Overclockers UK 8Pack Asteroid System Review

The pre-built PC market is becoming increasingly populated with major OEMs and System Integrators, many of which are now targeting the high-end PC gaming and enthusiast audience. Yet very few of those brands offer something truly exciting or unique in this space - Overclocker UK's Ian '8Pack' Parry is one of the exceptions to that rule. The Overclockers UK 8Pack Asteroid system is a unique creation, and that's not just because it's spec'd and designed by a world-renowned extreme overclocker. At its heart the 8Pack Asteroid system crams in seriously high-end hardware - a Core i7 6700K and Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti - and is custom overclocked to extract the maximum performance of its components. Topping it all off the system is fully watercooled to provide a unique aesthetic, low temperatures and quiet operation. There are no compromises made in other areas of the system either - a SuperFlower Titanium 1000-watt power supply and 1.5TB of SSD storage are supplied as standard. OCUK provide an alternative GPU option with the GeForce GTX Titan X and there will be a GeForce GTX 1080 option available in the near future, according to OCUK, once stock materialises. OCUK confirmed that it will offer a free-labour upgrade to the GTX 1080 for anyone that purchases or has purchased an Asteroid before the GTX 1080 option is available, the customer only needs to pay for the additional hardware used. Impressively, everything the 8Pack Asteroid has to offer is all rolled into a compact mini-ITX form factor making it ideal for taking to events, gaming LANs in particular, or fitting into a compact space. The Asteroid is a unique showpiece in its own right though we do wonder why OCUK doesn't offer ASRock's X99 mini-ITX solution as an alternative CPU and motherboard option. This would have given the system the ability to support the octa-core Intel Core i7 5960X or the upcoming Broadwell-E i7 6950X, rumoured to have as many as 10 cores. ASRock's X99 ITX motherboard is supported by a number of waterblock options from EK and Bitspower, though there are arguments against the X99 and LGA 2011-3 choice including increased thermal output and lower single-threaded performance compared to Skylake. There may indeed be more cores with Haswell-E or Broadwell-E but most modern games are still better optimised for the quad-core high-frequency design of the i7 6700K. Key Specifications: CPU - Intel Core i7 6700K Hyperthreaded Quad Core Processor with maximum possible stable overclock (4.7GHz Minimum) with EK Supremacy CPU Waterblock Motherboard - Asus Maximus VIII Impact Z170 Motherboard (optional motherboard waterblock available) Memory - 8GB (2x4GB) Team Group DDR4 3866MHz Memory Graphics -Nvidia GeForce GTX 980Ti 6144MB GDDR5 Graphics Card Fitted with EK Full Cover Waterblocks and Overclocked to maximum stable overclock. Primary Storage - 1x 500GB Samsung 850 Evo Series Solid State Drive configured as primary (operating system) hard drive 1x 1TB Samsung 850 Evo Series Solid State Drive configured as secondary (game) hard drive Power Supply - SuperFlower Leadex Titanium 1000W Power supply with custom braided cables Case - Custom Parvum Mini ITX Cube Case - Black/Red Cooling - Custom Loop Watercooling Configuration Options - Watercooling Fittings and Fluid Colours Custom Cable Braiding Colours Warranty - 3 Year Collect and Return Warranty - UK Mainland Price (as configured): £3,989.95 The unique experience with the 8Pack Asteroid system starts with the delivery, the system is hand-delivered by Ian '8Pack' Parry or another OCUK staff member who will even set the system up for you. Throughout the duration of the warranty personalised customer support and services are available directly with Ian Parry who'll know your PC better than anyone else since every 8Pack system is tuned and overclocked by him. The system is shipped in a rather large "flight case" to provide excellent shipping protection. The range of accessories included is all the usual cables, adapters and accessories for each of the components used in the system build, as well as a welcome pack which explains support and contact details as well as an upgrade service if user's should desire to upgrade any parts inside their system throughout ownership. The case used by the 8Pack Asteroid is a custom-made Parvum mini-ITX chassis, it's largely made from thick matte acrylic pieces and clear acrylic panels for the side and top. On the whole the build quality is excellent and the case holds up well despite its heavy weight, there's no creaking or worrisome flex to speak of. There's also an 8Pack logo at the top of the case which is a nice touch as it's fairly subtle as far as branding goes. Rear I/O is dictated entirely by the components used so the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact motherboard gives a reasonable array of USB 3.0, 3.1, audio jacks, Gigabit LAN and external WiFi. The Nvidia GTX 980 Ti will output to a number of displays through its 3 Display Port, 1 DVI and 1 HDMI 2.0. Heat is removed from the system through a pair of 240mm radiators with downward firing fans, the PSU also has its own intake on the left side panel and exhausts directly out of the back of the case. Generally this cooling setup works well as heat is pushed out through the watercooling loop, though it must be said the bottom mounted radiators can be of varying effectiveness depending on the surface you place the system on - we'll discuss this more later on in the review. The two clear windows on the top and right side of the case provide a glimpse into the high-quality craftsmanship that has taken place inside. When powered on the system is illuminated by a white LED strip which looks very pleasant, though we'd like to see more attention paid to the acrylic panels which have light surface scratches, dust covering and fingerprints that should have been cleaned during the system's production. The view into the reservoir at the top of the case is a sophisticated addition, though we think this would be enhanced from some LED illumination. There may be some prospective buyers for which the LED illumination doesn't appeal at all and for them there really should be an option to disable all lighting. Furthermore, the lack of RGB functionality isn't really justifiable at this price point either, perhaps some fine tuning is required. Inside the Asteroid the cable management is immaculate and the main chamber has minimal clutter thanks to the custom braided cables and straight hard-line tubing. On the reverse side, the power supply chamber, the cables are all neatly tied up and the modular power supply minimises required cables. An Aquaero fan controller PCB handles all the fans and water pump, companion software comes pre-installed to control these. OCUK provide a number of fan profiles but out of the box the system is impressively quiet. There is a slight background hum, probably caused by the flowing liquid and pump, but most people will find the system almost inaudible under all load scenarios. The OCUK 8Pack Asteroid comes with minimum CPU clock speed of 4.7GHz while the GPU is 'overclocked to the maximum stable overclock'. Our particular unit from OCUK was overclocked to 4.8GHz on the CPU using a voltage of around 1.4 volts, perfectly safe and stable for long-term operation particular when considering it is fully watercooled. Similarly, the GPU came with a decent overclock of +150MHz on the core clock offset and +150MHz on the memory offset (+600MHz effective). Out of the box the OCUK Asteroid comes with just a handful of programs installed, MSI Afterburner to plumb in the GPU overclock, Aquaero's fan control software to monitor and operate all the fans and pump and a couple of stress test programs Ian '8Pack' Parry has used to verify the stability of the system. There are no undesirable applications, bloatware or free trials that you might expect to find on systems built by mainstream OEMs. Software tests: 3DMark 11 - Performance preset test (720p). 3DMark - Firestrike (1080p) and Firestrike Ultra (2160p) tests. PCMark 8 - Home and Work Accelerated benchmark sequences. Cinebench R11.5 - multi-core CPU test. Cinebench R15 - multi-core CPU test. CrystalDiskMark - default disk benchmark for testing OS and storage drives (see storage page for settings). Atto Disk Benchmark - default disk benchmark for testing OS and storage drives (see storage page for settings). SiSoft Sandra - Processor arithmetic and memory bandwidth test sequences. AIDA64 Engineer - system stability test for power consumption, temperatures and acoustics. Games: Ashes Of The Singularity - built in benchmark tool at 1080p, 1440p, 2160p with High, Extreme and Crazy detail presets (see benchmark page for full settings). Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - built-in benchmark tool at 1080p, 1440p and 2160p using ultra preset (see benchmark page for full settings). Grand Theft Auto 5 - built-in benchmark tool at 1080p, 1440p and 2160p (see benchmark page for full settings). 3DMark 11 is designed for testing DirectX 11 hardware running on Windows 7 and Windows Vista the benchmark includes six all new benchmark tests that make extensive use of all the new features in DirectX 11 including tessellation, compute shaders and multi-threading. After running the tests 3DMark gives your system a score with larger numbers indicating better performance. Trusted by gamers worldwide to give accurate and unbiased results, 3DMark 11 is the best way to test DirectX 11 under game-like loads. 3DMark 11 reveals the Asteroid to be a strong performer - compared to other GTX 970-equipped systems we have reviewed recently performance is nearly twice as strong in the graphics department. 3DMark is an essential tool used by millions of gamers, hundreds of hardware review sites and many of the world’s leading manufacturers to measure PC gaming performance. 3DMark reveals a similar theme - the Asteroid is an extremely strong performer in 3D workloads. At 4K UHD the gap between the sweet-spot GTX 970 is more obvious, the heavily overclocked GTX 980 Ti performs really strong. With PCMark 8 you can measure and compare PC performance using real-world tasks and applications, applications are grouped into scenarios that reflect typical PC use in the home and at the office. Two scores over 5000 imply excellent system-wide performance and realistically only a PCIe-based SSD would help to boost scores further since PCMark 8 doesn't scale all that much with multiple GPUs or high core-count CPUs. SiSoftware Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices whether hardware or software.Sandra is a (girl’s) name of Greek origin that means “defender”, “helper of mankind”. We think that’s quite fitting. It works along the lines of other Windows utilities, however it tries to go beyond them and show you more of what’s really going on. Giving the user the ability to draw comparisons at both a high and low-level. You can get information about the CPU, chipset, video adapter, ports, printers, sound card, memory, network, Windows internals, AGP, PCI, PCI-X, PCIe (PCI Express), database, USB, USB2, 1394/Firewire, etc. OCUK's Asteroid is fairly similar to the FiercePC Imperial Stormer we have also reviewed, which used the i7 6700K too but at a lower 4.7GHz clock speed. Memory performance didn't scale as much as we'd expect given the frequency difference between rival products. Nonetheless the dual channel 3,866MHz memory does perform blisteringly fast, even if it has marginal real-world impact compared to slower DDR4 memory. CINEBENCH is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer's performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON's award-winning animation software Cinema 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Iron Man 3, Oblivion, Life of Pi or Prometheus and many more. CPU performance aligns with the choice of CPU and impressive 4.8GHz stable overclock, to really push any further the 8Pack Asteroid would need to opt for X99 mini-ITX but a move towards a higher-end chip, like the i7 5960X, would probably push the price towards £5,000. We tested both the primary and secondary storage devices in the OCUK 8Pack Asteroid using CrystalDiskMark and ATTO. Both drives equipped in the OCUK Asteroid are Samsung 850 EVO Series SSDs which perform very well and offer one of the best bang-for-bang ratios of a high-end SSD. While performance is good, we feel the price point warrants something faster - a U.2 or M.2 NVMe drive, for example. The limitations of the chosen motherboard (ASUS Maximus VIII Impact) mean that M.2 isn't an available option, however, U.2 is available. The placement of the U.2 port near the rear I/O means cable management would have been tricky. Nonetheless, the point still stands that for the price bracket of this system PCIe-based storage is expected. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Ultra settings is no easy game to run. Yet the Asteroid smashes the benchmark with an average frame rate of 60+ FPS across all tested resolutions, including 4K UHD. Grand Theft Auto V is a tough game to run, as shown by the GTX 970-based systems that barely manage 30 FPS at 4K UHD. The 8Pack Asteroid manages close to the magic 60 FPS at 4K UHD which is as good as you can ask given the market has yet to offer a 4K monitor operating higher than 60Hz. Ashes of the Singularity is the toughest title in our suite of gaming benchmarks and the OCUK Asteroid holds up admirably. At 4K UHD you'd have to sacrifice some detail settings to Extreme or High to get a more playable frame rate but 1440p gamers should have no problems cranking up the detail settings. For this review we took our acoustic readings using a decibel meter placed on top of the OCUK Asteroid System. We took readings at desktop idle and at the end of a 10 minute AIDA64 full system stress test, as well as background noise reading in a silent room as a reference point. KitGuru noise guide 10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves 20-25dBA – Whisper 30dBA – High Quality Computer fan 40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator 50dBA – Normal Conversation 60dBA – Laughter 70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer 80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal 90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower 100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output 110dBA – Orchestra 120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine 130dBA – Threshold of Pain 140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range) 160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum The noise level is incredibly low given the background noise of a silent room with nothing operating in was 39 dBA. The system adds a small amount of noise when turned on due to the pump and fans but they are broadly silent, even cranking on a full system load barely increases the noise level. The advantages of a fully custom watercooling loop with high quality waterblocks is clear to see. Power consumption is surprisingly low given the performance on offer, the efficiency of Intel's Skylake CPU architecture and Nvidia's Maxwell GPU architecture helps the Asteroid achieve these results. You might argue that the 1000W PSU is "totally overkill" for this system but in practice the extra capacity headroom for the PSU means the unit's fan rarely turns on which helps keep things nice and quiet. We use CPUID HWMonitor to measure the maximum CPU and GPU temperature after a 10 minute AIDA64 full system stress test. After that we then let the system idle for a further 10 minutes before recording the minimum CPU and GPU temperatures. Room temperature was held constant at 24 degrees celsius for the duration of this testing. Temperatures vary depending on which surface you choose to place the Asteroid on. Scenario #1 has the system on very thin carpet tiles and this clearly hinders cooling performance, placement on a thicker carpet or rug would obviously hinder things further. Scenario #2 is on a flat hard surface, a desk to be precise, and here the results are about 8 degrees better under load thanks to the improvement in airflow at the bottom of the case. Placement of the OCUK Asteroid is crucial given the bottom-exhaust design of the dual-radiator watercooling loop. When it comes to pre-built gaming PCs the standards don't get much better than this. 8Pack's Asteroid is a mini-ITX gaming PC with bags of performance potential and a fully-custom watercooling loop that looks fantastic and performs even better. There's also the option to fully customise the colour scheme by changing the colour of the case, fittings, fluid and braided cables. Below you can see an alternative blue and green configurations, but any colour is possible on request. It shouldn't come as a surprise that having a renowned professional overclocker design, overclock, deliver and support a system doesn't come cheap. In the configuration we tested you're looking at £3,989.95 and that can increase to £4,469.95 should you opt for a GTX Titan X and 16GB of 3,733MHz DDR4. OCUK has confirmed it will be offering a GTX 1080 option in the near future once stock lands and a waterblock is available. As it stands it is advisable that prospective buyers hold out for this upgrade as it should have great benefits for 4K UHD gaming based on what we've seen in our review. If you simply cannot wait, then OCUK will upgrade your Asteroid at a later date charging only for the additional parts used - no labour charges, which is a nice service. We don't think the 8Pack Asteroid is perfect though, and when the price is set as high as it is there's justification to be pedantic. For the ultra-premium price point we expected to see NVMe storage and an option. In this instance the lack of M.2 on the ASUS motherboard and expensive nature of U.2 drives underpins this decision, but OCUK could have opted for a different Z170 motherboard. An option to choose an X99 ITX setup with a Core i7 5960X, or the rumoured incoming i7 6950X, for the ultimate in bragging rights may also be appreciated. Naturally, the cost would be elevated further still, but when you're outlaying £4,000 on a system what's another £1,000? Furthermore, the lack of advanced lighting controls or RGB lights is a little disappointing - at the price point we'd expect to see it included as standard. Since the Asteroid is as much a showpiece as it is a high-performance system, we think further enhancing the aesthetics and customisation with lighting is an important feature. Most keen enthusiasts would scoff at the thought of buying a pre-built system but the 8Pack Asteroid isn't aimed at that type of buyer. Ultimately if you've got deep pockets and are looking for a fantastic compact gaming system, and certainly don't want the hassle of assembling it yourself, then OCUK has you covered. Nonetheless, even an experienced PC builder can appreciate the craftsmanship that has gone into the 8Pack Asteroid. Discuss on our Facebook page over HERE. Buy direct from Overclockers UK, over HERE. Pros: Excellent cooling performance and acoustics Top-draw ITX gaming performance Clean design and styling Personalised delivery and support services Cons: Lacks NVMe storage No mini-ITX X99 option Lighting options are basic KitGuru says: The OCUK 8Pack Asteroid system is probably the best pre-built compact PC available right now...but has a price tag to match.