Measured performance engineering · UK-wide
High-performance machines that run hot, loud, throttle, stutter or feel inconsistent. New builds and upgrades, to your specification — performance is the point of both. I measure, diagnose, optimise and prove it. If the PC doesn’t need the work, I’ll tell you.
Measure → diagnose → optimise → prove. Health Check £59 · Thermal Restore from £89 · Tune from £249
Who this is for
Gaming, creation, audio and local AI are not four businesses. They are four demanding workloads on the same kind of PC. The method stays the same. What I optimise for changes.
| Workload | What I optimise |
|---|---|
| Gamers | 1% lows and frametime consistency |
| Creators | Sustained throughput and export speed |
| Audiophiles | Acoustic noise, latency and stability |
| Local AI | VRAM, RAM, thermals, sustained inference |
Gamers
Most gaming laptops and many desktops leave the factory thermally or power-limited. I remove those limits and prove the result on the same suite.
Gaming performanceCreators
Timeline playback, encode speed and sustained multi-hour loads — not a game benchmark in disguise.
Creator workstationsAudiophiles
£400–£600 specialist work. A listening PC that doesn’t whir, crackle or drop out. Almost no competition in the UK.
Audiophile systemsLocal AI
VRAM, RAM and cooling specified to the models and context length you actually run.
AI workstationsProof
Public, checkable Hall of Fame entries from systems I own and use. Rankings move over time — the method does not. Customer jobs get the same baseline, the same validation, and a written report.
Ryzen 7 5800H · RTX 3070 notebook
Locked BIOS, standard cooling — ahead of unlocked Legion / Tongfang platforms with water cooling.
A thermally and power-limited H-series laptop. Locked BIOS, no memory-timing access, stock cooling. The competing Legion and Tongfang machines on that board had unlocked timings and better cooling. Same process I use on customer laptops: thermal service, power analysis, OS/firmware work, then public validation.
Ryzen 9 5950X · RX 6900 XT
Desktop Hall of Fame entries after thermal, power and system work. The same process I apply to customer desktops — not a one-off screenshot.
Ryzen 9 3900X · RTX 2080 Ti
The same method on an older high-core desktop. Useful as a reminder that the process is not platform-fashion — it is measurement, thermals, power, then validation.
Services
Pick an outcome, not a labour category. Final price is confirmed after I see the machine — these are the starting points. Audiophile work sits here on purpose: it is specialist, high-spec, and scarce.
For systems running hotter, louder or slower than they used to. Most laptop gains start here — paste, pads, and contact. Extra copper and Fehonda putty where the stock path can’t hold a maxed session.
Most requested
For gaming laptops and desktops that are not delivering what the hardware should. Baseline, remove the limits, prove the result.
For enthusiasts who want everything the silicon will give, stably. Hours of iteration — not an EXPO toggle.
Memory tuning is iterative — change, restart, test, repeat. There is no shortcut. The time on the bench is what makes it stable.
Forge AdvancedSpecialist
HQPlayer, PGGB and DSD 512 pipelines. Highest-spec work I do — measured, stable, low-latency. Almost nobody else in the UK takes this on.
Not sure yet?
Done remotely over TeamViewer, with you on the session. I benchmark the machine, read temps, power and throttling, and tell you what is actually worth doing. Credited in full if you go ahead with £200+ of work. It is an assessment — not a physical strip-down.
Remote can prove software, firmware, power limits and sensor thermals. Paste, pads, dust and extra copper still need the machine on the bench.
Repair & recovery
Labour £85–£120
Screens, boards, BIOS recovery, data, unbricking. Diagnosis first, then clear options.
Local AI workstations
Quoted
VRAM, RAM and cooling sized for local LLMs. Specified to the models you actually run.
Custom builds & cooling
Quoted
Specced to the monitor and workload you have. Soft-tube loops only.
Why
Baseline → diagnose the constraint → modify → validate. Repair is one service underneath that. Budget goes where it changes performance — GPU, CPU, cooling and memory according to your actual resolution, refresh rate and workload.
I measure the real starting point under controlled load. No baseline, no claim.
The finishing numbers are on the same tools and settings as the start. Comparable, not theatrical.
Prime95, OCCT, Linpack, MemTest86 as appropriate. Scores that live for thirty seconds do not leave the bench.
If the machine is already where it should be, I will tell you. If an upgrade is better value than a tune, I will tell you that too.
You deal with the person who diagnoses, works on and benchmarks the machine — not a sales desk.
Who you’ll be dealing with
I design and build to your specification — new machines and upgrades. The core of the business is performance. Whatever you need the system to do, the job is to get the most out of it, without giving up stability or longevity.
Performance Forge is a one-person workshop in Carmarthenshire. An enthusiast business, for enthusiasts and professionals. You deal with the person who diagnoses, builds and benchmarks the machine — not a sales desk.
Process
01
Make, model or spec, what it is doing, and what you want from it. I will say whether the job is worth doing before you spend anything.
02
Same benchmark suite I will use at the end. Full sensor log under sustained load. Without a clean baseline there is no proof.
03
A clear scope and price. If thermals alone will get you most of the way, I will say so. If an upgrade beats a tune, I will say that too.
04
Thermal and power first, then OS and firmware, then any advanced memory or curve work we agreed. Logging continues throughout.
05
Stress testing appropriate to the job. Any result that only exists in a short burst is rejected.
06
Before/after numbers, what changed, stability tests passed, and notes so the settings can be restored later.
Want the technical detail? Read exactly how I test thermals, power limits, memory stability and system performance.
The report
Machine, BIOS, Windows build. Baseline vs final on the same suite. Changes performed. Stability tests passed. Settings backup notes. It should feel like an engineering service — because it is.
Time Spy
Public HoF
PCMark 10
Public HoF
Steel Nomad
UK #1
Stability
Sustained load
I do not publish invented before/after percentages. Each machine is different. Some have substantial headroom; others are already close to their limit. That’s why I baseline first.
Trust
On the work carried out and parts I supply.
Collection and return. Local drop-off by arrangement.
The report shows what your machine actually gained.
Trading name of Daniel Phillips, sole trader. Carmarthenshire, Wales.
I’m building a public Google review record. After a successful job I’ll ask you to mention what was done and whether you noticed the difference — that’s more useful than a star with no detail.
Two questions
Instant recommendation, not a quote. I’ll still look at the spec before any money changes hands.
1 · The machine
Contact
Send the model or spec and what you want to improve. I’ll tell you whether I think the work is worthwhile before you spend anything.
Where I am
Workshop
Carmarthenshire
Corridor
Swansea · Newport
Everywhere else
Tracked UK courier
Local drop-off by arrangement in the Carmarthenshire / Swansea / Newport corridor. Everything else is collection and return by tracked courier.