Unilaterally Crafted
In the last decade, purchasing pre-built custom PC has been my go-to preference, despite knowing how to build them myself. The ability to allow customers to choose a PC without the stress of learning to build, and have it still perform in peak fashion is an enticing element for newcomers. Thanks to PC integrators like CLX Gaming, that intimidating factor has been far removed; formed in 2016, CLX has been building custom PC’s for gamers and content creators, making a name for themselves as one of the leading forces in the market. I managed to get me a custom build CLX Set to test out and see just how fantastic their overall quality is – and let me tell you, I am in awe. My purpose in analyzing this PC is to give you my insight as a consumer, with a bit of technical analysis. CLX’s quality of work is seen through this machine from wiring to performance, even the traditional computer chassis has been fundamentally reworked to feel familiar yet forward pushing, like having door panels for hardware and wiring rotate rather than remove. If you’re looking to upgrade, look no further.
A Towering Spectacle
CLX SET is a ATX Mid-Tower, and it is one of the cleanest looking designs available today – modern and utterly simple, complimented with enough ventilation that even the bulky RTX 4090 would appear small. You can place a double-sized cooling system at the top of the tower with 3 additional medium fans, 3 to the front and one to the back. What’s most noticeable is how sturdy the case is with maximum shock resistance; I did not experience any internal vibration issues during my time with this machine – It is a bit wider than I anticipated, I can only assume it’s to accommodate for the increase in physical size with upcoming GPU’s – and additional compartment space to conceal wiring, which it does a fantastic job.
“Overall the tower is absolutely sturdy, roomy and gorgeous”
When unboxing the mid-tower, I was impressed to see that it was double boxed with styrofoam edging on all sides, including the main box; everything was packed incredibly well, including the inside of the PC for hardware protection – CLX Gaming made sure that transit would not damage the sensitive hardware. Whichever shipping option you choose, CLX seem to put their utmost attention to building for their customer and shipping as soon as possible – same cannot be said for other companies; I remember ordering a build elsewhere and arriving several weeks afterwards with minimal updates. With CLX, it came in less than 2 weeks and constant updates. That is entirely impressive given the level of work placed into their build quality.
You’ll find the usual UI fixes such as the power button on the front, 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB-C port, audio jack and all of the typical input options on the back. The embedded wireless module that’s embedded in the motherboard did not come with a 5.0Ghz band, but who uses on-board wireless for gaming anyway? I opted to use my ASUS range extender and that put me back on track – though I suspect most users would use an ethernet cable. I just love to have as little wires as possible. Overall, the tower is absolutely sturdy, roomy and gorgeous with the CLX logo fixed to the front, highly pleased with this tower.
Performance Under Cooled-Pressure
As impressed as I was with the overall tower design, wire management takes the cake for me. Not one cable seemed strained at any point – and the cable compartment is intelligently designed to have them run through with ease. Just seeing how neat it looks when opening the panel is just a sight to behold – should give the same feeling to all PC enthusiasts. Based on what I have, I can’t find any faltering with cables on how they’re tucked and coiled. The way it’s organized seem to benefit the user in case there was a need to swap for an upgrade. I was truly impressed.
The CLX SET build I’m using comes with several components that’s tailored for gamers with a need for high performance, or content creators who needs leg room for streaming, editing and gaming alike. The PC includes NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, an Intel i9 13900KF processor, 64GB of DDR5 Ram, 1TB NVMe M.2 drive alongside a 6TB HDD – It’s a powerhouse of a computer that’s backed by a platinum grade 1000Watt PSU. It’s one of the pricier machines in the market given the availability of RTX40 cards, but you will be able to find custom options in their website at all times.
“During intense moments after long gaming sessions, the PC maintained a consistent 52~62°C range on all processing cores including GPU”
I’ve spent weeks playing on this machine grinding Destiny 2, Halo Infinite season levels, relearning Star Citizen and catching up on Forza Horizon 5 – all of it well over 5hrs a day at least and not once did I care to be bothered by any hiccup, temperature or fan noise. Top notch quality in all fronts starting with performance – out the box at max settings with all games, I was hitting 120fps with ease. That means drivers were properly installed into the provided Windows 11. CLX Gaming undergoes rigorous performance testing before shipping their custom builds by gamers, and it absolutely shows. Even the least optimized game, Star Citizen, managed to pump over 60fps at 4K in the busiest of zones. I can imagine the level of performance gamers would get at lower graphics settings – something I normally don’t play at given I like fidelity more, I still make plays at 90fps against those who desire 240fps, ha!
Temperature was probably my biggest concern going into this build; after several hours of playtime, I was extremely pleased to find that it was absolutely freezing throughout. The ventilation system on this ATX Mid-Tower is quite insane. I can see liquid cooling enthusiasts going crazy with this machine given the space it provides in its compartment. During intense moments after long gaming sessions, the PC maintained a consistent 52~62°C range on all processing cores including GPU; even with the RTX 4090 requiring 450W, I didn’t see a spike on the electricity bill, which is a huge plus for me. Typically fan speeds will hike during long gaming sessions – if it did, I didn’t notice given how silent the fins are. Fan speeds can of course be adjusted if needed, but I found that how it was shipped to me worked excellently.
“Everything from tower quality to hardware performance and wiring is expertly done.”
Windows 11 is the OS for this build, which I find to be entirely function throughout. CLX managed to install up-to-date main drivers including GPU which left me thoroughly impressed. However, a week later I needed to update drivers for Windows 11 and the RTX card which is typical these days. There’s a dedicated RGB software control to change the colors of the lights which I did – out the box those lights were beaming, it needed some dimming. Additionally, you can benchmark your machine with any software you desire, but CLX Gaming ensures that you’re set to go with a shortcut to 3DMark left at desktop.
I cannot express enough the level of care CLX placed into this build, I imagine it’s common practice throughout the company. Everything from tower quality to hardware performance and wiring is expertly done. If you’re in need of an upgrade and don’t want to learn how to build, I say check out CLX Gaming – the machine I’ve been using has proven to be the best in the market, and this is coming from someone who has dedicated their life in buying parts from Newegg and building machines throughout college. You can customize your PC on their website at CLX Gaming, they often have special discounted prices all year round, with prices start at ~$600 with excellent parts. If you’re looking to get the care you deserve, CLX is the place to do it. There are also several pre-build options available if you’re into that. At this moment, I can confidently say CLX Gaming sits amongst the best in the market.
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