CORSAIR ONE A100
AMD’s flagship CPU in the perfect SFF PC
OUR FAVORITE compact desktop PC is back! The Corsair One returns with, at first glance, no discernible changes. The solid metal case is exactly as we remember it—a thin tower with a tiny square footprint, gunmetal gray, with two tasteful RGB strips inlaid down the front. But this isn’t the same machine we’ve seen and loved before; this Corsair One is a traitor to its kin, because inside that outer shell is an AMD Ryzen processor.
You might’ve guessed this already from the name: “a” for AMD, much like the Intel-powered One models use ‘i’. The processor in question is a Ryzen 9 3950X, a 16-core beast of a chip that currently occupies the top of the Ryzen pecking order. When it comes to gaming, AMD finally has a Ryzen chip that can compete with Intel’s similarly powerful offerings.
This isn’t a Pro version of the One, so as per Corsair’s modus operandi it’s a more gaming-oriented system. That’s not to say that the processor and graphics card can’t handle workstation-level tasks; all it really means is a relatively conservative 32GB of RAM and a slightly smaller power supply. A Ryzen-powered One Pro has yet to be announced, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see one. The a100 is simply better suited for hardcore gaming; that being said, Nvidia’s new studio drivers are always an option.
As it stands, the RTX 2080 Ti inside this micro machine comes with Nvidia’s “Game Ready” drivers, and it unsurprisingly kicks ass at gaming in any resolution. 4K Ultra is definitely an option here, with frame rates around 60fps in demanding AAA titles, although twitch -shooter fans may want to turn it down to 1440p or even 1080p to guarantee 100+fps. The Ryzen processor holds up well in CPU-bound games too, as seen by its excellent performance running Total War:WarhammerII at 4K Ultra.
CPU performance is strong in other areas too, with 32 threads working hard to handle rendering and encoding workloads. Both components run cool thanks to Corsair’s dual liquid-cooling system, which dissipates heat through two radiators on opposite sides of the case. The interior layout hasn’t changed from previous models; it’s still incredibly compact, with a flexible PCIe riser that allows for the GPU to be mounted upright and a single 140mm fan at the top of the case. The upper grille gets hot at times, but the core system temperatures rarely rise above 50C.
That intelligently designed interior does have one key drawback: Upgrading any Corsair One will likely prove a difficult and arduous process. Memory and drives should be straightforward, but getting the case open properly is challenging enough, and swapping out the GPU will require some serious waterblocking dexterity. Fortunately, the a100 is certainly future-proofed; even with rumors circulating about Intel Xe and RTX 3000 GPUs, the hardware inside this machine will be usable for years to come.
Perhaps the most interesting addition to this One is PCIe 4.0 support, coming with the new Ryzen processor and the custom-made X570 ITX motherboard.
The a100 comes with a 2TB HDD to bolster its storage capacity but boots from Corsair’s own 1TB Force MP600 SSD, a 4th-generation NVMe drive that offers transfer speeds close to 5GB/s. That’s a performance improvement of over 40 percent compared to the 3rd-gen drives found in the a100’s Intel counterparts.
The a100 does share one critical Achilles’ heel with its predecessors: the price. We’ve got the top-spec model of this Ryzen machine, which clocks in at an eyewatering $4,000. Two cheaper models are available at $3,600 and $3,000, the cheapest model dropping down to a Ryzen 9 3900X and an RTX 2080 Super. It’s still an impressively powerful machine, and the systems are identical save for the CPU, GPU, and drive capacities.
Even with the price tag, we can’t help but love every version of the Corsair One, including its Ryzen child. Simply put, the a100 is an absolute joy to play games on. Setup takes no time at all, and the compact case means that even a small desk nook becomes a viable gaming space. If you’re a supporter of Team Red, this could be the gaming PC for you.
Corsair One a100
ONE Awesome gaming performance; super fast SSD; compact footprint.
ZERO Hard to customize; very expensive.
$ 4,000, Corsair.com