Custom PC - UK (2020-03)

VERDICT

Compact, fast and affordable, but this all-AMD system

makes a lot of noise, and there’s no hardware support

for ray tracing in games.

OVERALLSCORE

84 %%

PERFORMANCE

23 / 25

DESIGN

19 / 25

HARDWARE

20 / 25

VALUE

22 / 25

RAIDERSOF

THELOSTARK

+ Veryfastingames

+ Excellent

CPUpower

+ Sturdy,compact

case

TEMPLEOF

DOOM

• Noray-tracing
  hardware


• Tooloudand
  cramped


• Basic motherboard

BENCHMARK RESULTS

Meanwhile, the processor is fast. Its single-threaded image

editing result is level with equivalent Intel chips, and it’s quick in

our heavily multi-threaded Handbrake test video encoding test

as well. The CPU performance is superb for a sub-£1,500 PC.

The SSD is quick too – its read and write speeds of 3,363MB/

sec and 2,947MB/sec can’t match the latest PCI-E 4 drives, but

this PCI-E 3 Corsair drive is plenty fast enough.

Temperatures are fine too, with CPU and GPU delta Ts of 61°C

and 52°C respectively. However, the CCL is consistently noisy,

producing a noticeable rumble, even when it’s idle. The noise

comes from the Corsair Hydro’s two intake fans, and they

already use Corsair iCUE’s Quiet profile, so not much can be

done aside from turning up your speakers or using a headset.

Conclusion

The Radeon RX 5700 XT is a fast graphics card for 1080p and

1440p gaming, and it can even push you into 4K territory.

Impressively, it’s faster than more expensive systems with

the RTX 2070 Super. Elsewhere, the CPU is great for both

work and gaming and the case is robust, plus you get good

memory, a solid warranty and a decent PSU.

However, the motherboard is basic, the case is cramped and

the machine is loud. The lack of ray-tracing hardware in the

AMD GPU is also an important consideration when it comes to

futureproofing. If you prioritise frame rates over ray tracing, and

you’re not bothered by fan noise, then CCL’s machine serves

up ample power for a very good price. Just be aware of this

machine’s shortcomings before placing an order.

MIKE JENNINGS

GIMPIMAGE

EDITING

64,776

HEAVYMULTI-

TASKING

248,589

HANDBRAKEH.264

VIDEO ENCODING

611,851

SYSTEM

SCORE

235,649

LUXMARK

OPENCL

86,908

SHADOWOFTHETOMBRAIDER

2,560x1,440,HighestDetail,TAA

0 50 100 150 200

CCLRaiderX 79fps 101fps

3,840x2,160,HighestDetail,TAA

0 50 100 150 200

CCLRaiderX 42fps 54fps

TOTALWAR:WARHAMMERII

2,560x1,440,UltraDetail,DX11

0 50 100 150 200

50 100 150 200

CCLRaiderX 66fps 86fps

3,840x2,160,UltraDetail,DX11

0

CCLRaiderX 42fps 49fps

BATTLEFIELDV

2,560x1,440,Ultrasettings, DX11

0

CCL RaiderX 81fps 105fps

3,840x2,160,Ultrasettings,DX11

0

CCL RaiderX 53fps 60fps

50 100 150 200

50 100 150 200

Minimum Average

high refresh rates. Its 2,560 x 1,440 minimums were decent,
too, with enough speed to play top-tier games at beyond
60fps. Even 4K gaming is within reach, with the CCL never
dropping below 42fps at this resolution.
However, AMD’s GPUs don’t have ray-tracing hardware,
so its Battlefield V frame rates aren’t comparable with
those of RTX machines. That’s not an issue if frame rates
alone are your top priority, but it does mean you won’t be
able to enable all the top eye candy in some of the latest
games, including Control and Metro: Exodus.