Performance Analysis

In 3D tests performance was mostly neck and neck with the recent Stormforce Crystal GTX1660Ti, which obviously uses the same graphics card as the PC Specialist system but with a stock speed Ryzen 5 2600 instead. We would normally expect the Intel-based system to be faster, but the overclocked card used by Stormforce likely helps even things out. We saw a minimum frame rate of 63fps at 1080p in Deus Ex and 34fps at 1440p with averages of 63fps and 44fps respectively, reaffirming this system's strong credentials for both resolutions, as the majority of games will run significantly faster than Deus Ex at Ultra.

The hefty CPU overclock saw the system record an encoding time of 96 seconds in HandBrake, which is in between our own stock and overclocked scores for the Core i5-9600K. The Stormforce system loses ground here, but it makes up for it in the heavily threaded Cinebench test.

The storage performance was excellent, though, and the Samsung 970 Evo Plus topped the charts in the sequential speeds with a massive write speed of 2,412MB/s and a read speed of 3,565MB/s, also managing the fastest and third fastest storage trace tests in PC Mark 8 and some respectable random single-threaded numbers in CrystalDiskMark too - it's just a shame the SSD isn't a size up.

The overclock was completely stable, but the voltage used did see the peak load power draw hit 348W, which is over 120W more than the Ryzen 5 2600-equipped Stormforce Crystal GTX1660Ti system, so it can hardly be called efficient.

Stress testing did not reveal anything untoward in terms of temperatures or fan noise.

Conclusion

PC Specialist has clearly considered the component choices here carefully, and that shows in the solid performance across the board. As we mentioned at the start, the Core i5-9600K is definitely quicker in many gaming titles than its AMD counterparts, but our testing here suggests that AMD's disadvantage can be overcome (at least in some titles) with a GPU overclock, as shown by the Ryzen-based Stormforce Crystal GTX1660Ti.

There are other comparisons to make with that PC too, such as Stormforce's much more comprehensive warranty and a price tag £200 lower. PC Specialist has opted for a faster SSD (which really shows) and memory, plus you get 1TB more storage overall and a far better CPU cooler. However, none of that mattered in our game tests, as the cheaper system was still marginally quicker.

PC Specialist's build quality is mostly up to scratch, but the SSD should really be placed in the lower slot for best cooling.

Totalling up the components at various retailers, you're looking at a retail price of around £1,100 minus a copy of Windows 10, which means the asking price for the PC is very reasonable given you get a warranty thrown in, albeit a somewhat mediocre one.

If you're looking to get the most bang for your buck, the Stormforce Crystal GTX1660Ti delivers similar performance in games for less cash, but if you need ultra-fast storage, more hard disk space, and better CPU cooling then the PC Specialist Enigma S1 definitely comes recommended, as it gets you all of that for a fair price.