KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
The Chillblast Fusion Ares System is a nicely built, powerful system which is well suited for 3D rendering and video editing duties.
First impressions of the Fusion Ares are positive. The NZXT H440 chassis in white is pleasing to the eye, showcasing clean lines and uncluttered panels. It may not be the quietest case we have tested, but there is plenty of airflow on hand to cool hot running components inside.
The choice of Core i7 5820k is difficult to fault. My colleague Luke reviewed the 5820k earlier this week and it walked away with our highest MUST HAVE award. This processor is only £40 more expensive than the ever popular 4790k, and with 2 extra cores available for demanding multi tasking environments, it seems like a no brainer to us. If you want to game exclusively however, then the 4790k with the savings invested into a more powerful graphics card seem a better choice.
The Gigabyte X99 Gaming 5 motherboard proved rock solid over the last week of testing. I didn't experience a single hard lock, freeze or performance related issue often associated with a new platform. It would appear that X99 is entering into the first phases of platform maturity. USB 3.0 controller performance is as fast as any board we have tested to date.
Other areas tick the right boxes. Chillblast have incorporated a quick Samsung 840 Evo Solid State drive for boot/OS duties, alongside a fast 2TB 7,200 rpm mechanical drive for backup and storage demands. Both perform as well as we would expect.
The primary concern we have with this system is the slightly unbalanced performance by pairing up a powerful overclocked i7 5820k with the modest R9 285 as the primary discrete solution. We appreciate the need to hit a specific price point however I would much rather have a new GTX970 to partner up with the overclocked i7 5820k. The R9 285 is ideally suited for a 1080p resolution, however if you want to game at 1440p or 1600p then the GTX970 is much more capable. It is also quieter, cooler running and consumes less power under load (around 50-70 watts less in our own tests).
Everything considered, there is a lot to like about the Chillblast Fusion Ares system. If you are spending £1,400 on a system you will want some headroom for future games – so budget a little extra to upgrade the graphics cards to the new mid range class leader – Nvidia's GTX970.
Buy direct from Chillblast, over HERE.
Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.
Pros:
- fantastic build quality.
- 5820k offers great value for money.
- price point is competitive.
- fast SSD.
- 16GB of DDR4 memory.
Cons:
- Not the quietest system we have tested.
- R9 285 lets the system down a little.
- Crucial DDR4 is without heatspreader and the green PCB is ugly.
Kitguru says: The Chillblast Fusion Ares is a fantastic system based around the formidable 5820k processor. If you take gaming seriously and want some future proofing then we do recommend you upgrade the R9 285 to the GTX970, at a little extra cost.
Some game descriptions edited with courtesy from Wikipedia.
