DinoPC Mayhem P2 GTX 1080 Gaming PC Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing 

According to the information I’ve been provided with, the DinoPC Mayhem P2 will come in two forms. The more affordable option is bundled with the GTX 1070 and costs £1369 while the version sporting the GTX 1080 should set you back £1939. Evidently, the end-user is paying a big premium to access the GTX 1080’s extra horsepower and whether or not this is worth the additional money depends on your own viewpoint. Personally, I’d say no and advise you to settle for the cheaper option unless you desperately need the enhanced horsepower to drive 4K games.

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  water loop builds, it’s more involved due to the increased selection of parts.

• Case: Thermaltake View 27 = £73.98
• Motherboard: Asus Z170 Pro Gaming LGA1151 = £129.99
• Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K Overclocked to 4.6GHz = £224.95
• Processor Cooler: EK Predator 360 = £205.47
• System Memory: 16GB (8GBx2) Corsair Vengeance LED 3000MHz dual-channel = £94.98
• Main Boot Drive: 120GB ADATA SP550 SSD = £37.91
• Additional Storage Drive(s): 1TB Western Digital Blue 7200RPM HDD = £47.96
• Graphics Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming X = £649.98
• Graphics Card Water Block: EK Full Cover Nickel GPU block = £101.20
• Power Supply: Corsair RM650x 650-Watt 80+ Gold Modular = £89.99
• Tubing: EK ZMT Matte Black 3/8″ 5/8″ = £7.29
• Fittings: EK-ACF 10/16mm Nickel x2 = £12.44
• Angled Fittings: EK-AF Angled 90-degrees G1/4 Nickel x2 = £15.68
• LED Lighting: Full Colour RGB 5050 Strip with Remote = £6.50
• Cable Extensions: DinoPC Braided Cable Extensions = £18.99
• Operating System: Windows 10 Home = £84.99

Please note, the exact LED lighting kit was impossible to find but I’m presuming the unit included in the price comparison offers similar functionality. Therefore, it should be close enough to gauge the cost to the end-user. Also, the DinoPC braided extensions are not available as a separate item which means the estimated price is based on a calculated guess. The fairest policy seemed to find similar solutions from other manufacturers. Once totalled up, an identical (within reason) self-build comes to £1802.30. This equates to a decent a saving of £136.70. To be fair, it’s not a huge price to pay for the aftersales service, great cable management and peace-of-mind against leaks.

Overview

The DinoPC Mayhem P2 is unlike anything I’ve witnessed before which emphasises the company’s out-of-the-box thinking. In particular, the chassis’ dull, dreary black coating has been given a new lease of life thanks to the dramatic skull finish. Granted, the system’s aesthetic will certainly be a contentious issue and divide option, especially if you want something more understated for a home office. Saying that, I’d prefer a pre-configured machine which captures people’s imaginations and takes the risk of being disliked by certain users. This usually leads to something special and inspires other companies to follow suit. Personally, I think DinoPC has created a marvellous niche which has the potential the grow. I’d recommend compiling some kind of online system which allows users to submit an image and have that printed onto the case of their choice. This would exponentially increase the range’s appeal and ensure any custom builds are not alienating a section of the market.

Of course, the system’s aesthetic qualities cannot solely rely on the skulls print and it’s important for other aspects to evoke strong emotions. The Thermaltake View 27 is an integral part of the system’s success and helps the internal components to be seen via the bizarre side panel. Even though it’s not the most streamlined chassis design available today, the shape is an eye-opener and complements the build’s theme rather well. On another note, the proficient selection of jet black components creates a wonderful level of synergy. The EK Predator 360’s premium compression fittings and huge radiator almost make traditional closed-looped-coolers look like a throwaway toy.

To transform the system’s colour scheme, you can customise two RGB strips and a rear 140mm fan. The lighting is changed by a remote control which is a fairly novel idea and different from the usual manual button arrangement or software solution. DinoPC could have easily deployed something like the NZXT Hue+ but this would have increased the price and I think the cheap and cheerful lighting hardware is perfectly fine.

Despite having to tuck away additional cables via extensions, the cable management has been completed to a high standard. DinoPC proficiently used the chassis’ internal cable routeing holes and deployed a generous supply of zip-ties. Additionally, the non-modular power supply meant there wasn’t any excess cabling which creates a neater finish. The cables were positioned in a way which leaves loads of space for future upgrades and ensures the side panel can be shut without any problems.

As previously mentioned, the EK Predator 360 is more than capable of dealing with both the CPU and GPU thermal outputs. While running the demanding AIDA64 stress test, the liquid cooling solution didn’t falter and maintained ridiculously low temperatures. This is even more impressive when you consider the CPU was overclocked to 4.6GHz. On another note, the noise output remains pretty low and which contributes towards an enjoyable gaming experience. Thankfully, the thick copper radiator, premium EK Vardar fans and powerful D5 pump combine to keep the load noise levels to a minimum.

When it comes to storage, the system’s boot SSD is a relatively budget model and has a low capacity. Saying that, it’s ample for an operating system drive and finds a good performance per £. In an ideal world, I would prefer the write rate to be higher and provide more consistent performance. Outside of synthetic testing, the drive is fast enough to make applications load in a quick fashion. Also, the system’s secondary hard disk upholds good read/write figures and the USB 3.0 data fell in the range I expected.

The system’s GTX 1080 offers a stupendous user experience and maintained fluid frame rates throughout a wide range of demanding titles. During testing, the GPU easily surpassed the 100 frames-per-second mark when paired with a 1080p monitor which makes it the perfect choice for someone investing in a high-refresh display. Once the resolution is increased to 2560×1440, the performance remains incredibly strong and the minimum frame-rate doesn’t drop below 60. This ensures the gameplay feels perfectly smooth while enjoying the higher resolution. As expected, the GPU struggles to reach 60 frames-per-second alongside a 4K monitor at maximum settings. Saying that, the 60 figure is easily achievable with a few concessions in the options menu.

It seems the i5-6600K doesn’t hold back the GTX 1080 and only has a minor effect in some games. It’s important to remember that the lower frame-rate could be down to driver changes, patches or outside applications unexpectedly interfering with the benchmarking process. Whatever the case, it’s clear that the i5-6600K is perfectly suitable for a premium gaming machine and game engines haven’t effectively used the i7-6700K’s additional threads to leverage higher frame rates. Generally, the games are more GPU bound and the CPU proves less important than you might envision.

Pros

• Attractive water loop
• Astonishing gaming performance
• Capable of powering demanding games on a 4K display
• Eye-catching custom print
• Excellent colour coordination
• Extremely quiet
• Great cable management
• Premium water cooling hardware
• Sophisticated design
• Spectacular RGB lighting
• Wonderful temperatures

Cons

• SSD write rate is a little underwhelming

“The DinoPC Mayhem P2 is an inventive gaming PC which utilises the highest grade of water cooling hardware. This results in exceptional temperatures, almost silent operation and adds such a premium touch which is hard to resist.”

DinoPC Mayhem P2 GTX 1080 Gaming PC Review

Thank you DinoPC for providing us with this sample.