands communicate across borders. His specialties include strategic global communications, issues management and crisis communications, executive communications and coaching, facilitation, creative thinking, corporate and product comms. And yep, Shaun was the one behind the infamous Acer x Christian CowanSanluis Selfie Hat.
22 | PCR September 2016
CLARE NEWSOME PR and Social Media Marketing Exertis Unlimited Clare joined Exertis Unlimited with a wealth of experience, contacts and the track record of the great story teller. Since then, she has been instrumental in encouraging brands to work with the company to drive their development. In four years she has won over 40 brand PR contracts, resulting in hundreds of thousands of editorial and advertising column inches. Clare also changed the way Exertis Unlimited looked at channel marketing, encompassing e-shots, catalogues, brochures, pitch presentations and internal training.
BETHANY SMITH Senior Account Manager Eskenzi PR Beth is highly knowledgeable about the information security industry. She has an eye for detail and manages to organise multiple clients’ hectic PR schedules into an ordered plan that produces great results. As one nomination read: “I’ve worked with PR professionals in various industries over the past 15 years and Beth is easily one of the very best.”
HOW WE COMPILED THIS LIST This list is based on the nominations from people across the industry plus some editorial discretion where required. PCR considered a range of criteria including experience, creativity, coverage secured and other achievements.
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GAMING SPECIAL
Nvidia is taking
NOTEBOOKS
to the next level
The graphics card manufacturer has brought its latest range of graphics cards to notebooks with the aim of proving that the notebook is the ‘ultimate gaming platform’. Jonathan Easton takes a close look at the systems and discusses whether the notebook will ever replace desktops as the go-to platform of choice for PC gamers…
N
VIDIA IS ON a mission to prove that performance gaming isn’t restricted to desktops. “It used to be, not so long ago, that notebooks were, frankly, a compromise”, says Nvidia’s Mark Avermann. “All that has now changed”. Speaking at Coworth Park near Ascot, Avermann’s statement was the prelude to the announcement of the GeForce GTX 10 series for notebooks. From what was on show, it definitely looks like there is substance to the claim that notebooks are more powerful than ever. “The GPUs come in the same flavours as the desktop: 1080, 1070 and 1060. Boasting an estimated 76 per cent boost in performance over the previous generation of Nvidia’s mobile graphics cards, the company is determined to turn www.pcr-online.biz
notebooks into the “ultimate gaming platform”. OEMs certainly seem to have bought into this vision. “You’d be hard pressed to find an OEM that isn’t on board”, says Avermann, before showcasing the range of vendors such as Asus, MSI, EVGA and Dell. PCR was told that 10 series equipped notebooks will be available as soon as September, but no price points were announced. MOBILE WITHOUT THE ‘M’ The current 10 series is making the jump to the notebook and there isn’t an ‘M’ to be seen anywhere. “This is the full-board GPU available in the notebook, the full Pascal experience is available to gamers in a mobile form factor,” states Avermann. “We are now unveiling products that are
“Not so long ago, notebooks were frankly a compromise. All that has now changed”. Mark Avermann, Nvidia
entirely equivalent to the GPUs that you can experience in an add-in card”. These cards are built on the same Pascal architecture as their desktop counterparts, and compete impressively performance-wise to within about 10 per cent. What that means is a whole load of notebooks that pack one hell of a punch. 1080 equipped notebooks will be able run games at an extremely high level that would make a lot of desktop players blush. Nvidia claims that on ultra settings at 1080p, such a notebook would run Overwatch at 147 FPS, Doom at 145 FPS and Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst at 126. At 4K resolution the performance is almost as impressive, running Overwatch at 89 FPS. Trying out some of the 1060 and 1070 units on display across Doom, Overwatch and
Gears of War 4 (in the game’s first public PC appearance), performance was very slick. Frame rates were consistently high across the board (we were having to remind ourselves that yes, this is a notebook and it’s running a 2016 AAA game at over 100 FPS), and overall performance was stellar. Also worth pointing out was an updated EVGA SC17 with a 1070 card. This particular model – noteworthy for being the world’s first notebook with a 4K display – wasn’t quite running at the same frame rates as the others, but instead at that fabled and sought-after resolution. Unfortunately, the sole 1080 notebook was only available for benchmarking and that, predictably, performed very well. But all this talk of frame PCR September 2016 | 25
GAMING SPECIAL
rates and high performance is only the set-up for the big selling point of these notebooks. “These are very high performance. So high performance that in fact every one of these GPUs is virtual reality (VR) ready”, states Avermann. When PCR tested several of the HTC Vives that were set up, it was easy to forget the headset was plugged into a notebook that weighed only a few pounds. Nvidia says that this ease of availability will be a game changer for VR. “This means that millions of notebooks that are going to be sold over the coming year and more will be VR ready,” says Avermann. “This blows the door open for supporting VR in notebooks.” This announcement indicates the likelihood of companies to start bundling VR headsets together with notebooks, such as rumours of a partnership between Dell and HTC to create Vive PCs, which emerged in August. There is one big catch when it comes to VR on these notebooks though, and that comes down to power.
26 | PCR September 2016
“When we say that these notebooks are VR ready, we mean they are VR ready when plugged in”, Avermann states. That might be a stumbling block for anybody thinking that they can chuck their notebook in a backpack akin to what HP, MSI and Zotac have done – and not have to worry about stumbling around cables. That might not be a dealbreaker for most consumers who want VR out of their notebook, but it’s still a reminder that even though the technology has come on leaps and bounds, we still are some way from the perfect VR solution. PERFORMANCE AT A COST On paper, the 10 series on notebooks looks like a compelling proposition, providing an unprecedented level for performance on notebooks. There is one big caveat however – whether this level of performance will be a realistically affordable option for most gamers. No prices were available for the variety of notebooks that we saw, but it’s not difficult to
“Millions of notebooks that are going to be sold over the coming years will be VR ready. This blows the door open for supporting VR in notebooks.” Mark Avermann, Nvidia
see that these premium units are on the pricier side. This really presents the question of whether users will want them for the cost. Nvidia predicts that a notebook equipped with a 1060 will start at around $1,300 (£1,000 at time of writing). For the sake of comparison, the cheapest GTX 1060 equipped desktop PC we could find online was £628.98. Even given the extra added cost of peripherals, customers would still save a significant amount by purchasing a desktop. Avermann however belives that gaming notebooks provide unmatched flexibility and versatility. Avermann says: “What makes it the ultimate gaming platform is the fact that you get all this in a device that you can take with you wherever you want to go. “Whether you’re a gamer who wants to bring your platform to a friend’s house, whether you’re a gamer who wants to go to a LAN party, or whether you’re a gamer who actually wants to use the device to take notes in your
college class. It’s an extremely portable device. Why wouldn’t you want to be able to take your games with you wherever you go?” Nvidia has something of a monopoly when it comes to the gaming notebook market and it doesn’t predict that the situation will be altered in the near future. “Our current share is 90 to 95 per cent in gaming notebooks”, Avermann says. “We don’t expect that to change.” With the specs of the 10 series on gaming notebooks, it doesn’t look like there is any reason for it to change at all. The launch – the company’s biggest launch of gaming notebooks ever – is something that Nvidia intends to radically change the PC gaming landscape. The 10 series has become the standard for performance gaming on desktop and now Nvidia hopes to translate that success to a portable scale. The systems may be small and they may be mighty, but it remains to be seen whether they will be too costly for users to seriously consider picking one up instead of a desktop.
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ANALYSIS
Sainsbury’s tries something new with Argos as £1.3bn acquisition gets go-ahead Economic instability was predicted in a post-Brexit world, but that hasn’t deterred Sainsbury’s from going ahead with its proposed acquisition of Argos parent Home Retail Group. Jonathan Easton examines why Argos is valued so highly by the supermarket chain and what the ramifications could be for both going forward…
A
S ONE of the largest retailers in the country with more than 700 stores, Argos has gone through big changes in recent years. The chain has undergone a digital transformation, moving away from the large catalogues and paper and pens, to in-store tablet screens and a focus on etail. Now it’s caught the attention of J Sainsbury plc, with the supermarket giant set to acquire Argos’ parent company Home Retail Group for around £1.3 billion. A mammoth multi-faceted merchandising business will be created, but will it be enough to rival its competitors – and how will it change the market? Speaking to one senior Argos manager off-therecord, PCR was assured that the core businesses of the companies would be kept
28 | PCR September 2016
separate, with Home Retail Group retaining its preexisting headquarters in Milton Keynes. That is, of course, not without a watchful eye from Sainsbury’s, as the company has announced that it will promote its current CFO John Rogers to chief executive of Home Retail Group, upon the completion of the acquisition. We were also assured – and this was made very clear – that the acquisition of Home Retail Group by Sainsbury’s is definitively not a merger of the two. In fact, our source went on to say that the acquisition is happening to facilitate the growth and modernisation of Argos that has been going on over the past few years, as a part of the ‘Argos Transformation Plan’. IS IT A GAMBLE? The biggest question around the acquisition is: what will
Sainsbury’s do with Argos moving forwards? The Telegraph argues that the takeover deal will “leave the Sainsbury’s balance sheet more stretched, and its management with the task of
“The Sainsbury’s acquisition will facilitate the growth and modernisation of Argos.”
delivering on a strategy that many in the City criticise, or freely admit that they do not understand”. The most immediate plan, according to Sainsbury’s
strategy, is to follow the example of the 15 concessions in Sainsbury’s stores and relocate 55 per cent of Argos’ High Street shops into the supermarkets. This would, in the words of Sainsbury’s chief exec Mike Coupe, allow the company to serve customers “whenever, wherever they want to shop”. Equally as big an uncertainty is the scale of the deal in light of the EU referendum result. The likes of Dell, OnePlus and HTC have already raised their product prices, but Sainsbury’s remains undeterred. Coupe said: “I remain convinced by the strategic rationale of the deal. We believe that we can still deliver against the synergies and the execution that we’ve outlined, regardless of what economic conditions prevail.” Likewise, new Argos chief exec John Rogers said: “It’s
sensible to include a risk that captures the volatility of the economic environment. We’ve called Brexit out specifically because it’s something that’s very current in the economic backdrop.” The acquisition of Argos will create a £6 billion general merchandise business – larger than that of John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. It’s the latest coming together of two big retail brands on the UK High Street, following the Dixons Carphone deal two years ago, and paves the way for further consolidation in the future. ARGOS’ MODERNISATION You can see why Sainsbury’s is so interested in Argos. In recent years, Home Retail Group has been focused on bringing its antiquated image into the 21st Century. The in-store lumbering catalogues still exist, but www.pcr-online.biz
ANALYSIS
tablets have been added to stores, allowing customers to browse products and check stock. There are still some ‘legacy’ stores around, however, where paper and pencil are still king. Design wise, the stores have undergone a makeover. Gone are the tatty faux wooden floorboards and display cabinets of old, and in their place are sleek tiled floors and LED display boards. These not only display products, but also the members of staff that work in each individual store – and even the weather forecast. The 43-year-old brand has attempted to modernise its stores to the point that these hi-tech outlets are no longer simply stores, but rather ‘digital stores’. There are already store-in-stores at 15 Sainsbury’s supermarkets around the country (which had been open for a www.pcr-online.biz
considerable time before any news of the proposed acquisition came about). There are even click-andcollect shops in London Underground stations. This all shows that Argos is serious about retail and growing its business – two good reasons why Sainsbury’s wants in. This innovation has always been a part of Argos, according to outgoing Home Retain Group chief exec John Walden, who stated in 2015: “Argos led the way with ‘click and collect’ 15 years ago”. Argos also offers a wider variety of shopping options for customers, says Walden. “Customers can continue to shop with us in the traditional ways if they choose to. But we believe Fast Track [Argos’ same-day delivery service] is the next big innovation and brings shopping into the digital age for customers, allowing them to get up to
20,000 products in their hands faster than ever before. “No other retailer can offer the breadth of products immediately or at that speed.” While Amazon offers its similar Prime Now service to
“Argos is arguably one of the strongest competitors to Amazon, and a valuable asset for Sainsbury’s.” customers in certain catchment areas, it is only for those who are signed up to the company’s ubiquitous subscription model. This is a barrier which Argos does not
present to shoppers. Argos is able to get customers what they want from over 20,000 items through the company’s ‘hub and spoke’ distribution model, introduced last year. There are 150 larger ‘hub’ stores that can provide for those in its catchment area, effectively ensuring that whenever customers go to an Argos store, they will be able to have the item that they want within the same day. All of these efforts are to ensure that Argos is, as stated by Walden in the company’s annual trading statement, “a retail leader in an increasingly digital future”. Through its click-andcollect stores and speedy delivery, Argos is – according to the employee I spoke to – ahead of its competitors and has the likes of Amazon playing catch up. This makes it arguably one of the strongest competitors to
Amazon, and a valuable new asset for Sainsbury’s. That is at the heart of why Argos is valued so highly by Sainsbury’s: Argos has, according to some, a great shot at effectively competing with other etailers. Writing for The Spectator, Ogilvy Group UK vicechairman Rory Sutherland says: “Soon, I suspect, online shoppers will notice that the supposed convenience of having stuff delivered to your home is not very convenient at all, and the click-and-collect model pioneered by Argos will become the new normal.” Sainsbury’s strategy going forward will be interesting to follow as both companies change and grow. The modernisation that Argos has already undertaken will undoubtedly give it hope that it can continue to thrive as consumer habits evolve going forward. PCR September 2016 | 29
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PCR WOMEN OF THE YEAR
Simply the best 48 women from across the UK tech industry are up for a PCR Women of the Year 2016 award. We reveal the shortlist ahead of the big day at London’s Sway bar on Friday October 14th…
T
HE FINALISTS for this year’s PCR Women of the Year awards bash have been revealed. This year will see us bestowing awards on six lucky winners across the following categories: Creative Marketeer, PR Powerhouse, Rising Star, Sales Brilliance, Business Mentor and PCR Woman of the Year. The event’s goal is to make sure the trail-blazing female leaders of industry are recognised for their achievements, and this year we have a stronger focus on the inspiration these people can have on those starting out in the industry. A carefully put together panel will choose the winners from the
32 | PCR September 2016
nominations, with the trophies being presented on Friday October 14th at Sway bar, London. A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are also available for brands to support and engage with the PCR Women of the Year audience. To find out more contact Gurpreet Purewal (gpurewal@nbmedia.com), Sarah Goldhawk (sgoldhawk@nbmedia.com) or call 0207 354 6000. Are you a finalist? Know someone who is? Why not shout about it, using the Twitter hashtag #PCRWOTY to share the good news? Tickets are just £59 (plus VAT) and this will include free drinks and nibbles. You can buy tickets from the website. pcrwomenoftheyear.com
What happened last year? THE DAY got underway with some networking and drinks as the venue filled up. There were a few talks given about the importance of women in IT from PCR editor Dominic Sacco, Zaboura Communications founder and CEO Maggie Zaboura, and CompTIA’s senior vice president for industry relations Nancy Hammervik. FOUR AWARDS WERE HANDED OUT ON THE DAY: Q Rising Star - Abigail Bowen, Technician, Overclockers UK Q Marketing and PR - Rachel Gordon, European Marketing Manager, Mad Catz Q Sales - Michelle McGeoch, Senior Sales Manager, Lenovo
Q Woman of the Year - Nova Smith, Founder, IT Tablet UK Nancy Hammervick said: “This is the second year we are supporting this event. We are celebrating quite a few women who are setting an example for women in the industry.” Maggie Zaboura added: “I have been in tech all my life, but I did not have women mentoring me. It is very different today, as there’s a lot of women in this room and they all look amazing.” The winners were chosen by a panel of eight experts, based on testimonials from each of the finalist’s colleagues, bosses, or work contacts. The awards ceremony followed the success of the inaugural PCR Woman of the Year awards in 2014, which was won by Dell’s Sarah Shields.
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PCR WOMEN OF THE YEAR
The finalists Creative Marketeer
PCR Woman of the Year
Q Charlotte Lammin, UK Sales & Marketing Manager, BenQ
Q Tracy Pound, Managing Director, Maximity Limited
Q Ritu Vasudeva , Head of Consumer Marketing, Kaspersky Lab
Q Maggie Zaboura, Founder and MD, Zaboura
Q Janet O’Sullivan, Channel Marketing Manager, Storagecraft Q Faye Andrews, UK Marketing Manager, Dell
Q Stefanie Sears-Black, Head of Business Development IM Division, Samsung
Q Rebecca Richards, Marketing Manager, Westcoast
Q Emma Lattimer, Comms Manager, TP-LINK
Q Kirsty Guy, Marketing Manager, Tech Data
Q Chloe Harris-Williams, Buyer, John Lewis
Q Lucy Lincoln, Senior Channel Marketing Manager, BullGuard
Q Linda Hassall, Head of Retail / Channel Marketing UK & Ireland, Acer
Q Natalie Boon , Channel Marketing Specialist, ASUS
Q Ann Keefe, Regional Director - UK & Ireland, Kingston Q Louise Honeywill, Head of PCD, Northamber
PR Powerhouse Q Maggie Zaboura, Founder/CEO, Zaboura Communications
Sales Brilliance
Q Eleonore de Fournas, International PR Manager, Netatmo
Q Karen Harrison, Senior Account Executive, SHI
Q Emma Lattimer, Marketing Manager, TP-LINK
Q Alicia Shepherd, Retail Sales Manager, Entatech UK Ltd
Q Michelle Cross, Account Manager, The PR Room
Q Jane Craven, Sales Director, Sennheiser Communications
Q Stephanie Fergusson, Corporate Communications Manager, UK, Kaspersky Lab
Q Carly Hill, LCD Product Manager, BenQ
Q Sarah Chard, Director, The PR Room
Q Annika Fagerstrom, Head of Retail Sales & Distribution, Epson UK
Q Kirsty Enfield, Founder and Director, Swipe Right PR
Q Laura Lewis-Weaver, Retail Team Leader, Entatech
Q Alex Cloney, Sr Account Manager, Proof Communications UK
Q Charlotte Shone, Channel Account Manager, Kaspersky Lab
Q Emma Beddoes, Business Development Manager, Nemesis Ltd
Q Ilaria Cella, EMEA Channel Sales Manager, Thycotic Q Claire Brown, Business Development Manager, CMS Distribution
Rising Star Q Rachel Bisney, Marketing Specialist, Asus Q Faye Andrews, Retail Marketing Manager, Dell UK
Business Mentor
Q Rosie Pinder, Accounts Supervisor, AAG Systems
Q Karin Huettl, Director of UK Operations, SHI
Q Rebecca Williams, Assistant Buyer, John Lewis
Q Linda Yi, Financial Controller, BenQ
Q Danielle Barker, Buying Manager, Tesco
Q Alexa Greaves, CEO, AAG Sytems
Q Maria Malageac, Purchasing Manager, Mesh Computers
Q Vicky Tuck, Head of Regional Marketing UK, Kaspersky Lab
Q Georgia Kieron, Best Tablet Company
Q Sue Gilkes, Owner, Your Impact
Q Rebecca Kitt, Social Media Apprentice, CompTIA
Q Stephanie Willems, Managing Director Northern Europe, Belkin
PCR Woman of the Year 2016 When: October 14th, 11.30am to 3pm
Where: Sway Bar, London Tickets: ÂŁ59 plus VAT Twitter hashtag: #PCRWOTY
Web: www.pcrwomenoftheyear.com Sponsor opportunities: Contact Sarah Goldhawk on sgoldhawk@nbmedia.com or call 0207 354 6000
Visit www.pcrwomenoftheyear.com for more info including ticketing and event details
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PCR September 2016 | 33
INTERVIEW
Toshiba’s IoT dream After doubling its range of B2B PCs and notebooks earlier this year, Toshiba is now repositioning its business to up its focus on support, channel partners and the Internet of Things. Dominic Sacco asks Northern Europe B2B PC business unit director Neil Bramley how Toshiba is realigning its business and why it’s making certain changes…
W
hat changes is Toshiba making? We are reorganising our focus into certain business segments, getting closer to the customer and have a better understanding of their needs, particularly with the advent of new technologies and Internet of Things (IoT) implementations. We’ve introduced turnkey solutions we can develop for the customer and drive demand for our
Neil Bramley says Toshiba is the longest-standing mobile provider in the notebook business
channel partners. About six months ago, we doubled our range of B2B PCs and notebooks, increasing our offering in the mid-area of mobiles. With Mobile Zero Client [which allows staff to work on the move while retaining security regulations], we’re starting to see some technology leadership through our own
R&D, engineering and manufacturing. We also have our own BIOS. In the UK we’ve developed a new solution called Shuttle, particularly addressing the education market. It’s a management service aiding schools to move from onpremise to off-premise. What kind of growth are you aiming for? We’re looking at double-digit growth, but it’s growth where we choose to focus, so corporate, government, midmarket, health and certain areas of education. Why are you dedicating a large part of your European sales team to working more closely with end users? The goal is to ensure we’re as close to the end user as possible and to understand and meet their needs. In the future context, the greater understanding of the customer needs as we transition towards IoT means that we can create and take
to market the most effective ICT and IoT solutions. If we look at the explosive forecast around IoT platforms, there is a vast opportunity there for our channel partners and for businesses to reengineer aspects on the way in which they work. What kind of IoT products and services do you have? Zero Client in itself is completely cloud-based and we do have gateway devices planned for the future. It’s a step-change for us. It takes us out of the conventional ‘wintel’ to virtual Citrix/
Tell us about the ‘Make IT Work’ campaign. It’s a large advertising campaign with substantial investment – well in excess of one million euros – that will be running for a considerable amount of time. It’s a part of awareness and demand generation that we’re putting in place to invest in the future of B2B. It’s across media, PR, social, above-the-line and below-the-line communications and events. Why should resellers get on board with Toshiba as opposed to other vendors?
“Our product range is wider than ever before and addresses more of the market and customer needs.” Neil Bramley, Toshiba vmware virtualization propositions. It’s also an opportunity for new partnerships and to drive further into services and management offers. Toshiba is also involved in a home energy management solutions project, which is at the start of its rollout now. It covers much of the UK. It’s a collaboration with other key partners and a classic representation of an IoT-type device being used in an application to increase efficiency and knowledge in the home.
We are the longest-standing mobile provider in the notebook business, we’ve been doing this longer and more consistently than anyone else, and 100 per cent with our channel partners through those 30 years. Channel partners are critical to our business – all our revenue is [made] with them. Our product range is wider than ever before and addresses more of the market and customer needs than before. There’s an opportunity for growth in that right. We are committed to the B2B arena.
SUPPLY AND DEMAND What are Toshiba’s thoughts on market consolidation and distributors buying other, smaller suppliers? “I think it’s a natural part of business cycles,” Neil Bramley explains. “Sometimes there are periods of consolidation, but even though consolidation happens in one area of the market, new organisations and
34 | PCR September 2016
ventures are started in other areas of the market. We have an excellent relationship with our distribution partners and look forward to enjoying that as we move forward.” Toshiba’s distributors are Westcoast, Exertis, Tech Data and Ingram Micro. It also has a distributor partner in Ireland called Micro Warehouse.
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MYSTERY SHOPPER
Epsom It is the home of one of the country’s most iconic race courses, but this month our Mystery Shopper visits Epsom on the hunt for a gaming mouse under £50…
7/10 GAME UPON ENTERING GAME, it’s clear the store is not primarily aimed at PC gamers. Making my way through the swathes of blue and green plastic cases to the till, I am met by a modestly sized PC section with a rack of games and a few peripherals, most of which are in excess of my budget. After lingering around the area for a few minutes, a member of staff saunters over and asks if I need any help. “Hi, I’m looking for a mouse with a price range of around £40 to £50.” 36 | PCR September 2016
The member of staff describes the £35 Mad Catz R.A.T. TE mouse to me. When pushed for a recommendation on a mouse should money be no object, the store assistant turns to his colleague behind the till who then speaks to the manager in the back room. Seconds later, they emerge with a new £50 Corsair mouse. While I was impressed by the personable tone of the staff members, I was left wanting more items. The staff are more knowledgeable on PC gaming than they were.
“I did not feel pressured to buy, I did not feel I was being upsold, and I was spoken to by someone with authority. This is what shopping should be.”
2/10 SAINSBURY’S MAKING my way to the large tech section at the back of the supermarket, I’m met by a wide range of budget and moderately priced tablets, notebooks and 2-in-1s, as well as gaming products. In fact the only item over £400 is a Microsoft Surface 3 at £450. While there are a lot of gaming goodies, however, there is a lack of PC gaming peripherals. As the pricing of the computers suggest, this is not really a place for PC gamers to buy systems, and likewise, there is little to be seen of
peripherals. Sainsbury’s only stocks three HP mice (two Bluetooth, one wired, all under £30), none of which look particularly well equipped to deal with the rigours of gaming. So, unfortunately, the large section has a disappointing lack of service for PC gamers. Equally disappointing is the customer service. I stand around for 15 minutes before approaching a hurried looking member of staff who says that tech and gaming wasn’t their area, before rushing off. Disappointing. www.pcr-online.biz
MYSTERY SHOPPER
STAR STORE
10/10 MAPLIN ALMOST immediately after entering the store, a polite member of staff asks me if there’s anything I need. I ask about gaming mice and am led to the visually-appealing gaming section. There’s a demo PC here that allows users to try a Corsair mouse and keyboard set. A screen above plays videos of Overwatch (which the sales assistant admits is a passion project for staff). This lighthearted exchange might not seem like much but it shows that the store assistant not only knows their
stuff, but is also an avid gamer – and it lets you relax into a conversation without feeling pressured. Asking me the type of games I play, the assistant directs me to a mouse that’s on offer for £39.99 down from £44.99. The staff member describes the features, including DPI. I did not feel pressured in the slightest to buy, I did not feel that I was being upsold, and I was spoken to by someone with an authority on the subject. This is what shopping should be.
SUMMARY
4/10 STAPLES STAPLES IS not renowned for its computers or peripherals, but I thought the office supplies store might have a few tricks up its sleeve. The mouse and keyboard section has several demo units on display but a distinct lack of gaming mice. The closest thing this store sells to a premium mouse for gaming are two Logitech ones: the MXMaster and the MXAnywhere, retailing at £79.99 and £69.99 respectively. I am unable to actually look at them because they are locked to a rail. www.pcr-online.biz
5/10 ARGOS
Still, willing to give the store the benefit of the doubt, I wait to see if an assistant can present me with an alternative. After standing around for 15 minutes and having several staff members walk past me, I stop one and ask if there are any more I can see. After they take me to the section I had already been to, they direct me to look on the website because “there should be more on there”. While I was not expecting there to be a wide range of options in Staples, I found the whole experience unfulfilling.
THIS ARGOS store – situated in a quaint bricked arcade – has definitely not seen the updates that the company has prided itself on over the past year. Walking into the store, I am confronted by the all-too familiar mountain of catalogues and rows of tables with laminated pages, pencils and slender sheets of paper. Ruffling through the tome in front of me, I am initially perplexed when, while looking in the gaming section, there is nothing to do with PC gaming at all (save for
a copy of Star Wars: Battlefront that, after checking, was out of stock). Likewise, flicking to the index and scanning under the letter ‘M’, there is no mention of mice. Almost ready to give up, I turn to the page for keyboards and, lo and behold, there are two options for me. What’s more, they are both within budget: a £34.99 Corsair Katar and a £29.99 Steel Series Rival 100. But they are out of stock. A member of staff is set on selling me the item and having it delivered though.
WHILE PC gaming is growing, it would appear that only a minority of High Street retailers are really catering to the burgeoning audience. Maplin had both the largest selection of gaming mice and the most knowledgeable staff. It should come as no surprise that it was the winner, given its reputation for a wide array of stock and knowledgeable staff. By contrast I was most disappointed by Argos, because even though there were two stores that ranked lower, Argos with its reputation as a one-size-fitsall store could be doing more to garner gaming customers. The member of staff I spoke to in GAME made a valiant effort to assist me, but unfortunately the company’s business model is currently so heavily dependent on console gaming that there was little he could do to help. By contrast, the two largest stores on this list provided me with the worst experiences and proved to be a waste of time for PC gaming. While the specialist stores have jumped on board, more general stores have a lot of catching up to do.
PCR September 2016 | 37
RETAILER OF THE MONTH
FACT FILE Established: 1985 Stores: 1 Address: 36 Westbury Lane, Bristol BS9 2PP
PC Utilities
Contact: 0117 962 6364
Synaxon’s TrustATec Partner of the Year has seen many industry trends come and go over the years. Dominic Sacco interviews founder and MD Spencer Hall about the win, and asks just how much his business has changed since it was established back in the 1980s… Congratulations on being named TrustATec Partner of the Year. How does it feel to have won? I was really surprised. I didn’t even realise there was a category. The first thing I knew about it was sitting during the Synaxon dinner that evening, the person I was sitting next to said our name was down for another category. So I looked and wondered who else was up for an award, then I realised, ah, we’re in two! If I hadn’t have looked at the menu where they listed the nominations, I would’ve wondered why they called my name out! What do you think of Synaxon’s TrustATec scheme? How has it been for business? When Keith White came to see me to suggest the idea, I thought this might work, because a lot of small retailers 38 | PCR September 2016
like myself tend to be geeks. Although we do marketing, we do it reluctantly, because if you don’t do it, you’re off the game. You have to pay about £50 a month for the basic website, but by the time you’ve paid for AdWords you’re probably looking more like £150 a month. This isn’t rocket science. It’s the question of getting further up the Search Engine Optimisation on Google. So when you have Synaxon, a respectable organisation behind it, it ought to work. I would have to say the progress to date is probably best described as disappointing. Yes I have had some enquiries, but nothing like the enquiries I used to get per pound invested from the Yellow Pages. However, in its final years, the Yellow Pages became an increasing waste of time, it just didn’t seem to work. The problem with
TrustATec is that according to their SEO champion, you’ve got to be online for at least six months before Google takes you seriously. I did have a bit of a moan to the person who organised all of it and she does take it very seriously. There is a definite
“When I first came into the industry, it was very, very rare to go into someone’s house and see a computer.” Spencer Hall, PC Utilities commitment from Synaxon to get this to work. Tell us about PC Utilities’ background… PC Utilities got going in 1985. The idea was we’d write little
utility programs for the PC, which by then had been out for two or three years. But in actual fact, what we ended up doing was writing a portfolio management system for Hargreaves Lansdown, the investment firm. I wrote all the initial software for them from 1981 to about 1991. That went on getting bigger and bigger until it began to outrun what you could do with PCs and DOS. Today, we fix PCs. I’ve been working in this industry for 30 odd years now and it’s changed completely. How has it changed for you? When I first came into the industry, to go into someone’s house and see a computer was very, very rare in the ‘80s. You might see Commodores and Spectrums… but if you go into someone’s house now and there isn’t a computer, it’s more unusual.
Email: support@pcutilities.co.uk Website: www.pcutilities.co.uk
What ticks you off about the tech industry and your line of work? I do get pissed off with people constantly banging on about the cloud. There’s a customer I have – a nursery school in Portishead – who moved to an all-cloud accounting and administration system. When BT had that big outage in July, they were without a connection for over a week. So they didn’t know who was authorised to collect kids anymore, or what allergies kids had, because they couldn’t look it up – they didn’t have an internet connection. If it was in-house, at least you’d stand a reasonable chance of getting the show back on the road, even if you had a crash. The other nice thing about on-premise is the sheer speed of it all. It’s also pretty robust – even if a JCB goes through your phone cable. www.pcr-online.biz
RESELLER PROFILE / OPINION
RESELLER PROFILE: PRIMO IT
This education specialist supplies IT to over 200 schools, colleges and universities. Not bad for a small 16-year old business from Shepshed says Primo IT education and contract manager Richard Harland…
PRIMO IT HAS carved out quite the niche for itself in the IT reseller space as a supplier to education institutions of all shapes and sizes. Situated in Shepshed, a small town in Leicestershire, the company has over the course of its 16-year life become a major player in providing tech to schools, colleges and universities. As a company that primarily focuses on catering to education institutions, Primo IT’s speciality is creating bespoke solutions in the supply of IT hardware and software consultancy. Primo has beaten the competition of several considerably larger businesses to be awarded as a supplier on the ITRAP framework agreement.
ITRAP – standing for IT Related Accessories and Parts – is an agreement that enables Primo IT to supply equipment to hundreds of education institutions. “It means a huge amount to us, we have now been rewarded for our hard work in regards to customer service and attention,” said Richard Harland, Primo IT’s education and contract manager. For a small company, Primo IT has quite the workload, currently supplying IT “to over 200 schools, colleges and universities”. But in spite of the scale of Primo’s operations, Harland believes that the company’s unique business model makes it stand out over the competition.
This boils down to one main aspect that the education and contract manager recognises: “The website is there to service the company, the company isn’t there to service the website.” It’s a simple adage but one that Primo defines itself by. “As the smallest company on the framework we firmly believe our focus on customer service and account management is an important factor on why customers choose us over the competition,” Harland says. “We want to spread the word, so people know that there is a company out there that has a personal touch – and can provide them with a customer service that some of the other companies may not offer.”
Primo IT is a reseller specialising in supplyng IT for education institutions. www.primoit.co.uk
Are Nvidia’s new notebooks really ‘the ultimate gaming platform’? In this month’s gaming column, PCR deputy editor Jonathan Easton assesses Nvidia’s lofty claims of its new range of graphics cards for notebooks – and asks whether more gamers will be picking a notebook over a desktop in the future… GAMING NOTEBOOKS are “the ultimate gaming platform”. Well, at least that’s if you ask Nvidia. It’s a buzzword sounding, headline grabbing and attention seeking claim that the graphics card manufacturer trotted out in its reveal of the GeForce GTX 10 series for notebooks. While they present the best gaming experience I’ve had on a notebook, I’m stil not entirely on the gaming notebook train. Notebooks in their very nature are more transitory things than either desktops or consoles. Doing other things while using a
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notebook is inherent in the nature of the thing – browsing the internet while watching TV, watching a film on a plane, taking notes or playing Football Manager in a class. None of these are really the optimum way of doing anything over a long stretch of time, whether it’s due to the limited real estate afforded by a notebook’s monitor, the awkwardness of using a smaller keyboard for extended periods or the energy-draining requirements of highintensity applications. This goes doubly so for gaming.
“There’s nothing that can be done to make notebooks as good as the desktops they’re living in the shadows of.” Jonathan Easton, PCR
Gaming is best enjoyed on a powerful rig with a massive screen and bespoke peripherals and while the Pascal-equipped gaming notebooks shown off by Nvidia certainly have the first base covered, the other two are unavoidably missed. From my own time with them, I can say that those notebooks were the best gaming experience I’ve ever had on a notebook. But what I would’ve given to have that same experience on a big monitor with a chunky mechanical keyboard. Defenders of the notebook argue that you can have all
that and not even need to look at the device, but I’d respond by asking them if there’s really much point in a gaming notebook if you’re trying to forget it’s a notebook. If it’s the specs that you’re looking for then you can get even more for a fraction of the cost in a desktop. If mobility is top of the agenda then a seriously powerful gaming notebook is too clunky to lug about town. Notebooks can be a good gaming platform, but there’s nothing that can be done to make them as good as the desktops they’re living in the shadows of.
PCR September 2016 | 39
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SECTOR GUIDE
Playing the parts Components are in demand as gamers look beyond ready-built PCs to system builders and making their own systems. PCR picks out some of the best components that users can find to level up their gaming…
COOLER MASTER MASTERCASE MAKER 5
COOLER MASTER MASTERLIQUID PRO 240
ANTEC GX1200
ZOTAC GEFORCE GTX 1080 AMP EXTREME
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The MasterCase Maker 5 goes beyond the concept of a standard case by offering the option to swap and readjust its form and functionality with multiple outlooks, ample space and customised accessories.
Cooler Master’s holistic approach to the flow of heat puts in your hands a comprehensive cooling machine that lasts longer, performs better and requires virtually no maintenance.
The GX1200 offers lots of room for customisation and plenty of features including RGB LED lighting and a fancontroller.
ZOTAC’s GTX 1080 AMP Extreme is currently one of the fastest graphics cards on the market and remains cool under pressure, thanks to its IceStorm cooling system and patented dualblade Eko fans.
Specs: 528.6(L) x 235(W) x 548(H) mm, drive bays: 2 x 5.25”, 5 x 3.5”, USB 3.0 x1, USB 3.0 (type C) x1
Specs: Fan Noise Level 6 - 30 dBA, 120 x 120 x 25 mm, Fan Speed 650 ~ 2000 RPM (PWM) ± 10 per cent
Specs: 510 mm x 510 mm x 200 mm, drive bays: 2 x 3.5”, 3 x 2.5”, Dual intake fans
Specs: GPU GeForce GTX 1080, CUDA cores 2560, Video memory 8GB GDDR5X
SRP: £199
SRP: £94.99
SRP: £69.99
SRP: £669.99
BE QUIET DARK BASE PRO 900 CASE
BE QUIET BK009 PURE ROCK HEATSINK & FAN
CORSAIR MAGNETIC LEVITATION FAN SERIES
CORSAIR VENGEANCE LED HIGH PERFORMANCE
Distributors: Spire Technology, Ingram Micro
Distributor: Spire Technology
Distributors: Exertis, Entatech
Distributors: Exertis, Entatech
The Dark Base Pro 900 is designed for high-end enthusiasts and individualists, with aluminum surfaces, steel and a tempered glass side window that offer stability with elegant aesthetics.
With Pure Rock, Be Quiet presents a CPU cooler series aimed at the essential category of PC systems that seeks to give users the best possible mix of performance and price.
The ML Series delivers unrivaled performance and lower noise by utilising magnetic levitation tech and custom rotor design. In addition, the ultra-bright LEDs allow users to match your fans with the rest of your build.
Corsair Vengeance LED Series DDR4 memory modules are designed to provide a unique look with vibrant LEDs. Preconfigured XMP2.0 profiles allow for automatic, reliable overclocking.
Specs: 577x243x585mm, EATX, no PSU, three SilentWings 3 fans
Specs: 120 x 120 x 25 mm, 1,500 RPM, Silence-optimized Be Quiet fan
Specs: Magnetic levitation bearing, custom rotor design
Specs: Built-in heat spreaders, Ten-layer PCB and carefully screened RAM, supports XMP 2.0
SRP: £214.99
SRP: £29.99
SRP: Starting from £17.99
SRP: Starting from £99.99
www.pcr-online.biz
PCR September 2016 | 41
SECTOR GUIDE
THERMALTAKE CORE P3 OPEN FRAME CHASSIS
CRUCIAL MX300
SANDISK EXTREME PRO SSD
AKASA 8CM AMBER SERIES CASE FAN
Distributors: Aone, Exertis
Distributors: CMS Distribution, M2M, Northamber, Tech Data
Distributor: CMS Distribution
Distributor: Northamber
The Core P3 Open Frame chassis from Thermaltake sets a new benchmark in groundbreaking open frame chassis design. With full support for liquid cooling, the Core P3 is built from the ground up to make even the most advanced PC customization and modification effortless and hassle free.
The Crucial MX300 solid state drive is built for speed and loaded with advanced features, delivering an immediate increase to system performance. With fast read/write speeds on all file types, the Crucial MX300 enables users to boot up almost instantly, load programs with ease, and accelerate demanding applications. The drive is engineered with Micron 3D NAND technology.
Pro-level performance for serious gamers; SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD delivers super-fast 550MB/s sequential read speeds. Waiting for big, graphicsintensive games to load is time you’ll never get back but with the SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD, it’s time you never have to waste.
The award winning Akasa Amber series set the standard for quiet fans. The distinctive amber colour rotor blades are designed with low air impedance, which creates an ultra quiet acoustic experience.
Specs: 512 x 333 x 470 mm, drive bays: 2 x 3.5” or 3 x 2.5”, eight expansion ports
Specs: Up to 1TB, Adaptive Thermal Protection technology, uses only 0.075W of power
Specs: Capacity up to 960 GB, write speed up to 515 MB/s
Specs: Only 20dB(A), Twin Ball, precision balanced low air impedance fan blades
SRP: £105
SRP: Starting from £64.99
SRP: £170.84 (excl. RRP)
SRP: £4.67
G. SKILL RIPJAWS V SERIES
ASUS STRIX RX 480-08G-GAMING
ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING/ AURA MOTHERBOARD
HYPERX FURY DDR4
Distributor: M2M
Distributors: Spire Technology, VIP Computers, Tech Data, Exertis
Distributors: Spire Technology, VIP Computers, Tech Data, Exertis
Distributors: Entatech, Ingram Micro, Tech Data, Simms International
As the latest addition to the classic Ripjaws family, Ripjaws V series is the newest dual-channel DDR4 memory designed for maximum compatibility and cutting-edge performance with the latest Intel Core processors. Built with the latest components, tested under the most rigorous conditions, and offered in five colour options, Ripjaws V is the perfect choice for building a new performance system.
ROG Strix Radeon RX 480 gaming graphics cards are packed with exclusive ASUS technologies, including DirectCU III Technology with Patented Wing-Blade Fans for 30 per cent cooler and three times quieter performance. Industry-only ‘Auto-Extreme Technology’ boasts premium quality and reliability.
ASUS brings you the world’s first 3D-printing-friendly motherboard with patent-pending mounting design for the ultimate customisation. The refresh not only comes with 3D printing options but also with Aura RGB lighting, which syncs with other Aura devices to bring you a beautiful visual experience.
HyperX Fury CC/c DDR4 is the first product line to offer automatic overclocking via plug-and-play functionality for the next generation of high-end desktops, featuring the Intel X99 chipset and Z170 chipsets.
Specs: Up to 128GB capacity, dualchannel DDR4
Specs: 1330MHz boost clock, VR friendly HDMI ports
Specs: LGA1151 socket for 6thgeneration Intel processors, Dual DDR4 support
Specs: 2133MHz/2400MHz/2666MHz, CL14 – 16, 1.2V, 8GB and 16GB modules and kits up to 64GB
SRP: £67.50 – £75
SRP: £289.99
SRP: £325.99
SRP: £35 – £260
42 | PCR September 2016
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SECTOR GUIDE
FRACTAL NODE 202 CASE WITH INTEGRA SFS 450
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES AIR 540 CASE
BE QUIET DARK ROCK PRO 3 CPU COOLER
BE QUIET POWER ZONE PSU
Distributors: Entatech, Exertis
Distributor: Entatech
Distributors: Spire Technology, Ingram Micro
Distributors: Spire Technology, Ingram Micro
The Node 202 is the ultimate PC case for those looking for a beautifully designed, compact chassis that can house a capable gaming build. The sleek design makes it very attractive next to the TV or on a desk in an office.
The unconventional design of the Carbide Series Air 540 utilises dual chambers to deliver cooler air to your CPU, graphics cards, motherboard and memory without your drives or power supply getting in the way.
The dual tower Dark Rock Pro 3 stands out with seven 6mm heat pipes and aluminium fins to minimise turbulence, while improving cooling performance up to 250 watts TDP, at a maximum noise level of 26.1 decibels.
The Be Quiet Power Zone is home for discerning gamers and PC enthusiasts seeking top performance and great features. Power Zone hits the sweet spot with stability, advanced cooling features, low noise and great value.
Specs: 377 x 82 x 330 mm, 2 x 2.5 SSD unit positions, 2 x 120mm optional fan positions in graphics card chamber
Specs: 332 x 458 x 415mm, drive bays: 2 x 5.25”, 2 x 3.5”, 4 x 2.5”, USB 3.0 x2
Specs: 250W TDP, 150x137x163mm
Specs: 650W, 750W, 850W, 1000W
SRP: £128.96
SRP: £114.99
SRP: £76.99
SRP: £104.99 – £169.99
PNY GEFORCE GTX 1060
PNY ANARCHY
INTEL INTEL CORE I7 6700K
SEAGATE 2TB SSHD HYBRID
Distributors: Exertis, Tech Data
Distributors: Exertis, Tech Data
Distributor: Tech Data
Distributor: Tech Data
The PNY GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card is loaded with innovative new gaming technologies, making it the perfect choice for the latest highdefinition games.
PNY’s premium Anarchy X modules combine top-tier components and select ICs for aggressive speed, low latency, reliability and the extreme overclocking capabilities that serious gamers demand.
The i7 6700K is the flagship processor of the Skylake-S line-up. This features exceptional performance that is increased by up to 22 per cent and offers six times faster storage bandwidth for quicker media access.
This hybrid drive combines the massive capacity of a desktop hard drive with the right amount of ultra-fast NAND flash (the same type used in SSDs) to increase system performance.
Specs: 8 Gbps, 6GB GDDR5, 1708 MHz boost clock
Specs: 16GB (4xGB), Desktop DDR4, quad channel kit
Specs: Four Cores, DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600, up to 64gb, up to 4.2GHz
Specs: 7200 RPM, SATA 6Gb/s
SRP: £258
SRP: £61
SRP: £305.99
SRP: £69.99
CONTACT
www.pcr-online.biz
Aone:............................ 0161 763 3633
Ingram Micro:.............. 0871 973 3000
Smithie: ....................... 0125 684 4028
CMS Distribution: ....... 01423 704 700
M2M: ............................ 0208 676 6067
Spire Technology: ....... 01202 828 444
Entatech: ..................... 0333 101 1000
Northamber: ............... 020 8296 7066
Tech Data: ................... 01256 788 134
Exertis: ..........................01282 776776
Simms International: .. 01622 852 800
VIP: ............................... 0192 528 6900
PCR September 2016 | 43
SECTOR GUIDE
Peripheral power Gaming accessories continue to show growth, with keyboard sales up 27 per cent year-on-year in Q2, and mice sales rising 34 per cent. PCR features some of the best new performance PC peripherals on the market…
COOLER MASTER MASTERKEYS KEYBOARD
NEMESIS KANE KEYBOARD & MOUSE
ASUS WIRELESS TRI-BAND ROUTER
CORSAIR VOID USB GAMING HEADSET
Distributors: Entatech, Exertis
Distributor: J&J Associates
Distributor: Spire Technology
Distributors: Entatech, Exertis
Cooler Master has redesigned the interior of the MasterKeys Pro L to fit both Cherry MX switches and LEDs that can radiate 16.7 million colours. You also get on-the-fly macros, profile support and software.
The Kane Pro sports a stylish and aggressive finish that sits comfortably on any gaming setup. Both the keyboard and mouse feature backlit keys, with three preset colours for the keyboard and colour shifting for the mouse.
This ultra-fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi router comes with a combined tri-band data rate of 5334 Mbps for low latency online gaming, smooth 4K streaming and fast file sharing. It’s Tri-Band and can handle multiple devices connected at once.
VOID is a new family of gaming headsets from Corsair, from wireless to USB or stereo powered audio gear. With InfoMic and CUE Control, Corsair VOID gaming headsets enable users to control their gaming soundscape.
Specs: Cherry MX RGB Switch, RGB LED Backlight (16.7 million colours support), ARM Cortex M3 32bit CPU
Specs: 1.4m cable, 1200, 1600, 1800, 2400DPI
Specs: Two 5 GHz data rates up to 4334 Mbps and 2.4 GHz up to 1000 Mbps, 8X capacity Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO
Specs: Dolby 7.1 surround, RGB lighting, oversized 50mm neodymium drivers
SRP: £149.99
SRP: £24.99
SRP: £459.29
SRP: £69.99
SANDISK EXTREME 500 PORTABLE SSD
GENIUS GAMING SPEAKER
CHERRY MX-BOARD 6.0
HAMA URAGE GAMING MOUSE
Distributor: Peak Development
Distributor: Northamber
Distributors: Entatech, Exertis, Northamber
Distributor: Hama
This is less than half the size of your smartphone but can deliver up to four times the speed of a portable hard drive. It boasts flash technology with no moving parts, offering reliable, responsive, high-performance storage.
For gamers looking for a powerhouse stereo sound while playing games or watching movies, there’s the new 5.1 surround sound SW-G5.1 3500 speaker from the Genius GX gaming series.
In terms of build quality and finish, the CHERRY MX-Board 6.0 excels, and the brand-new analog RealKey technology makes it the fastest keyboard on the market, according to Cherry.
The illumination of the uRage Gaming Mouse provides visual insight into its function, with adjustable (600/1200/1800) integrated 2400dpi optical gaming sensor and six quick acting input buttons.
Specs: USB 3.0, available in 120, 240 and 480GB capacities
Specs: Total output power 80 watts (RMS), 6.5-inch driver, headphone jack
Specs: Red backlighting (100 brightness levels), 2m textile-covered USB cable, 454 x 147 x 28.4mm, 1,350g
Specs: USB-A Plug connection, six buttons & scroll wheel, optical sensors, 600/1200/1800/2400/3600 resolution
SRP: From £61.74 (excl. VAT)
SRP: £109.99
SRP: £150 GBP
SRP: £49.99
44 | PCR September 2016
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SECTOR GUIDE
G.SKILL RIPJAWS KM780 RGB
ASUS ROG SPATHA MOUSE
ROCCAT SOVA MK KEYBOARD/LAPBOARD
HYPERX PREDATOR 1TB USB FLASH DRIVE
Distributor: M2M Direct
Distributors: Spire Technology, VIP Computers, Tech Data, Exertis
Distributor: Meroncourt
Distributor: Entatech
The RIPJAWS KM780 RGB mechanical gaming keyboard has a Cherry MX mechanical keyswitch in RGB backlighting, features per-key programmability, on-the-fly macro recording and six extra macro keys.
The ASUS ROG Spatha is a top end high quality wireless mouse. It boasts an edgy design mixed with some RGB lighting effects, plus it includes a switchable socket design for customisable click resistance and future proofing.
This has been field tested with hundreds of hours of play to accommodate couch gaming. Everything from the ergonomic shape to the cushioned underside parts, to the wrist-rest has been considered.
Kingston Technology is a memory leader and is well-known for providing high quality memory products at an attractive price. System specific memory modules are guaranteed to be 100 per cent compatible with the user’s system.
Specs: Cherry MX RGB Switches, 2mm actuation distance, 50 million keystroke durability
Specs: Programmable 12 buttons, 8200DPI, 150ips, 30g acceleration and 2000Hz USB polling rate
Specs: 275mm × 240mm Mousepad, 2× USB 2.0 Ports, 4m break-away cable, 512kB Memory + 32-bit Arm IC
Specs: 1TB, USB 3.0, Width: 8.85cm, Depth: 2.69cm, Height: 2.1cm. Memory voltage: 5V
SRP: £129.75
SRP: £139.99
SRP: £159.99
SRP: Around £700
PNY RIOT01 GAMING MOUSE
XTRFY M2 GAMING MOUSE
CREATIVE SOUND BLASTERX G1
AOC AGON AG241QG MONITOR
Distributors: Exertis, Tech Data
Distributor: Tech Data
Distributor: Exertis
Distributors: Bosse Computers, Exertis, VIP Computers, Maverick
Based on a reliable fast sensor, the PNY RIOT01 gaming mouse allows users to adapt to their environment and never lose track of their targets. There are six programmable buttons, customisable sensitivity and an on-the-fly DPI switch.
The M2 is developed with one goal in mind: to create a mouse that is guaranteed to help gamers perform. The M2 is equipped with the Pixart PMW 3310, considered to be one of the most reliable optical gaming sensors.
Sporting a small form factor, the plugand-play Sound BlasterX G1 7.1 Portable Sound Card with Headphone Amplifier delivers crystal clear highresolution audio, with 7.1 HD positional surround sound.
The AGON AG241QG is an ultra-fast 24inch TN panel with 1ms response time and QHD resolution (2560x1440 pixels). The AG241QG comes with 165 Hz, NVIDIA G-SYNC technology and an AOC Ergo Dial Base for height-adjustment.
Specs: 1.8m braided cable, 1000/2000/3000/4000DPI, backlit up to 16 million colours
Specs: Five-button right handed mouse, 3310 optical gaming sensor, LED lighting, 1ms response, 2m cable
Specs: 4-pole Headphone-out with Mic: 1 x 3.5mm jack, audio fidelity up to 24-bit/96kHz, USB 2.0, USB 3.0
Specs: 24-inch, 1ms response time, 2560x1440 pixels, 165Hz
SRP: From £29.99
SRP: £69.99
SRP: £39.99
SRP: £519
CONTACT Acer: .............................www.acer.com
Cherry: ................... +49 9643 18-1424
Ingram Micro:.............. 0871 973 3000
Northamber: ............... 020 8296 7066
Entatech: ..................... 0333 101 1000
J&J Associates: .............01752 336465
Peak Development: .....01489 796979
AOC (Nathan Blank, channel sales
Exertis: ..........................01282 776776
M2M Direct: ................. 0208 676 6067
Spire Technology: ........01202 828444
manager): .....................07966 091116
Hama:........................... 0333 123 4262
Maverick: ..................... 01256 788 733
Tech Data: ................... 01256 788 134
.............. nathan.blank@tpv-tech.com
Hannspree: ...................0871 8880850
Meroncourt: .................01462 680060
Target Components:... 01977 739 300
Bosse Computers: ....... 0161 877 0833
............... uksales@eu.hannspree.com
Midwich: .......................01379 649200
VIP Computers: ........... 01925 286 900
www.pcr-online.biz
PCR September 2016 | 45
Recommended Dedicated monthly product coverage
The new Titan X boasts 3,584 CUDA cores at 1.53GHz
The latest tech Editorial planner
There are 12 billion transistors and 11 teraflops
The ‘reckless’ graphics card is up to 60 per cent faster than the previous Titan X
NVIDIA bets on the new Titan X THE STORY goes like this: Nvidia’s chief hardware engineer Brian Kelleher woke up in confident mood one morning, strode into Nvidia Towers and bet the firm’s CEO Jen-Hsun Huang that he could rinse more than 10 teraflops of performance from a single chip. Jen-Hsun started laughing and didn’t stop until he left the office that evening. But Kelleher went away, worked hard and the result was
unveiled at an AI conference at Stanford University last month in the form of the new line of Titan X GPUs. The audience was suitably surprised by the big reveal. The new Titan X line is of course based on Nvidia’s new Pascal GPU architecture, with the company claiming that it’s the biggest GPU ever built. Under the hood there are 12-billion transistors, 11 TFLOPs FP32 (32-bit floating point), 44 TOPS INT8 (new
deep learning inferencing instruction), a mammoth 3,584 CUDA cores at 1.53GHz (versus 3,072 CUDA cores at 1.08GHz in the previous Titan X) and 12GB of GDDR5X memory (480GB/s). According to Nvidia, that all adds up to a GPU that’s up to 60 per cent faster than the previous Titan X. And the company isn’t wasting any time getting the hardware into the market – as well as giving away a bunch of the
GPUs at its Stanford event, the new Titan X is available now in the UK for a cool £1,099. So what exactly does this mean for the GPU market? Nvidia said that its GTX 1080 delivered an ‘irresponsible amount of performance’ and was ‘a bit reckless’. At the recent launch, it called the new Titan X ‘even more reckless’. It’s certainly a mightily impressive piece of kit that offers a peek at what’s to
come once Nvidia’s big selling 10 series has run its course. For now though, that premium price point is likely to keep the Titan X well within the hardcore enthusiast niche. But if you’re a betting man or woman, like Brian and JenHsun, you can safely place a few quid on Nvidia’s rivals to quickly attempt to conjure something that matches or exceeds the Titan X’s impressive capabilities.
Contact: NVIDIA | www.nvidia.co.uk | Price: £1,099 | Out: Available now
www.pcr-online.biz
PCR September 2016 | 47
RECOMMENDED
AMD’s E3 budget Radeon tease becomes a reality BACK AT the E3 trade show in June, AMD gave delegates a sneak peek at two additions to its Radeon GPU lineup – the RX 470 and RX 460. The products continued the trend for GPUs targeted at particular activity niches rather than just price point, building on the path forged by the RX 480, which is aimed at the affordable VR space. Now that both are available in the UK, what more can we tell you about them? Well, the RX 460 is aimed at the burgeoning eSports segment, with AMD specifically referencing League of Legends, Overwatch and DOTA 2 in its marketing materials. The company is bigging up the 460’s low-latency gaming at ‘virtually any framerate’ thanks to its FreeSync technology, while Async shaders and the latest version of Graphics Core Next mean the GPU is ready for
upcoming DirectX 12 and Vulkan games. AMD says the 460 will enable gamers to stream and record with virtually no performance impact, thanks to Polaris architecture with Ultra HD HEVC Encode and
“The 460 will allow gamers to stream and record with virtually no performance impact.” Decode. And with a dedicated multimedia block 4K, H.265, 60 FPS encode and decode is also possible. The 470, meanwhile, is focused on premium 1080p HD gaming, using Polaris
architecture, asynchronous compute, support for high dynamic range monitors and optimised for low-overhead APIs. AMD says the 470 outperforms the previous
generation (Radeon R7 370) in gaming, with 32 compute units, 2048 stream processors and up to 4.9 teraflops processing power, all of which adds up to greater than 60 fps
at ultra-settings on a wide variety of titles, including the latest DirectX 12 and Vulkanbased games. Both cards are available in the UK now.
Contact: AMD | www.amd.com | Price: From £164.99 (RX 470), From £99 (RX 460) | Out: Available Now
New Asus gaming motherboard is 3D print ready IT’S NEARLY a year since Asus launched its pro gaming optimised motherboards. These new boards aimed to deliver a stylish solution for gamers who were either on a budget, or wanted to spend more of their hard earned cash on the GPU element of their rig. They went down quite well with the gamer community, so it’s no surprise that Asus has opted to refresh the line just ahead of its anniversary. Asus says its new Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura is the world’s first 3D printing-friendly motherboard with a patentpending mounting design (we’ll come back to that), plus Aura RGB LED lighting to enable the creation of exciting colour-matched custom builds. Among the board’s feature set is audio via SupremeFX and Sonic Radar II, plus
networking and Intel Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard, GameFirst IV and RAMCache. The Z170 even protects itself and its user with Gamer’s Guardian components, multiple smart DIY features and a reinforced SafeSlot PCIe. Unsurprisingly, it’s based on the Intel Z170 chipset, complete with 5-Way Optimization auto-tuning technology for speed boosts, second-generation T-Topology for DDR4 memory overclocking and Pro Clock for turbo-charged base-clock (BCLK) frequencies. So what does Asus mean by ‘3D printing-friendly motherboard’? Well, we’re some way from being able to 3D print an entire motherboard from scratch, but Asus is running with the ‘Make It Your Own’ 3D printing concept it first
discussed at Computex earlier this year. In short, the patents that Asus has pending allow the user to 3D print add-ons and accessories for the Z170, from simple mods like name plates and custom decals to more involved bits like cable management tools and audio system augmentation. To fuel this activity, the company is to make some 3D printing source files available for enthusiasts to play around with. Of course, all of that is incredibly niche, so what’s important here is that the Z170 performs as a robust solution for the average punter, which the consumer technology press agrees to be the case. The new Z170 Pro Gaming/ Aura is available to order now and is priced from £146 in the UK market.
Contact: Asus | www.asus.com/uk | Price: From £146 | Out: Available Now
48 | PCR September 2016
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RECOMMENDED
Acer wants to be the business user’s TravelMate ACER HAS announced the TravelMate X3 notebook series, with the design conscious business user very much in mind. The key in that particular competitive market, however,
“The corporate user will be comforted by an integrated touch fingerprint sensor.” is on the road performance, and the X3 series isn’t a case of style over substance. The initial model, the 14inch TravelMate X349, comes with a sleek all-aluminum chassis that measures under 18mm thick and weighs a relatively skinny 1.53 kg.
To complement those good looks, the user is given 10 hours of battery life, while 6th Generation Intel Core CPUs, DDR4 memory and SSDs provide the raw power. There also a full HD IPS display that reclines 180-degrees to lie flat, and a
LED backlit keyboard with a bigger, wider touchpad that previous incarnations. The security-conscious corporate user will be comforted by an integrated touch fingerprint sensor, which supports Windows Hello for secure sign-in, while a Trusted
Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 chip increases integrity and provides hardware-based protection for passwords and encryption keys. The TravelMate X349 is also pre-loaded with Acer ProShield Manager, a suite of security and management
tools to safeguard sensitive data, and Acer Office Manager, allowing IT professionals to quickly deploy security policies and monitor assets from one simple-to-use interface. All the better if it ever gets left on a train between meetings. And speaking of travel, for users who regularly contact off-site vendors and partners, the TravelMate X349 has finetuned speakers and microphones, together with a 720p HDR webcam for highquality videoconferencing. It also includes a USB Type-C port for pairing with an Acer USB Type-C Dock (sold separately) to connect up to two 4K displays, whilst providing power and a variety of peripheral connections through a single cable. The TravelMate X349 will be available in EMEA in September, with additions to be announced in due course.
Contact: Acer UK | www.acer.co.uk | Price: 480 (UK pricing TBC) | Out: September
Cooler Master Launches MasterLiquid, MasterFan and the Master Gel series
ANYONE WHO has tinkered with their own high-end gaming rig will know those things can get, in the words of Alan Partridge, hotter than the sun. So to stop all that investment of time and
money going up in smoke there are a plethora of firms offering solutions to keep even the most overclocked hardware as cool as cucumber. Among the most prolific is Cooler Master, which last month launched its
MasterLiquid Pro 120 and 240 products for both gamers and more casual users alike. Both solutions utilise Master Cooler’s new FlowOp technology, which aims to optimise the way liquid dissipates heat, starting with
the CPU. Equipped with the company’s so-called Dual Chamber Design, the MasterLiquid Pro series sports built-in micro channels to create the best water flow and draw the maximum amount of heat away from the cold plate, before transferring it to an enhanced radiator. The new radiator itself features a square fin design, which creates greater surface area for absorption of heat and allows enough space for air to flow through. Combined with the included new MasterFan Pro, heat is expelled from the case in the quietest way possible. The MasterFan Pro range itself is designed for radiators and has what Master Cooler calls an excellent balance of
temperature and noise. In fact, there are three different fans in the range: Air Flow (for expelling large volumes of hot air from the case), Air Balance (for CPU air coolers or front panel) and Air Pressure (for funneling air around hot components in tight spaces). Finally, the MasterGel and MasterGel Pro take thermal dissipation for advanced users to the next level, with polymer oxides in the compound creating high conductivity between the CPU and cooler base to transfer heat quickly. Included are a scraper and cleaner to make light work of cleaning the CPU and cooler base without damaging parts. The MasterGel Pro will be included with the MasterLiquid Pro 240 for free.
Contact: Cooler Master | www.coolermaster.eu | Price: £94.99 (MasterLiquid Pro 240), £84.99 (MasterLiquid Pro 120) £12.99-£14.99 (MasterFan Pro), £7.99 (MasterGel Pro), £5.99 (MasterGel) | Out: All Available Now
www.pcr-online.biz
PCR September 2016 | 49
RECOMMENDED
Crucial additions to the MX300 SSD CRUCIAL HAS announced additional capacities of the MX300 solid state drive (SSD), which is now available in 275GB, 525GB, 750GB and 1TB. With read speeds up to 530 MB/s and write speeds up to 510 MB/s on all file types, the MX300 enables users to boot up almost instantly, load programs with ease and accelerate demanding applications. The drive is engineered with Micron 3D NAND technology, resulting in an endurance rating of up to 220TB total bytes, written by leveraging larger NAND cells to deliver top-notch performance and prolong endurance. Although we can’t verify, Crucial says the MX300 is also ‘over 90x more energy efficient than a typical hard drive’. Extreme Energy Efficiency technology within the SSD uses just 0.075W of power, compared to a typical hard drive which uses 6.8W,
thus successfully extending laptop battery life. The drive is supported by the Crucial Storage Executive tool, is backed by a limited three-year warranty and comes with Acronis True Image HD data migration software.
Contact: Crucial | www.uk.crucial.com | Price: £64.99 (275GB), £119.99 (525GB), 750GB (£175.99) and 1TB (£240.99) | Out: Available Now
AOC’s new pair of gaming monitors AOC HAS presented two new monitor models from its premium gaming series AGON – the AG241QG and AG241QX. Both come with an ultra-fast TN panel, a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and a 1ms response time, providing competitive gamers with a stutter-free experience. A variety of comfort features are also included, with the AOC Ergo Dial Base enabling users to adjust their screens for long gaming sessions, encompassing height-adjustment (combined with a scale to set the preferred level), tilt and swivel options as well. Both models also include AOC’s Flicker-free Technology to reduce eye discomfort and fatigue. The Adaptive-Sync model goes even further, with its Low Blue Light mode,
reducing adverse short wavelength blue light without sacrificing colour quality. Additional gaming features of the AG241QX are the AOC Low Input Lag, AOC Shadow Control and the AOC Game Mode Presets on the special KeyPad.
Contact: AOC | www.aoc-europe.com | Price: £389 (AGON AG241QX), £519 (AGON AG241QG) | Out: Available Now (AGON AG241QX), September (AGON AG241QG)
Editorial Planner
A look at the biggest features coming up in PCR over the next few months...
October 2016
November 2016
December 2016
DISTRIBUTION SPECIAL
SECURITY SPECIAL
FUTURE FOCUS
The tech distribution space is continuing to evolve and consolidate, but what are the challenges for suppliers and what does the future hold?
We turn our attention to the ever evolving world of tech security and look at industry trends and challenges.
PCR takes a look at the emerging tech trends due to feature in 2017, plus we preview CES and review this year’s PCR Boot Camp North.
We also preview the 2016 PCR Women of the Year event and review the IFA trade show.
Also featured is a review of the 2016 PCR Women of the Year event and a preview of this year’s PCR Boot Camp North.
We will feature smartphone accessories and last minute stocking fillers in our sector guides.
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50 | PCR September 2016
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OUT OF OFFICE
IN THE
HOT SEAT
HAVING A BALL WITH THE PCR PREMIERSHIP ARSENAL fans are calling for Wenger’s head, Mourinho is back to his usual arrogant ways and Gary Lineker is in his undies – yes, the new football season is underway, and this time PCR is getting stuck in. We’ve organised a fantasy football Premiership for individuals in the UK IT channel to compete with one another. It’s open to
everyone, is free to join and will give you the chance to claim true bragging rights in the industry. We’ll be keeping tabs of the Premiership and publishing a league table update each month in PCR’s Out of Office section going forwards, pointing out the masterstrokes and mistakes of each manager as the season progresses.
So give your rivals the boot, enjoy a game of two halves and remember – goals win games. Who will be embarrassed in the bottom three and who will win the league come next May? Join us and find out. To join the PCR Premiership, visit fantasy. premierleague.com and add the code 454231-214126 in the ‘join leagues’ section.
STANDINGS SO FAR – AS OF AUGUST 15TH
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Real Madras Chris Mellowship
Charles Floyd, Ebuyer The etailer’s components product manager and petrolhead Charles Floyd reveals his hobbies and admits to being made to dance at Entatech events… What’s been your most embarrassing or funniest moment in the industry? During an Enta Live event in 2014, after a few beers I laughed at one of the stage dancers falling over as she walked past me, so she dragged me up on the stage and made me dance in front of everyone that attended. How competitive are you? I’m more of a team player and just enjoy being part of what’s happening, even though wining now and again and knowing I’ve achieved my goal is always a bonus. What are your hobbies? Out of work you will normally find me travelling fast among trees downhill on an MT, or sat beside a lake relaxing with a bit of carp fishing. In between those I’m always tinkering with cars and used to do a lot of track racing in a mk2 Ford Escort.
Rodneys Donkeys David Hodges Boca Seniors Neil Reid Show Mee Howe Pavo Juric
.Plums & Tackle FC Jamie Plumridge PompeySteve Steve Ling
Lukaku’s Talking Jonathan Easton Chris Hall Terra Chris Hall Moves Like Xhaka Luke Fenton
9 11 11 13 14 15 16 17 18
Smithy’s 11 Neil Smith How about Zlat? Chris Boote Dynamo Dan Terra Dan Honey-Smith Simples Gareth Carter Testing testing Steve King The Cavern Reds Simon Gandy Bing Bong UTD Charlie Stringer
52 | PCR September 2016
ConteKonte Raj Thawrani Overpaid Primadonnas Jat Mann MK Doms Dominic Sacco Wulvramtun Mike Barron Paris slam ya mam Bryan Worrall AML Midlands Ltd Anthony Lay
HeGotABOOT Stephen Lohan
BROTHERS IN ARMS
What was your first job? My first job was unloading lorries for Next Distribution – that really opened my eyes to how much is involved behind the doors at a distributor.
If you could go back in time what would you do? I would’ve saved up quicker to get me closer to buying either of my dream cars!
WBA Athers Jon Atherton
2 girls 1 Schlupp Darren Garner
What’s your dream car? I would have to settle for two cars, which would be a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa in white, or a mk1 Ford Escort in black stripped and race-ready, rocking a 2.1 pinto engine.
What’s the strangest thing you have cooked or eaten? There aren’t many foods that I would class as strange, as I normally chuck whatever I have together for a meal, but the best one has to be curry sandwiches the morning after a rough night on the beers.
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BROTHER UK has raised £22,909 for Cancer Research UK with the help of a group of its distribution partners and supporters. The initiative saw over 500 people raise money through sponsored events including skydiving, kayaking down the
River Thames, completing the Three Peaks challenge and more throughout July. In addition to Brother, teams from distributors Exertis, Exertis Supplies, JGBM, Midwich, Northamber, Vow and UFP all took part in the events which
kicked off Brother’s CSR programme – Brother’s Big Summer Challenge. Anne Hillion, regional legacy manager at Cancer Research UK said: “The money raised by Brother and its partners is a great contribution towards helping increase the survival rate from cancer. The way in which the teams have raised the money shows how rewarding fundraising can be, with the business and its partners challenging themselves and overcoming their fears.” The event was part of Brother’s wider CSR strategy which has seen the business raise a staggering £33,775 for charity over the last 12 months.
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OUT OF OFFICE
140 CHARACTERS OF NEWS AND VIEWS What the industry’s been tweeting about this month… Annette White, PC Help Centre @pchelpcentre We just happen to be one of them! Great group for #independent #PC #Retailers RT @ PCR_Online Approved PC Retail Network signs up 50 paid members BenQ IFP @BenQ_IFP Congratulations to our very own PCR Women of the Year finalists, @charlminie @carlychesh and Linda Yi! Alicia Shepherd, Entatech @alicia_sheps Feeling very proud to be included RT @PCR_ Online PCR Women of the Year finalists revealed
THIS GOPRO VIDEO IS NUTS ANOTHER DAY, another funny cat video being shared around on Facebook, right? It’s enough to make you want to pull your whiskers out. Well, this video offers a fresh alternative. It involves a slightly different furry four-legged creature, some climbing and a GoPro camera.
After a man left his GoPro by the foot of a tree, footage shows a squirrel scurrying along to pick it up, before embarking on a wild journey through the branches. It’s a remarkable little insight into the life of a squirrel and an unusual point-of-view video. After darting up the tree for a minute or so, the squirrel stops to
examine the GoPro more closely, while looking out over the park below it. The squirrel soon decides the device is not the kind of gadget it was looking for, and throws it to the ground below, shortly before the owner picks it up and gives the audience a thumbs-up. See, we told you it was all a bit nuts.
Westcoast @Westcoast_UK Huge congratulations to Rebecca Richards our Microsoft Marketing Manager who has been shortlisted for @PCR_Online PCR Women of the Year! Zaboura @Zaboura Huge congratulations to all @pcr_online #women of the year #finalists, including our own @MaggieZaboura! David Atherton, Entatech @adatherton In the press RT @PCR_Online “It’s something we didn’t really want in the distribution channel” says David Atherton on Brexit Steven Lewis, Veho @steve_veho Brexit’s been a complete nightmare. When everyone realises they are paying 20% more this Xmas it may sink in
IS THE SMARTPHONE MARKET GOING DOWN THE TOILET? NO, BUT 20 per cent of Brits on average have dropped their smartphones down the toilet, according to a new survey from gadget insurance organisation Row.co.uk. For those living in Northern Ireland it’s apparently closer to 41 per cent, and for the Scots it’s under half of that (18 per cent).
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The remaining 17 per cent of the ‘bathroom accidents’ reportedly happen by dropping mobile phones in the sink or even in the bathtub. Overall, a remarkable 37 per cent of phone damage occurs in the bathroom. Elsewhere, almost 45 per cent of Brits have dropped their phone
within the last three months, with a third of the UK having previously smashed their phone screens. The Northern Irish have, according to Row.co.uk, ‘the biggest case of butter fingers’, with 60 per cent of them admitting to recently dropping their phone and 40 per cent cracking the screen.
Melody Blanc, CompTIA @MelodyBlanc_ Congrats @RebeccaKitt_ ! Nominated for ‘Rising Star’ PCR Women of the Year 2016! TP-LINK UK @TPLINKUK Our very own Emma Lattimer has been nominated in not one, but two categories in the @PCR_Online #WOTY awards Epson UK @EpsonUK @pcr_online announce Women of the Year finalists, including Epson Head of Retail Sales & Distribution Annika Fagerstrom for Sales Brilliance PCR September 2016 | 53
OUT OF OFFICE
In our Team of the Month section, we highlight some of the important faces from across the industry who perhaps aren’t always in the public eye. This month, it’s Cyberpower’s UK team…
Cyberpower Who’s in your team? David Scott, business development manager, Lisa Tombs, accounts assistant, Leah Somers, marketing assistant, Thomas Medlicott, customer services, Chris Mckay, tech support, Alex Bertie, tech support, Michael Slattery, customer services, Alan Nicholas, sales manager, Scott Fraser, sales/product manager, Angela Tung, purchaser, Matt Loughlin, sales, Eric Tan, production manager and Andrew Ngai, warehouse manager.
The team (from left to right): Brian Lin, Andrew Ngai, David Scott, Alex Bertie, Alan Nicholas, Tom Medlicott, Leah Somers, Chris Mckay, Angela Tung, Michael Slattery
What’s been your biggest successes of the past 12 months? In the last 12 months we have made further advancements in the retail sector, picking up new customers including Shop Direct Group and seeing our business grow. The biggest success is breaking into the virtual reality (VR) B2B market by helping theme parks and museums with rides and demonstrations. This type of contract gives us great satisfaction. What’s the funniest or most memorable memory of working in your team? One printable moment would be when we realised a member of the team could fit into a large case box. This was left in the office for the team to come back after lunch. I think some people nearly had to leave early for a quick underwear change when he jumped out. What’s the best part of working in your team? Our team really pulls together and embraces new technology to constantly push Cyberpower to the top end of the PC gaming market.
Everyone believes in the brand – it’s great to come up with new and exciting products that you know will sell, and will be well supported if any issues arise.
last year, 12 months later we are finally seeing HTC headsets come in but the demand over the year has been high. There is also the problem of backing the right products.
What’s the hardest part of working in the tech industry? Technology moves so fast, if we don’t keep up we are dead in the market. Often technology advances too quickly for the channel and we end up waiting for the channel to catch up with the demand. I remember performing demos for VR headsets
What is the team working on at the moment? We’ve just been to Insomnia 58 and the back-to-school seasonal push is very near completion. What are your thoughts on the current state of the UK tech retail space right now?
Competition is hard but there is enough room in the market for this. Retailers are being cautious on quantity with recent price increases. However, demand is still high. Hopefully by the time Q4 comes around we will see a real demand for VR-ready gaming PCs at Christmas, and the memories of Brexit can be forgotten for a while. Who makes the best cuppa? It has to be Matt, by a country mile. Alan deliberately makes a bad cuppa so he is never asked again.
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