CLX Gaming PC Review: Our Top Review [2022]

It is obvious that the CLX Ra desktop isn’t for everyone because it costs $3,842 in our review configuration, has a flame-like paint job, and uses high-end mainstream components. However, the base configuration—with the same high-end Phanteks chassis in basic black—starting at $1,499 with a Ryzen 7 3700X and a GTX 1660—is more appropriate for gamers without godlike budgets (or 4K/high-refresh displays).

In addition, despite the expensive price of our test unit, you won’t actually save a lot by purchasing and putting together comparable components yourself — particularly if you can’t find a Ryzen 9 CPU at or near its MSRP. With our review unit, CLX also did a great job putting together a pristine, moderately quiet high-end system. The Ra is definitely worth taking into consideration if you’d prefer to start playing video games than spend hours assembling components and running cables.

For more information, keep reading.

Verdict

The Ryzen-powered Ra desktop from CLX is expertly put together, powerful enough for 4K gaming, and capable of producing premium content. Additionally, the price charged by the company isn’t significantly higher than what you’d pay to purchase and assemble these parts yourself.

Pros

• Impressive gaming and productivity performance
• Attractive, clean build inside and out
• Room for upgrades
• Reasonably priced for the parts and build quality

Cons

• $300 paint job isn’t for everyone
• Ryzen 9 CPU and PCIe 4.0 SSD don’t always beat systems that cost a little less

The CLX Brand

Several of CLX’s top employees have extensive experience in the field. like the original Alienware crowd. Even though that already says a lot, their relatability really impressed me. Speaking with fellow PC gaming enthusiasts who work as builders gave me the impression that I was conversing with them, not some marketing representative. The product manager is knowledgeable about the current events in the hardware industry and can discuss hot topics. This is just one illustration of CLX’s ongoing efforts to put customers first.

The customer experience and offering top-notch support are additional factors to consider. As mentioned, there are plenty of horror stories out there, but CLX passed the quote on quote “undercover” test. I had no trouble dialing and getting helpful, basic support. Without a doubt off to a good start. But CLX isn’t perfect. With its configurator, the company is still working to improve a few aspects. Case options are also not ideal, and pricing is another issue. If you’re considering CLX for a new gaming PC, we’ll clear up a few issues to help you decide whether or not to choose this brand.

Parts Configurator And System Specs

There is a starting point from which you will launch, just as there is with any website for building custom PCs. Although CLX uses an Egyptian gods theme for its products, it can be difficult to distinguish from the many other options available on the website. The Scarab, Horus, and Ra brands can help you choose the right form factor for your case. There is also Osiris for the powerful laptops, and the Set selection has additional pre-configured builds in a variety of case designs.

We decided on a Ra PC and then had it specially configured from there. The Phanteks Evolv case should come with the flagship Scarab, Horus, and Ra brands by default, but the Horus branding was also applied to some other cases with less cooling capacity. More on that later.

Your initial acclimation to the configurator may take a few minutes. Though the UI requires improvement, it performs just as well as similar brands in terms of functionality. To represent various component categories and customization options, it relies too heavily on icons. These can be a little difficult to understand until you hover over the icons to read the text and figure out what’s what. We discovered there were significantly more options about halfway through the initial process, which allowed us to construct the PC we desired. Later this year, according to CLX, the configurator will receive improvements.

When you hover over the memory icon, it becomes clear that it is meant to represent RAM sticks, but it isn’t immediately obvious what that means. A number of component tiers are available; take note of this.

There are probably sufficient brand choices for the majority of people, despite there not being as many options as, say, CyberPowerPC. You will be covered in terms of well-known CPUs, GPUs, etc. Due to the erratic supply, it’s important to note that CLX doesn’t specify which model of GPU you’ll receive. Although not everyone will like it, some clients may benefit from it. You could receive either a Founder’s Edition or a ROG Strix, according to CLX. We received the MSI RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio, which is regarded as a premium model, so it just depends. The company intends to proceed in this manner for the time being in order to keep systems shipping out on schedule, but this practice should return to normal when demand is unavoidably satisfied.

If you want, you can also upgrade your order with a variety of extras and accessories. Everything here is pretty standard. Here’s what we configured on the CLX Ra PC in the end:

• Case: Phanteks Evolv
• Motherboard: ASROCK Steel Legend Z590
• CPU: Intel Core i7-11700K
• CPU cooler: CLX Quench 360mm
• GPU: MSI RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio
• RAM: (2) 8GB ADATA XPG 3200MHz
• Storage: 480GB 2.5in Seagate BarraCuda SSD (OS), 2TB Samsung 860 QVO SSD (Games)
• PSU: EVGA 750W
• Fans: CLX Gamdias RGB Fan (PWM)

It should go without saying that there was no shipping damage. (PC Invasion is the source of the image.

Getting Started

According to what we can tell, CLX uses a wooden crate as its sole method of PC packaging. Crates were once a PC builder’s upgrade choice, but they are now a more commonplace practice. Naturally, this raises the price, which CLX attempts to justify as being a part of the premium experience. We are unable to see the years of RMA statistics that businesses track in order to determine whether or not this is a necessary measure. Crates, at the very least, lessen the possibility that you’ll need to send your PC back because of shipping damage.

Expanding foam pads were used to package this PC in the box to keep it completely still while traveling. Additionally, a cloth and plastic cover were placed over it. You would probably be okay even if your new PC was left outside in the rain by your dependable delivery service. Additionally, CLX uses one of these expanding foam pads inside the computer to protect the graphics card from damage caused by the excellent delivery services. You must take out the pad on the inside before turning the lights on, even though that should be obvious.

Like usual, CLX also includes a slip of paper with basic customer instructions for getting things going along with the support number in case you run into any snags. Additionally, you receive owners manuals for all of your parts and some of your accessories. The RGB remote was included with the CLX fans. Additionally, there were case-related screws and other accessories that you will need if you decide to work on your system in the future.

(Source of the image: PC Invasion.

Parts And Build Quality

A gaming PC’s performance depends on its build quality, component choices, and hardware setup. A system involves many moving parts, and there are many opportunities for error. There aren’t many problems to report with our custom CLX gaming computer. The system operates exceptionally well, the parts stay cool, and it is obscenely quiet. All of the components are configured correctly, and cable management is generally good. At most, we have petty complaints. However, we’ll go over all the typical problems that arise when purchasing a gaming PC from a system builder for the purpose of review.

A Case For Caution

There are many positive aspects of the product that CLX chose, starting with the case. Though not everyone will like the Phanteks Evolv’s design, it has better airflow than the majority of cases made by system builders. If you want, CLX will also paint it specifically for you. Outside, the case is made of tempered glass and aluminum. Both sides are flanked by black-tinted glass. On hinges, the doors on both sides open, and the hinges can be removed.

A full front intake is present on the front panel, and the cover barely blocks it. As the air can flow through a 45-degree inlet directly into the front radiator, it reminds me of the Corsair 5000X. When I tested thermals with the cover off, I didn’t notice much of a difference, if any. The design of the case includes numerous slits that allow additional air to pass through the top and corner portions. The narrow roof vents are the only real issue with the case. These do vent heat, but they still seem too small. Even though the components remained cool (and the 3070 and an 11700K generate a lot of heat), the top of the case got quite warm. The case’s solid roof, however, was simply being heated up by the top fans.

The smaller versions of this case, since the Ra is a full tower, cannot be guaranteed to keep your components cool. Your thermals will vary depending on what you order. Choose this case without a doubt if you are ordering power-hungry components. You might be able to get away with using a system of lower quality if you choose that. You have been warned that compared to this particular model, the prebuilt cases have very poor cooling capabilities. Hopefully, CLX will be able to expand its selection of high-airflow cases in the future.

Feel Free To Go For The Clx Branded Parts

We ordered the CLX fans and “Quench” CPU liquid cooler with some trepidation, but hey, this is a review. These are all, it turns out, excellent. Simply adding its brand to components from reliable manufacturers is how CLX operates. The Gamdias fans are extremely quiet and have some of the best RGBs I’ve ever seen. A sixth generation Asetek pump powers the CPU liquid cooler. Pump-wise, it’s quiet and provided excellent cooling for the 11700K.

Cables Be Gone!

The parts in the main case compartment are displayed very well by CLX. Power cables receive fancy cable combs to keep them organized, while motherboard cables are tucked away. The results can be very clean, depending on the cables you choose. I chose the EVGA PSU with the black cables. Other color braided cables are also available for purchase. Think carefully about the colors of your chosen cable. Your case’s service panel side is made of tempered glass, allowing you to see through it objects like white cables or SSDs. In order to prevent it from being seen through the glass, this PC had the black Samsung 860 mounted in the back.

The hardest part of the build to cable manage is unquestionably the cable compartment. Since no one will ever see this unless servicing the computer, it really just comes down to personal preference. Here is a picture of the opposite side. Even though there is a lot going on, it is normal.

All Systems Go (almost)

To ensure that the PC is ready to use when you receive it, CLX takes care of everything for you. Our cursory examination of BIOS revealed that everything was configured correctly and that all of the components worked as intended. You can start with a clean slate if you simply boot up and sign into the default profile. There isn’t any bloatware, so performance is not required. The default profiles strive for maximum CPU, memory, and GPU performance. If you order a PC with PWM fans, they will also be set up to ramp up under load but remain silent when you are not playing games.

The only flaw was that our system didn’t have Resizable-BAR enabled. It is important to note because it is a strong selling point for our specific configuration. However, since Nvidia and Intel rolled out support this spring, we cannot fault CLX for this. Our system didn’t have the feature turned on, but CLX intends to fix it in the future. But anyone who bought an RTX 30 Series from CLX earlier this year should make sure this feature is turned on. To find out how to update the BIOS and VBIOS for it if it isn’t, check with support.

Final Words

The CLX Ra desktop is unquestionably not for everyone at $3,842 in our review configuration, with a flame-like paint job and top-end mainstream components. However, the base configuration—with the same high-end Phanteks chassis in basic black—starting at $1,499 with a Ryzen 7 3700X and a GTX 1660—is more appropriate for gamers without godlike budgets (or 4K/high-refresh displays).

In addition, despite the expensive price of our test unit, you won’t actually save a lot by purchasing and putting together comparable components yourself — particularly if you can’t find a Ryzen 9 CPU at or near its MSRP. With our review unit, CLX also did a fantastic job of assembling a pristine, moderately quiet high-end system. The Ra is definitely worth taking into consideration if you’d prefer to start playing video games than spend hours assembling components and running cables.

I appreciate your reading.