A high-performing gaming PC—with an equally high price.
The Asteroid gaming PC from UK computer builder Palicomp is a large piece of kit in almost every way: physical size; quality of components; speed; and, unavoidably, price tag. The basic rig is £2100. As a result, it’s pitched firmly at the premium end of the pre-built PC spectrum, though it shouldn’t be dismissed as over-priced. There’s build value and performance here that make the price of admission very reasonable.
Specs
GPU: MSI Nvidia GeForce Ventus RTX 2080 8GBCPU: Intel Core i9-9900K, overclocked to 4.9GHzMotherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z390-F GamingRAM: Adata 16GB DDR4 3600MHzStorage: 2TB M.2 2280 Intel 660p Nvme SSDPSU: Silverstone ET750-G Gold 750W PSUCPU Cooling: Thermaltake 360mm Water 3.0 ARGBDimensions: 49.28 cm x 20.83 cm x 49.53 cmWarranty: Three years (return to base)
Everything is housed in a wide, mid-tower case (a simple Lian Li PC-O11 model made of glass and dark metal), so it will take up a fair bit of space. But it looks subtle and refined thanks to the combination of materials and front-facing port arrangement. The glass panel on the left side gives a full-view of the components, including the fans; there are mesh vents directly behind those fans on the right side of the case, which you can somewhat see the fans through as well.
The chassis’ top and side panel are easy to remove (although I had to use a screwdriver on our unit to remove the thumbscrews), and there’s a separate panel at the back for two additional HDDs or SSDs if you need more storage. The whole case is spacious and well-laid out inside, leaving plenty of room for future modifications and additions. The case also has sturdy feet that lift it up high enough for good airflow underneath.
Beyond the sturdiness and dimensions, there are some RGB lighting strips on inside edges that add a bit of fun and combine well with the colourful Thermaltake fans. Alongside this, the cable management is neat and tidy. It’s clear where everything goes to and from. Nice. My only, very slight, concern with the design package as a whole was a little bounce on the front panel when pushing in headphones or a USB connection into the ports, but it didn’t affect the connectivity.
Speaking of ports, the Asteroid is well-stocked on those. The front has two USBs, a mic and headphone jack, and a handy USB-C.
