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Group test: Gaming <strong>PC</strong>s<br />
and any other data which may need frequent high-speed access.<br />
Powering the system, the Ryzen 7 1700 gives you eight processor<br />
cores, delivering a total of 16 processing threads for smooth<br />
computing, no matter how many applications you run at once.<br />
Because this particular chip has been overclocked to 3.8GHz,<br />
it gives you the performance of a faster Ryzen 7 without the<br />
corresponding increase in price.<br />
Sticking with the AMD theme, Overclockers has opted to use<br />
a Sapphire Radeon RX480 Nitro+ OC graphics card in this <strong>PC</strong>.<br />
It’s a factory overclocked model, which offers a little speed boost<br />
over the standard RX480 and comes with dual cooling fans and a<br />
backplate as well as the LED illuminated logo mentioned earlier.<br />
These components, along with 16GB of 2400MHz RAM, are<br />
assembled in an Asus Prime B350-Plus motherboard, which<br />
comes with comprehensive overclocking and fan control options<br />
as well as enhanced gaming audio, 10Gb/s USB 3.1 and built-in LED<br />
illumination. The B350 chipset used here is the poor cousin of<br />
the X370 chipset found in some more expensive systems, but it’s<br />
quite capable of a reasonable amount of overclocking. If you’re<br />
intending on pushing Ryzen 7 right to the very limit though, you<br />
may be better off investing a pricier X370-based motherboard.<br />
You’ll definitely need one if you’re thinking of going with dual<br />
Nvidia graphics cards at any point in the future.<br />
However, the Asus Prime B350-Plus is a perfectly competent<br />
selection for this <strong>PC</strong>, in keeping with the philosophy of delivering<br />
top performance without a correspondingly high price tag.<br />
Performance<br />
Despite being fitted with the lowest specified Ryzen 7 chip, the Titan<br />
Falcon performs rather well, thanks to its pre-overclocked processor.<br />
Being an eight-core CPU it naturally shines when given heavily multithreaded<br />
tasks such as the Cinebench R15 Multiple CPU test where it<br />
actually outperforms <strong>PC</strong>s based on the Ryzen 7 1700X in some cases<br />
and, of course, blows away any Intel-based quad-core system.<br />
However, we’re primarily interested in the <strong>PC</strong>’s gaming<br />
performance, and here the performance of the Ryzen 7 chips<br />
can’t match the best that Intel has to offer – for now, at least.<br />
Most of the available gaming performance is down to the graphics<br />
card of course. Fitted with the RX480, the Titan Falcon is confidently<br />
66 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews <strong>July</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
capable of 60fps Ultra-quality gaming at 1080p, although it does<br />
start to struggle a little when confronted with Deus Ex: Mankind<br />
Divided. Stepping down to High quality brings the benchmark<br />
back to 60fps fluidity.<br />
If you want better gaming performance, you can specify the<br />
Titan Falcon with a more powerful graphics card. For an extra<br />
£250 you could configure the system with a much faster Nvidia<br />
GTX 1080. This would give access to 2560x1440 or even 4K<br />
resolutions while keeping the overall system price competitive,<br />
thanks to the cost savings achieved through the overclocked<br />
CPU and B350 chipset motherboard.<br />
The Samsung SM961 NVMe SSD is also a great boost to general<br />
performance which helps boost non-gaming benchmark scores<br />
above systems based on older SATA technology.<br />
Warranty<br />
Overclockers offers an excellent three-year collect-and-return<br />
warranty which is one of the best available in the industry,<br />
covering parts and labour for the whole three-year term. This is<br />
particularly valuable when investing in an overclocked <strong>PC</strong> with<br />
components pushed to their limits.<br />
Verdict<br />
The Overclockers Titan Falcon embraces the spirit of overclocking by<br />
boosting the performance of lower-specified components to match<br />
their more expensive counterparts, but without the higher price<br />
and all backed by a superb three-year warranty.<br />
This overclocked Ryzen 7 1700 system occasionally outperforms<br />
those based on the pricier 1700X chip and makes no sacrifices<br />
on build quality. You may wish to upgrade to a more powerful<br />
graphics card for resolutions above 1080p, but the price will<br />
remain highly competitive.<br />
The Overclockers Titan Falcon embraces<br />
the spirit of overclocking by boosting the<br />
performance of lower-specified components<br />
TEST CENTRE
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