Desktop PC is a clear case of success

PC ❘ £1,849 from Alphabetapc www.snipca.com/34700

Lightning in a bottle

The photo right shows off Alphabetapc’s spectacular glass-box chassis, not the specific configuration tested here, although you do get the huge Rgb-lit fans on the front and top. In reality, this desktop PC’S secret weapons are AMD’S 3.9GHZ Ryzen 7 3800X processor, with eight cores running two threads apiece, and a Geforce 2080 Super graphics card, second from top in Nvidia’s current consumer range – together worth nearly a grand. Peek in and you can literally see where your money went.

It’s the GPU that takes the biggest chunk, and when it comes to playing the latest 3D games at maximum quality it won’t disappoint. Although we saw no results below 30fps, a few games still required minor compromises to get high frame rates at 4K resolution – but the only way to do better is with the 2080 Ti graphics card, which is about 50 per cent more expensive for 10-15 per cent extra performance. If creative software is important to you, the 2080 Super is widely compatible and has a practical 8GB of its own memory. You might prefer, however, to put less money into the GPU and focus on CPU and storage.

Not that the 3800X chip isn’t fast. Clocked higher than the similar 3700X, it blazed through our performance benchmarks leaving nearly every other PC we’ve tested in the dust. Exceptional single-core and multi-core performance means it suits any task. It’s in storage that there’s a bit of compromise. Windows 10 Home (or Pro for an extra £50) comes installed on a 480GB SSD, which is fitted in a high-speed M.2 socket but chalked up only a so-so 1,271 megabytes per second (MB/S) in our read test and a very slow 210MB/S writing. A faster NVME drive is offered for an extra £17, or a reasonable £67 with twice the capacity.

Power, speed and expandability are clear for all to see

There’s a 2TB hard drive too, and room in the case for four more SATA drives, as well as a second M.2 socket for an SSD of your choice. Two PCIE x16 slots are free for expansion cards, and if you really need more than 32GB of memory there’s room for two more modules.

The included 802.11n Wi-fi is best for emergencies only, but there’s the usual Gigabit Ethernet port to connect to your router. Of no less than nine USB ports, one USB-C and one USB support 10Gbps USB 3.0 Gen2 – enough for the best current external SSDS – while the graphics card has an HDMI output, three Displayports and its own USB-C.

SPECIFICATIONS

3.9GHZ AMD Ryzen 7 3800X eight-core processor • 32GB memory • 8GB Nvidia Geforce RTX 2080 Super graphics • 480GB SSD • 2TB hard drive • USB-C Gen2 port • USB Gen2 port • 5x USB Gen1 ports • 2x USB 2.0 ports • Gigabit Ethernet • HDMI, Displayport and USB-C outputs • Windows 10 Home • 380x290x480mm (HXWXD) • Three-year warranty www.snipca.com/34700