CHILLBLAST FUSION MANTIS
£749 inc VAT • chillblast.com
Chillblast’s Fusion Mantis may be the least expensive option here, but it doesn’t skimp on build-quality or performance. Much of the cost saving comes from the fact that it ships as a base-unit only, to which you would be adding your own monitor and peripherals.
It has a NZXT Source 340 system case, which offers a very clean, minimalist, design with an entirely featureless front panel, lending the PC a more expensive feel. This is possible because the case has no front drive bays, and therefore no internal optical drive. It also features a transparent side window, which starts part way up the side of the case, thereby blocking most of the internal cabling from view. The Fusion Mantis is therefore very tidy inside and the use of a Corsair H55 liquid-based CPU cooler assists creates extra space inside, which also helps with airflow through the case.
The CPU in question is an Intel Core i5-4690K quad-core processor, which is perfect for this type of gaming PC, thanks to its stellar performance and overclocking capabilities. Chillblast has pushed the 3.5GHz chip to 4.2GHz in this system, which is less ambitious than much of the competition but enough to give a noticeable boost to overall performance and ensure high frame rates. A 2GB nVidia GeForce GTX 960 graphics card does all the heavy lifting when it comes to gaming.
The Fusion Mantis comes with 8GB of RAM as standard and comes with a couple of spare slots ready for a user upgrade to 16GB. You might also like to upgrade the 1TB Seagate SSHD hybrid drive, by adding a discrete SSD to boost performance and perhaps replacing the SSHD with a standard hard drive of a larger capacity.
Build Features Performance
Value
Overall
The system is built around a Gigabyte Z97HD3 motherboard, which comes with Intel’s premium Z97-Express chipset, rather than the less featured HD81 Express chip that’s often found in gaming PCs.
Gaming scores are very respectable, with most scores near or above 60fps, so long as you steer clear of ‘Ultra’ quality modes. You could spend extra on a more powerful graphics card, but you would have to spend significantly more to reach playable speeds at 1080p with everything on maximum. VERDICT: The Chillblast offers great value for money and competitive performance, though you’ll need your own monitor and peripherals.