Schenker XMG Prime Desktop PC Review
For the original German review, see here.
For years, it has been entirely justified to say that Desktop PCs have a significantly better price performance ratio than laptops. With the XMG Prime, we checked whether this statement still holds true in 2015. Like its laptop siblings, the Mini-ITX/DTX case can be configured in detail. Technically revised models are planned for August and we were among the first editors who received a pre-production model from Schenker.
The cooling system of the refreshed model is particularly different from the previous XMG Prime's. According to the manufacturer, they use more powerful components, which ensure lower temperatures and/or a quieter operation. Apart from a few details, the test model is supposed to be almost identical to the final product. For example, the radiator is supposed to get an XMG logo and green stripes, and green Fractal PWMs will be used as fans instead of Corsair Air PWM Silent Editions.
In the pre-production model, the H80i GT water cooling from Corsair cooled down the processor. As for CPUs, there are currently the Core i5-4590 (3.3 to 3.7 GHz, 84-watt TDP), the Core i5-4690K (3.5 to 3.9 GHz, 88-watt TDP), the Xeon E3-1231 v3 (3.4 to 3,8 GHz, 80-watt TDP), the Core i7-4790 (3.6 to 4.0 GHz, 84-watt TDP) and the Core i7-4790K (4.0 to 4.4 GHz, 88-watt TDP) available. While the first two chips do not support Hyperthreading, the other Haswell models can process up to eight threads in parallel. Regarding GPUs, Schenker aims to focus on Nvidia in the future. With the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, the GTX 960, the GTX 970 and the GTX 980, you can select from several mid-range and high-end models. The DDR3 RAM ranges from 8 to a maximum of 16 GB.
Although in theory, the case could house up to six storage devices, Schenker has limited it to four hard drives (2.5 or 3.5-inch). On the one hand, this is because of the dedicated GPU, and on the other, the four SATA-III interfaces on the motherboard. As well as HDDs and SSHDs, you will also find SSDs on the homepage. The buyer will look for an optical drive in vain. However, optional external drives are available. The updated model uses the MSI H97I AC motherboard, which is equipped with a Wi-Fi module from Intel (Wireless-AC 7260) by the manufacturer. The warranty period is also fixed, which is three years, including six months instant repair. Currently, Windows 10 Home 64-Bit is included for free.
The XMG Prime starts from 1249 Euros ($1370). Our test model (see datasheet) is priced at 1569 Euros (~$1720). Below, we will analyze, whether buying a Desktop PC still pays off or nothing militates against a gaming laptop.
Case
Schenker uses the Fractal Node 304 as chassis, which weighs about 8 to 9 kg (~17.6 to 20 lb) with the incorporated hardware. This is about 2 to 4 times the weight of a modern high-end notebook. Thanks to the Mini-ITX/DTX motherboard, it is relatively small for a PC (25 x 37.4 x 21 cm/ ~10 x 15 x 8.3 in), which makes finding a place for it easier.
The quality of the case left a good impression. Although the build quality could have been slightly better in some places, the Node 304 scores points with high-end materials. For example, the case is mainly made of metal. Furthermore, the XMG Prime looks good. A green grid on the front makes the plain design less monotonous.
The maintenance is convincing, too. After removing four screws at the rear, the cover and the side panels can be detached from their mounting. Under the hood, it looks every clean - at least for a Mini-ITX. All cables are intelligently and space-savingly installed. While replacing the RAM or CPU means a lot of work, hard drives and graphics cards can be quickly removed. Depending on the component, air is sucked in from the front, the side (GPU maximal 31 cm/~12.2 in) or the underside (PSU maximal 16 cm/~6.3 in).
Speaking of the power adapter: Our test model comes with a 450-watt Corsair CS450M model, which is 80 Plus Gold certified. With stronger GPUs, the Schenker uses a 650-watt power adapter. In order to keep the system noise as low as possible, Schenker uses graphics cards with special fan design, which differs from the Nvidia reference. Great: The front and the bottom fan grilles are equipped with Fractal dust filters. All things considered, we assign a ”very good" rating to the chassis.
Connectivity
Obviously, the available interfaces depend on the used motherboard. The MSI H97I AC with H97 Express chipset for the socket LGA 1150 is especially balanced. Four USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports and six audio jacks (7.1 sound, Realtek ALC892) should be sufficient for most buyers, the more so as there are two more USB 3.0 ports and a headphone and microphone jack on the front. In addition, the MSI features a Gigabit Ethernet port (Realtek RTL8111G), an S/PDIF jack and a time-honored PS/2 port. Wireless communication is possible via two antennas. However, these were missing in our model. The same applies to the user guide, the driver DVDs, etc.
Those who - for whatever reason - want to run the XMG Prime without dedicated GPU can connect the processor chip to external screens via HDMI, DisplayPort or DVI. Otherwise, images are rendered by the Nvidia GPU. With the reviewed EVGA GeForce GTX 960 SuperSC ACX 2.0+, the user can appreciate a DVI out, an HDMI port and three DisplayPorts. Thanks to the later, a triple monitor setup with 3840x2160 pixels @ 60 Hz each is possible. As is usual for Mini-ITX, the motherboard features only two RAM slots and one PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots. Thus, the connectivity only achieves a”good”.
UEFI
Our photos show that the BIOS menus are significantly more extensive than that of a laptop. Tuning fans should get their money's worth. However, overclocking voids the warranty.
Performance
To avoid driving up the XMG Prime's price too much, we have selected a processor and a graphics card of the (upper) mid-range. Although the processor lacks Hyperthreading, this is the virtual doubling of the core count, the Core i5-4590 promises a good performance. The GeForce GTX 960 is also fast enough for current games, if you ignore 4K.
Since modern games require more space (“GTA V” alone requires 60 GB), the storage capacity should be as large as possible. Fortunately, thanks to the falling prices, solid-state drives are no longer outrageously expensive. We configured our test model with a 500 GB Crucial BX100 model, which was supplemented by a 1000 GB Toshiba HDD. We do not feel that the 16 GB of RAM limitation is particularly crucial, since it is to be expected that games will not require 24 or 32 GB in the near future. The GPU will get too slow earlier.
Processor
The offered CPUs are quad core models from Intel's Haswell generation processed in 22 nm. Although the successor was recently launched with the Skylake architecture, it does not really bring great improvements. Thus, gamers are safe to select Haswell hardware, even more so, since the GPU is usually the limiting factor in games. With a maximum clock of 3.7 GHz, the Core i5-4590 reminds us of its Core i7-4800MQ and Core i7-4870HQ laptop siblings with only a TDP of 47 W instead of 84 W. However, this does not mean that the desktop CPU requires double the energy. The L3 cache of 6 MB is even the same size.
The GPU does not stand out against its mobile counterpart. Intel's HD Graphics 4600 is only appropriate in the absence of a better alternative. As usual in the desktop range, the XMG Prime does not support graphics switching. Thus, most users will never be exposed to the HD Graphics 4600.
Overall, the CPU performance is quite good, yet not brilliant. Pure processor benchmarks like Cinebench R15, which heavily use the available (real and virtual) cores, prove that the lack of Hyperthreading is a disadvantage. With 530 points, the Core i5-4590 ranks in about 20% below the current notebook favorite, the Core i7-4720HQ (2.6 to 3.6 GHz) and just under 30% behind its Xeon E3-1231 v3 and Core i7-4790 desktop siblings in the multi CPU test. It performs almost 40% worse than the Core i7-4790K. The performance of the CPUs is closer to each other in the single CPU test, but the Core i7-4790K is still about 20% faster.
Cinebench R15 | |
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER W505 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER W505 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N |
Cinebench R11.5 | |
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER W505 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER W505 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N |
The clock rates of the Core i5-4590 can hardly be criticized. Not least because of the water cooling, the quad core model can use its full potential. In the benchmarks as well as during the stress test it achieves at least 3.5 GHz.
Graphics Card
While the desktop GTX 980 and GTX 970 are undoubtedly high-end GPUs, the performance of the GeForce GTX 960 is rather mid-range. At a first glance, the specs are similar to the GTX 965M notebook sibling, which also features 1024 CUDA cores and a 128-bit interface. In practice, the desktop model is significantly faster than the mobile one, which is mainly due to higher clock rates. For example, the core clocks at 1279 instead of 924 MHz and the memory at 3500 instead of 2500 MHz, which is +40%.
The VRAM is not that big. 2 GB GDDR5 VRAM is already borderline for some games. For example, among the reviewed games, this is too low for “Shadow of Mordor”, which requires 6 GB for maximum details. This might be an extreme example, but several games require at least 3 GB (e.g. “Wolfenstein: The New Order”). Thus, those who want a future-proof solution and do not want to upgrade in 1 to 2 years, should configure a GTX 970 or GTX 980 right away. Owners of a 4K display require a top model anyway. Nevertheless, it would have been wise, if Schenker had incorporated the 4 GB model of the GTX 960.
3DMark 11 Performance | 9571 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 147270 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 16785 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 6547 points | |
Help |
A comparison with the notebook was most interesting for us. To make a long story short: The GeForce GTX 960 performs slightly better than the GTX 970M, which features 1280 CUDA cores and a 192-bit memory, interface (3 to 6 GB VRAM). In the Fire Strike test of 3DMark 13, the GeForce GTX 980M notebook top model achieves a 25% higher GPU score, while the GeForce GTX 965M performs 32% worse. Meanwhile, the GTX 970 and GTX 980 achieved just under 40 to 60% more points.
3DMark | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
3DMark 11 | |
1280x720 Performance (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC | |
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
Unigine Heaven 4.0 - Extreme Preset DX11 (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
MSI GamingDock |
Storage Devices
Most choices are available in storage. Whether HDD, hybrid drive or SSD, everyone should find a suitable solution. While most of the hard drives are 3.5-inch format, the solid-state drives are smaller 2.5-inch format. Although the prices are often similar regardless of the manufacturer, there are some performance differences, which are only rarely, if at all, noticeable in practice.
The Crucial BX100 is the cheapest model. However, the 500 GB version in our test model cannot quite keep up with the slightly more expensive main competitor, the Samsung 850 EVO. Apart from the sequential read rate, the performance is lower in the AS SSD benchmark. The access time of the Samsung 850 EVO is also better (see Schenker W505). The Crucial BX100 achieves a total score of 931 points, which is above average for a solid-state drive.
The second storage device is a 1000 GB HDD from Toshiba. The DT01ACA100 runs at 7200 rpm, which is currently standard in the desktop range. It becomes obvious that the magnetic storage technology is outdated when dealing with small files. Solid-state drives are significantly faster here. In sequential transfers, the difference is smaller. With just under 200 MB/s, the Toshiba DT01ACA100 is about twice as fast as an average notebook HDD.
System Performance
The lack of Hyperthreading is hardly noticeable in the system tests. 6700 points in PCMark 7 are similar to the total score of a well-equipped gaming notebook.
PCMark 7 Score | 6700 points | |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 4643 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 6364 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 5362 points | |
Help |
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N |
PCMark 8 | |
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
One K73-5N | |
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
One K73-5N | |
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
One K73-5N |
Gaming Performance
As already mentioned, the GeForce GTX 960 is not designed for 3840x2160 pixels. Although undemanding games (see “Fifa 15”) also run quite smoothly in 4K resolution, the Maxwell chip quickly reaches its limits in demanding games. The GTX 960 performs much better with 1920x1080 pixels. Apart from a few exceptions, (“Assassin's Creed Unity”, “Watch Dogs”), over 35 fps are possible with ultra-preset. Often, the performance is even sufficient for multiple anti-aliasing. However, hardcore gamers require at least a GeForce GTX 970 or a GTX 980.
low | med. | high | ultra | 4K | |
BioShock Infinite (2013) | 279.2 | 208.9 | 185.4 | 75.8 | |
Metro: Last Light (2013) | 111.2 | 106.4 | 95.9 | 56.8 | |
Watch Dogs (2014) | 89.7 | 76.4 | 52.8 | 34.4 | |
Fifa 15 (2014) | 332.8 | 259.7 | 210.6 | 103.3 | |
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) | 194.7 | 131.8 | 71.8 | 48.6 | |
Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) | 67.1 | 64.9 | 54 | 49.2 | |
Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) | 97.1 | 75.8 | 47.4 | 21.3 | |
Far Cry 4 (2014) | 113.6 | 112.2 | 65.8 | 50.4 | |
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) | 125.7 | 109.4 | 58.4 | 38.6 |
Far Cry 4 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality AA:SM (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC | |
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality AA:SM (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
Dragon Age: Inquisition | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality AA:2x MS (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC | |
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
Assassin's Creed Unity | |
1920x1080 Ultra High Graphics Quality AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
Desktop-PC | |
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality AA:2x MS (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
Desktop-PC |
Ryse: Son of Rome | |
1920x1080 Very High Texture Res. + High Graphics Quality (Motion Blur & Temporal AA On, Rest Off/Disabled) AF:8x (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC | |
1920x1080 High Texture Res. + High Graphics Quality (Rest Off/Disabled) AF:8x (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset (HD Package) (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC | |
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
Fifa 15 | |
3840x2160 High Preset (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC | |
1920x1080 High Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
Watch Dogs | |
1920x1080 Ultra Overall Quality, Ultra Textures AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC | |
1920x1080 High Overall Quality, High Textures AA:2x MS (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
SCHENKER XMG U705 | |
One K73-5N | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
Metro: Last Light - 1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER XMG Prime | |
SCHENKER XMG P705 | |
MSI GamingDock | |
Desktop-PC |
Summary
After scrutinizing CPU, GPU, storage and gaming performance, we can confirm that the test model delivers a good performance, which can easily keep up with most high-end notebooks. However, for a “very good” rating, processor and graphics performance should be higher.
Emissions & Energy
System Noise
While we measure the system noise at a distance of 15 cm (~6 in) for notebooks, we checked the noise of the XMG Prime at a distance of 50 cm (~1.6 ft). With just under 31 dB(A), the desktop is only quietly audible while idling. Thanks to their constant rotation speed, the fans are not even remotely disturbing during everyday tasks (office, video, web, ...). We could not detect annoying accelerations familiar from many notebooks during our measurements.
The XMG Prime is also quite quiet under load. The fans even remained at their idle level after the second 3DMark 06 run. The system only got audible during the stress test. However, in practice, full CPU and GPU load is rare. Almost all high-end notebooks already exceed 40 dB(A) during 3DMark 06. Only the Asus G751JY can stand up to the XMG Prime to some extent. By the way, it is normal that the device reaches 39 dB(A) during booting for a short time. Overall, the XMG Prime performs very well. The water cooling and the custom cooler of the GPU ensure relaxed usage.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 30.8 / 31 / 31.2 dB(A) |
Load |
| 31 / 39.6 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance) |
Temperature
We used the usual stress test to record the hardware temperatures. After an hour of full load with the tools FurMark and Prime, the GPU temperature increased to about 80 °C (~176 °F), which is completely uncritical. The same is true for the CPU, which also did not exceed 80 °C (~176 °F). In notebooks, the processor often exceeds 90 °C (~194 °F).
We cannot say with certainty, whether the XMG Prime gets louder or hotter with more powerful components (probably a combination of both). Neither CPU nor GPU throttle in this Mini PC. Both, the Core i5-4590 and the GeForce GTX 960 always run with active Turbo. According to GPU-Z, the Nvidia chip even overclocks at up to 1417 MHz under load.
Power Consumption
The power consumption is only comparable to a notebook to some extent, since the XMG Prime does not include a display. However, 33 to 36 watts while idling suggest that a desktop PC does not necessarily require more energy. Gaming laptops without Optimus technology like the MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW occasionally require 30 watts. The differences are greater under load. Despite a more powerful graphics card, the MSI GT72 only needs 101 instead of 122 watts in the first scene of 3DMark 06. The maximum power consumption of the 17-inch notebook is lower. Our measurement device displayed 212 instead of 268 watts. However, the power consumption is perfect for a desktop PC. The 450-watt power adapter has enough reserves.
Off / Standby | 0.4 / 1.2 Watt |
Idle | 33 / 34.5 / 36 Watt |
Load |
121.8 / 268 Watt |
Verdict
With the XMG Prime, Schenker presents a pleasantly compact gaming system, which neither lacks performance nor maintenance and upgrade possibilities. Although gamers have even more options in terms of features with a ”real“ tower, the offer should be sufficient for most users.
In our opinion, the greatest highlight is the water cooling, which ensures a surprisingly quiet operation whether idling or running 3D programs. We also want to emphasize the power consumption and temperature as positives here. With Core i5-4590 and GeForce GTX 960, the XMG Prime is neither power hungry nor hotheaded.
Currently, only the price appears suboptimal to us. For just under 1570 Euros (~$1720 / test model), you will also get a reasonably priced GTX 970M notebook, which is not much slower in gaming despite weaker components. Let us take the MSI GT72-2QD81FD with a Core i7-5700HQ, 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB HDD as an example. Although it costs over 50 Euros (~$55) more, including the operating system and SSD, the notebook also includes a display, a keyboard, a mouse, and speakers.
Depending on the hardware, buying the Schenker PC does not always pay off. It is only exciting for avid gamers with GTX 970 or better. The most expensive models from the desktop range leave all notebook chips behind, which gives the XMG Prime a right to exist. The total rating of our test model is between “very good” and “good”. All things considered, the Mini PC only just missed a ”very good”.
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