OcUK Ultima Finesse Blackhole Gaming PC Review

1. Introduction2. OcUK Ultima Finesse Blackhole: Packaging and Bundle3. OcUK Ultima Finesse Blackhole System4. Testing Methodology and Configuration5. Tests: System-related6. Tests: Processor-related7. Tests: Gaming-related8. Tests: Storage and USB 3.0 Performance9. Technical: Thermals, Acoustics, and Power10. Closing Thoughts11. View All Pages

The system should ship with at least 180GB free on the 250GB SSD, while the 2TB SSHD in our sample was completely empty.

Our system actually shipped with Windows 7 Professional installed, although we assume that most users will save money by opting for Windows 7 Home Premium or Window 8.1.

An empty hard drive indicates that the default file save locations are on the SSD. This is one of my pet hates – it would take the system integrator less than five minutes to shift the default save location for items such as music, videos, and downloads onto the high-capacity HDD.

That said, we suspect that a user buying an overclocked, SLI gaming rig will be knowledgeable enough to move their save directories off the relatively small SSD.

A static 3.9GHz overclock is applied to the Core i7 5820K processor. This overclock is actually achieved using the OC Genie profile built into MSI's X99S SLI Plus motherboard. The CPU hits 3.9GHz with a static core voltage of 1.1V, which is perfectly adequate for the processor's longevity and thermals.

The 2400MHz memory runs at its rated frequency, while the CPU cache speed is also maintained at 3GHz.

The system validation can be viewed here.

The pair of KFA2 GTX 970 Infinity Black graphics cards operate with a core clock of 1178MHz that boosts up to 1329MHz (although we recorded highs of 1392MHz whilst gaming). Memory is set to operate at 1753MHz.

Many GTX 970 graphics cards support a 0RPM fan mode, however the KFA2 version does not. Instead, only one of the fans remains stationary under small loads, with the other spinning at a low speed.

We will be outlining the OcUK Ultima Finesse Blackhole gaming system against a pair of Chillblast gaming machines and our Z97 test system. The Chillblast PCs are both significantly cheaper, so is the OcUK system able to translate its higher price tag into greater performance?

OcUK Ultima Finesse Blackhole

• CPU: Intel Core i7 5820K Six Core Haswell-E Processor overclocked to 3.9GHz
• Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus (Socket 2011) DDR4 ATX Motherboard
• Graphics Card: 2x KFA2 GTX 970 Infinity Black Edition 4GB Graphics Card SLI
• Case: NZXT Source 340 Gaming Case – Black
• Power Supply: Super Flower Leadex 750W Gold PSU
• Cooler: Prolimatech Genesis Dual Fan CPU Cooler
• RAM: 16GB (4x4GB) TeamGroup Elite DDR4 2400MHz Quad Channel Kit
• SSD: 250GB Samsung 840 EVO
• Hard Drive: 2TB Seagate SSHD
• Sound: High Definition 7.1 On-board Sound Card
• Operating system: Windows 7 64-bit.

Comparison Systems:

• Chillblast Fusion Raptor.
• Chillblast Fusion Barbarian.

Z97 Comparison Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i7 4790K ES (4.4GHz forced turbo).
• Motherboard: Asus Maximus VII Impact.
• Memory: 16GB (2x 8GB) Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400MHz CL10.
• Graphics Card: Asus R9 280X Matrix Platinum 3GB.
• System Drive: 240GB SanDisk Extreme II SSD.
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i.
• Case: NZXT Phantom 630.
• Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional with SP1 64-bit.

Tests:

• 3DMark 1.3.708 – Fire Strike (System)
• SiSoft Sandra 2014 SP2 – Processor arithmetic, memory bandwidth (System)
• Cinebench R15 – All-core CPU benchmark (CPU)
• WinRAR 5.10 – Built-in benchmark (CPU)
• HandBrake 0.9.9 – Convert 4.36GB 720P MKV to MP4 (CPU)
• ATTO – SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 transfer rates (Motherboard)
• Bioshock Infinite – 1920 x 1080, ultra quality (Gaming)
• Metro: Last Light – 1920 x 1080, high quality (Gaming)
• Tomb Raider – 1920 x 1080, ultimate quality (Gaming)

Become a Patron!