W
ired2Fire’s Ultimate is the first rig we’ve seen with
Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU. It’s a
fearsome piece of pixel-pushing hardware,
with 10,240 stream processors and 12GB of memory, and
Wired2Fire’s PC uses an MSI-made card that ups the
original boost speed from 1695MHz to 1770MHz.
The powerful GPU sits alongside AMD’s 12-core Ryzen
9 5900X. It’s a superb CPU for content creation and other
trickier work tasks, and its Zen 3 hardware runs at its
conventional base and boost speeds of 3.7GHz and 4.8GHz.
It’s topped by an MSI MAG CoreLiquid 240R cooler, which
has a radiator in the top of the case and an attractive RGB
LED waterblock.
The CPU is an excellent content-
creation option, and it’s appropriately
accompanied by 32GB of RGB-equipped
Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 3600MHz
DDR4 memory, and storage comes from
a 1TB PCI-E 4 Samsung 980 Pro SSD.
It’s all powered by an MSI MPG A750GF
PSU, which impresses with 80 Plus Gold
certification and a modular design.
There’s a lot of MSI hardware here, and
that continues with the X570 Gaming
Edge WiFi motherboard, which has decent
USB options and Realtek ALC1220 audio.
There are limitations though – the second
16x PCI-E slot is restricted to 4x speed,
the second M.2 connector uses the slower
PCI-E 3 standard and you get dual-band
802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 rather
than 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.
This Wired2Fire system shares its
CPU with the pricier Chillblast Fusion
Testarossa (see p36), but its lower
price means it struggles to compete
elsewhere. Chillblast’s machine has more
storage and a motherboard with better
networking and connection options.
Wired2Fire has used an MSI chassis
for this build too. The Gungnir 110M looks
the part, with a slatted, angled façade,
a tempered glass side panel and three
RGB LED intake fans. Measuring 450mmREVIEWS / PC SYSTEMS
SPEC
CPU
3.7GHz AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WiFi
Memory
32GB Corsair Vengeance
RGB Pro 3600MHz DDR4
Graphics
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB
Storage
1TB Samsung 980 Pro SSD
Networking
Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band
802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2
Case
MSI MPG Gungnir 110M
Cooling
CPU: MSI MAG CoreLiquid
240R with 2 x 120mm fans;
GPU: 3 x 80mm fans; front: 3 x
120mm; rear: 1 x 120mm fan
PSU
MSI MPG A750GF 750W
Ports
Front: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB
3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2 x audio; rear: 3
x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2
Type-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 2 x USB 2,
1 x PS/2, 1 x optical S/PDIF, 5 x audio
Operating system
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Warranty
Two years parts and labour collect
and return, followed by three
years labour only return to baseAMD X570 GAMING PC
WIRED2FIRE ULTIMATE
POWERED BY MSI /£3,250 inc VAT
SUPPLIER wired2fire.co.uktall and 430mm deep, it’s far smaller than the Chillblast’s
Fractal case, so it’s easier to slot into compact environments.
The top of the case has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port and
a button for altering the lights, while the inside has a PSU
shroud, rubber grommeted cable holes, and neat cabling.
Meanwhile, around the back you’ll find a 2.5in mount and
two admittedly flimsy 3.5in bays.
It’s a solid case, but there are weaker areas. It’s a little
cramped inside: the bottom of the board is tricky to reach,
and the CPU cooler’s radiator blocks the memory slots at
the top of the case. There’s no doubt that the Chillblast’s
case is better, with a more spacious interior and loads of
storage room.
The Wired2Fire matches Chillblast’s excellent warranty
though. Both systems have five years of labour coverage
alongside two years of parts coverage with collect and
return transport.Performance
The Wired2Fire PC may be cheaper than the Chillblast,
but the RTX 3080 Ti proved a better gaming option than
the Chillblast’s Radeon RX 6900 XT. In Cyberpunk 2077,
the RTX 3080 Ti returned a 99th percentile minimum of
38fps, 5fps ahead of the 6900 XT. That score improved
to 46fps with ray tracing and DLSS activated, the latter not
being a luxury afforded to the AMD card. In Doom Eternal,
meanwhile, the Wired2Fire machine hit 144fps, which was
marginally quicker than the Chillblast.c
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