Corsair Vengeance i4200 review

OUR VERDICT

A quality top-tier rig that’ll compete with what next-gen consoles will eventually deliver.

FOR

Sleek tower and lighting design through iCue
Solid gaming performance
Two-year warranty & lifetime customer service

AGAINST

Expensive
Storage capacity is lacking
Two-minute review

Corsair’s Vengeance line of premade gaming PCs blend sleek mid-tower design with clever LED lighting controls and top-tier specs. The upper echelon i4200 model is no slouch either, featuring a Comet Lake Intel Core i7, 32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR4 Ram, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super and 960GB SSD for storage. Unlike the beautifully styled yet powerful Corsair One, it’s also easily upgradeable. A two-year warranty and lifetime tech support backs up the $2,449 (£ 2,182, AU3,568) price point. For $50(£44, AU72) less, one could make a jump down to 16GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR4 Ram.

The i4200 should work well for someone willing to shell out the dough right now for a stylish looking rig that’s powerful enough to take on next-generation gaming consoles. Anyone looking for something that’s a bit more future proof within the top-tier sector should probably hold off until the new rounds of CPUs and GPUs come around the corner or purchase something within the pricey ultra-luxury tier of gaming desktops.

This PC sits within the same spec range as the $2,505, (about £2,230, AU3,650) Origin PC Neuron Carbide, $2,408, (£2,147, AU3,510) OMEN Obelisk and $2,440 (£2,440, AU 3,988) Alienware Aurora R11. One could go the DYI route for around $500 less on average. Though specs are fairly comparable, there are some differences to consider.

However, the Vengeance i4200 has noticeably less storage than its competitors, which also offer various secondary drives in the price range. Hard drive space could be considered more important than ever as games start to normalize 100GB-plus requirements. The 960GB offered at this price point is slightly disappointing. However, Corsair’s warranty plan and support guarantee coming standard does lend a slight edge in customer assurance.

When it comes to aesthetics, the Vengeance i4200 lacks the bold design language offered by the Alienware Aurora R11. Though more of a traditional looking tower, the all black styling lends to a more premium look.

The i4200 case comes alive thanks to three large LED-lit fans viewable through its tempered glass front panel. A side profile view reveals a clear tempered glass side panel, displaying internal components alongside RGB RAM and rear fan.

Of course, the RGB lighting of the fans and RAM can be controlled through the Corsair iCue software. Alongside some pre-installed signature lighting profiles, you can create your own custom profiles as well.

The Corsair Vengeance i4200 makes good use of its 10th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeFore RTX 2080 Super. Graphical powerhouses including Doom Eternal and Control stayed locked at 60fps at 1080p on max settings without a hitch.

The Corsair Vengeance i4200 handled its own in benchmarks too. In PCMark 10, it managed a score of 7,670 points, along with 4,312 points in Cinebench R20. This continued in GeekBench 5, with the desktop managing a multi-core result of 8,581 points. And, as for raw gaming performance, this gaming PC earned a high 11,339 point score in 3DMark Time Spy.

The PC is even more impressive in actual games. Total War: Three Kingdoms ran an average 273 fps at 1080p with low settings and 91 fps at Ultra. In 4A Games’ graphically intensive Metro:Exodus the i4200 got 209 fps at 1080p with low settings and an incredibly reliable 64fps at 1080p with ultra settings including ray tracing. Without Ray Tracing, it scored worst at solid 60fps with ultra settings 1080p and 192 at 1080p on low settings.

Purchasing a Vengeance i4200 would have made absolute sense about a year ago. Those looking to upgrade their current rig may find it cheaper to simply upgrade their CPU / GPU combo. Anyone looking to make the dive into a pre-made set-up have a good starting point. Having a two year warranty definitely sweetens the deal as well. For now, the i4200 offers solid performance in a stylish multicolored package.

Buy it if…

You are looking for a solid pre-made performer

The Vengeance i4200 can handle pretty much any modern visual powerhouse at 1080p with max settings. It’s even powerful enough to handle whatever multiplatform games next-gen consoles will release in the future.

You want a stylish yet efficient case design

The case is not only a wonder to look at with it’s all black design. Controlling LEDs for both fans and ram through the iCue software adds purposeful customization. Plus, those looking to make upgrades also have plenty of room.