by Expectations from a pre-built gaming PC tend to remain the same year after year, from desktops sporting the latest processors and graphics cards to upgraded RAM and storage.
From the best budget gaming PC to high-end builds, there’s simply no escaping the potential of Moore’s Law. Sure, form factors can evolve, but it all boils down to benchmark numbers, price, feature set, and customer service options like warranties. Then there are prebuild makers who decide to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, into their boutique desktops to create something totally out of this world.
This includes the CLX Hathor Duo PC.
System integrator Cybertron International’s division is known for creating some of the best pre-built gaming PCs on the market, combining performance with excellent customer service CLX scarab last year.
The gaming PC offered everything you could ask for when paying around $5,000. The CLX Hathor Duo PC sets even more standards with a 24-core Intel Core i9-12900K, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition, 32 GB RAM and 1 TB NVMe storage as well as an additional 4 TB Seagate Barracuda hard drive.
Even the box PC itself comes in a large wooden crate.
That’s good enough to play the most visually stunning AAA games at maximum settings with high resolutions and refresh rates. During our standard 1080p tests for Cyberpunk 2077, benchmarks averaged 130 frames per second on ultra settings (including ray tracing) alongside 187 fps on lower settings.
That means gamers with a 4K screen resolution should be able to explore the world of Night City at over 60 fps, which is awesome to say the least. No matter what is thrown at this beast from a machine, it can handle it without breaking a sweat.
But wait, there’s more
main PC
CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K
Graphic: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition 16GD6X
R.A.M: 32GB GSKILL Trident Z5 RGB 5600MHz
storage: 1TB Samsung 980 PRO NVMe / 4TB Seagate Barracuda hard drive
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Intel NUC Compute
CPU: Intel Core i9-12900
R.A.M: 32GB Kingston FURY 3200MHz DDR4
storage: 500GB Samsung 980 Pro NVMe / 2TB Kingston FURY NV1 NVMe M.2 SSD
Capture card: El Gato 4K60 Pro
However, inside the CLX Hathor Duo PC is an Intel NUC compute element that can only be used for streaming. Sitting beneath the beefy RTX 4080 Founders Edition, this PC features a 16-core Intel Core i9-12900, 32GB of RAM, and 2.5TB of combined SSD storage.
The idea is that streamers can better offload system resources for streaming without buying another computer, and it helps that the second PC has an El Gato 4K60 Pro, which also works well for console gamers. Just remember that to use the CLX Hathor Duo PC, the Synergy app must use a mouse and keyboard on both computers. If you don’t want to pay an annual license for this, you need two sets of mouse and keyboard.
The CLX Hathor Duo PC also requires two monitors for the gaming PC and the streaming PC. In testing, we used two gaming displays and the setup worked really well. If two monitors seems a bit too much, the recently released Alienware AW2723DF uses picture-by-picture, which can save some desk space.
The CLX Hathor Duo PC also requires two power outlets to power the gaming desktop and NUC, which are encased in the rather remarkably built case that’s filled with beautiful RGB lighting. Turning on the streaming PC is as easy as pressing the NUC button under the PC. As an extra measure, CLX also included an 8K capture card.
As a gaming PC, the CLX Hathor Duo PC is available in three ATX full-tower prints including white, Vice Edition and Sakura print. The front and side glass panels allow users to see the full display of RGB colors when the desktop is powered on. As an added measure, there’s a small RGB bar near the power and NUC buttons on the front. This can be changed by pressing the M button for a small multicolored animated light or C for a single color light under a USB-C port.
Speaking of ports, there are two USB-A ports at the top near the power button and two at the bottom on the front. Of course, there are also more connections for gaming PCs and NUC PCs on the back. These are more than enough to put together setups for various gaming or streaming needs. The ATX full-tower configuration also features convenient maintenance slots for dust removal and easy upgradeability.
“The perfect gaming PC for professional streamers does not exist.”
Here’s how the CLX Hathor Duo PC fared in our series of benchmark tests:
PC Mark 10: 9676
3D Mark Timespy: 26.231 | night attack: 92,714 | fire blast: 44.107
GeekBench 5 single core: 2155 | multi-core: 23,816
Cinebench R20: 37,880
Total War: Warhammer III 200fps FPS (1080p Ultra); 448 fps (1080p low)
Cyberpunk 2077: 130 frames per second (1080p Ultra); 187 FPS (1080p Low)
Dirt 5: 247 fps (1080p Ultra); 300 FPS (1080p Low)
After creating high definition video content by recording on the NUC and finally editing the 4K or 8K video on the gaming PC itself by Premier Pro was a very seamless process making this the ultimate workstation for game streamers. In addition to gaming and creating streams, editing high-definition video content on a desktop is particularly convenient.
All of this starts at $3,999, but the unit CLX sent me is around $8,000. Along with a parts warranty of up to three years and a free lifetime labor warranty, the overall package of the CLX Hathor Duo PC makes a lot of sense for gamers who love to stream their gaming sessions via Twitch, but especially for those who want to do this professionally.
That’s not even counting the amount of software available on the gaming PC and NUC. There are various performance-based software that users can use alongside customizable RGB lighting. The NUC comes standard with OBS Studio, which is the streaming standard for most Twitch streamers.
The CLX Hathor Duo PC is a pure monster of a gaming desktop. On its own, it has all the performance to justify its relatively high price. However, what pushes this gaming PC beyond simple benchmark measures is the Intel NUC Compute Element, which allows for greater efficiency during live streaming sessions without the need for a second desktop or laptop. Simply put, this could potentially be the future of PC game streaming, and it looks beautiful.
