Finding a pre-built high-end rig for a reasonable price is a bit of a headache and the judgment could get clouded with all these gaming PCs available in the market.
Especially when you’re looking for something under a thousand bucks, there are many optimal choices.
But, luckily, Skytech Gaming is offering an ‘Archangel high-end gaming desktop’ that offers the best bang for the buck. In this article, we’ll be reviewing Skytech Archangel and see if it’s any good when it comes to gaming on cranked-up settings.
Are Skytech Gaming PCs Good?
Skytech Gaming is a reputable name and their pre-built desktops are turning some heads around lately. Powered by Ryzen processors, Skytech gaming PCs offer lightning-fast gaming performance.
The best thing about Skytech gaming desktops is that they’re reasonably priced and the performance-per-price ratio is above par.
If you’re looking for a high-end pre-built for the latest AAA games then we really recommend taking a closer look at Skytech Archangel 3.0.
It’s a pretty capable computer that should do exactly what you expect from a gaming PC.
Skytech Archangel Review
Skytech Archangel comes loaded with Ryzen 5 3600 backed with GTX 1660 Super to offer the optimal gaming performance but will it be able to handle graphically demanding games like RDR2 or AC Odyssey?
Read on to find out.
Design
Design-wise, you’ll find some high-end components inside a minimalist-looking gaming case that reflects the standards at Skytech.
An ATX case with a matte-white exterior and RGB-lit front panel with all kinds of RGB LEDs gleaming, Skytech Archangel is a sight for sore eyes.
And thanks to the 3 x 120mm cooling fans, you wouldn’t really have to worry about Ryzen and its heating issues because the airflow inside the case is pretty effective.
Measuring 17.9 x 8.3 x 16.4 inches, the Skytech Archangel comes at a decent size that’s not too big or too small for a gaming rig. It looks like a machine for a gamer without going over the top.
The case that Skytech uses is the Thermaltake H200. The tempered glass side panel opens up the insides giving you access to the plethora of RGB colors coming from the fans and case.
You should be able to place this just about anywhere, including on the top of your desk or a small compartment since it has a smaller footprint and does not take up too much space.
Ports
An advantage of getting a quality case like the one on the Skytech Archangel is that you get a wide variety of ports.
The SkyTech Archangel comes with a wide variety of ports. At the top of the case, you’ll see a pair of USB ports with audio jacks for the headphone and microphone. Unfortunately, there are no USB-C ports here or a media reader.
Airflow
Things you’ll notice as soon as you get this system up and running are the tall stands that allow for excellent airflow. There are also added grooves on the side that pull in air from the outside to help cool the hardware.
There are also RGB fans positioned at the top of the case that pulls in the air directly to the CPU cooler.
Hardware Upgrade Opportunities
The SkyTech Archangel is an excellent gaming system that’s going to consistently offer the best gaming performance. It’s intended to play most games at 1080p resolution. You can even push it to ultra settings and expect 60 FPS.
However, if you’re looking to play the latest titles, this may not be the best PC for the job. A little upgrade here and there should do the trick, especially changing up the GPU to something more powerful with ray-tracing capabilities like the RTX 3060 or better.
The Skytech Archangel can also open up your game experience to VR. The system is VR-ready so you should be able to link an HTC Vive or an Oculus Rift.
It may not be the most powerful machine for VR gaming, but the Ryzen 5 CPU and GTX 1660 Super can give you a taste of the potential of the platform.
It also has open memory slots so you can add more RAM to your pre-built PC. You’ll also find open HDD and SSD trays so you can add more storage since the 500GB may not be enough for your favorite games.
Graphics Card
Skytech Archangel 3.0 is equipped with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super graphics card that offers 6GB GDDR6 VRAM and a boost clock of 1785Mhz.
Based on Turing architecture, this graphics card offers exceptional performance, you can run the most graphically demanding games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Crysis Remastered on it.
Even the mighty Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 falls short of the 1660 Super and offers fewer FPS than this one. For 1080p and 1440p gaming, the GTX 1660 Super is a viable option because it can hold up its end of the bargain if you’re looking for steady gameplay.
Aside from gaming, this graphics card can show some fast 3D rendering and visualization.
You’ll also be able to enjoy using multiple monitors with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super since it comes with an HDMI and 3 DisplayPorts.
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super is a powerful graphics card even today, with enough oomph to run the latest AAA titles with some aplomb although it does lack RTX series tech for high-end gameplay settings.
Better shaders. Better gaming!
Benchmarks
The GTX 1660 Super is a solid and reliable graphics card for the most popular games.
If you’re happy playing your favorite games in 1080p, the SkyTech Archangel should offer you the performance you’re looking for. Shadow of the Tomb Raider should be a consistent 60 FPS at this resolution.
Other games where you’ll be able to enjoy more than 60 FPS at ultra settings would be Far Cry New Dawn, The Division 2, Star Wars Battlefront II, For Honor, and The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.
The GTX 1660 Super on the SkyTech Archangel is one of the best you can do for pre-built PCs at this price range. Comparing it to its counterparts, you’ll see minimal performance differences.
In Time Spy, a popular benchmarking tool, the GTX 1660 Super is only 5% slower than the GTX 1660 Ti. It’s also 14% faster than the GTX 1660 at a similar price point.
Moving on to Fire Strike benchmarks, the GTX 1660 Super is only 2% slower than the Ti version. It may look like a small performance bump, but a different SkyTech PC with a GTX 1660 Ti is around $300 more expensive than the Archangel.
Processor
The biggest perk of Skytech Archangel is that it comes with Ryzen 5 3600 processors that feature 6c/12t with clock speeds between 3.6 GHz and 4.2 GHz on a B450 motherboard.
In other words, it is one of the fastest processors that you can find in the market for this price and if you’re looking for a future-proof desktop then you cannot do better than this.
PC Gaming Performance
The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a quite powerful CPU and coupled with the right graphics card, it holds enough power to handle AAA games like COD Warzone with decent FPS.
If you dabble in video editing apart from being a PC gaming enthusiast, you should have no problem rendering your creations with this machine.
Having the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU also helps with streaming. The high core and thread count give you the processing power to play your favorite games at respectable fps and settings while streaming simultaneously.
Motherboard
Skytech Archangel is featured with the Asrock B450 motherboard that is specifically made for Ryzen chips. It can support the 2nd and 3rd-gen Ryzen processors which make it quite durable and future-proof.
Additionally, the B450 motherboard features 4x DDR4 DIMM RAM slots with a max capacity of 64GB and an M.2 drive slot.
Moreover, An 802.11AC Wi-Fi card is also pre-installed inside this rig. Furthermore, the B450 is compatible with USB 3.1 and SATA3 which truly is an added perk of this gaming motherboard.
Since the B450 motherboard is a mid-range chipset, there may be some possible limitations when you compare it with the X470s or other high-end motherboards. However, it is the optimum board for PC gaming as it supports overclocking the AMD Ryzen 5 3600.
Storage and Memory
The only limitation of Skytech Archangel is that it only comes with a 500GB SSD which is way too low for modern games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare alone covers around 200GBs and if you’re planning to play some AAA titles from 2019-20 then you are going to need a bigger hard drive.
Luckily, Skytech Archangel 3.0 is quite spacious and you could easily fit a couple of 3.5’’ HDDs or SSDs in there.
As for the memory, Archangel is featured with 16GB of DDR4 3000MHz RAM which is more than enough for 1080p and 1440p gaming.
Furthermore, 16GB RAM is also ideal for Adobe applications and if you’re a part-time graphics designer then Skytech Archangel would make your life easier. You can always upgrade to 32GB RAM since there are a couple of free slots that you can still use.
Dimensions
Skytech Archangel Dimensions:
- Length 45.4cm
- Width 21cm
- Height 41.6cm
- Weight 12.7 kgs
Tech Specs
- Processor – AMD Ryzen 5 3600, 3.6 GHz
- Graphics Card – GeForce GTX 1660 Super
- Motherboard – ASRock B450M A4
- Memory – 16GB DDR4 3000Mhz RAM
- Storage – 500GB
- Power Supply – 500W
- Case – ATX (Mid-Sized)
- Operation System – Windows 10 Home
Which games can this PC handle?
When you’re getting a Ryzen chip backed with Nvidia’s 1600 series graphics card, you can expect some solid performance. This PC could handle titles like COD Warzone and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on very high settings with 70+ fps on a 1080p display.
But if you’re aiming for a similar performance on a 1440p display with a refresh rate of 144Hz monitor then you might find the limitations of this gaming desktop.
But, for this price, you’re getting yourself a pretty good deal. Furthermore, some of the latest titles include Mafia Definitive edition, Crysis Remastered can be played on Skytech Archangel with flawless frame rates on a 1080p display.
Value for Your Money Gaming PC
The Skytech Archangel offers excellent value for your money.
You can straight up enjoy awesome FPS for its price. It’s an excellent midrange system that’s affordable and should give you the performance you are looking for with its price.
On top of the capable system, you also get a mouse and keyboard bundled in!
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Conclusion
In this Skytech Archangel review, we’ve covered everything that you’ll need to look at when you’re buying a pre-built gaming desktop. The internals of the Skytech Archangel 3.0 is quite impressive and we’re really satisfied with the overall presentation of this pre-build gaming desktop.
And when it comes to the price, Archangel is truly offering the best bang for the buck. If you’re looking for a prebuilt gaming desktop under a thousand bucks then we really recommend taking a closer look at Skytech Archangel 3.0.
That’s all folks!