My most recent post focused on a flaw in my new Codex R2 desktop PC.     My intention was to draw attention to weakness in the companies support chain not the product itself.

That  post created a bit of a false impression of a flawed product so now I want to do a full review focusing on the PC itself because not withstanding the broken network adaptor this is the best PC I have ever purchased.

That is from a long line of both past and present machinesI have owned, this is the best.  The features, combined with basic capabilities were top notch value when compared to the price.

Truth in Advertising

As is my usual practice I did a lot of research before purchasing.  I wanted hardware with a solid reputation from a trusted manufacturer  that would support basic personal use.

The Codec R2 comes in a few sub- models but all are based on current gen 13/14 intel Central processing units (CPU) and MSI’s own Geforce graphic processing units (GPU).

My model had a modest 16 gig of ddr5 ram but easily upgradable to 96 gig).  The clock speed is a comfortable 4.3 ghz, more ports than I need and great light show based aesthetics overall.

Specifications Aside

For me, the actual usage experience is more important than the specifications which really just guide expectations.   For me expectations were wildly exceeded .

From boot up to program load, game visuals to productivity program usage everything is fast and seamless.  Even a VM instance of Windows XP for legacy gaming works better than my standalone windows machines ever did.

I did replace the flawed network port with a PCIe card and now get blazing wired internet up to the max limitations of my ISP and router port.

The Recommendation

For a measly $900 cdn , I think this may be the best value on the market for a mid range gaming desktop.  I strongly recommend it, if you are in the market for a versatile multi-purpose machine, take a look at this one.