A new wave of premium desktop components has hit the market, and the Velocity Micro is taking advantage with the Raptor Z95 (starts at $1,999; $3,799 as tested). This gaming desktop packs a new Core i7 Extreme Edition processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card, which together result in the top-notch performance gamers need. The system features plenty of ports and a nice, understated design that's easy to maintain and upgrade. It's not as much of a stunner as our Editors' Choice, the Maingear F131 X99 Super Stock in terms of either appearance and performance, but it's less than half the price, and offers better DIY options.

Design and Features

The Z95 Raptor uses Velocity Micro's GX4 case, an ATX chassis with a clean look. The tower is black brushed aluminum; the only splashes of color are blue LED lights adorning the top and side fans, the power button, and logo. With this combination, it retains some style without looking too flashy.

At 17.5 by 7.25 by 20.5 inches (HWD), the Z95 Raptor is not as compact as a small-form-factor (SFF) desktop, but it's also not particularly large, especially in terms of width. The F131 X99 Super Stock measures 20.1 by 19.1 by 5.8 inches, while the aesthetically bold Acer Predator AG6-710 (70002) comes in at 21.8 by 8.3 by 18.2 inches. The more traditional Maingear Vybe is a similar size at 17.3 by 8.25 by 19.9 inches, and the Origin Millennium is a bigger machine all around at 21.5 by 9.75 by 25 inches.

The desktop's interior is as clean as its exterior. Velocity Micro includes with the hand-built Z95 Raptor professional-grade cable management, which leads to a nicer-looking product than most end users could configure themselves. Though slim, the case is roomy to work in for any maintenance and future upgrades. There's also thoughtful airflow to keep the case nice and cool, including a bottom fan funneled toward the graphics card and a Corsair Hydro H100 liquid CPU cooler. The cooler's radiator is positioned over the motherboard to save space, but is hinged to swing out for easy access after you remove two screws. There are four total PCI Express (PCIe) slots, two of which are unoccupied in our setup; two open DDR4 memory slots; and four free 3.5-inch drive bays. Our test unit came with a ton of storage; a 512GB solid-state drive (SSD) and a 3TB 7,200rpm hard drive.

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I/O port options are strong here. On the rear panel are five USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 port, one USB-C port, a DisplayPort connector, audio lines, and an Ethernet port, as well as the graphics card's video ports (in this instance, three DisplayPort and one HDMI). There are two more USB 3.0 ports on the top panel, alongside microphone and headphone jacks. On the front are he Power button and a Blu-ray/DVD combination drive. There's also built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2. Velocity Micro covers the system with a one-year limited parts and labor warranty, and offers lifetime phone support.

Performance

The Raptor Z95 is equipped with the latest high-end parts, including an overclocked 4.2GHz Core i7-6850K (Broadwell-E) processor, an 8GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card, 32GB of memory, and a 750W power supply. On the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test it scored 3,930 points, which compares well with the Maingear F131 X99 Super Stock (3,977), the Origin Millennium (3,764), and the Digital Storm Bolt 3 (3,593). The system was also fast on the multimedia tests, though not quite as quick as those that cost more. These aren't the most crucial areas for a pricey gaming PC, but it never hurts to have one that can easily take on daily or work-related processing tasks.

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On the all-important 3D and gaming tests, the Raptor Z95 excelled. It scored 38,398 points on 3DMark Cloud Gate, and 9,469 on 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme. The F131 X99 Super Stock scored 53,731 and 14,001 on these tests, respectively, but it boats dual 980 Ti graphics cards. The Bolt 3 is a fairer comparison and demonstrates the GTX 1080's step up in power: With a single 980 Ti, the Bolt 3 scored 32,708 and 8,544 on these tests. On the Heaven and Valley gaming tests, with the resolution at 1080p and maxed-out graphical settings, the Raptor Z95 returned 131 frames per second (fps) and 161fps respectively. It was also able to just about maintain 30fps on the same test set to 4K resolution.

In anecdotal testing, the Raptor Z95 was able to run The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Doom on the highest settings at 1080p. As with the benchmark tests, running these games at 4K was more difficult, and turning down a couple of settings leads to smoother performance. The frame rate sat at or below 30fps at these settings; that's playable, but not necessarily what enthusiasts are looking for. As you'd expect for the price, the F131 X99 Super Stock was much more capable at 4K in both types of testing, sitting closer to 60fps than 30fps.

Conclusion

The Velocity Micro Raptor Z95 is a powerful, sleek gaming desktop loaded with cutting-edge components. Between the new Core i7 Extreme Edition processor and the GTX 1080, this system is well equipped to run the latest games at high settings, and you won't need to upgrade for some time. It doesn't quite blow us away with 4K performance, though, which is what many gamers will be looking for in this category. You can always add another graphics card down the line since upgrades are easy, but as is, you can't reach 60fps at 4K. The Maingear F131 X99 Super Stock remains our Editors' Choice high-end gaming desktop as the showpiece of the category, but given its price, the Raptor Z95 is a strong option if you have a budget that's healthy, but not unlimited.