Origin Chronos PC Breakdown

PC gaming has come a long way in the past five years. When I got my first Origin rig it was towards the end of the PS3/360 era, a generation of console that had gone on too long. Games were struggling to wow in the visuals department, and it had been years since I was gaming regularly on a PC. The difference was staggering. Since then developers have put forth more effort in porting games to PC, with consoles now running on the same architecture, it is a more friendly environment, and with my new rig, games outshine even the newest consoles.

Rig Specs:

  • Origin Chronos Small Form Factor Case
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87N
  • Liquid Cooling: Origin Frostbyte 120 Liquid Cooling
  • Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K Quad-Core
  • Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB 1600 MHz
  • Graphics Card: Single NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (6GB)

The first thing I want to talk about is the case. I was hesitant at first with such a small enclosure for such a beastly machine. The thought of replacing parts or adding new ones was terrifying. However, once I saw it, I knew it wouldn’t be an issue. Everything is laid out perfectly, with easy to access areas. The video card takes up massive real estate, and there is a clear window on the side to showcase it. I admit, it looks awesome.

The case also came with four magnetic rubber feet so I could set the case anyway I wanted to, including horizontally to sit in an entertainment center. The case is about the same size as an Xbox One, and frankly looks awesome sitting next to my consoles when I set it there. There is a self-loading DVD drive on the front and a light-up Origin logo on the front, it is definitely a slick design.

The rig also boasts a 240GB SSD which runs the operating system and a host of programs I installed on it. The difference this makes is staggering. Windows boots up in seconds, not minutes, and memory-heavy programs such as Photoshop load ridiculously fast. I cannot recommend investing in an SSD for the OS enough, it really makes a world of difference.

There is also a liquid cooling system inside that keeps the PC running smoothly. It recycles the coolant constantly meaning it never has to be changed. My last Origin rig ran for three years almost non-stop and never overheated. Their builds are sublime, and for anyone looking into buying a new PC, I cannot recommend them enough. Their customer support is top-notch, and any questions I have had have been answered quick, and easy to understand.

Of course design is just one thing, let’s get to the important thing, games. To really push the rig I wanted to make sure I played an array of games. First I booted up Rise of the Tomb Raider and set all settings to max. The game is certainly gorgeous. I completed it on Xbox One and it looked fantastic, but running with ultra settings on PC, the difference is incredible. Particle effects and snow deformation looks stunning, and all running at a rock-solid frame rate really show how great that game looks.

Then I loaded up Doom, which is one of the fastest, most impressive-looking FPS games to date. On ultra I was able to keep the frame rate above 40-50 most of the time, and it is once again leaps and bounds above the console versions, which already look amazing.

Finally I tried out the new release of Umbrella Chronicles from Capcom compared to the PS4 version. Load times were quicker, and the image quality was superb. Every gamut of game running at a much higher frame rate without dips, just leads to a better gaming experience. It is great to see big name games running on PC without issues and the fidelity is just incredible.

We constantly hear about the PC master race, it is a meme that has wore out its welcome, and enraged gamers across the internet, but honestly when it comes to graphics and image quality, no one can deny the PC is where it is at. While not everyone can afford to shell out for a top-of-the-line PC, there are so many options and configurations it is becoming more and more accessible to own the ultimate gaming machine. Especially now that games are being developed with the platform in mind, the experiences are all the better for it.

PC provided for review by ORIGIN PC.

Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.