by Player: two game PCs
1 credit
Last week, systems integrator and sleek computer component designer NZXT unveiled a complete redesign of its popular line of pre-built gaming rigs, now aptly called Player PC.
Previously, the company’s pre-built machines sported monikers such as Starter, Streaming and Elite, each denoting a particular computing genre, a solid starting point for customers both in terms of preferred specs and price.
Now, scheduling has been consolidated and simplified: Player: One, Player: Two, and Player: Three. Pretty clever marketing, as it barely skirts the Ernest Cline titles Player loan novels while subliminally evoking these nostalgic masterpieces. On the other hand, it’s pretty common jargon for gamers, so who knows What NZXT actually thinks.
The Player:One system is essentially a new replacement for old starter PCs. Housed in an H5 Flow case, it starts at $1,049, packed with an Intel Core i5-12400F processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, 16GB (2 x 8GB) of 3200MHz RAM, and an NVMe M.2 SSD of 500 GB.
If you want something a little more rugged, you can go for the Player: One Prime, which features increased specs with an Intel Core i5-12600k processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, the same 16GB of RAM but now an NVMe M. 2 SSD.
This two-flavor Prime pricing model also extends to Player:Two and Player:Three configurations. Player: The $2,499 is where the specs start to get a little more interesting. Housed in an H5 Elite case, the Two sports an AMD Ryzen 7 5600X processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, 16GB of 3200MHz memory, and a 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD.
Player: a gaming PC
1 credit
As with the One, if you bump the Two up to a $1,999 Prime variant, you’ll get better specs in that specific tier: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, a spacious 32GB (2 x 16 GB) of 3200 MHz RAM and a 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD.
The Player: Three configuration is obviously the most attractive, given that it’s fully equipped with the latest technology, especially if you opt for the Prime upgrade. The $2,499 base model arrives with an Intel Core i7-13700KF processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, 32GB (2 x 16GB) of 3200MHz RGB memory, and a 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD.
The show’s undisputed star, the $3,899 Player: Three Prime, has just about everything you could ask for in a modern PC gaming rig: Intel Core i9-13900KF, a beastly NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (can’t get better than that!), a whopping 64GB (4 x 16GB) of 3200MHz RGB memory and two (yes, two) 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD stuck in H7 Flow enclosure.
NZXT has its flaws, but it’s hard to deny the beauty of its pre-built computers. The company designs many of its own components, ranging from AIOs to cases and motherboards, so it’s no surprise that the NZXT teams are able to put together such amazing machines.
I’m still a fan of all-white platforms, just because they look so futuristic and clean, and I don’t think anyone does it better than NZXT when it comes to that aesthetic.
I’ve actually covered several NZXT systems in the past, namely one of the first streaming PCs and the excellent, entertaining and ridiculously educational DIY BLD kit. Most of all, I came away impressed, and like I said, these PCs are a pleasure to look at, if nothing else.
Player: Three game PCs
1 credit
Go pre-built or not pre-built? This is the eternal question. Sure, you can put together disparate parts from all over the internet, and yes, you could stand out on cost.
But in my largely positive experience with NZXT, the process is stupidly simple, and once the huge shipping package arrives, it’s truly plug-and-play. No hassles with component compatibility, and you can easily upgrade your platform if needed.
Now, the jury is still out on how well these new Player platforms will perform, especially in terms of gaming and streaming. Maybe if I can get my hands on a review sample, I’ll put it through the in-game gauntlet and see how it goes. Visually, however, I’m sure it will put most systems to shame. Add an RTX 4090 to the mix and we could have a powerful new gaming competitor.
