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The SkyTech ArchAngel [Ryzen & GTX 1050 Ti Edition] is a budget gaming PC that proves you don’t need to spend lots of money to score an impressive – in both looks and hardware – machine. While other gaming categories in the same league include top-tier components like the latest Nvidia graphics cards (including our Editors’ Choice, the (CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme GXiVR8060A8), the ArchAngel is a more sensible affair.
That’s not to imply it’s lacking in the looks and components department, however. It features a similar aggressive design that reminds you of the tiny MSI Trident 3, but in a standard tower, which will make it convenient for many people, especially those who need something minimalist.
With a smaller footprint comes a smaller price tag as well. Does the SkyTech ST-ARCH-1200-1050Ti-4G do enough to deserve a place on your desk? Let’s find out.
- Don’t fancy a desktop? Check out our best gaming laptops
Design
As we mentioned earlier, the SkyTech ArchAngel case comes in a unique style that looks alien, when compared to most gaming PCs, but it’s still eye-catching to garner a few glances when people see it on your desk.
It has the gamer theme, with a white near-rectangular chassis, has a pair of tapering lazy-black covers through which angel eye LEDs breathe light to the exterior, and beneath them is a black vent.
The front upper deck is white, but it bent forward along the axis, but separated by a thin strip of lighting that runs up the front. The sides are dotted with white/blue panes, while the rest of the body is white, save for the black rear panel that holds the ports.
The design isn’t one of the ultimate space savers in this category, at least we didn’t expect it to be, staying clear of the smallest footprints of most mid-tower desktops: The system measures 20.2 by 8.5 by 18.2 inches, and weighs 26.6 pounds.
It will look imposing in any room, and the design itself looks bold enough for serious gaming. Small size gaming systems like the ASUS GR8 II-T069Z might squeeze into a tight spot better than the Archangel does, but the design is more useful if your desk lacks space.
Ports & Storage
There’s an optical drive, a bonus, as most manufacturers are shrugging it off, with the assumption that you’re more likely to download your PC games online from services like Steam or origin. As it is, you get a smooth array of access ports – two USB 3.0 and seven USB 2.0, but you don’t get a Type-C port that is becoming common among ultrabooks and gaming laptops.
Others include a 7-in-1 Audio port, and an Ethernet port in the back, alongside Wi-Fi support. If you need to hook up your desktop to multiple displays, you have one DL-DVI port, one HDMI port, one VGA port and a display port.
For storage, you have a 1TB 7200RPM hard drive, which is quite standard for entry-level gaming desktops. Compared: the CyberpowerPC Gamer SLC8600A gets a 240GB solid-state drive (SSD) for windows and programs, and an extra 3TB 7,200rpm hard drive for storing your downloads, while the CyberPower Xtreme GXiVR8060A8 comes with a 256GB NVMe M.2 SSD + 1TB, 7,200rpm SATA hard drive for data storage.
That’s enough system memory for any current AAA game, as well as enough storage space for thousands of hours of entertainment, including games and video downloads. Bundled into the package is a standard gaming mouse and keyboard, and Windows 10 (64-bit Professional) pre-installed.
Performance
Because the SkyTech Archangel GTX 1050 Ti has two main configurations that are almost similar, it’s hard to generalize the performance of this gaming PC. For this review’s sake, therefore, we’ll focus on the newest model in the series, which, while souped up, isn’t the most expensive option available.
We are reviewing the ST-ARCH-1200-1050Ti-4G which touts an unlocked AMD Ryzen 3 1200 (4-core) processor and Nvidia GeForce 1050 Ti (4GB) graphics card and 8GB DDR4 gaming memory.
More memory would be useful, and the system is capable of upgrades to 32GB, but these are pretty speedy components as is. The processor gets an excellent score of 6784 points in CPU Mark test, putting it somewhere on the middle of the road (in-between the Intel Core i5 and Core i7) in terms of performance.
For users in the market for a desktop PC that can handle both media projects using Adobe Suites and enough gaming muscle, then this machine isn’t easy to pass by. On the other hand, the Cyberpower Gamer SLC8040A’s Intel Core i7 processor has a CPU score of 10,998 points, which is quite impressive for gamers, keeping in mind that it can burst up to 4.2GHz in Turbo mode, making it a better performer Archangel desktop.
Gaming Performance
Gaming is the main highlight here, and the GTX 1050 Ti helps the ArchAngel excels as expected for a budget gaming PC. It isn’t Nvidia’s top-of-the-line graphics card, but it does suffice with strong performance or most midrange systems in which its installed.
The desktop maintained an average 69 fps on Titanfall 2, 68 FPS on Battlefield 1 and 47 FPS on Fallout 4, all played at 1080p (1920-by-1080) resolution. The Corsair One Pro gets a GTX 1080 GPU, making it a gaming power house with smooth playable frame rates.
This year’s SkyTech ArchAngel PC is an excellent update that brings some excellent hardware revisions, particularly a performant AMD Ryzen 3 processor, while keeping the eye-catching Sci-Fi aesthetic. The design is unique, with some nice touches for PC gamers, but the while chassis may not be for everybody.
Gaming at 1080p is great, with even the most recent games running superbly at high settings. It’s not the most powerful gaming PC on the market at this price, however, and if you’re looking for a killer 1080p gaming PC that can handle VR (Virtual Reality) headsets, you’ll want to look at our recommendations below.
Is there a better alternative?
Though it has a modest starting price, the SkyTech ArchAngel can get pricey once you upgrade to a more capable processor or graphics card. The CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme GXiVR8060A8 readily offers a stronger specs sheet for a few dollars more, hallmarked by a 9th Generation intel core i5-9400F processor, Nvidia’s latest GeForce 1660 Ti graphics card that support VR headsets, 8GB RAM and 240GB SSD + 1TB hard drive storage.
For something a bit more powerful and future-proof, iBUYPOWER’s Trace2 9250 is another solid option. Topping out with the same Nvidia GeForce GTC 1660 Ti graphics card, it adds a beefier Intel Core i7-9400F processor, doubles up the RAM to 16GB and the same 240GB SSD + 1TB hard drive storage.
Should you buy it?
Yes. The SkyTech ArchAngel is a great pre-built PC that delivers decent performance at a reasonable price point that’s competitive with other rigs. For a few dollars more, either the Trace 2 9250 or the CYBERPOWERPC Gamer GXiVR8060A8 recommended above offer an even better gaming experience and are VR ready.
The Review
SkyTech ArchAngel
This year’s SkyTech ArchAngel is an excellent update that brings some excellent hardware revisions, particularly a performant AMD Ryzen 3 processor, while keeping the eye-catching Sci-Fi aesthetic.
PROS
- Compact case design
- Very reasonable pricing
CONS
- Lacks an SSD
Review Breakdown
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EDITORS RATING
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CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC, Intel Core i5-9400F 2.9GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB, 8GB DDR4, 240GB SSD, 1TB HDD, WiFi Ready & Win 10 Home (GXiVR8060A8, Black)
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