So there you have it, clearly one of the fastest systems available on the market today. Right from when the system arrived, we knew it was something special .. it is not often a crowd gathers at KitGuru HQ to unbox a PC, believe me.
Selecting Lian Li for the chassis and Corsair for the heart of the system is a good core decision and when this is combined with the fantastic HD5870′s and Intel 980x processor we are already on the road to an award winner. Unlike many companies however, Cryo’s main skill is not in the selection of components, but the build quality. The watercooling components were carefully researched and the attention to detail throughout the build phase is second to none. While I have agreed not to show screenshots of the bios you can rest assured that every page within has been touched, caressed and tweaked to push every last possible ounce of performance from the components.
When first firing up the system we were pleased to report one of the cleanest Windows 7 installation we have seen. Cryo are confident that their user base isn’t going to immediately infect themselves with viruses, key loggers and trojans. My advise is just to get AVG free, and keep resource hogging to a minimum … but its nice being given the choice, without having to fix registry settings when you deinstall a plethora of applications you never wanted in the first place.
Performance? What can I say, the Intel 980x processor at reference clocks gives staggering levels of performance, but at 4.5ghz? Well, in professional grade rendering it actually outperforms the W5580 dual CPU Nehalem system I tested last year. Intel really have created a monster with the 980x and the price suddenly seems bargain basement when you factor in two W5580′s cost £2,000 twelve months ago.
Gaming performance is also staggering, although we already expected that with two of ATI’s flagship HD5870s in CrossfireX. No matter the game, regardless of the settings, even with a 30 inch screen they will nail you to your chair as you frag zombies and drive supercharged cars.
Cryo have not only created one of the fastest gaming PC’s available on the market right now, but this machine can kick the ass of many a dual CPU system when it comes to professional level rendering applications. The Hydro Nemesis has been built by a passionate team who are in my humble opinion probably the best high end system builder in the UK right now.
KitGuru says: If you have the money, and want this – then buy it, we envy you. That’s all we can say.
Discuss in our forums over here or just leave a quick comment below.
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June 7, 2010
#1
Fuck me.
I am in work right now but ive skimmed half of the review. the performance is mind melting. its expensive, but hell at least its well made. *dell* cough
June 7, 2010
#2
i saw the price, and almost splurted out my coffee. After reading the results however, bloody hell. I think its almost worth the price. It would be if I was loaded mind you.
My own system seems so woefully inadequate now, I almost punched it out of anger
June 7, 2010
#3
we should have a poll. “Kitguru has undoubtadely high end readers, how many of them however could afford this Cryo system?”.
What the bets, less than 5%? imagine this going up on tomshardware. its all 13 year old boys, no one would even understand it :p
June 7, 2010
#4
absolutely beautiful, way out of my price league, but regardless. I want it
June 7, 2010
#5
can we have a competition to win it ? please? Zardon, bribe Cryo.
June 7, 2010
#6
That lian li is quite a modest chassis, you would think they would have opted for the X2000, high end case ?
June 7, 2010
#7
Yeah I agree, we need a Cyro competition. just to even see the crate :p
June 7, 2010
#8
I need to get a job running Apple, then I could afford this. You reckon Steve Jobs would like it? I bet he would, but he probably would go use it behind a locked door in his mansion. Frag some newbs in Left4Dead2.
June 7, 2010
#9
Wow, I don’t really know what to say. thats just insane.
June 7, 2010
#10
How much? dear lord, how much? I couldn’t even earn that in a year! Id like a job building pcs for them though ! how cool would that be, being able to tell your boss you are ‘stress testing’ the new system for the customer by playing games all day on it.
June 7, 2010
#11
lol, 30 pages. I like to think id be a good reviewer but id kill myself half way through.
Nice review Zardon, and that system is a lot of readies, but it seems like the bizz!
June 7, 2010
#12
Cryo? never heard of them, but im going to check them out. My last system I had cyberpower build me and it was utter crap. a stick of crap on a crapfest pole.
June 7, 2010
#13
Its almost like Dell, but good in every way :p
June 7, 2010
#14
That read out device is good, where can you get them?
June 7, 2010
#15
HD5870′s? whats the point, isnt one good enough for anything?
June 7, 2010
#16
980x and HD5870′s. the stuff of legend. and dreams. wet ones. ernm. ill stop typing now
June 7, 2010
#17
I nearly went and bought this on my credit card, then splashed cold water over my face. I am still tempted. I cant build a system this good, and my last three have been cheap ass, rubbish. I suck
June 7, 2010
#18
@ the guy looking for the LED readout device. You can get them almost anywhere in stores man, check your online dealer. aint too hard to pick up.
June 7, 2010
#19
I always wanted to build a water cooling system like this, but im too chicken to do it
June 7, 2010
#20
Anyone here born into a rich family? if so, contact me and we can trade places. id sell my soul for this.
June 7, 2010
#21
wow, more than the price of my last car. but if its your thing, cant see you getting much better than this. any other UK builders like CRYO?
June 7, 2010
#22
@ DAX – yeah there are Dell and HP. they make some great systems like this
seriously though, I dont know, I tend to build all my own systems and its not something I look out for. This is better than I could build though, not too proud to say it
June 7, 2010
#23
Falcon Northwest ever move to the UK?
June 7, 2010
#24
no, they are only in America, they get a good rep though. crap name, always reminds me of a bird santcuary.
June 7, 2010
#25
The lack of SSD is weird mind you, would have expected to see one as a boot drive
June 7, 2010
#26
Why no SSD? wtf.
June 7, 2010
#27
its optional extra for SSD, they do sell em, check out the linkages
June 7, 2010
#28
great showcase and I am sure the rest of their systems are nicely made too. its way out of my price league. I sold my last car for less than this.
June 7, 2010
#29
Seems a bit overpriced, going on the part costs, but I pose they offer support and repair, time etc.
June 7, 2010
#30
Its only overpriced, if you dont have it
June 7, 2010
#31
Review long enough? lol, seriously. 30 pages. enjoyed the read though, think you covered everything I could want to know.
Well apart from performance in solitaire. how many FPS ?
June 7, 2010
#32
Good to see Crysis was playable :p rofl
June 7, 2010
#33
2560×1600 Crysis at enthusiast ! woo whooo. id buy that for a dollar. ermm I mean several thousand.
June 7, 2010
#34
power consumption is slightly high. wouldnt fancy seeing my electric bill next quarter!
June 7, 2010
#35
While I cant afford this, that is an amazing build. I was over looking at their other systems, some nice looking builds. ill bookmark it and look ater when I get home.
June 7, 2010
#36
thats really a showcase of how to build a PC. even the routing is top notch. look at the PSU for instance. and the top area near the CPU.
June 7, 2010
#37
While I cant afford a new PC now, these guys are building my next one, ive birthday money coming next month, so ill get something around 1200
June 7, 2010
#38
im going to buy one of these in a few months, not the SE one, but the cheaper version, which is a grand less.
June 7, 2010
#39
Great review Mr Zardon, one of the best ive seen in a long time.
As for the system, Id go for a bigger case for something like this, seems a little small. Why not use a bigger Lian Li? apart from that, very good. liked the photography too.
June 7, 2010
#40
Great review, and mega system if a little expensive
June 7, 2010
#41
What a design. what a product. One of the fastest pcs ive seen by a long shot.
Not really affordable, but that happens when you dont cut corners!
June 7, 2010
#42
That tubing is wicked. my friend has a similar system which he built, ill have to show him this however
June 7, 2010
#43
very well built system, but lack of SSD is quite surprising, surely for the money it could have made the cut
June 7, 2010
#44
The watercooling selection is well educated. this equipment is well known to be very reliable and high performing. id like to see a 980x running at 5ghz however. not many can do that, would need phase possibly.
June 7, 2010
#45
Impressive review for a killer system. nice to see a company with their thumb firmly out of their ass. for a change. Alienware take note !
June 7, 2010
#46
Do they deliver outside the UK or too expensive?
June 7, 2010
#47
oui oui, I like, delicious build
June 7, 2010
#48
I priced all the components, its around 3k, so 500 markup to cover support, time building etc. its not really that much.
June 7, 2010
#49
3k? i think not, seems more like 2.7k by my calculations.
June 7, 2010
#50
my wallet is screaming at the thought of it, but hey, each to their own !
June 7, 2010
#51
If I had a lot of spare cash I would buy it, I can never build systems as good as this, so why not. For the mean time, im using a toshiba laptop. sad, yep.
June 8, 2010
#52
I’m Drooling as I read these.
November 1, 2011
#53
i dont understand what all the hype is about. the liquid cooling side is undersized drastically, the cpu block is ok but theres better, the wire routing and cable managment looks pretty bad (custom sleeving woulda been nice) the pumps just ok. to me its a PC full of fluff to make people go wow that dont have a clue. u could build this system yourself and have a much cleaner look then what they came up with plus the performance would be better and much cheaper