TechRadar Verdict
The Corsair One A200 is a gorgeous little computer, and it packs quite a punch, thanks to its Ryzen 9 processor and RTX 3080. However, the super high price of entry will keep most people from buying this gaming PC over any other.
Excellent performance
Gorgeous chassis
Nice RGB lighting
Very expensive
Might be hard to upgrade
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Two minute review
Here is theCorsair One A200configuration sent to TechRadar for review:CPU:AMD Ryzen 9 5900X (12 Cores, 24 Threads, up to 4.9 GHz)Graphics:NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080RAM:32GB DDR4Power Supply:750W 80 Plus PlatinumStorage:1TB M.2 Gen4Ports front:2 x USB-A 3.0, 1 x headphone jack, 1 x USB-CPorts back:4 x USB-A 3.0, 1 x USB-A 3.2, 1 x USB-C 3.2, 3 x analog audio jacks, 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, EthernetConnectivity:2.5G Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1Operating system:Windows 10 HomeWeight:30 pounds (14kg)Size (W x D x H):7.87 x 6.93 x 14.96 inches (200 x 176 x 380 mm)
The Corsair One has always been one of the most unique gaming PCs on the market, delivering a super high-end power profile in a chassis that isn’t much larger than the Xbox Series X or the PS5. The new Corsair One a200 is no different: it’s a powerhouse gaming PC with anNvidiaGeForce RTX 3080, 32GB of RAM and anAMDRyzen 9 5900X in a chassis that’s just 14.96 inches tall and 7.87 inches deep.
This does come with a pretty high price tag, of course. The Corsair One a200startsat a gut-punching $3,799 with the specs we’ve listed to the right, and can go all the way up to $4,199 if you want to upgrade the specs to a Ryzen 9 5950X, 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. Both configurations come with an RTX 3080, so at least you won’t have to compromise where itreally counts.
That makes it much more expensive than other PCs. For instance theMSITrident X with a 10th-generationIntelCore i7, 32GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 will set you back about $2,599. And, sure, the Intel Core i7-10700K is a quite a bit slower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, but that jump in performance definitely is not worth the extra $1,200.
What you’re really paying for is the form factor. Because while the MSI Trident X is small at 16 inches tall and 15.61 inches deep, that’s quite a bit larger than the Corsair One a200. Instead, this little Corsair machine resembles the old cylindrical Mac Pro, but a bit larger. And, of course, it has some tasteful RGB lighting.
But don’t let the size fool you, as this is still a desktop PC, and it has all the ports you’re ever going to need. On the bottom of the front side of the PC, you get two USB-A ports, a USB-C and a combo 3.5mm audio jack. Around back, you get another USB-C port, 5 more USB-A, an Ethernet and a full array of dedicated audio jacks. You even get antenna ports for built-in Wi-Fi.
The RTX 3080, located on the bottom of the case, right next to the power supply, also has three DisplayPort 1.4 and one HDMI 2.1 port, just like any other graphics card you’ll find today.
There are plenty of gaming PCs out there that have more ports available, but most of those are more than twice the size of the Corsair One, so we’ll take the slightly limited port selection. Plus, unlike a lot of other prebuilt PCs out there, the back of the PC is gorgeous, and you don’t get the gaudy I/O guard that a less premium gaming PC may offer.
Here’s how theCorsair One A200performed inour suite of benchmark tests:
Cinebench R23:20,161pointsGeekbench 5.3 Single Core:1,627;Multi Core:11,762PCMark 10 Home:7,9833DMark Time Spy:16,074 |Fire Strike:33,130 |Night Raid:65,735Total War: Three Kingdoms:368 fps(1080p, low); 138 fps(1080p, ultra)Metro Exodus:164 fps(1080p, low)118 fps(1080p, ultra)
Just like previous versions of the Corsair One, getting into it is initially pretty easy. Just above the I/O on the back of the PC is a little button which you can press in to release the top of the case. After that pops out, you can pull it off to look at the frankly amazing build that Corsair pulls off with these PCs again and again.
But, while it’s easy enough to open it, actually getting down to any of the components to upgrade is going to be a nightmare, and honestly we wouldn’t recommend anyone but the most experienced PC builders even try it – though it is totally upgradable if you’re willing to deal with the hassle. Luckily the level of components that come with the Corsair One A200, even at the lowest configuration, means you probably won’t need to upgrade it any time soon.
Thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, the Corsair One is an absolute beast when it comes to playing the best PC games. Putting this thing in our living room – where it’s honestly a perfect fit – we have no problem maxing out Days Gone and playing it on our4KTV without a frame drop to be seen.
Even in heavy-hitting games like Metro Exodus, this PC has no problem delivering the goods. At 1080p with ultra settings, we’re getting 118 fps in Metro, which means we get to see all the beauty of the Russian wasteland while also getting silky smooth gameplay.
The Corsair One A200 even knocks it out of the park in synthetic workloads like 3DMark, where it was able to get an amazing 16,074 points in Time Spy. With performance like this, you should never run into a game that you can’t run at the highest settings, even at 4K.
The CPU is no slouch either, though. Scoring 20,161 points in Cinebench R23 and 11,762 points in GeekBench, the Corsair One A200 will also tear through creative workloads likePhotoshopand Premiere, especially once the RTX 3080 joins the fray, thanks to CUDA acceleration.
The corsair One A200 is an expensive computer, and there’s just no getting around it, but we think that’s mostly fine. Obviously we can’t recommend that everyone go out and buy this computer, but this lineup has always been a luxury item. If you have the budget for it, and you just want an elegant machine that won’t take up much space but can still game and create with the best of them, you could do a lot worse than the Corsair One A200.
Buy it if…
You want a premium gaming PCThe Corsair One A200 is probably the most luxurious pre-built gaming PC on the market. Especially if you don’t want to deal with configuring a rig from the Falcon Northwests or Maingears of the world and just want tobuy something.
You don’t have a lot of spaceThe Corsair One A200 is one of the smallest gaming PCs on the market right now, especially if you want one with a full-fat RTX 3080 inside.
You play games primarily at 4K or 1440pThe starting configuration of the Corsair One A200 is as powerful as the highest-end versions of a lot of the best gaming PCs. You should only pick this PC up if you’re planning to play games at a high resolution.
Don’t buy it if…
You’re on any kind of budgetWith the Corsair One A200, you’re paying mostly for the luxury of having such a small and gorgeous machine. You can easily find the same level of power elsewhere for much less money.
You’re constantly going to tinker with itThe Corsair One A200 is upgradable, uses all off-the-shelf parts and everything. However, taking it apart to get to the components to swap stuff out is a major pain, and not something you’re going to want to do regularly.
Bill Thomas (Twitter) is TechRadar’s computing editor. They are fat, queer and extremely online. Computers are the devil, but they just happen to be a satanist. If you need to know anything about computing components, PC gaming or the best laptop on the market, don’t be afraid to drop them a line on Twitter or through email.
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