Say, for a moment, that you fancy a
complete gaming system that offers the fastest framerates available and costs
less than $1,800. Stop reading. Go and buy the Chillblast Fusion Firebird.
The processor is a mighty 3.5GHz Intel Core
i7-3770K, overclocked to an impressive 4.6GHz. This nets you a maximum CPU
speed that’s equal to or faster than any other system reviewed here, along with
the benefit of the Core i7’s four extra processing threads over the i5.
This amount of processing power Is enough
to propel the Fusion Firebird toward the top of the PCMark performance chart;
In fact it came second, beaten only by a surprisingly good performance from the
lower-specced Computer Planet system.
But when it comes to gaming, nothing can
touch the Firebird and Its factory overclocked Palit Jetstream GeForce GTX 680
graphics card. Turn to our performance graphs and it’s instantly obvious that
this machine outpaced all the competition in each of our five gaming tests, at
both Medium and Ultra quality settings. That’s a remarkable achievement at this
price.
ASUS
P8Z77-V Motherboard
Of course, when choosing a gaming PC you
won’t be concerned only with raw performance; peripherals also play a major
role. Chillblast throws in a 23.6ln iiyama IPS monitor. Its 5ms response time
means the iiyama is fast enough for serious gaming, and the image it provides
is of a significantly higher quality than that of almost every other monitor
included here.
The Logitech MK260 wireless keyboard and
mouse combo is a perfectly serviceable set, but it’s not really aimed at
gamers. We’d prefer to see wired USB and PS/2 connections, and the mouse also
lacks programmable gaming keys and high resolution.
The
Logitech MK260 wireless keyboard and mouse combo
The system is housed in a tidy Corsair
Carbide 200R system case, which is less impressive than those supplied with
much of the competition. It’s also a little cramped inside, where Chillblast
has squeezed in a large Akasa Nero 3 cooler, a Blu-ray drive and a card reader.
Cable management and tool-free bays are also present.
a
large Akasa Nero 3 cooler
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Information
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Price: $1,799
·
Contact: www.chillblast.com
·
Model: Fusion Firebird
·
Processor: 3.5GHz (OC @4.6GHz) Intel Core i7-3770K
·
CPU cooler: Akasa Nero 3
·
Memory: 16GB DDR3 1,600MHz
·
Storage: 120GB Intel 330 Series SSD + 2TB
Seagate Barracuda HDD
·
Power supply: 600W Corsair
·
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V
·
External USB ports: 4x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0
·
Display: 23.6in Iiyama X2377HDS (1920x1080)
IPS panel with HDMI, VGA and DVI
·
Graphics card: Palit Jetstream nVidia GeForce
GTX 680, 2GB VRAM
·
Sound: Onboard
·
Networking: 802.11n, gigabit ethernet
·
Other ports: HDMI, 2x DVI, DisplayPort, PS/2
·
Case: Corsair Carbide 200R
·
Keyboard & mouse: Logitech MK260
·
Optical drive: LG BD-ROM/DVD ± RW combo
·
Operating system: Windows 8
·
Extras: Optional Family Software package, card
reader
·
Case dimensions: 210x497x430mm
·
Warranty: 2-year return-to-base
Verdict
·
PCMark 7 score: 6,498
·
Hard Reset: 156, 138
·
Lost Planet 2: 104, 81
·
Stalker CoP: 273, 122
·
Alien vs Predator: 113, 61
·
Sniper Elite V2: 95, 24
·
Chillblast’s Fusion Firebird offers
exceptional performance and value for money with little compromise.
·
All it lacks is specialist gaming peripherals
and a suitably futuristic-looking system case.
·
Build: 4/5
·
Features: 3.5/5
·
Performance: 5/5
·
Value: 5/5
·
Overall: 4.5/5
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