NZXT Starter Pro: Chic and fast entry into the PC

The starter series of NZXT consists of three preconfigured PCs that differ mainly in the graphics card, which is also the most expensive component of the computer. All three are based on a Ryzen 5 3600 with meaningful 16 gigabytes of memory.

NZXt Starter Pro Source: PC Games Hardware The Starter is the cheapest calculator of the three with 999 euros and has a GTX 1650. WQHD gaming is hereby difficult and requires greater compromises, so you remain better with Full HD.

The NZXT Starter Plus is already significantly strong with an RTX 2060. The card has already officially supported raytracing, but it is better to do without favor of the FPS. The WQHD resolution is already conceivable here, but sometimes demanding current game is likely to require low graphic settings for a power around the 60 fps. The starter plus costs 1.199 euros on the website.

The strongest starter named starter Pro is tested in detail here, costs 200 euros more than the plus with 1.399 euros and offers with the RTX 3060 for it also a neat performance-plus: wqhd-gaming is no longer a problem at the latest here If not always in the highest graphic details.

NZXT Starter Pro: Meaningful component selection

The component selection at the starter Pro is thought through: as a graphics card NZXT has selected the NVIDIA RTX 3060. It is a mid-range graphics card with 12 GB video memory and is therefore relatively future-proof. The performance can also convince: With a score of 22.005 in 3DMark Firestrike, the graphics card can prove itself and has no problems itself to display current tracks to maximum settings in Full HD to over 60 fps. Even contemporary WQHD is no problem with this card with some compromises in the graphics settings. This is a Custom model of the brand Gigabyte. With the very potent cooler, the card remains at very low 63 degrees. Here would be even overclocking potential. So if you want to fool a bit more power, you can increase the power limit without problems.

NZXt Starter Pro Source: PC Games Hardware As a processor works in the starter Pro a Ryzen 5 3600, which sits on a B450 motherboard. First of all, this processor is a sensible choice in terms of price-performance ratio. However, both CPU and motherboard are not out of the current generation. A Ryzen 5 5600x on a B550 board would be the much stronger and future-proof combination. Why else the choice has fallen to the predecessor generation, will probably have to deal with the price of the PC, which is relatively low with 1,400 euros in view of the current graphics card market relatively low.

The Ryzen 3600 is cooled by AMD s boxed cooler Wraith Prism. And that s what NZXT has done everything right. The estimated 65 watts of power dissipation of the 3600 can carry out the top-blower cooler well, with a maximum of 81.5 degrees in the Cinebench course, the CPU is never throttled at any time. A stronger cooler would only make sense if you want to get into overclocking, which should not be relevant for the target group of a finished PC.

The CPU is fired from 16 GB DDR4 RAM, the two latches are installed in the right two, the four slots, and run correctly in dual channel mode. Added to this is a big plus, the NZXT has implemented here: the main memory runs at full speed with 3200 MHz. We had experienced that differently from some finished PCs. But this looks different here. Due to the fast RAM and the correct setting, nothing is lost to power.

As mass storage for operating system and games, Seagate FireCuda is 510 NVME SSD with a terabyte capacity on the mainboard. This is a PCI Express 3.0 SSD that achieves high read and writing speeds. PCI Express 4.0 would have made no sense here. Not only because the system is based on 3.0, but also because 4.0 models are significantly more expensive and would not be fair to the price-performance claim. Whether in Windows loading times or in games, the noticeable difference is too low than a higher price for a 4.0 SSD would be justified in this PC. With a terabyte also fit some games and applications on the calculator. Who wants to upgrade, must set a SATA SSD or HDD. The installed SSD occupies the only m.2 slot on the motherboard.

Source: PC Games Hardware Source: PC Games Hardware Source: PC Games Hardware Source: PC Games Hardware

The system is supplied via a 550-watt power supply, which comes from Gigabyte. Again, not saved. Many manufacturers set their finished PCs on cheap power supplies that can represent potential sources of risk. This is not the case here, because the power supply supplies enough power for the built-in system. For the combination of RTX 3060 graphics card and Ryzen 5 3600 CPU rich 550 watts. Who wants to upgrade, but must be careful. Some top models of the current GPU generation need 750 watts or higher power supplies. However, the power supply selection can not be obtained as a minus point. As often mentioned, it is a finished PC that is very coherent as an overall concept and the power supply is a very good choice.

On the NZXT Starter Pro, Windows 10 home is preinstalled, a relatively current NVIDIA driver is available and the only pre-installed software from NZXT is its tool called Cam. This is a very clear program that displays clock rates, temperatures and all kinds of information about the PC. The PC is neither packed with software, as one knows that of other complete clarifiers, nor is one need to sign up somewhere. The PC works, as is a potential customer of a finished PC that wishes.

Price comparison: Pretty fair for a complete PC

The meaning of a complete computer is and ultimately falls at the price. Often this is quite high and a self-assembled computer with the same components comes much cheaper, not necessarily here. We have adjusted the complete system in the hardware shop Mindfactory. There we came to a total price of just under € 1,340. In comparison to the finished PC for 1,399 euros, you pay about 60 euros less, but must still assemble, configure and install Windows. The surcharge will not only be compensated by the time savings, but also with the three years warranty not only on the individual components, but the entire PC including assembly. A customer who does not want to assemble his PC itself or that is treated here absolutely fairly here.

NZXT Starter Pro Source: PC Games Hardware Quality and Design: Pretty and well-made

The components are pretty packed in the NZXT H510 case. Available in black and white makes the housing a lot and can also score with a high quality of work. No sharp edges or the like and sometimes apart from the case that the housing is not a high-end housing and the tin thickness is partially a bit thin, there is nothing to complain about. For this, the housing has a thought-out concept. The components match in color to the housing and put pretty, simple accents with small RGB elements. Otherwise, the system is kept simple and stylish.

You can only praise the assembly. Safe packed with GPU support and Air Bag has not solved anything by transporting our specimen or damaged. The components are screwed clean and installed correctly. Added to this is good cable management. In the interior, which can be seen by a glass window, no loose cables are laid, everything is beautifully laid. On the back shows a similar picture. Clean laid cable with thought-out system. We could not have done it better in a home-built computer. The fan configuration is lush: every room for a fan in the housing has been exploited. NZXT has built a total of four 120 mm fans in the correct arrangement in the starter per. The result is a good airflow that can be recognized at the low temperatures of the components.

Power: NZXt guarantees FPS values ​​in games

The performance of the starter Pro-PC is as expected in the good midfield: the comparison with the retail components with the same chips and power values, shows the performance of the finished PC. Throttles something? Can each component unfold its full power and which fps can you finally get in the favorite game? These questions is to be answered here.

We can confirm that no component of the PC is throttling the performance. Even under full load, temperatures remain in the green area. Neither CPU nor GPU must have round clocks or lose performance. The hexagonal Ryzen 5 3600 provides a good performance at Cinebench R23 with 9496 points in the Multicore and 1248 in the Singlecore benchmark and is in no way to the retail variant. It looks similar to the graphics card. The RTX 3060 brings high performance and brings through high scores in the 3DMark benchmarks.

For each player, of course, the FPS, the pictures per second, are interesting in the favorite game. The special feature here: NZXT guarantees the FPS performance specified in the respective games: Fortnite, Minecraft, GTA 5 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare. We looked at the games more accurately whether the information is correct and in which settings of the calculator reaches these frame rates. Although NZXT specifies the resolution for the FPS information, but not the games settings. In our tests, however, we were able to confirm that it is usually up to Ultra Settings.

Show our results: The manufacturer did not shape the FPS specification. The games actually run on average with the specified values. We would also recommend to optimize graphic settings to get more fps out. What NZXT indicates can be achieved in any case.

Source: PC Games Hardware Source: PC Games Hardware

To mention is still the strangely low FPS difference between the different resolutions of Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Minecraft. Both games show the CPU limit, ie the maximum performance of the processor. The utilization of the graphics card drops and the CPU is here to the bottle neck. Resolution does not matter to the CPU. With Minecraft and Fortnite, the graphics card remains the limiting factor. There is nothing to complain about the performance of the system, everything runs on the right clock rates and nothing throttles.

Conclusion: good preconfigured computer without vulnerabilities

The NZXT Starter Pro can convince all around. The gaming PC is well thought out and sensibly configured, even if the more recent generation at mainboard and CPU would have been the better, but also more expensive choice. The built-in Ryzen 5 3600 is a bit eligible, but still for a system of this performance class appropriate. With the RTX 3060 graphics card, the PC punches up-to-date games in good, contemporary graphic quality and WQHD resolution. The design is pretty and simple, the case well processed and the quality of assembly is impeccable. Last but not least, the price of the entire computer is more than fair, so that the NZXT Starter Pro can be unrestricted.

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NZXT Starter Pro [Source: PC Games Hardware]

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25.10.2021 at 17:00