Boasting one of AMD’s brand new Ryzen 3rd Gen. processors with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti, the Onyx GTX aims to please avid gamers on a budget.
Product on Review: Stormforce Onyx GTX 1660Ti Ryzen 5 3600
Manufacturer: Stormforce
Street Price: £989.99
Stormforce are a system integrator based in the UK who pride themselves on creating machines to match every budget and every requirement, whether that’s completing homework and watching your favourite YouTuber, powering through content creation tasks or playing the latest AAA titles, Stormforce caters to it all.
Today we look at something towards the more affordable end of the near-infinite pricing scale of the PC sector, at just under £1000. For your hard earned pennies, Stormforce have equipped the Onyx GTX 1660Ti Ryzen 5 3600 (not the catchiest of names, it has to be said) with, you guessed it, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti graphics card and an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 processor.
Further to that, there’s 16GB of DDR4 RAM, ample for almost any workload, a 500GB SSD and 2TB HDD for storage and Gigabit LAN and WiFi for internet access.
Packaging everything up nicely is the Cooler Master 3.1 Lite Gaming Case with an acrylic side window and glossy front smoked panel to show off your PCs interior lighting.
Backed up by a 3-year Collect & Return warranty, where if your system develops a fault within 3 years of purchase, they’ll pick up your computer, repair it, and return it to you. Not only that, but thanks to the inclusion of the AMD Ryzen 3rd. Gen processor, the system comes with a free 3 months Xbox Game Pass subscription where you can enjoy games like Gears of War 5, Forza Horizon 4 or Sea of Thieves.
Stormforce on the Onyx GTX 1660Ti Ryzen 5 3600:
The Stormforce “Onyx GTX 1660Ti Ryzen 5 3600” is powered by the all new 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen 3600 processor, combined with a B450 chipset and 16GB of 2666Ghz memory giving you the power and speed needed to elevate your game to new heights.
The Onyx 3600 GTX 1660Ti will bring the most graphically intense games to their knees with the powerful NVIDIA GTX 1660Ti graphics card, and with new AAA titles taking advantage of the pioneering NVIDIA Turing architecture, sit back and let its ray tracing capabilities unleash reflective and shadowy carnage.
The Onyx 3600 GTX 1660Ti will bring the most graphically intense games to their knees with the powerful NVIDIA GTX 1660Ti graphics card, and with new AAA titles taking advantage of the pioneering NVIDIA Turing architecture, sit back and let its ray tracing capabilities unleash reflective and shadowy carnage.
Technical Specifications
PROCESSOR
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6 Cores, 12 Threads
Core Frequency 3.6GHz
Max Boost Clock 4.2GHz
32MB L3 Cache
AMD Wraith Cooler
MEMORY
Crucial 16GB (2x8GB) 2666Mhz DDR4 RAM
Supports up to 32GB
4 DIMM sockets (2 used)
HARD DRIVE
2TB 3.5” HDD
500GB M.2 SSD
OPTICAL DRIVE
None supplied
SOFTWARE
Windows 10 Home
30 day trial of Microsoft Office included
MOTHERBOARD
ASUS Prime B450M-A
DISPLAY
N/A
GRAPHICS
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660Ti 6GB Graphics Card
1x DVI
2x HDMI
1x Display Port 1.4
AUDIO
High definition 8-channel audio
INPUT DEVICES
Keyboard & mouse not supplied
NETWORKING
300Mbps WiFi
1 Gigabit LAN Controller
POWER SUPPLY
500w PSU
DIMENSIONS
Height: 456mm
Width: 208mm
Depth: 381mm
MOTHERBOARD INTERFACES
1 x PS/2 keyboard (purple)
1 x PS/2 mouse (green)
1 x DVI-D
1 x D-Sub
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
3 x Audio jack(s)
EXPANSION
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (1 used)
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 (1 used)
1 x M.2 2280 (1 used)
2x 3.5” internal bays (1 used)
1x 2.5” internal bay
LEDS
RGB Lighting
CASE
Cooler Master 3.1 Lite Gaming Case
1x USB 3.0
1x USB 2.0
2x audio jacks
WARRANTY/MISCELLANEOUS
3 Year Collect, Repair and Return Warranty
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6 Cores, 12 Threads
Core Frequency 3.6GHz
Max Boost Clock 4.2GHz
32MB L3 Cache
AMD Wraith Cooler
MEMORY
Crucial 16GB (2x8GB) 2666Mhz DDR4 RAM
Supports up to 32GB
4 DIMM sockets (2 used)
HARD DRIVE
2TB 3.5” HDD
500GB M.2 SSD
OPTICAL DRIVE
None supplied
SOFTWARE
Windows 10 Home
30 day trial of Microsoft Office included
MOTHERBOARD
ASUS Prime B450M-A
DISPLAY
N/A
GRAPHICS
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660Ti 6GB Graphics Card
1x DVI
2x HDMI
1x Display Port 1.4
AUDIO
High definition 8-channel audio
INPUT DEVICES
Keyboard & mouse not supplied
NETWORKING
300Mbps WiFi
1 Gigabit LAN Controller
POWER SUPPLY
500w PSU
DIMENSIONS
Height: 456mm
Width: 208mm
Depth: 381mm
MOTHERBOARD INTERFACES
1 x PS/2 keyboard (purple)
1 x PS/2 mouse (green)
1 x DVI-D
1 x D-Sub
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
3 x Audio jack(s)
EXPANSION
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (1 used)
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 (1 used)
1 x M.2 2280 (1 used)
2x 3.5” internal bays (1 used)
1x 2.5” internal bay
LEDS
RGB Lighting
CASE
Cooler Master 3.1 Lite Gaming Case
1x USB 3.0
1x USB 2.0
2x audio jacks
WARRANTY/MISCELLANEOUS
3 Year Collect, Repair and Return Warranty
Packaging & Bundle
Stormforce, unlike some other system integrators, use their own packaging that’s been custom-fit to the cases they use, ensuring a snug fit inside the case between the polystyrene inserts and the system chassis. Not only does this look a little better, it also allows Stormforce full control of the quality of the cardboard that is used.
Instead of being bombarded with packets of screws, washers and all other kinds of stuff you’re very unlikely to ever use, it’s refreshing to receive a few simple pieces. WiFi antennas, a power cord and a couple of instruction guides – lovely and simple.
When you first get to the PC, it’s covered in loads of lovely peelable sheets of plastic. If you enjoy peeling these off as much as we do, you’re gonna love this. The only downside is the static electricity they leave behind; the system turns into a dust magnet for a lengthy period of time.
Behind the acrylic side panel is a large foam insert that’s used to hold the GPU and cables in place during transit. Make sure you remove this before you start up your new computer, it will hinder airflow somewhat.
Closer Look
Measuring in at 190mm wide, 450mm long and 390mm tall, the Cooler Master 3.1 Lite chassis is, there’s no other way to say it, perfectly average.The front is covered by a large tinted plastic fascia with air vents at the top and bottom to draw in cool air. Residing behind the plastic is a pair of illuminated red LED 120mm fans.
The front I/O is reasonably well equipped, starting from the left we get a reset switch, headphone and microphone 3.5mm jacks, the power button, a USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 port and an HDD activity LED.
Pulling away the rear panel, cables are managed to an extent but not particularly neatly, though it has to be said, time spent here would have to be taken from elsewhere and there’s definitely more important things than how straight your motherboard power cable is.
Around the back of the machine, the rear I/O stands up well with following ports: (from top to bottom)
2x PS/2 ports, one for keyboard and one for mouse
1x DVI-D
1x VGA
1x HDMI
2x USB 3.1 Gen. 1
2x USB 3.1 Gen. 2
2x USB 3.1 Gen. 1
1x Gigabit RJ45
3x 3.5mm Audio Jacks
Then underneath the motherboard’s I/O section, the GTX 1660Ti from ASUS provides a DVI-D, two HDMIs and a DisplayPort.
Further south is the WiFi card with two antenna connections.
Closer Look (Internals)
Venturing inside the system, Stormforce have based the components upon an ASUS Prime B450M-A mATX motherboard which suits the configuration and use-scenario well. It’s not too overly featured that it’d push the price up but it has plenty of future upgradeability options with solid performance to boot.The DRAM configuration is decent, too. The motherboard supports up to 64GB so it would be unwise to limit the system to 16GB by occupying all four of the DIMM slots. Stormforce have only populated two of them leaving a pair open to future upgrades.
Under the AMD Wraith cooler is an AMD Ryzen 5 3600, one of AMD’s latest Zen2 processors built upon the brand new 7nm architecture. Clocked at up to 4.2GHz and with 6 cores and 12 threads, we should see some very decent performance from this chip.
While the processing performance of the Onyx system has been covered, here we have the graphics. Being the performance leader of NVIDIA’s latest GTX 16xx series of GPUs, the GTX 1660Ti from ASUS packs 1536 CUDA cores and 6GB of GDDR6 DRAM for very respectable 1080p performance.
Right above the GPU, in the first of two M.2 slots, is a 500GB Western Digital Blue SATA M.2 SSD. The blue PCB is a little unsightly but the lack of cables of a 2.5” SATA SSD definitely helps in other areas.
The storage requirements of the system are propped up by a 2TB Western Digital Blue HDD, useful for storing movies, music and less demanding games.
Benchmarks: Temperatures & Boot Time
For our first benchmark test we observe the max. CPU/GPU temperatures of the system while allowing Unigine Heaven 4.0 to run on a 30-minute loop. To report back on the temperatures we use RealTemp and GPU-Z which provide the peak figures.
In this test we observe how fast the boot into Windows 10 is by using a digital stopwatch.
Benchmarks: Cinebench R20 & Handbrake
Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.
HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs. We run an x264 benchmark through HandBrake to measure the system’s video processing speed. Results are delivered in a first pass and second pass format.
Benchmarks: PCMark 10, Unigine Heaven & 3D Mark
PCMark 10 combines performance benchmarking with battery life measurement and includes tests based on popular Adobe and Microsoft applications. Whether you are looking for long battery life, or maximum power, PCMark 10 will help you find the devices that offer the perfect combination of efficiency and performance for your needs. It’s the complete PC performance benchmark for home and business.
Time Spy is a DirectX 12 benchmark test for gaming PCs running Windows 10. With its pure DirectX 12 engine, built from the ground up to support new API features like asynchronous compute, explicit multi-adapter, and multi-threading, Time Spy is the ideal benchmark for testing the DirectX 12 performance of the latest graphics cards.
Extreme performance and stability test for PC hardware: video card, power supply, cooling system. Check your rig in stock and overclocking modes with real-life load! Also includes interactive experience in a beautiful, detailed environment.
Benchmarks: Gaming (1080p)
The Onyx GTX 1660Ti Ryzen 5 3600 uses the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti for graphics delivery, in this section we test the latest gaming titles to see how effective the 3D capabilities are. We report on the average framerate using FRAPS.
Conclusion
Having now covered several Stormforce systems, one thing becomes increasingly apparent as each review passes. Their attention to detail and unfaltering quality is constantly apparent. Obviously, with their more expensive machines, colour-coding cables and components becomes a bigger priority, but when you’re buying at the budget end of PC gaming, we’re sure you’d agree that they’d rather spend their time and effort on performance than cosmetics.The Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, as we suspected having already tested the Ryzen 5 3600X, performs remarkably well inside of a tight 65W TDP window. The Cinebench and Handbrake results were both brilliant for a system in this price bracket, as was the performance in TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER, where framerates are somewhat dictated by the CPUs ability instead of the GPU.
16GB of RAM is also ample for almost any commonplace task, even providing a good chunk of room if you did fancy doing some video or image editing. Having said that, if you did find yourself limited by the 16GB ceiling, however unlikely that may be, adding in another 16GB of a matching kit would only set you back £70 directly from Crucial.
Whether you decide to pair the system with a 60Hz monitor or go for something with a 144Hz refresh rate, the 1080p performance of the GTX 1660Ti is plentiful, offering way over 100FPS in all titles aside from DEUS EX, which historically is difficult for GPUs to render due to the intensive graphics. However, that being said, temperatures weren’t great with the GPU reaching almost 90°C within a 30-minute test. The single-fan cooler on the ASUS GeForce GTX 1660Ti could probably do with being swapped out for a twin-fan model.
The red LED 120mm fans in the front and back of the system give a typical ‘gamery’ feel to the Onyx but they’re very dim compared to many others that we’ve seen and the lack of RGB customisability doesn’t feel very 2019. The case also feels cheap, with the acrylic front and side panels being a magnet for dust. We couldn’t effectively remove the dust at all due to the static charge in the material. This might die down over time but over the week we had the computer unboxed, it didn’t dissipate.
For your £990, we can’t really see a better way of getting a current-gen PC with a very decent ability to tackle any task you throw at it.
Pros
+ Ryzen 5 3600 is a powerhouse at this price point
+ 500GB SSD gives a good balance of storage:performance
+ 16GB of RAM (with space for more) should be plenty for the majority of users
+ Decent cable management
+ Reasonably quiet
Neutral
+- Red LED fans are dull
+- No RGB
+- Case feels cheap
Cons
– GTX 1660Ti gets very hot
– Cooler Master case is a dust magnet
+ Ryzen 5 3600 is a powerhouse at this price point
+ 500GB SSD gives a good balance of storage:performance
+ 16GB of RAM (with space for more) should be plenty for the majority of users
+ Decent cable management
+ Reasonably quiet
Neutral
+- Red LED fans are dull
+- No RGB
+- Case feels cheap
Cons
– GTX 1660Ti gets very hot
– Cooler Master case is a dust magnet
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