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AMD’s latest Fusion processors are a cost-effective option if you want a quad-core PC without sacrificing features elsewhere. The Ultra Triton’s four-core AMD Fusion A8-3850 processor has been overclocked to an impressive 3.5GHz, which gives it a decent boost compared to non-overclocked A8-3850 systems we’ve seen. It managed an overall score of 80 in our tests: easily powerful enough to run any game or desktop software you need.
The processor’s integrated Radeon HD 6550D graphics processor is good enough to run modern 3D games if you turn the quality and resolution settings down. It produced 19.8fps in Dirt 3 at 1,280×720 using high quality settings – turning the quality down further makes the game smooth enough to play. You can connect two monitors to any combination of the Triton’s HDMI, DVI or VGA outputs.
CyberPower has also taken the unusual step of kitting this PC out with 8GB of RAM – more than you’ll need for most Windows 7 applications, but worth having if you’re interested in heavy-duty image or video effects rendering or if you plan to run virtual machines. Four 1,333MHz modules occupy all of the Gigabyte GA-A75-D3H motherboard’s memory slots, but the board can handle a theoretical maximum of 64GB of RAM. That’s somewhat academic as the 16GB memory modules required for that extraordinary figure are rare.
There’s plenty of scope to upgrade the Triton thanks to two PCI-E x16 slots, a couple of PCI-E x1 slots and three PCI slots. If you want to fit a high-end graphics card that requires additional power, though, you’ll have to use a Molex power adaptor to feed it, as the generic power supply lacks a PCI-E power connector. In fact, it has only a couple of extra SATA power connectors and one spare Molex plug.
That should still be enough for all the storage upgrades you’re likely to need. A DVD writer and massive 2TB hard disk are already installed, which occupy two of the motherboard’s five SATA3 ports. The case, which is sturdily made, if somewhat lacking in dust covers and sound insulation, provides space for four internal and two external 3 1/2in drives and three more 5 1/4in bays. The CPU and case fans emit a low whooshing sound, but this isn’t particularly obtrusive.
There are two USB ports at the front of the case and six at the back. Four of the rear ports are USB3, and there’s also an eSATA3 port alongside them. There’s also Gigabit Ethernet, a PS/2 port and both an optical S/PDIF output and 7.1 analogue audio outputs. The supplied Logitech keyboard and mouse are both remarkably comfortable to use, too.
Although its overclocked processor isn’t as powerful as some similarly priced Intel-based PCs, we’re impressed by the Ultra Triton’s massive hard disk, huge chunk of RAM, great upgrade potential and surprisingly good gaming performance, thanks again to the overclocked processor. However, unless you specifically need the RAM and disk space, it’s still not as good a performer as the phenomenally powerful Chillblast Fusion Shadow.
