PCSpecialist Topaz Exige Review
Up Close
We mention it every time we review a PCSpecialist system but it always bears repeating, especially if you’ve had systems arrive in less than perfect condition. With PCS the components inside the case are protected by a foam insert that is easy to remove and yet fully protective. The system itself arrives in a supremely robust cardboard box, surrounded by foam. You would need a seriously deranged courier to even begin to try and damage the box, but PCS don’t use Hermes so it’s all good.
Additionally the future upgrade path that is one of the key ingredients of PC ownership is made easier by supplying you with all the cables, screws, manuals and the like that you’d have owned if you’d have brought the components yourself and built it on a spare weekend.
The Topaz Exige comes in a Coolermaster case that is all about high airflow with a large mesh front and three fans pulling cold air into your system. It’s compact, and has elements our refined tastes would prefer it didn’t, but it is comfortably one of the better mid-priced cases around.
Removing that foam insert gives you an idea of the attention to detail that PCSpecialist always put in to their systems. Not a cable out of place, everything connected and then neatly tucked away. The Topaz Exige is definitely from the “none more black” school, but as you can see at the top and bottom of this page it certainly brightens up when the power is flowing.
The top side of the case shows off the mirrored finish on the CPU pump which nicely matches the mirror effect at the bottom of the Strix VRM heatsink. It’s very harmonious. About the only surprise was how thin the 240mm AIO radiator is. I run a 5800X and know how toasty it can get even on my thick 360mm AIO, so it will be interesting to see how well the PCS FrostFlow keeps the CPU cool.
The bottom half is dominated by the Radeon 6800 XT. Our review system came with an XFX model in all its curvaceous glory, but naturally it isn’t guaranteed that you’ll receive this exact model although, as our previous reviews have shown, Radeon 6800 XT cards are very similar in performance. Below that is the ARGB card brace to stop any sagging issues, and you can also see the RGB fans at the front of the system ready to suck in that cooling air.
Around the back there are more than enough connection options to keep you satisfied. Although the Coolermaster case doesn’t have a front panel USB Type-C, the Strix does. There are wireless options thanks to the Intel PCI card, and the XFX has both DisplayPort and HDMI outputs.
With the power on the system that is otherwise quite black suddenly bursts in to life. If it’s possible to have RGB lighting then everything but the exhaust fan and XFX GPU has you covered.
