The PC Specialist Obsidian I serves up huge gaming power thanks to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, but does the low price mean compromise elsewhere?
The PC Specialist Obsidian I is the first review system to arrive at Tech Advisor with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, and this fearsome Ampere GPU is paired with an Intel Core i7-10700KF processor, a super-fast SSD and loads of RGB LEDs. Surprisingly, the PC Specialist Obsidian I only costs £1,899. That’s still a huge amount to spend on a PC, but it’s relatively affordable considering the sheer performance on offer – especially when you consider that a PC like this can keep you gaming smoothly for years. The high-end hardware is packed inside a Lian Li Lancool II. It’s a bold, impressive case – the front panel is dominated by strips of mesh that are illuminated by RGB LEDs, and both sides have tempered glass panels on hinges – which makes it easier to get inside. There are buttons on top of the chassis to alter the lighting, and build quality is tremendous: the glass, metal and plastic are rock-solid. The lower thirds on both sides of the case are covered with sleek metal shrouds. They’re hinged, and flipping them down reveals some extra features, like hard disk and SSD mounts. They’re a smart addition, although those hinges are the only weak point in this case – they’re a bit too flimsy. PC Specialist has done a good job on the interior. At the front, the cabling is neat, with easy access available to the components, and the tidy cabling at the rear is paired with metal covers that keep everything obscured. The Lancool has magnetic dust covers, three 3.5in hard disk caddies, and 120mm intake and exhaust fans. There are only minor issues: there’s no USB-C, those hard disk caddies don’t have tool-free installation, and the 240mm PC Specialist FrostFlow CPU cooler blocks the top of the motherboard. These problems are all manageable, and this interior is far better than the case provided in the rival Alienware Aurora R10 system – that chassis is ugly, untidy and has fewer upgrade options. You also get a better warranty with the PC Specialist – it’s a three-year deal, while the Aurora only included a year of coverage. If you need peripherals, head here for the pick of the best gaming mice. The star of the show here is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. The new Ampere architecture delivers smart upgrades to rasterization and CUDA cores, and it upgrades the RT and Tensor cores – the bits of the card that make Ray Tracing and DLSS work.
