SkyTech ArchAngel GTX 1050 Ti – Worth it in 2021?

Written by Branton

Last updated Sep 9, 2021

 

SkyTech ArchAngel FX 6300 + GTX 1050 Ti

  • skytech archangel gtx 1050 ti

  • skytech archangel gtx 1050 ti

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SkyTech have been putting together good prebuilt gaming desktops for a long time now. But, how does their ArchAngel Gamer GTX 1050 Ti stack up against its competition? Is it worth buying this far in 2020? Well, the short answer is yes.

UPDATE YOU CAN FIND THE 2019 VERSION HERE.

That's exactly what we're going to discover in this overview where I use my knowledge of hardware performance and pricing to break down whether or not this build would be a good buy. If it's not, then we'll go over some good alternatives before the end!

Have a question? Drop it in the comment section


CPU/Mobo
40%

Graphics
70%

RAM
60%

Power Supply
70%

Storage
80%

Overall
6.4/10

Ratings based on price relative to components used in 2018


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The Good
  • Comes assembled with Windows 10 installed
  • Comes with a keyboard and mouse
  • 2 different color options for the case
The Bad
  • The FX 6300 CPU is very dated
  • DDR3 RAM
  • Old motherboard with no good upgrade path
  • Upgrading to a modern CPU would require a new motherboard and new RAM as well as the CPU itself
Summary

The SkyTech ArchAngel GTX 1050 Ti was a solid build, once upon a time. However, since the 6-year-old FX 6300 CPU it uses has become all but obsolete, you can easily find desktops running modern processors with even more power for roughly the same price.

Specs
...for nerds
  • Case: Thermaltake Versa N21
  • Fans: 2x 120mm
  • Motherboard:  AMD AM3+ socket / 970 chipset (manufacturer varies)
  • CPU: AMD FX 6300
  • CPU Cooler: Stock 2012 AMD heatsink
  • GPU: Zotac GTX 1050 Ti Mini 4GB
  • RAM: 1x8GB 1866MHz DDR3 (manufacturer varies)
  • Storage: 1TB 7200RPM HDD
  • PSU: Thermaltake 500w 80+
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Home
  • Optical Drive: 24x DVD+CD R/RW

Breakdown

skytech archangel gtx 1050 tiThe first thing to know when you’re buying a prebuilt desktop is you’re not guaranteed to get the same components as the next person who buys the same computer. Sometimes, companies like iBUYPOWER and other popular builders might use a variety of different but relatively equal components in their setups.

That said, breaking a prebuilt desktop down to the core components used can help us determine whether or not its a good deal. Sometimes, as is the case with the SkyTech ArchAngel GTX 1050 Ti, you end up getting a solid gaming computer for an equally solid price.

Processor (CPU): AMD's FX 6300 is a processor that's definitely getting on in age, especially when we're talking about tech. At this stage, we're looking at a 6-year-old CPU that's coming up on the cusp of being considered obsolete - especially when you look at the most recent processors like Intel's 8th gen Core lineup and AMD's 2nd gen Ryzen.

In terms of performance, it's a 95W CPU with 6-cores/6-threads and runs at a base clock of 3.6GHz but boosts to 4.1GHz when under load. Being an AMD processor, it's unlocked and can be overclocked on the included 970 chipset motherboard. But, before you do any major overclocking you'll want to upgrade the heatsink as AMD's older models weren't known to be the greatest performers.

Motherboard: The brand of motherboard you get with the ArchAngel GTX 1050 Ti seems to vary based on when you buy, but you're always going to get an mATX-sized AM3+ socket board running the 970 chipset. The mobo will always have 4 DIMMs for RAM and will at least support the basic necessities of this desktop.

Graphics (GPU): A GTX 1050 Ti is actually a pretty good graphics card for 1080p gaming. It won't let you crank The Witcher 3 to ultra settings, but it will get you gaming at 60fps in pretty much anything as long as you don't mind tweaking in-game graphics settings to somewhere around medium-high depending on the game.

The card that comes with this desktop seems to be consistently a Zotac GTX 1050 Ti Mini 4GB which in itself is a great option.

Memory (RAM): The ArchAngel GTX 1050 Ti comes with a single 8GB stick of 1866MHz DDR3 RAM from a variety of manufacturers depending on when you buy. This leaves you with 3 extra DIMMs to expand RAM up to the system's supported max of 32GB.

The problem with DDR3 RAM is, modern CPUs don't support it anymore. So, if you're going to upgrade to a new CPU down the line at some point you'd also have to upgrade your RAM to DDR4 which just adds another cost. Probably not ideal.

Storage: Here you get a 1TB 7200RPM HDD, again from a variety of manufacturers depending on when you buy. 1TB is a great amount to start out with and when you start to run short there are plenty of leftover SATA headers to hook up more HDDs or SSDs as you see fit.

Power supply (PSU): As you're probably expecting, this desktop doesn't come with a top-of-the-line Gold-rated power supply. It does, however, come with a modest non-modular 500W Bronze-rated supply from Thermaltake. It's not the best, but it'll do.

Connectivity, OS, Etc: There should be roughly 8 USB ports spread out between the case and motherboard. 5 on the mobo and 3 on the front i/o panel of the case where you’ll also find both a 3.5mm headphone and 3.5mm microphone jack. The GTX 1050 Ti graphics card has DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort inputs for connecting your monitors or even TVs to. You can also find audio jacks on the motherboard for speakers, etc.

skytech archangel gtx 1050 ti sideThe case used is a Thermaltake Versa N21. This has always been a super popular case to use; although it's starting to become a little dated in its design. That being said, it's still a good case and there's no major downsides to it in terms of this build. However, you should note that the Versa N21 only supports graphics cards up to 250mm (9.8") so a lot of the full-sized cards might not fit well, or at all.

Windows 10 Home comes installed by default and all you have to do is go through the first-boot setup process. That said, do not turn your PC off during this! It’ll require a clean install which is just a headache, even with the included boot disc.

On top of that, you're also getting a relatively basic keyboard and mouse pair. They're not mind-blowing or anywhere near high-end, but they're not bad at the same time.

Performance

Performance-wise, the SkyTech ArchAngel GTX 1050 Ti is fairly solid, but it is held back by its FX 6300 CPU. When paired with a modern processor like the i3 8300, a card like the GTX 1050 Ti could perform a lot better - there could be up to a 20fps difference or more depending on the game!

Here's a benchmark ran and recorded on a very similar system in GTA:V. This is a good test of a build's overall abilities due to GTA:V being both hard on graphics cards as well as CPUs when on higher settings.

Now, here's a similar GTA:V benchmark on a system running a more modern setup including an 8th generation Intel i3 8100, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a GTX 1050 Ti just like the first benchmark. The last 60-seconds or so is the most important point to watch as it's not only the same between both benchmarks but it's also a more accurate representation of actual gameplay.

If you were watching the FPS counter, you probably noticed that the more modern i3 8100 build outperforms the older FX 6300 one by nearly 20-30fps in some instances. The craziest part? You could nearly build the i3 8100 desktop for the exact same price as the SkyTech ArchAngel GTX 1050 Ti costs, including Windows 10.

To build it yourself...

  • Case: Thermaltake Versa N21: $60
  • Motherboard:  mATX AM3+ 970 chipet: ~$70
  • CPU: AMD FX 6300 + CPU Cooler: $99
  • CPU Cooler: included with CPU
  • GPU: Zotac GTX 1050 Ti Mini 4GB: $180
  • RAM: 1x8GB 1866MHz DDR3 with heatspreader: ~$75
  • HDD: 1TB 7200RPM HDD: $45
  • PSU: Thermaltake 500W 80+: $45
  • Mouse + keyboard: ~$35
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Home: $100
  • Optical Drive: ~$20
  • Baseline cost: $739

Some prices estimated

You have to hand it to SkyTech, considering a rough estimate of the price of this build comes out to more than they're actually charging for it - not bad!

However...

For roughly the same price, including Windows, you could build my $600 cheap gaming PC and end up with a much more powerful system. My $600 build comes with an i3 8100, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, a GTX 1050 Ti, 1TB of storage, and more (as of the most recent update - late 2020).

Or, if you really want to avoid building your own desktop, you could get the CyberPowerPC GXIVR8020A5 which is only $30 more (as of the most recent update - late 2020) than the SkyTech ArchAngel but comes with WAYYYYYYYYY more power. It comes with an i5 8400, an RX 580 graphics card, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, 1TB of storage, and everything else you would expect out of a prebuilt desktop like a mouse + keyboard.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, The SkyTech ArchAngel just isn't worth the price anymore. The extremely dated CPU is readily outperformed by modern processors and if you want to upgrade you're almost just better off starting from scratch again. So, save yourself the hassle and just buy something more modern and updated.

It does have its merits, and if you're currently running one there's probably not a huge reason to upgrade. There's just no reason to be buying one this far into 2021 (or even back in 2020 if we're being totally honest)

If you have any questions about this review or the SkyTech ArchAngel GTX 1050 Ti, feel free to drop them in the comment section and I'll reply ASAP! 

skytech archangel gtx 1050 ti 1

SkyTech ArchAngel GTX 1050 Ti

6.4/10

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Eren H.
Eren H.
August 27, 2020 7:46 am

Hi! I recently bought this pc on ebay for dirt cheap (around $300 used) and its my first ever gaming pc, i was wondering what some recommend upgrades to boost my performance in gaming without upgrading the motherboard and such.. can i just upgrade my ram which is currently just an 8gb to a 16gb? also the games i’m primarily going to play are fortnite, valorant, and league of legends! would love some help, thanks 🙂

Salvador
Salvador
April 27, 2020 8:06 am

Hey so I’m bummed out to hear about my pc. For best performance what motherboard and cpu do you think that’s not overly priced should 1 upgrade too?

Davey
Davey
April 16, 2020 11:01 am

Would I be fine upgrading the gpu to and gtx 1660 without upgrading the power supply? Or anything else for that matter?

Anonymous
Anonymous
December 6, 2019 12:25 pm

Is it worth $599.99 at least?

Anonymous
Anonymous
November 19, 2019 8:46 pm

Does anyone know if this PC will accept an ATX motherboard or will it only fit an mATX?

Got a friend who’s looking to upgrade his parts and I suggested a 5700 XT, 3600, and a X570 mobo but idk if the 5700 XT and an ATX mobo will even fit in this case because he bought this and wants to reuse just that. Thoughts? Can’t find specs on this case anywhere.

Mikah Sullivan
Mikah Sullivan
October 20, 2019 8:25 pm

can i update the specs of the pc like get a new cpu, more ram, etc. ?

ASAP
ASAP
December 12, 2019 6:04 pm
Reply to  Mikah Sullivan

First off: This article says it all. This comment is basically saying what the writer already said for the most part.

Current owner of this Archangel PC: In the research stage of upgrading (decision made).

PROCESSOR: If you are looking to upgrade the CPU on this, your only options are 100% NOT WORTH IT. I believe the best FX processor (FX-8350) is about the same price as a Ryzen 5 3600 and more expensive than the Ryzen 5 2600. Both of which perform MUCH better. It’s no contest really.

RAM: You do have 3 empty RAM slots so that is an option, however since these are DDR3 slots, your options of upgrading to the latest and greatest are non-existent (Just don’t waste your money on DDR3).

After going through my own research, I concluded that for me and for anyone who owns this pre-built PC, the OBVIOUS choice is to: 1. buy a new AM4 slot (Ryzen processor compatible) motherboard, or one with a Z370/390 slot (Intel 8th/9th Gen processor compatible). OR
2. Sell the Pre-Built (Skytech Archangel) entirely, and build/buy a new PC that has more options to upgrade.

One more thing to note: If you are on a budget, but still decide to buy a new motherboard with more up to date slots, here are the parts you can salvage and reuse:
1. Power Supply: 500W is enough for most mid-range builds that are twice as fast as this one
2. PC Case: This case is ATX compatible (Even most top of the line Motherboards are ATX)
3. Graphics Card: Obviously you can fit this graphics card into basically anything since it’s a Mini
4. CD-Drive: I mean…. who even uses CD-Drives nowadays?
5. Hard Drive: 1TB hard-drive is always useful, but I’m personally getting rid of my whole PC and going SSD & NVMe since it’s so much faster (and hard drives are insanely cheap now so I’m going all out).
5. SATA3 cables: For your HDD and SSD. The Cables connected to your CD Drive can also be used for a new SSD
6. Case Fans: Front intake fans and Rear exhaust fan can be reused for your low-mid range build. If you are going HIGH END build, then get new fans. You don’t want to risk overheating due to insufficient cooling

MY UPCOMING BUILD:
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 AORUS PRO AM4 ($130)
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X ($200)
Graphics: MSI GTX 1660Ti 6GB ($280)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO+ 1TB ($200)
PSU: EVGA 500W 80+Bronze ($50)
RAM: 2x DDR4 DRAM 16GB total ($76)
CASE: To be determined (about $80)

Selling entire Skytech Archangel 1050Ti $400
TOTAL BUILD COST: Slightly Over $1000
TOTAL COST after everything: $600

Anonymous
Anonymous
September 29, 2019 7:22 pm

I checked out your PC that you put a link on and its 1000 dollars…you said its only 30 dollars more than the archangel. I am confused

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