Reading the title may trigger you. Because this is what the writer feels. At that price point, you would rather build a pc yourself that’s much cheaper. But then again, ASUS released this built-up gaming PC for a reason, because a lot of gamers out there are too lazy to build a gaming PC or they just want a gaming PC without having to build it. Not to mention if that gamer got a deep pocket, then they can consider buying PC Desktop ROG Strix GA35. 

ROG PC Desktop GA35 was announced in April 2020, where ASUS alongside AMD and NVIDIA build a powerful PC. As a gaming tower, ROG PC Desktop GA35 is the right answer for gamers with a budget around Rp80 million, you don’t have to bother yourself with additional peripheral.

Moreover, ROG PC Desktop GA35 got all of the ROG gaming laptop’s best features. Additionally, since ROG PC Desktop GA35 is a gaming PC, it can also be utilized for content creators, designers to professionals.

The writer got the chance to try the ultra-expensive gaming PC from ASUS Indonesia. After spending two weeks playing with the PC, this is the writer’s verdict.

New Design of ROG PC Gaming Desktop

PC gaming ROG Strix GA35 comes with the trademarked ROG design with a wind shear design at the front and top of the case. The wind shear design makes both ROG PC Desktop GA35 and GA15 look awesome, but also add more air vent to help the cooling system. The wind shear design guarantees better airflow in and out of the case so the cooling system can work optimally. With a minimalistic design and a dual-chamber feature, ROG PC Desktop GA35 is an enthusiast-grade gaming desktop from ROG.

As a whole, the design of ROG PC Desktop GA35 is modern and sleek. This Gaming PC is bigger than its sibling ROG PC Desktop GA15. the dimension is 27,9 x 43,3 x 50,1 cm (WxDxH) and weighing up to 15kg. With that dimension and weight, this gaming PC may add more chore when you are trying to move it. But ASUS designed the case of ROG Strix GA35 to be sturdy and it comes with a grip that can withstand the weight of the console. The PC is so heavy that it’s almost impossible to move it with one hand.

Excitingly, ROG Strix GA35 comes with a headphone stand at the front side of the case. This may be a minor feature, but gamers may find this feature helpful as they no longer need to buy a headphone stand.

On the right, the gaming PC got an aluminum plate to cover the cable management and storage. The left side is thick tempered glass with ROG design so you can look inside the PC.

Top Tier Spec

The writer got to review the highest variant of ASUS ROG Strix GA35, where it comes with AMD Ryzen 9-3950X processor with Zen2 7nm architecture with 16 cores and 32 threads. The processor’s clock speed is up to 4,7GHz and it’s accompanied by ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080Ti 11GB GDDR6. If your budget is below 80 million then you can get the option with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER.

With that spec, this gaming PC is guaranteed to run all triple-A games just fine. It can also be used for professional needs because this PC has a RAM of 64GB. Combined with 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD and 2TB HDD, ROG Strix GA35 is not just fast, but it can storge a lot of files. Not just that, the user can upgrade it because ASUS prepared 2 SSD Swap trays.

ROG features

Since it’s a PC labeled ROG, ASUS implemented ROG’s mainstay features. One of the mainstay features in ROG Strix GA35 is the Keystone feature. It’s a key introduced first in ASUS’s ROG gaming laptops. The key utilized NFC to encrypt the data that the user is going to access. So the user doesn’t have to worry about the settings or data being changes by others because everything is safe within Keystone.

Additionally, ROG Strix GA35 has the Armoury Crate feature that allows you to monitor your CPU, GPU, memory, fan, storage, and many more. You can also configure your profile there and even set the RGB using the Aura Sync. Every standard feature of Armoury Crate also exists in ROG Strix GA35. 

The Best Cooling System

When building a gaming PC, the one thing that you have to consider is the airflow and cooling system to ensure that the temperature of every component stays low. The writer gets to experience a great temperature from ROG Strix GA35 during the usage. The temperature of the PC stays between 40 to 78 degrees when used for gaming or rendering a video. Even when pushing the PC to its limit, the temperature of the CPU and GPU are still considered stable and never go up to 90 degrees.

It’s because ROG Strix GA35 comes with a liquid cooling system for its processor, ROG Strix GA35’s case is designed for the dual-chamber structure. The system places the CPU and graphic card in a separate place with different power supply, this means the heat generated from each component is isolated and will not affect the other components.

Unfortunately, you can’t add more fans to ROG Strix GA35 because it has no additional port. Still, all the fans in this PC are performing well so there’s no need to worry about additional heat. If you place the PC in a room with an AC then there’s no need to worry about the heat.

Complete Connectivity

For connectivity, the ports in ROG Strix GA35 are located where it’s convenient. At the top, there are one Mic in/Headphone out port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port. At the back, you got one HDMI 2.0 Display Port 1.2, three HDMI 2.0 Display Port 1.4, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, one LAN Intel L211-AT Gigabit Ethernet, a Gold-POlated Audio Jack, and an audio port. The gaming PC also has WiFI 5 connectivity.

Not just PC gaming

When you buy ROG Strix GA35, you are not just buying the components, you also got peripherals as the bonus. Yes, every purchase of ROG Strix GA35 comes with ROG Strix Flare RGB gaming keyboard with Cherry MX switches and ROG Gladius II gaming mouse.

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Fast Performance

After spending two weeks with the PC, the writer gets to experience the awesome performance of ROG Strix GA35. With AMD Ryzen 9-3950X and ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080Ti 11GB GDDR6 combined with RAM 64GB and SSD 512 PCIe, playing games to multitask test feels smooth with no issue. If you are curious about its performance, you can look at the screencaptures from the test below.

From 3D Mark Fire Strike, the PC scores 27.954. For the 3D Mark Fire Strike Extreme test, the PC scores 15.438. A fantastic record, knowing that the gaming PC from ASUS uses the highest tier components to date. The PC can show great and smooth visual Ray Tracing from the 3D Mark Port Royal test, and it is scored 8.452.

You can also see the result from other tests such as Cinebench R20, Unigine Heaven 4.0, PC Mark 10, and Final Fantasy XV Benchmark. The result is satisfying. From the Cinebech R20, the performance of AMD Ryzen 9-3950X is said to be better than its competitor.

The writer also tests the game with games such as Assassin's Creed Origins, GTA V, Dota 2, and Valorant. And the PC didn’t disappoint, every game runs smoothly with no stuttering. Take a look at the benchmark.

When tested with CrystalDiskMark, ROG Strix GA35 receives a high score and sets the bar as the fastest storage to date.

This is the power consumption of ROG Strix GA35 when idle or running heavy games.

Idle

Benchmark

Verdict 

After playing with the highest variant of ROG Strix GA35, the writer thinks that the performance of this built-up gaming PC is extraordinary. For optimal use, you will need a monitor that supports 4K HDR with a refresh rate of 144Hz or higher. The full potential of this PC is wasted if you are using a 1080p monitor. You are guaranteed to run every new game to date smoothly, especially if you are serious about esports competition from triple-A FPS games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Not just for gaming, the gaming PC is also a great option for content creators or 3D animators.

Is it worth burning? The answer is yes if you don’t want the hassle of building a PC and a guarantee for every component. Compared to building a gaming PC yourself, the price of ROG Strix GA35 is cheaper than any ultra-expensive gaming PC that reaches hundreds of millions with the same specs.

ASUS has thought carefully about the cooling, system, performance, to the durability of ROG Strix GA35. The performance is reliable and consistent when used for running heavy games and designing programs.

ROG Strix GA35 has another advantage, and that is the 2-year warranty for every component. So the user doesn’t have to worry over accidental damage to the component. You can easily upgrade the storage with the SSD Swap feature at the front.

The downside of ROG Strix GA35 is that you can add more fans. Since the design lacks additional ports for fans. Not to mention the gaming PC lacks a dust filter at the top or the front. So you have to clean the inside often from dust. You can buy a separate dust filter if you want to.

At its 80 million price point, ROG Strix GA35 is a built-up gaming PC worth considering when you are trying to build a PC at the same budget. Hopefully, you find the review helpful, and don’t forget to stay tuned for more tech information, and don’t forget to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram Dunia Games.

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