Corsair One i500 review — small PC, big performance | usagoldmines.com

The Corsair One i500 ($3,599 as configured) is a small marvel. Although not precisely a mini PC, this rig is smaller than many gaming PCs. Due to its comparatively diminutive dimension, you’ll haven’t any bother discovering a spot for it in your desk. The fashionable fake wooden entrance panel additionally ensures this machine received’t look misplaced in your house workplace.

This rig is small in dimension however large in energy. Our check unit’s Intel Core i9-14900K CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Tremendous GPU and 32GB of RAM enable it to play the best PC games at most graphical settings and not using a downside. And whereas the Corsair One i500 can get pretty heat, it runs a lot cooler and quieter than different gaming PCs I’ve examined.

Whereas the Corsair One i500 is undoubtedly a beast, it’s not excellent. At time of writing, there are solely two obtainable configurations, and each are very costly. And although you possibly can swap out elements, doing so isn’t simple because of the rig’s compact dimension. If you wish to change the GPU you’ll must ship the PC to Corsair, which is a bummer.

The Corsair One i500 is likely to be expensive and exhausting to configure however there’s no denying it’s one of many best gaming PCs I’ve ever examined. Discover out extra in my full evaluation. 

Corsair One i500 evaluation: Cheat sheet

What’s it? The Corsair One i500 is a strong gaming PC that’s sufficiently small for many desk setups
Who’s it for? For folk who desire a highly effective gaming PC that doesn’t appear to be a typical gaming rig
What does it price? The Corsair One i500 we reviewed prices $3,599 as configured from Corsair’s website.
 What don’t we like? The excessive worth, lack of configurations and that you must return it to Corsair to swap out the GPU.
What will we like? The unbelievable efficiency, elegant design and the way quietly it runs. 

Corsair One i500 evaluation: Specs

Corsair One i500 evaluation: The ups

The Corsair One i500 impresses due to its small dimension and superior gaming efficiency. The very fact it runs cool and appears good doing it serves as a bonus.

Compact design

(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)

A lot of the desktops I check are normally large towers. The gaming rig I’ve at house can be somewhat giant. Due to that, the Corsair One i500 is a welcome change. Although bigger than earlier Corsair One PCs, the i500 remains to be comparatively compact at 15.3 x 11.8 x 7.6 inches. And whereas 15.8 kilos isn’t precisely mild, it’s simple to carry if it’s worthwhile to readjust it in your desk or maybe transfer the PC to a different room.

(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)

The Corsair One i500’s wooden paneling and material sides lend the PC an air of magnificence you don’t usually affiliate with gaming PCs. If private computer systems existed within the Fifties, I think about they’d appear to be this. That mentioned, the tasteful RGB lighting on the back and front let you already know that is certainly a gaming rig. Urgent or dragging a finger over the skinny black strip working throughout the entrance panel lets you change the lighting sample, which is a neat function.

(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)

This rig may need a small profile but it surely packs greater than sufficient ports. There are two USB-A ports, a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the entrance, with one other seven USB-A ports, a USB-C port, HD audio ports, a lone HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPorts on the again.

Wonderful efficiency 

(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)

The Corsair One i500 would possibly sport a refined look however an absolute efficiency monster lies inside its chassis.

Due to our evaluation unit’s Intel Core i9-14900K CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Tremendous GPU and 32GB of RAM, I had no bother working trendy graphically demanding video games at max graphical settings and 4K decision. Doom Eternal ran at an insane 220 frames per second at these settings, whereas Cyberpunk 2077 hovered within the mid-60s with out the frame-boosting Nvidia DLSS function enabled. That is precisely the efficiency I’d anticipate from a $3,600+ machine.

We additionally benchmarked a number of video games throughout our lab checks and noticed equally spectacular outcomes. At 4K decision, video games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Borderlands 3, Dirt 5, and Far Cry 6 ran near or above 100 frames per second, as you possibly can see above. 

Contemplating the highly effective elements below its hood, the Corsair One i500 doesn’t break a sweat when dealing with much less intensive duties like browsing the online, streaming movies or on a regular basis work. This gaming rig dealt with my typical workflow—which normally consists of over 30 open tabs and the occasional YouTube video—and not using a hitch.

Our lab check backs up my expertise. On Geekbench 6, which checks general CPU efficiency, the Corsair One i500 turned in spectacular single-core and multi-core scores. These numbers are akin to the MSI Aegis RS2 14 ($2,699), which has the identical GPU, 32GB of RAM and an Intel Core i9 CPU. Corsair’s gaming rig may transcode 4K video to 1080p in a flash, as our Handbrake check reveals. 

Cool and quiet

(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)

Regardless of its highly effective elements and compact design, the Corsair One i500 runs very quietly and stays cool to the contact.

This is because of its three consumption followers on the again and two followers up prime. The water-cooled CPU and GPU additionally guarantee issues stay comparatively cool inside. And even with all of the followers rotating, the PC doesn’t get loud in any respect—making certain your gaming session isn’t ruined by noisy followers.

Corsair One i500 evaluation: The downs

The Corsair One i500 delivers an superior gaming expertise. Nonetheless, some drawbacks might make you assume twice about buying this costly rig. 

Straightforward to open however tough to improve 

(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)

Opening the Corsair One i500 is comparatively simple. After popping off the magnetic material panels, all it’s worthwhile to do is unscrew 4 screws on the again (two screws per facet) to take away the steel panels to entry the inside. Issues get extra difficult after this, nonetheless.

You may improve the CPU, RAM and storage however doing so is considerably difficult because the inside is so tightly packed. It’s not unattainable, however when you’ve got large arms like me, you may need a tough time shifting round inside this rig. Then there’s the GPU …

(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)

If you wish to improve the GPU, you’ll should ship the Corsair One i500 again to the corporate so staff can do this for you. That is seemingly as a result of the GPU is liquid-cooled and Corsair doesn’t need you doubtlessly damaging the system. Whereas that’s comprehensible, sending again a gaming rig, even a small one like this, isn’t precisely enjoyable.

With such top-end elements, you seemingly received’t should improve something for a few years. However if you wish to swap components out, particularly the GPU, don’t anticipate a simple time.

Costly

(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information)

This would possibly appear to be an unfair criticism since gaming PCs are usually the costliest computer systems on the market. Nonetheless, worth could possibly be a extreme hindrance for anybody within the Corsair One i500. Even the “cheaper” mannequin ranks among the many costliest PCs I’ve reviewed. The very fact you possibly can’t configure the PC to make use of extra cost-friendly elements is irritating.

That mentioned, if worth isn’t any object and also you don’t need to muck round attempting to construct a configuration that balances efficiency and worth, then this rig’s price received’t be a problem.

Corsair One i500 evaluation: Verdict

The Corsair One i500 is definitely expensive and tough to improve, however in case you’re in search of a machine that may run video games at 4K and effectively over 60 frames per second, this machine greater than will get the job executed. Not solely does it ship stellar efficiency however does so in one of the distinctive designs I’ve seen for a gaming PC. If I might afford this machine, I wouldn’t assume twice about getting it for myself.

In case you’re in search of a gaming PC that received’t nuke your checking account, the Alienware Aurora R16 ($1,249) presents nice efficiency and has a no-frills chassis. The Dell XPS 8960 ($899) is an much more reasonably priced choice that also delivers a enjoyable gaming expertise.

Value apart, the Corsair One i500 is an general beast of a gaming rig. In case you can abdomen its price, you received’t be disillusioned.