Computer Shopper - UK (2020-04)

ISSUE386|COMPUTER SHOPPER|APRIL2020 23

SPECIFICATIONS

Windowsoverall

Multitasking

DirtShowdown

Metro: Last Light

0% -50 Reference + 50 + 100

See page 84 forperformancedetails

PROCESSORHexa-core3.8GHzAMD Ryzen52600X•RAM

16GB DDR4•FRONTUSB PORTS2x USB3•REAR USB

PORTS4x USB2, 4x USB3•GRAPHICSCARD6GBMSI

GeForce RTX2060 Ventus XS OC•STORAGE512GBSSD,

2TBharddisk•DISPLAYNone•OPERATING SYSTEM

Windows10Home•WARRANTYThreeyears labour, two

yearsparts, one month collectand return•DETAILSwww.

cyberpowersystem.co.uk•PART CODEUltra5RTX

267

78fps

177fps

304

outperforming the RTX2070 Super-equipped
Intel i5 RTX, probablybecause thelatter’s less
powerful CPU bottlenecks it to 130fps.
Cyberpower’s PC produced arespectable
91fpsat3,840x2,160, only 3fps behind the
Inferno R1.However,since thisresolutionis
high enoughtomake the GPU the limiting
factor over the CPU, it also allowedthe Inteli5
RTXtocatch up andthem some: it averaged a
visibly smoother 113fps.

SOME GRAPHIC SCENES
All threePCs scored aperfect 11 in the
SteamVR Performance Test, but Metro:Last
Light Redux served to humble theUltra 5RTX.
Its 78fps at 1080p,45fps at 1440p and 20fps at
4K wereall behindits rivals, especiallythe Intel
i5 RTX. This produced 107fps, 63fps and 28fps
respectively, allofwhich will look perceptibly
better,althoughyou wouldneed arefreshrate
above60fps to tell thedifference at 1080p.
The gaming performance gapbetween this
PC and the Inferno R1 is fair enough, given the
pricedifference,but the AlphaBetaPC system
costs thesame,and easily beats it in games
that aren’t heavilyCPU-dependent. That alone
mightbeenough to tempt enthusiast gamers
awayfromthe Ultra5RTX, althoughCPU
performanceisn’t theonlyadvantagethat
Cyberpowercan claim in response.
The Ultra 5RTX’s storage setup,for
instance,ishard to beat: it combines a
relatively spacious512GB NVMe SSD, its
master drive,withahuge 2TB hard disk as
backup capacity.Thatbeats theIntel i5 RTX
on bothspeed and capacity counts, as its
sole storage drive is a480GBSSD that uses
the slower SATA interface.
The Ultra 5RTX produced asequential
read speed of 1,636MB/s and awrite speed of
742MB/s, so it’s farfromthe fastest NVMe
SSD around, butgiven the generouscapacity
we’llhappily take it. It won’t feel slow, in any
case –thatread speedinparticular is three
times as fast as theIntel i5 RTX’s SATA drive.

TheInferno R1 has afaster SSD,aswellasa

matching2TB hard disk, butthe formerisonly

250GB –the differencethereisquiteafew

games’worth of installationspace.

BAYWATCH

If there’sanissuewith storage, it’s only in

terms of hypotheticals: there are no spare

3.5in bays or M.2slots inside,sothe potential

foraddingmore drives is limitedtothe two

2.5in mountsontop of thePSU shroud.It

looks like therewould normally be aspare

3.5in mountingpoint, butthisisfilled by a

control box forthe fans and lighting remote.

TheUltra 5RTX also settles foramicroATX

motherboardinits ATX-capable case,possibly

to save on costs.While thismeans

further upgrade limitations –there

arenoPCI-E slotsthat are either

emptyorleft unobscured by the

graphics card–it’s great to seeone

of thePCI-E x1 slotsalready filled by

an 802.11ac Wi-Fi card, offering a

wireless alternative to theEthernet

port on the back. This isn’t just

useful in itsown right; pre-installed

wireless cards usually use the slower

802.11n standard, but 802.11ac will

enable much higher speeds.

Also on the back are avery

healthy total of eight USB ports,split

evenly between USB2 and USB3.

There’s no USB Type-C, but the

sheernumberoffull-size ports make

up forthat, especially if youcount

theadditional two USB3 portson

thefront of thecase.

Additional connectivity comes in

theform of alegacy PS/2connector

and astandard set of three3.5mm

audiojacks, with the GPUcontributing one

HDMI output andthreeDisplayPorts. There’s

nothingtruly outstanding, unless youcount

the twoantenna screws forthe Wi-Fi card, but

it’s more than enough to get by,withample

room forperipherals and multiple monitors.

FLEXIBLEWORKING

As we said,thisisaverydistinct PC to the

Intel i5 RTX, andifyou’re solelyinterested

in maximisinggaming performance,

AlphaBetaPC’s RTX2070 Super system will

probably be abetter fit.Nevertheless, the

Ultra5RTX is muchmoreofaneffective

all-rounder,acceptinglowerGPU power in

exchange forafar superiorCPU and

altogether better storage.

If anything, it’s more closely matchedwith

theInferno R1,which takes asimilarly

balanced approached, although again,the

Ultra5RTXmanages to compensatefor its

lesser gaming prowess with alowerprice.

JamesArcher