The Gladiator EVOlution - Updated for 13th Gen Intel
This one is based on our Gladiator model, but it's... evolved to add some additional customization capabilities and provide for a build that can be truly unique to your desired aesthetics.
This model, like our Gladiator, kicks off with the Intel Core i9-13900K "Raptor Lake" CPU. At the time of writing, this is the best available CPU on the market for all-around gaming. We could talk about fine-grained core tuning, higher clock speeds, improved power efficiency and the larger die size enabling more cores and optimized architecture for larger L3 and L2 caches over the previous generation - but that would be "getting too granular" according to the marketing consultant we found on Reddit. So we'll just say it's the current best available gaming CPU and leave it there.
For the GPU, we give your Gladiator EVO the brand new GeForce RTX 4080. This GPU features NVIDIA's new "Ada Lovelace" architecture. The generational improvement in performance over the previous generation "Ampere" platform is significant. We're not the company to bore you with the mathematical calculations in theoretical compute performance potential involving stream multiprocessors, GPU shaders, tensor cores, VRAM Bus width and all that stuff. (Ok, we secretly nerd out on that stuff, you got us.) But in terms of what we're told our clients actually care about - by our clients this time, not our Reddit marketing consultant - this GPU represents an average of about a 30% improvement in gaming specific benchmarks over the previous generation's RTX 3090 Ti. We feel like that's a lot.
Since we have the best available CPU and the newest GPU in this one. We figured we should look for a motherboard capable of allowing these Rockstar performers to actually perform at their best. The quickest way to ensure your system deteriorates quickly is to cut corners on the motherboard. The quality of the power solution, cooling system, capacitors, and VRM truly matter more and more the longer you play on a system. Motherboards are sort of like people - they all age differently. And like people, some of them age more like bad cheese than fine wine. Since we provide a lifetime warranty on our builds, we felt like we should use the fine wine kind. For the EVO version of Gladiator, we step up to the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero. Insane 20+1 power (90A rated) along with top quality chokes, capacitors, VRM and heat sinks - this one screams quality. And it carries all the connectivity that matters - onboard WiFi 6E, Bluetooth v5.3, tons of USB input/output including multiple Type-C (Thunderbolt 4), and PCIe Gen 5 ready, this is a platform that will carry you into the future with confidence. And since this model is all about personalization, we have to mention the Polymo Lighting array on the I/O shroud that really sets this board apart visually.
If we may circle back to our CPU for a moment, we should address the issue of CPU cooling. The i9-13900K is a hot date when it's working hard, so you can't show up with some weak cooling solution and expect it to be able to throw down its best dance moves at the gaming party. Things like the size of the cold plate, the machine quality of the microfins inside the unit, and the flow rate and quality of the pump matter when it comes to thermals. Like the other parts, there are levels to this stuff. We offer some different options - all of which are good. Think of it as best, bester, bestest. They're all amazing performers, and two of the three options also provide a customizable screen as well as great cooling. What can we say, we're suckers for personalization!
For storage we looked to the Kingston Fury Renegade for this one. It's a top performer at its price tier with sequential read/write speeds of 7300/7000 and superior numbers in terms of longevity and durability as well. We could talk about triple-layer-cell (3D) NAND flash, Phison E18 controllers, graphene aluminum heat spreaders, die density and so on. But instead we'll just say this drive is super fast and will let you game, stream, record, and run Windows all at the same time.
Since we were already on the phone with Kingston, we decided to go ahead and buy the memory for this one from them, too. Just kidding. We did buy Kingston memory though - the Fury Renegade DDR5-6000 variety. We chose it because not only does it look great, but we've had a significantly lower failure rate for memory kits during testing with Kingston than any other brand of memory we've tested. And we've tested quite a few.
We power it all with a 1000-watt, fully modular, 80-Plus gold rated unit to ensure that there will always be a steady supply of smooth, efficient power with plenty of headroom to turn on the performance when needed. By our math, the estimated peak power usage on this one comes in somewhere just south of 750 watts, so we've left plenty of overhead for overclocking and future expansion. We also use only retail version units from ASUS, Seasonic, EVGA, and Corsair to power these beauties. If a cheap motherboard is the fastest way to make your system deteriorate, then a cheap power supply is probably right behind it as the next most efficient way to ruin otherwise great builds.
Now to the "EVO" part of this one... rather than the standard O11 Dynamic, we go with the O11 Dynamic EVO for this one. Going with the EVO case adds a front light bar to the build, and also adds a larger rear exhaust space which we re-purpose for a 7-inch Windows native screen mod if you choose that option. We also offer you some different fans choices to make your PC look *exactly* how you want. With the CPU cooler choices we have available, you can get multiple customizable screens in this one which allows for a lot of creative displays, themes, and system info to be displayed!
Stock cables are a crime for high end builds like this one, so we keep you legal with our sleeved cable extensions in your choice of colorway from our available library.
The Gladiator EVO comes with Windows 11 Professional installed and updated.
All Alexander PCs systems arrive:
* Fully assembled, with Windows installed, activated and updated
* Memory overclocked
* BIOS and drivers updated and optimized
* Ready to unbox, plug in, install your games and play!
The Gladiator EVO - Specs
CPU - Intel Core i9-13900K
CPU Cooler - Lian Li Galahad AIO 360 RGB UniFan SL Edition - or - NZXT Kraken Z73 -or- ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360
Motherboard - ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
GPU - GeForce RTX 4080 (choose brand and model from dropdown)
RAM - 32GB Kingston Fury Renegade RGB DDR5-6000
SSD - 2TB Kingston Fury Renegade M.2 NVMe SSD
Operating System - Windows 11 Professional
Power Supply Unit - 1000 watt, 80+ gold rated, full modular
Chassis - Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic EVO
Case Fans: (10x or 9x w/screen mod) Lian Li UniFan SL120 -or - Lian Li UniFan AL120 -or- Lian Li UniFan SL-Infinity
Extras - Sleeved Cable Extensions in client's choice of color from available library; optional 7-inch Windows native LCD screen mod
Warranty: Lifetime Parts and Service
Core Parts List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LfjBJM