OUR FAVORITE compact desktop PC is back! The Corsair One returns with, at first glance, no discernible changes. The solid metal case is exactly as we remember it —a thin tower with a tiny square footprint, gunmetal gray, with two tasteful RGB strips inlaid down the front. But this isn’t the same machine we’ve seen and loved before; this Corsair One is a traitor to its kin, because inside that outer shell is an AMD Ryzen processor.
You might’ve guessed this already from the name: “a” for AMD, much like the Intel-powered One models use ‘i’. The processor in question is a Ryzen 9 3950X, a 16-core beast of a chip that currently occupies the top of the Ryzen pecking order. When it comes to gaming, AMD finally has a Ryzen chip that can compete with Intel’s similarly powerful offerings.
This isn’t a Pro version of the One, so as per Corsair’s modus operandi it’s a more gaming-oriented system. That’s not to say that the processor and graphics card can’t handle workstation-level tasks; all it really means is a relatively conservative 32GB of RAM and a slightly smaller power supply. A Ryzen-powered One Pro has yet to be announced, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see one. The a100 is simply better suited for hardcore gaming; that being said, Nvidia’s new studio drivers are always an option.
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Maximum PC.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Maximum PC.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
2TB Crucial T500 M.2 PCle 4.0 SSD
The best budget 4.0 drive?
Hyte Y40
Traditional design meets Hyte
Lenovo Legion Go
A handheld gaming PC, just on a larger scale
Dough Spectrum One
As stunning as Dough's original glossy display
AMD Ryzen 7 8700G
1080p gaming with integrated graphics? Hell, yes
AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT
As cost-effective as an RTX 4080 Super
MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16G Ventus 3X
Iterative change and 4K dominance
STATE OF THE PC INTEGRATED GRAPHICS
Can you get by without a dedicated GPU?
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super
LONG AGO, before the reign of the Supers, there was a graphics card. It was bold, gauche, and built with the blood of a Titan, with gaming in mind. Its heart was near identical to the goliath it was born from, yet it lacked the memory, spirit, absolute architectural majesty, and subsequent price tag of its Titanic kin.
THE ULTIMATE PC BUILD GUIDE
Strap in as we divulge 20 more tips on how to become the next master PC builder