Chillblast Fusion Spectrum Ryzen 7 Gaming PC review

Plenty of PC gamers are show-offs – we certainly are. So it’s no good simply dominating a death match – you want to broadcast your triumphs on streaming sites such as Twitch, YouTube Gaming and Microsoft Mixer for the world to see.

Of course, pumping out state-of-the-art graphics and maintaining consistent frame rates while simultaneously recording and broadcasting footage requires a mightily capable gaming rig, and the Chillblast Fusion Spectrum Ryzen 7 Gaming PC is exactly that.

Not only is this a very powerful desktop PC with some of the latest and greatest components from Nvidia and AMD (it’s a showcase for AMD’s flagship Ryzen 7 1800X CPU), it’s also been expertly put together by Chillblast in a gorgeous Corsair Crystal 460X RGB Tempered Glass Case, so it will look great on your desk if you present to camera as well.

Price and availability

This is actually the first Ryzen 7-powered gaming PC we’ve reviewed on TechRadar, so we’ll be taking a very close look at the benchmarks and performance of this machine to see if AMD has finally made a processor that will get gamers – and PC builders – switching from Intel.

The Fusion Spectrum Ryzen 7 Gaming PC is built by Chillblast, a UK-based manufacturer which started out as a specialist importer of overclocking products, but has now become a very well-respected PC builder, winning numerous awards.

While Chillblast is based in the UK, it ships worldwide, including to the US, and the Fusion Spectrum Ryzen 7 costs £2,459.99 (around $3,200, AU$4,000) – though of course you’ll need to add international shipping fees if you live outside of the UK.

This includes a two-year collect-and-return warranty, plus additional labor-only support warranty for three years.

Its price puts the Fusion Spectrum Ryzen 7 at the higher end of gaming desktops, with the Overclockers Titan Gladius Desktop PC coming in at a slightly cheaper £2,160.88 (US $2,668 / AU $3,475); that machine comes with similar specs, but with a quad-core Intel Core i7-7700K processor instead of AMD’s octa-core Ryzen 7 1800X. 

You may not be sold on how eight cores can improve gameplay performance, but if you want to do some heavy multitasking, such as streaming games while you play, then the more cores the better – which makes going to a Ryzen 7 chip well worth the extra outlay.

Design

As we mentioned earlier, the gaming innards that makes up this powerful gaming and streaming machine is enclosed in the rather lovely looking Corsair Crystal 460X RGB Tempered Glass Case, which has an attractive yet minimalist look to it, while still giving you a clear view of the components inside.

At the front of the case is a tinted glass window that's set a few millimetres in front of the fan grilles behind it. This allows cool air to be pulled in through the front by fans to cool the components within.

The radiator of the Corsair Hydro Series H110i liquid CPU cooler is attached to the other side. On the top of the case, at the front, are the power and reset buttons, two USB 3.0 ports, two audio ports (one mic, the other headphone) and three buttons that control the lighting within the case.

While these lighting buttons are by no means essential, it’s a nice touch if you like illuminating your machine, and it makes quickly configuring the lighting style of the Fusion Spectrum Ryzen 7 nice and easy.

Hey good-looking

The left side of the case is made of transparent plastic, enabling you to see the various components. The PC builders at Chillblast have done a great job of cable management, which makes for a very attractive interior of the PC – especially when combined with the built-in RGB lighting of the various components and the case. If you like showing off the inside of your machine, then the Chillblast Fusion Spectrum Ryzen 7 is a great choice.

Of course, good cable management isn’t just about looks – it also makes upgrading and swapping out components in the future a lot easier, and helps with airflow.