Cryo Hydro Nemesis SE system review

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.

Become a Patron!