Custom PC - UK (2020-06)

Minimum Average

2,560x1,440,Highestdetail,TAA

SHADOWOFTHETOMBRAIDER

0 30 60 90 120

FiercePCArdentCore 78fps 101fps

3,840x2,160,Highestdetail,TAA

0 30 60 90 120

FiercePCArdentCore 42fps 54fps

2,560x1,440,Ultradetail,FXAA,DX11

TOTALWAR:WARHAMMERII

0 30 60 90 120

FiercePCArdentCore 64fps 79fps

3,840x2,160,Ultradetail,FXAA,DX11

0 30 60 90 120

FiercePCArdentCore 39fps 45fps

2,560x1,440,Ultrasettings,DX12,HighDXR,TAA

BATTLEFIELDV

0 30 60 90 120

FiercePCArdentCore 44fps 53fps

3,840x2,160,Ultrasettings,DX12,HighDXR,TAA

0 30 60 90 120

FiercePCArdentCore 14fps 24fps

2,560x1,440,Ultrasettings,DX12,HighDXR,DLSS

0 30 60 90 120

FiercePCArdentCore 58fps 69fps

3,840x2,160,Ultrasettings,DX12,HighDXR,TAA

0 30 60 90 120

FiercePCArdentCore 40fps 46fps

VERDICT

Superb design and great speeds inside a compact,

albeit expensive, build.

OVERALLSCORE

87 %%

PERFORMANCE

23 / 25

DESIGN

24 / 25

HARDWARE

21 / 25

VALUE

19 / 25

BURNING

+Consistentlyexcellent
performance

+Superbwater-cooleddesign

+FastPCI-E4 SSD

BURNOUT

• Water-coolinggearaddscost


• Mini-ITXmeansfew
  upgradepaths


• CPUgetshotatfullload

BENCHMARK RESULTS

Performance
The RTX 2080 Super is excellent for gaming. At 1080p, it’s
able to handle games at high frame rates, and at 2,560 ×
1,440, its minimum frame rates ranged between 44fps and
78fps. That means you’ll be able to play the vast majority of
games at smooth frame rates. It can even handle a bit of 4K
gaming. It easily got beyond 30fps in Shadow of the Tomb
Raider and Total War: Warhammer II, and if you use DLSS,
you can also get a 40fps minimum in Battlefield V with High
DXR, although it can’t do it at this resolution otherwise.
The Ryzen 7 3700X CPU is a good choice too. Its image
editing result of 59,800 is as fast as any other consumer
Intel or AMD chip, and it returned impressive pace in our
heavily multi-threaded HandBrake test. Its overall score
of 227,388 is only a few thousand points behind systems
based on the pricier Ryzen 7 3800X and Intel Core
i9-9900KS. The SSD is great too. Its read and write speeds
of 4,999MB/sec and 4,280MB/sec are fantastic – faster
than any SSD you’ll find in an Intel PC, and among the best
results from any consumer drive right now.
In terms of thermals, the GPU’s peak delta E of 35°C is
great, thanks to the water-cooling system. However, the
CPU’s peak figure of 72°C is only just short of worrying
temperature levels. Happily, this result was only achieved
in a stress test – you’re extremely unlikely to encounter it
in normal use, including gaming. The Ardent produces a
noticeable, low fan noise as well, but we’ve certainly heard
worse. You just won’t hear this PC in a LAN hall or beyond
your headset, and the noise levels are pleasingly consistent.

GIMPIMAGE

EDITING

59,800

HANDBRAKEH.264

VIDEO ENCODING

577,317

HEAVYMULTI-

TASKING

247,839

SYSTEM

SCORE

227,388

LUXMARK

OPENCL

122,999

Conclusion

The Ardent serves up great pace, fantastic design, and

a custom water-cooling loop in a build that’s small

enough to easily take to LAN parties. The mini-ITX

build means limited upgrade options, though, and

the water-cooling gear also adds to the cost. You

can undoubtedly get similar performance for less

money in a standard, air-cooled ATX PC, but this is an

excellent, well-built machine if you’re looking for an

attractive, powerful rig in a small package.

MIKE JENNINGS