Cyberpower Hyper Liquid 100 GTX 1080 Gaming PC Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing 

At the time of writing, the Cyberpower Hyper Liquid 100 in the review configuration is available from the company’s website for £1999.80. 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-based with limited activations. When looking into the price of custom water loop builds, it’s more involved due to the increased selection of parts.

• Case: NZXT Manta Compact Mini-ITX = £101.28
• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WiFi ITX LGA1151 = £126.50
• Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K = £299.99
• Tubing: Monsoon Hardline Acrylic Clear 4 Pack 1/2 X 5/8 = £13.86 
• Fittings: EK-AF Angled 90 Degree G1/4 Nickel (2) = £12.32
• Fittings: Alphacool HF Double Nipple G1/4 to G1/4 10mm Deep Black = £3.70
• Fittings: EK-HDC 16mm Nickel (6) = £43.62
• Fittings: EK-Extender G/1 Both Connectors M-F = £4.08
• Coolant: EK UV Green Pre-Mixed = £11.97
• Radiator: Alphacool NexXxoS ST30 Copper 240mm = £46.38
• Reservoir: Alphacool Cape Corp Coolplex Pro 15 LT = £27.42
• CPU Block: Phobya UC-2 = £39.12
• Pump: Phobya 12V DC12-260 = £36.54
• System Memory: 16GB dual-channel Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz = £97.97
• Main Boot Drive: 256GB Samsung SM951 NVMe SSD = £118.96
• Additional Storage Drive(s): 2TB Seagate 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD = £60.98
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA MSI GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GDDR5X Founders Edition = £639.99
• Power Supply: Corsair CX600M Modular 80+ Bronze = £64.99
• Fans: Thermaltake Riing Green Triple Pack = £34.50
• Lighting: Red LED Strips: Phobya 30CM UV LED = £14.98
• Operating System: Windows 10 Home = £85.98

Phew, that was quite an exhaustive list! Once totalled up, an equivalent self-build costs £1884.14 which equates to a saving of £115.66. Despite costing more, the price difference isn’t massive and I think £115.66 is very reasonable given the peace-of-mind from leaks and warranty service.

Overview

As you might expect for a custom loop system, the Cyberpower Hyper Liquid 100 is a visual treat due to the attractive tubing lines and striking coolant colour. It’s important to note that even if you dislike the neon, radioactive style green colour scheme, it’s possible to choose from a wide range of Mayhem coolant dyes including red, blue, purple and much more for a £7 fee. As a result, the end-user is able to mould the system to their individual tastes. Saying that, I think Cyberpower should provide a better indication of what each colour looks like via additional photographs on the company’s website.This ensures the buyer isn’t disappointed by the coolant’s finish because of the website photographs being a little unclear. On a more positive note, I’m pleased Cyberpower opted for the NZXT Mantra chassis and believe it’s a great fit for a stylish water cooling setup. Rather surprisingly, the chassis’ white colour scheme contrasts with the green coolant in a seamless manner and doesn’t seem out of place. Additionally, the chassis’ unusual curved construction is a real eye-opener and greatly enhances the system’s aesthetic appeal. Incorporating a set of premium fans which contain green illumination was a masterstroke and provides a better level of synergy.

On a more positive note, I’m pleased Cyberpower opted for the NZXT Mantra chassis and believe it’s a great fit for a stylish water cooling setup. Rather surprisingly, the chassis’ white colour scheme contrasts with the green coolant in a seamless manner and doesn’t seem out of place. Additionally, the chassis’ unusual curved construction is a real eye-opener and greatly enhances the system’s aesthetic appeal. Incorporating a set of premium fans which contain green illumination was a masterstroke and provides a better level of synergy.

In terms of cable management, Cyberpower has done pretty well given the chassis’ ITX form-factor and lack of rubber grommet. Even though the case has a cabling cover which manages to obscure the majority of cable length, I wouldn’t describe it as the most effective way of acquiring a perfect finish. Despite this, the cabling is remarkably neat barring the trailing USB 3.0 cable which couldn’t be avoided. Throughout the build process, Cyberpower deployed an assortment of zip-ties and carefully considered the most logical cable runs. As a result, the cabling is routed in a professional way and there’s loads of room to easily shut the side panel door.

The system’s water loop compromises of the highest quality components which mean it’s unlikely that a leak will occur over time. The liquid cooling hardware manages to contend with the 4.4GHz overclock and the load thermals never reach alarming levels. Unfortunately, the noise output is louder than I’d expect in idle conditions and this is probably down to either the pump or BIOS misjudging the thermal readings. Under load, the pump behaves as expected, but the fans ramp up and down every few seconds in an unpredictable fashion. This becomes quite frustrating and the aggressive fan curve is difficult to ignore.

When it comes to storage, the system’s SM951 boot SSD is a revelation and outputs astonishing read/write speeds. This allows for quicker loading times in games and other heavy applications. The NVMe storage even makes Windows respond quickly to user commands and the 256GB capacity is enough to store a few games and essential pieces of software.

The Cyberpower Hyper Liquid 100’s GTX 1080 offers a phenomenal gaming experience and can even uphold fluid frame rates with a 4K monitor at reduced settings. Despite the Founders Edition sporting a lower boost clock, it doesn’t dramatically alter the minimum or average performance. During the testing process, the system excelled in a wide range of demanding games and has the horsepower to please those opting for a 120Hz or 144Hz high-refresh monitor. As previously stated, it’s possible to maintain a good frame-rate on a 4K render, but it requires a few concessions in the options menu. Overall, the system’s GTX 1080 is a staggering piece of hardware and consistently outclasses the competition.

Pros

• Attentive packaging
• Custom loop is executed pretty well
• Extremely efficient
• Fantastic gaming performance
• Gorgeous design
• Great thermals
• Impressive cable management
• Proficient 4.4GHz overclock with low voltage
• Staggering NVMe read/write speeds
• Wide range of Coolant colour choices
• Wonderful memory bandwidth

Cons

• Fan speeds keep ramping up and down in a disturbing fashion

“The Cyberpower Hyper Liquid 100’s custom water loop is a work of art and looks absolutely stunning in the unusual NZXT Manta chassis. Not only that, the build provides stellar performance across the board and is a fine choice for someone who feels uncomfortable constructing their own custom loop system.”

Cyberpower Hyper Liquid 100 GTX 1080 Gaming PC Review

Thank you Cyberpower for providing us with this sample.