DinoPC GT5 GTX 1060 Kaby Lake Gaming PC Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing 

According to the information I’ve been provided with, the DinoPC GT5 will retail for £1249.00 including shipping. 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.

• Case: Corsair 460X RGB = £148.28
• Motherboard: Gigabyte Z270-Gaming K3 = *£115.98
• Processor: Intel Core i5-7600K Overclocked to 4.7GHz = *£239.99
• Processor Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H110i GT 240mm Liquid Cooling = £106.96
• System Memory: 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX 2666MHz DDR4 = £107.72
• Main Boot Drive: 250GB Samsung 750 EVO SSD = £71.99
• Graphics card: ASUS TURBO GeForce GTX 1060 6GB = £264.28
• Power Supply: 650-Watt Corsair VS650 80+ Non-Modular = £44.99
• OS: Windows 10 Home 64-Bit = £83.99

Please note, prices denoted with a * are predictions because the final retail cost hasn’t been revealed at the time of writing. Rest assured, the article will be updated after the launch with the latest prices. The predicted prices are based on the previous generation value plus a small fee around £10-£20. I’m fairly confident this will turn out to be fairly close to the truth. Another important aspect to discuss is the memory’s pricing which is quite expensive for a 2666MHz dual-channel kit. Almost certainly, you can get a higher frequency option for less money, but I’ve always done like-for-like comparisons instead of looking for the wealth of alternatives.

Once totalled up, an equivalent self-build (within reason) costs £1184.18 which is £55.82 cheaper than DinoPC’s pre-configured system. Currently, it’s difficult to ascertain the system’s value and it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Intel could enact a bigger price hike than expected. Whatever the case, I think DinoPC is pricing the system fairly, especially when you take into account the 5-year warranty.

Overview

Aesthetically-speaking, the DinoPC GT5 is incredible and I instantly fell in love with the system’s refined design. The Corsair 460X RGB’s tempered glass panels evoke a luxurious feel, even though it’s something which is becoming more commonplace. The special element is the front glass piece which seamlessly connects to the steel frame without any imperfections or noticeable gaps. Included with the chassis is three SP120 RGB fans which can be customised using an external controller. Rather impressively, the fans have a really striking, vivid colour and easily shine through the tempered glass. Switching between the different colours dramatically alters the system’s appearance and ensures it suits contrasting tastes. The DinoPC logo on the front glass doesn’t obscure the top fan’s luminance. Of course, tempered glass introduces some issues like a clumsy mounting system which makes cleaning an irritating task. Despite the minor flaws, it’s worth it for the astounding visual effect.

The only real complaint I have regarding the system’s appearance is the matte black rear fan which doesn’t infuse very well with the RGB elements. This decision makes the internal components difficult to see and I’d prefer either another SP120 in the rear or an RGB strip. Thankfully, the lighting embedded onto the PCB’s edge improves the situation, but it’s far from ideal. Hopefully, DinoPC will add some extra lighting to show off the beautiful build in a clearer manner.

Corsair’s H110i GT is an exceptional piece of hardware and easily contends with the i5-7600K’s 4.7GHz frequency. If anything, I’d argue there’s probably some headroom to push the CPU even further but you’re unlikely to notice a huge difference outside of synthetic applications. While running the AIDA64 stress test, the CPU remained under 70C and had a large margin for environmental changes. Not only that, the system is ridiculously quiet under load and the noise output barely changes compared to idle scenarios. Honestly, the DinoPC GT5 is one of the quietest systems I’ve reviewed and this contributes to a joyous user experience. I’m still a little puzzled why the cooler wasn’t installed in the top because there’s enough clearance and support for 240mm radiators. As previously mentioned, the top mounting point would allow for a nicer tubing run.

In terms of storage, the system is lacking and relies solely on a 250GB Samsung 750 EVO SSD. Even though this is a fantastic drive for the money and outputted commendable read/write speeds, it’s just not large enough to house modern games. As a result, there needs to be a secondary mechanical drive for mass storage purposes around the 1-3TB mark. Of course, DinoPC offers full customisation of any system and you can add another storage device quite easily. However, I don’t think the configuration sent for review was the optimal choice.

The system’s cable management is pretty good when you take the non-modular power supply and chassis’ relatively tight space. DinoPC proficiently coupled cables together using zip-ties and ensured the cables didn’t bulge outwards. Furthermore, the cables flow in a natural way without any haphazard crossovers. The chassis’ rubber grommets are useful to achieve a straight cable run and reduce the visible length. Also, the extra connectors are neatly tucked away in the PSU cover.

As expected, the system’s GTX 1060 is tailored towards consumers requiring a dependable, fluid frame-rate on a 1080p display. Not only that, the GPU has enough horsepower to drive games at a higher resolution providing the settings have been scaled back slightly. In some cases, 60 frames-per-second is a viable target alongside a 1440p display without major concessions, but it’s mainly going to be on older titles. Beyond this, 1440p gaming is more prone to stutter, and sudden dips which mean you’ll have to accept the lower visual presets. Perhaps the most pertinent topic in this review is the new Kaby Lake processor. This new chip doesn’t allow for higher minimum frame-rates and is essentially a frequency boost compared to the previous generation,

Pros

• Balanced overclock
• Brilliant networking performance
• Excellent temperatures
• Five-year warranty
• Good cable management
• Gorgeous design
• Low power draw
• RGB fans allow you to dramatically change the system’s appearance
• Silent
• Superb packaging
• Wonderful gaming performance up to 2560×1440

Cons

• Limited storage capacity for a modern gaming PC
• Liquid cooler should have been placed in the roof

“The DinoPC GT5 is an exemplary system which provides a stellar gaming experience at a respectable price point. Not only that, it’s completely silent, doesn’t output much heat and looks absolutely stunning due to the vibrant RGB fans’ illumination piercing through the tempered glass front panel.”

DinoPC GT5 GTX 1060 Kaby Lake Gaming PC Review

Thank you DinoPC for providing us with this sample.