Award: SEK 41,690 with CDON.
We know Corsair as a manufacturer of mainly RAM, but also for some other PC components such as cooling solutions, gaming mice, keyboards and headsets.
Recently, it has also decided to enter the computer market and compete, especially against other brands with a gaming focus such as Asus ROG, MSI and Alienware. Therefore, we decided to take in such a computer from them and see what it is good for.
Like a semi-regular desktop
The latest and most interesting model is called Corsair One, and is an extra compact and square tower with rounded corners. It’s about half the size of a midi tower box, with a slightly brutalist design – complete with giant heatsinks at the top and bottom with each a large fan directly behind.
At the front of the computer is a diode strip that can be programmed in all the colors of the rainbow with Corsair’s ICue control program, or turned off completely. On the back we find a bundle of connections. The computer doesn’t have Thunderbolt 3, but everything else we could possibly need, including a couple of external Wi-Fi antennas that are written on if you want to connect wirelessly. A couple of extra usb connectors, a headphone output and an hdmi connector are on the front.
This is a very lavish and performance-maximized powerhouse with the best of everything under the hood. We get an Intel Core i9 9900K, the most powerful processor right now outside of pure professional computers, Geforce GTX 2080ti graphics, 32 GB of fast ddr4 memories and both a solid ssd with top speed and a large mechanical hard drive.
Surprisingly open
All of this is thus packed into a compact special build with a specially designed slim motherboard. However, unlike the Asus PA90, another compact performance computer we tested recently, it is actually possible to access and tinker with this one with a little good will. You don’t even need a screwdriver to open up the computer, but we loosen the upper fan grill with a push of a button on the back and then both long sides can be folded out so that we can access the components.
But even then, it’s quite tricky to access to upgrade or maintain, but it works. The biggest obstacle is not the lack of space. Apart from the sata-connected mechanical hard drive which requires a bit of fiddling to get hold of, all important components are easily accessible.
Instead, it’s the fact that both graphics card and processor are water-cooled with their own custom-built system that makes it happen. This gets in the way of hoses, heatsinks and pipes for them and makes accessibility to the rest of the components frustrating.
Excellent damped cooling
However, the water cooling is worth it, because despite the heavy hardware, the cooling is effective and surprisingly muted. The computer is never completely silent, the hard drive spins and some air flow is constantly on.
But we can basically push it as hard and as long as we want without it being particularly loud at all. This makes the i160 a really good computer if, for example, you deal with streaming. Here you get uncompromising gaming performance with minimal disturbing noise.
There are no available slots for expansion, so the only reasons to dive in and tinker are to replace storage, memory, or processor. The graphics card’s connections are forwarded to a panel on the back with three display ports, and as I said, an HDMI output on the front. That and the cooling solution means that it is hardly possible to upgrade on your own.
The computer comes with Windows 10 Home and in addition to Nvidia’s Geforce Experience, we get programs for diode control, performance monitoring and fan. It is possible to set the computer both in quieter or more aggressive cooling mode, but we honestly never felt the need for it.
Opinion
This is a lavish build with maximum performance and functionality, and thus has a price tag accordingly. Is it worth the money? Maybe if you have very high requirements and specific needs. But most of all, it is an impressive technical construction.
Facts Corsair One i160 CS-9020003
Tested: April 2019
Manufacturer: Corsair
Processor: Intel Core i9 9900K, 3.2 GHz hexa core
Graphics: Nvidia Geforce RTX 2080ti, 11 GB
Memory: 32 GB ddr4
Storage: 480 GB ssd + 2 TB hdd
Connections: 4 pcs usb 3.0, 2 pcs usb 2.0, usb 3.1 gen 2 type c, usb 3.1 gen 2 type a, lan, 3 pcs display port 1.4, hdmi 2.0b, headphones, 5.1 audio out, line in, microphone, s/pdif out
Wireless: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (wifi 1-5), bluetooth 4.2
Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Power consumption: 68 – 457 Watts
Sound level: 33-36 dBa
Size: 17.3 x 20 x 38 cm
Rec. Award: SEK 41,100
Award: SEK 41,690 with CDON.
Performance
Cinebench R20, cpu: 4,121 points
Geekbench 4, cpu: 31,851 points
Geekbench 4, gpu (OpenCL): 344,619 points
3dmark Fire Strike (DirectX 11): 26,392 points
3dmark Time Spy (DirectX 12): 13,181 points
Vrmark: 11,950 points
Disk, reading: 1489 MB/s
Disk, search: 0.1 ms
Compact format
Very high performance
Plenty of storage
Silent operation
No expansion possibilities
Difficult to maintain
No Thunderbolt 3
High price