OUR FAVORITE compact desktop PC is back! The Corsair One returns with, at first glance, no discernible changes. The solid metal case is exactly as we remember it -a thin tower with a tiny square footprint, gunmetal gray, with two tasteful RGB strips inlaid down the front. But this isn’t the same machine we’ve seen and loved before; this Corsair One is a traitor to its kin, because inside that outer shell is an AMD Ryzen processor.
You might’ve guessed this already from the name: “a” for AMD, much like the Intel-powered One models use ‘i’. The processor in question is a Ryzen 9 3950X, a 16-core beast of a chip that currently occupies the top of the Ryzen pecking order. When it comes to gaming, AMD finally has a Ryzen chip that can compete with Intel’s similarly powerful offerings.
This isn’t a Pro version of the One, so as per Corsair’s modus operandi it’s a more gaming-oriented system. That’s not to say that the processor and graphics card can’t handle workstation-level tasks; all it really means is a relatively conservative 32GB of RAM and a slightly smaller power supply. A Ryzen-powered One Pro has yet to be announced, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see one. The a100 is simply better suited for hardcore gaming; that being said, Nvidia’s new studio drivers are always an option.