PC Specialist Obsidian Zen Review

Up Close

We often get systems into the OC3D Bunker that have windows and flashy lights and all the accoutrements that one would expect from a modern gaming system. When you’re trying to maximise performance but keeping things affordable then these aesthetic – but not helpful to performance – elements are very much the first to go. The fan at the front of the Fusion case does light up red though, so if you’ve got the system tucked away somewhere with just the front visible then it still has a sense of class and visual attraction.

  
  
Taking off the side panel reminds us of many a system we used to own in our formative years. Without a window to force you to go mental with cable hiding, and with hardware that leans towards function over form, there isn’t much to show off to you in pictures. Don’t confuse that with us being negative though. It’s an affordable gaming system. Some times you have to make decisions about where to spend your money and we’d always take performance over looks.

It’s good that PC Specialist haven’t sacrificed everything on the altar of price though. It must have been tempting to get the cheapest motherboard possible and even a reference GTX 1060, but with the Zotac graphics card you will get quiet gaming alongside the performance, and the ASUS Strix B350 combines excellent reliability with a good amount of connectivity options for your future expansion needs.