Chillblast Fusion Wolf 2 GTX 1080 Gaming PC Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing 

Currently, the Chillblast Fusion Wolf 2 is available for £1837.95 including delivery from the company’s website. To determine a system’s value proposition, we endeavour to compile an identical self-build and compare the price. This allows us to analyse the fee (if any) that a system integrator is choosing to charge customers for its services. Please note all prices include shipping and we don’t permit Windows 10 keys from disreputable sites. Of course, you might want to acquire a digital code much cheaper, but it’s not something we’re happy to recommend as many keys can be MSDN with limited activations.

• Case: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX = £49.93
• Motherboard: ASUS Z170i PRO GAMING = £124.24
• Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K = £269.95
• Processor Cooler: Corsair Hydro H80i V2 = £80.47
• System Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) 3000MHz DDR4 = £71.47 
• Main Boot Drive: Samsung SM951 NVMe 256GB SSD = £95.87
• Additional Storage Drive(s): Seagate 2TB SSHD Hybrid = £76.49
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 1080 Founders Edition 8GB = £619.99
• Power Supply: Corsair CX750M 80+ Bronze 750-Watt Modular = £79.99
• Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-Bit = £71.99

Once calculated, an identical self-build costs £1540.39 which is a saving of £297.53 compared to Chilblast’s custom creation. Evidently, this is a substantial difference but you have to take into account the infuriating build when working in a tight chassis and Chillblast’s 5-year cover. Furthermore, Chillblast has informed me that they’re working on reducing the price and it’s at a high point right now due to the GTX 1080’s cost and supply problems, but this is true of any

Overview

I’ve been extremely fond of ITX systems for a considerable amount of time and enjoy the flexibility of owning a gaming PC which can easily fit into any room with a restricted space. In recent years, Phanteks have produced an assortment of brilliant cases including the Enthoo Luxe, Enthoo Prime and Evolv ITX. The latter has been deployed in this particular build and opts for an understated design which evokes a sophisticated feel. The lack of ostentatious LED effects and the inclusion of only a front LED strip is really refreshing and caters towards consumers who prefer a more simplistic aesthetic. The Evolv series’ magical formula of good build quality and a streamlined finish makes it the perfect choice for a high-end build. Unfortunately, the ITX version is constructed from plastic and steel instead of aluminium on the larger model. This detracts from the system’s premium price point slightly if you’ve used the ATX version before. However, if you’re unaware of this and require a classy ITX case, the Evolv isn’t going to disappoint.

In terms of the overall build, Chillblast has selected a wide range of high-performance components which complement each other rather well. Saying that, I’m a little surprised to see such a beautiful colour scheme covered by a solid side panel door. On the other hand, this system is based upon an understated theme which might be the main reason behind this decision. The system’s CPU cooler should offer good thermal dissipation while looking absolutely stunning but this wasn’t possible due to the extremely high voltage setting for the manual overclock. This is very disappointing and given that the i7-6700K has been out for some time, it’s inexcusable.

On a more positive note, the system’s Samsung SM951 NVMe drive is wonderful and reports ridiculously fast read/write speeds. Even though it’s much more expensive compared to SATA SSDs sporting the same capacity, the performance gains are clear to see. The secondary SSHD device outputs decent numbers and is a great choice to use a Steam drive or store large files. Chillblast has done an exemplary job with the cable management and the logical, tidy layout is superb. I’m overjoyed with the cabling considering the Evolv ITX’s lack of room and challenging build when opting for smaller parts.

The GTX 1080 is currently in great demand and it’s easy to see why given the performance numbers. This is possibly the first graphics card I’d consider to have enough horsepower to properly drive a 4K panel and maintain good frame rates at high settings. When using some of the most demanding games available today, the GPU didn’t falter and maintained a very reliable frame-rate. If you own a 1080p monitor, it’s complete overkill unless you require a very high minimum frame-rate and use a 144Hz panel. Personally, I’d pair this system with a high refresh 1440P monitor or select a 3440×1440 ultra-wide. Earlier, I mentioned that it’s a good bet for 4K gaming, but you still might need to reduce the odd setting in certain games. To many users, this defeats the purpose of buying a top-of-the-range machine. Overall, the GTX 1080 is a revolutionary step but the price isn’t great for UK consumers wanting a brand new system with the very best performance.

Pros

• Exceptional cable management
• Extremely efficient
• Great warranty
• Reasonably quiet in idle usage scenarios
• Suitable for 4K gaming
• Superb aesthetic design
• Unbelievable NVMe read/write speeds
• Wonderful performance in a compact form factor

Cons

• Way too much voltage means the overclock isn’t stable and overheats.

“The Chillblast Fusion Wolf 2 features a stylish, sophisticated design and utilises the ultimate graphics card solution to provide a stunning 4K gaming experience. Even though I experienced problems with Corsair Link, this should be an isolated incident and the overall picture is very positive.”

Chillblast Fusion Wolf 2 Gaming PC Review

Thank you Chillblast for providing us with this sample.