Origin PC Neuron Review: DIY Power Without The DIY Hassle

Mitch Gassner Posted: Aug 28, 2023 7:00 PM ET Category: Hardware Reviews 0

I know it’s hard to believe, but not every PC gamer has the know-how or desire to build their own rig. While many DIYers scoff at off-the-shelf units with outdated or proprietary components, plenty of companies are building custom high-end rigs. Origin PC, founded in 2009, is one such company. We’ve all seen top streamers sporting custom Origin builds, but not everyone is lucky enough to snag an Origin PC partnership. Origin PCs aren’t cheap, but after spending the last few weeks with a decked-out Origin PC Neuron, it may be worth the cost to skip the hassle of going the DIY route.

The Neuron line is Origin’s premium mid and full-tower desktop gaming solution. There are three pre-configured options that target 1080p, 1440p, and 4k gaming that range from $1919 to $4790. These are just starting points, though. Using Origin’s configuration tool, you can customize your build by choosing the individual components from a curated list of upgrades.

The system shipped to us features Intel’s most powerful gaming CPU, the Core i9 13900KS, paired with Nvidia’s flagship GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. Team Red fans need not fret; there are AMD CPU and GPU options to choose from as well. Our loaner is also kitted out with other premium upgrades, including an Asus ROG Z790 motherboard, Samsung NVMe and SSD drives, and a 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 RAM kit.

Our rig also features several other Corsair components. The power supply is upgraded from a 750-watt unit to Corsair’s RM1200x Shift 90 Plus Gold-certified powerhouse to supply enough power for the high-end CPU and GPU combo. And to keep things cool, our Origin branded 5000D Airflow case is fitted with Corsair’s H150i LCD Elite Capellix XT CPU Cooler and a full complement of Corsair QL iCUE RGB fans and controllers.

Origin’s configuration tool also offers some additional add-ins. You can add a personal touch to the PC’s case by adding a custom image or logo to a UV Glass printed or laser-etched side panel (our case came with a cool-looking orange graphic). And, if you don’t already have them, you can choose from a handful of Corsair keyboards, headsets, and monitors to round out your build.

Knowing that the Origin loaner was scheduled for delivery, I was surprised when I opened my door to an empty-handed UPS driver. Leaving me to ponder why he was glaring at me, he went back to his truck and returned with an 80lb crate that he had been lugging around in his truck for the last three days (he was the one who missed the estimated delivery window, not me). I’m not sure it’s worth the extra $116 to ship your new PC in Origin’s Wooden Crate Armor, but there’s no doubt it provides more protection than a cardboard box. If nothing else, the extra weight ensures that it won’t be tossed around at any point during its travel.

Opening the crate was accomplished with a single screwdriver to pry the top off, followed by a quick flip and a tug to remove the PC’s original packaging. With the crate removed, things looked a little more familiar. I’ve had several cases delivered over the years, and the crate ensured that the regular packaging didn’t have any dents, scuffs, or tears.

Inside the box, I found a couple of inches of foam protection. All the extra power supply cords, motherboard standoffs, and other miscellaneous accessories were placed inside a single box, with an Origin mousepad and T-shirt the only other accessories included with the case. A cloth cover protected the PC during shipping, and a quick inspection of the case’s exterior showed it had done its job. The cover is a nice touch that I had never seen before and is a cheap way for Origin to avoid any immediate customer service calls from an unhappy customer due to scratches on their new $5,000 rig.

Scratches aren’t the only problem you can encounter while shipping a pre-built computer. Removing the glass side panel, I found that Origin had secured the PC’s innards with Instapak foam. The foam uses a chemical process to expand and fill the entire cavity, ensuring that components can’t move around or break during shipment. Removing the foam, I looked in amazement at what I had received. The 5000D airflow is roomy enough to showcase the enormous RTX 4090 and Corsair AIO cooler, with enough room left over to house seven additional case fans.

Origin’s team did an excellent job with cable management. Except for the GPU’s power cable, the motherboard's front side didn’t have any excess wiring hanging around. The cable management on the back side of the motherboard was handled quite well, especially considering there is wiring from ten fans that has to be routed to two separate controllers. Plenty of zip ties and cable straps are also used to keep wires held tightly together across a minimal number of runs. The only issue I have with the cabling is that Origin doesn’t offer the ability to upgrade to custom cables. With hundreds of dollars already spent on a great case and flashy RGB fans, being able to choose from a variety of colored cables would be a nice detail to add to the configuration tool.

One of the scariest moments of building your own rig comes when you finally plug it in and press the power button. By that point, you’ve already spent an hour or two putting everything together, and if you press the power button and nothing happens, you’re in for a rough ride. It could take hours to figure out the problem, or days if you have to RMA a defective part.

Our custom rig didn’t have that same scare factor. It was only a matter of minutes from when I unboxed our rig until I had it plugged in and powered on for the first time. There aren’t any peripherals included with the Neuron (a keyboard and monitor are optional upgrades), but it has plenty of connectivity. There are two USB-A and one USB-C port, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the top front of the case. Additionally, the Asus ROG Maximus Hero motherboard has a ton of connectivity options, including 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 6 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (5x Type-A and 1x Type-C), and 2 Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports to handle all of your peripherals.

There are so many connectivity options a casual user may not know which ports to use. The Neuron does ship with the motherboard manual, but a quick start guide that identifies what each type of port can be used for would help decipher what ports to use. Another issue for the unaware was the lack of any signage warning the user that they should use the ports on the GPU instead of the Hero’s HDMI port.

Out of the box, our custom Neuron was amazingly fast. What else would you expect when you pair the fastest CPU with the fastest GPU on the market? The CPU-GPU combo tore through everything I threw at it. Cyberpunk 2077 with Psycho level ray tracing felt like I was playing it on a PC from the future. In F1 22, my personal PC was a back-of-the-pack also ran, while this PC was the equivalent of stepping into Max Verstappen's Red Bull racer. With Call of Duty, Total War: Warhammer, Baldur’s Gate 3, and a handful of other games, 4K with every slider maxed out are the only settings you need, even if you’re looking for triple-digit frame rates.

With the buttery smooth gameplay the Neuron offers right out of the box, three words come to mind: ignorance is bliss. For $5,000, most buyers will expect the highest frame rates money can buy, and given the component list for this PC, it’s easy to believe you’re getting exactly that. But you aren’t. Even though this is the fastest PC that has ever found its way into my home, this custom Origin PC Neuron is leaving a lot on the table.

With a quick 3DMark run-through of TimeSpy Extreme and Port Royale, the average gamer would be happy to see that our custom Neuron placed in the 99th percentile of all systems tested. However, upon further examination, this rig ranked in the bottom 10% when compared to systems with the same components! What the heck is going on?

When it comes to building a fast PC, the parts list is only one piece of the equation. Like any performance equipment, getting the full potential out of enthusiast-level parts requires some tweaking. However, besides increasing the RAM performance to 6000MHz, all other components are set at their default settings.

That doesn’t mean that the Neuron is a piece of junk, though. In just 45 minutes, I pushed the Time Spy Extreme score over the 50th percentile with only a mild overclock on the RTX 4090. And I’m sure that with more time, tweaking the CPU and GPU would send that score even higher. I’m pretty sure Origin’s target audience isn’t going to spend the time to overclock their rig (or is even aware they need to), so I think that with a price tag of over $ 5,000, Origin would have already taken care of this. They could at least add it as an option in their configuration tool to maximize the customer’s value proposition and make a little more profit on their end.

One thing the rig did excel at was silence. With a 360mm radiator and three fans cooling the CPU, and seven additional fans cycling the air through the case, the fans rarely had to spin up to keep the system cool. The system's only real noise is from the fans on the RTX 4090 when it stays under a heavy load.

Speaking of cooling, the all-Corsair cooling solution used in the case was a breeze (pun intended) to configure. Corsair’s iCUE software is easy to use, and creating a coordinated RGB light show was simple. Origin also offers some Corsair peripherals as an upgrade option in their configuration tool, and doing so ensures that the buyer will keep all of their lighting options in a single app.

Overall, I am pretty happy with my time using Origin’s pre-built powerhouse, the Neuron. Unboxing to powering up for the first time took a fraction of the time it would take for me to build a comparable rig myself. Honestly, other than the Origin branding, no one could tell that this is a pre-built PC anyway. The only flaw I found with Origin’s product is their configuration tool's lack of tuning and cabling options. The consumer can handle both of these once they have the rig in their possession, but if I’m not going to build the rig myself, I’d rather pay a little extra for Origin to handle it for me. For many people, the extra cost incurred is well worth the time saved on the front end, not to mention the peace of mind of having a one-stop warranty solution should any component die prematurely.

The custom rig we tested is near the top end of the Neuron’s build options, and its buttery smooth performance is worth the price. If you don’t have an extra $5k sitting around, the Neuron can be had for under $2,000 when configured with more moderate components. Sure, Origin can buy in bulk to stretch its profit margin, but the difference between the price Origin is asking ($5,447 including Armor Crate shipping) and what I’d have to pay to build this rig myself ($4840 via PCPartpicker) is less than I would have expected.

Part-time game reviewer, full-time gaming geek. Introduced to Pac-Man and Asteroids at a Shakey's Pizza in the '70s and hooked on games ever since.