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Starforge Systems Frieren PC: Two-minute review
It’s not every day I get to review a PC that looks this good. PC-building brand Starforge Systems makes some excellent pre-built systems worthy of standing among the best computers, however it’s the corporate’s collaboration builds that actually stand out – and I’ve been fortunate sufficient to get Starforge’s newest themed PC, which is a collab with the favored new anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.
As far as PC builds go, it is nothing notably wild exterior the anime-themed aesthetics. I’ll get extra into the nitty-gritty of the internals down within the Design part, however the guts of this construct ought to look largely acquainted to anybody aware of the artwork of customized PC constructing. It’s exceptionally colourful when switched on, too; I performed round a bit with the RGB settings and was simply in a position to arrange a really pleasing white-and-green mild scheme that matched the design of the case.
Thankfully, the efficiency is stable: this technique can comfortably deal with 1080p and 1440p gaming, and run all however essentially the most demanding titles at 4K – although you would possibly wish to activate AMD’s FSR 3 upscaling for that, particularly in ray-traced video games like Cyberpunk 2077. If you need a gaming PC that may additionally pull double obligation as a workstation for skilled or hobbyist artistic work, this technique can get the job finished.
The main downside for me here – other than the lack of an Nvidia RTX GPU, which does lock users out from using Nvidia’s best-in-class upscaling and frame-generation tech – is the price. I’ll do a full breakdown in the next section, but the cost is $2,499.99 (around £1,870 / AU$3,760).
That’s not a terrible price, for sure; I took some time to sit down on PCPartPicker and tried to replicate this build as accurately as possible, and even opting for some cheaper components in the same performance bracket (like more budget-conscious RAM and storage), I landed at a price just barely south of $2,300.
The fancy backlit display panel and general extra design features here will be worth that extra two hundred bucks for some people, and the skyrocketing price of RAM will little doubt be pushing some individuals away from DIY-ing their subsequent PC. Oh, and naturally, in the event you purchase from Starforge, you do not have to undergo the ache of truly constructing the rattling factor.
Starforge notably does bundle this PC with a big desk mat and acrylic wall artwork panel matching the Frieren aesthetic, too – which, when bought individually, would run you an additional $110. Still, you are positively paying a premium for the Frieren theme, so it is in all probability a PC it is best to solely choose in the event you’re a severe anime lover.
Starforge Systems Frieren PC review: Price & Availability
- Fixed price of $2,499.99 (around £1,870 / AU$3,760)
- Available now in the US, ships to UK and Australia
- Only one configuration available
There’s only one model of the Frieren PC available, and it’ll run you a total of $2,499.99 (around £1,870 / AU$3,760). As I noted above, that’s only marginally above the price you’re likely to pay to build your own similar system at the time of writing, though you’d obviously be missing out on the exclusive design starring everyone’s favorite tiny but overpowered elf and her pals, plus the bundled artwork and desk mat.
It should also be noted for British and Australian shoppers that those GBP and AUD conversions don’t include regional tax (VAT and GST, respectively), so you will actually end up paying a bit more once you factor in that and shipping fees. Americans, you already know the drill when it comes to sales tax.
So while the Starforge Systems Frieren PC is undeniably a rather expensive purchase, I can’t knock it too hard for that; it’s a niche collab targeting the crossover between PC gamers and a relatively new TV show fanbase, and the bundled extras soften the blow of the asking price.
The Frieren PC is already available to purchase directly from Starforge’s website, with shipping to anywhere in the US, Europe, and Australia. All of Starforge’s PCs come with a 2-year warranty, too.
Starforge Systems Frieren PC review: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Starforge Systems Frieren PC Config |
|
Price |
$2,499.99 (around £1,870 / AU$3,760) |
|
CPU |
Intel Core i5-14600K |
|
GPU |
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB |
|
RAM |
32GB DDR5-6000 |
|
Storage |
1TB PCIe NVMe 4.0 M.2 SSD |
|
Ports and Connectivity |
Front I/O: 2x USB-A 3.2, 1x USB-C 3.2, 1x 3.5mm combi audio jack Rear I/O: 6x USB-A 3.2, 1x USB-C 3.2, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, 1x PS/2, 1x SPDIF, 5x 3.5mm audio in-out |
|
Dimensions |
18.82 x 11.42 x 18.54in (47.8cm x 29.0cm x 47.1cm) |
Starforge Systems Frieren PC review: Design
- Clean, well-assembled internals
- Fantastic aesthetic with swappable platelights
- Potentially bigger than it really needs to be
I’ll say this right out of the gate: even for a mid-tower system, this is a pretty chunky desktop PC. The specially-customized Lian Li O11 Dynamic case used for the Frieren PC is large, and there’s quite a bit of negative space inside the case – this isn’t the PC to buy if you’re working with limited real estate on your desk.
Still, that extra room does mean that the Frieren PC has a lot of upgrade potential. Removing the glass side panel to root around inside the guts of this system is as easy as pie, and there’s ample space for a bigger GPU if so desired in the future, too. Or, you know, an anime figurine…
Size aside, this is obviously one really good-looking system. The art quality is excellent, and the anime-themed print doesn’t just extend to the glass panels; there’s a separate piece of artwork depicting Frieren’s previous adventuring party (shown in flashbacks in the show, which form an important part of her narrative development- okay, I’ll shut up now) printed on the metal opposite side panel, as well as a large sigil on the top grille. It’s also decked out with plenty of fully customizable RGB lighting, including two slim lightbars that run along the top and bottom edges of the panelling. There’s also the usual abundance of ports on the back you’d expect from a gaming PC, and a pretty standard front I/O featuring USB-A, USB-C, and an audio jack.
Image 1 of 3
I also feel compelled to say that this is one of the tidiest and most well-assembled pre-built PCs I’ve seen in years, rivalling many of the best gaming PCs. I’m not saying that the majority respected PC-builders are messy with their builds, however Starforge’s work right here is clearly top-class, with masterful cable administration. Even the house hidden beneath the vertical PSU shroud is tidy (an space I’m personally accustomed to utilizing because the ‘simply stuff it out of sight’ house in my very own PC builds).
In addition to the Frieren-themed extras, you additionally get a pack containing all the extra bits and items that weren’t used within the construct – drive brackets from the case, spare screws, unused modular cables from the PSU, all that good things. Not all PC-builders embody this superfluous equipment, however it’s extremely helpful in the event you select to improve your system additional down the road.
One notably good inclusion right here – additionally seen in a few of Starforge Systems’ different premium pre-built PCs – is the ‘platelight’. That’s the tall, skinny acrylic artwork strip with LED backlighting you may see in among the images I’ve taken; pop off the opposite facet panel, and you may simply slide it out and change it with a special piece of illuminated paintings. Starforge sells quite a lot of these on its website (there are 4 different Frieren ones in addition to the default one included right here), which vary from different collabs to hanging unique paintings. You may even theoretically make your personal, because it’s simply paintings printed on an oblong slab of translucent acrylic.
Starforge Systems Frieren PC review: Performance
- Strong gaming and creative performance
- CPU performance is okay, but not spectacular for the price
- Fans are impressively quiet even under load
Starforge Systems Frieren PC Benchmarks
Here’s how the Frieren PC performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
Geekbench 6 (Multi Core): 17,477; (Single Core): 2,787
Geekbench AI (Single Precision): 35,726; (Half Precision): 47,849; (Quantized): 28,735
Cinebench R23 (Multi Core): 23,937; (Single Core): 2,039
Cinebench R24 (Multi Core): 1,387; (Single Core): 122
Crossmark Overall: 2,255
3DMark Fire Strike: 45,822; Steel Nomad: 7,032; Solar Bay: 117,376; Night Raid: 84,092
BlackMagicDisk Read: 4,071MB/s; Write: 4,779MB/s
25GB Copy Test: 1,502MB/s
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, Highest): 197 FPS; (Balanced Upscaling, 1080p, Highest): 244 FPS
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Medium): 275 FPS; (1080p, Ultra): 146 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 173 FPS; (Balanced Upscaling, 1080p, Ultra): 183 FPS; (Balanced Upscaling, 1080p, Ultra RT): 131 FPS
Marvel Rivals (1080p, Low): 193 FPS; (1080p, Ultra): 112 FPS; (Balanced Upscaling, 1080p, Ultra): 136 FPS
Powered by the excellent AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card, the Frieren PC has no points operating the most recent PC video games at 1080p and 1440p resolutions, and might simply spring to 4K with out dropping beneath 60 frames per second in lots of titles too. If you are prepared to modify on upscaling with FSR 3 (and you actually must be at this level, as upscaling tech has come a good distance in recent times), 4K gaming is comfortably inside attain right here.
I bought secure framerates at 1440p and 4K in all of the listed video games (plus Black Myth: Wukong, which I’m presently taking part in by) besides Cyberpunk 2077, which struggled somewhat as soon as ray tracing was turned on. If you are prepared to do a really small quantity of fiddling within the graphical settings, although, just about any recreation must be playable at 4K on this PC.
Considering the artificial check outcomes too, it is protected to say that this PC can be in a position to comfortably deal with artistic workloads resembling video modifying and 3D rendering. If you are a artistic skilled who additionally occurs to be an anime fan, this would possibly truly be the proper pc for you.
CPU efficiency is rather less spectacular, although nonetheless good. Although the Intel Core i5-14600Ok chip contained in the Frieren PC is quick, as an i5 CPU, it is essentially simply not a high-end processor. That has the potential to create minor bottlenecks in CPU-heavy applications, notably single-core workloads. It’s completely enough for 99% of use instances, however there’ll doubtlessly be some customers who wish to do plenty of stuff past gaming on their PC, and this must be an essential consideration in the event you’re a type of individuals.
That i5 chip lacks a devoted neural processing unit (NPU) for dealing with AI workloads, however that does not matter within the slightest, for the reason that way more highly effective Radeon GPU can deal with locally-run AI duties to a very good diploma. This is a reasonably area of interest utility, although, so except you already know you are going to be operating AI software program domestically (otherwise you’re planning on constructing your personal LLM) it should not be a serious concern.
Lastly, I’d like to notice that regardless of its hefty dimension and 6 case followers (plus two on the GPU), it is surprisingly quiet in operation. Airflow total appears good, with vertical stress venting warmth effectively (I noticed no major factor temperature spikes throughout my exams). Sure, you may hear the followers, however contemplating how a lot whine some PCs put out when operating a demanding recreation or program, I’ve to say I used to be impressed at how little noise this technique produces.
Should I buy the Starforge Systems Frieren PC?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Value |
It’s not cheap, but the pricing puts it only a little above the cost of a similar DIY PC – and the aesthetics are worth it if you’re a weeb like me. |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
Aesthetically stunning and well-assembled from good quality components, there’s very little I can reasonably fault about this PC’s design. |
5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
Gaming and creative performance is strong, with only minor tweaks needed to run the latest games at 4K with 60+ frames per second. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Total |
A love letter to PC gaming and anime, the Frieren PC is the indisputable best possible gift for someone who loves that show. |
4.5 / 5 |
Buy the Starforge Systems Frieren PC if…
Don’t buy it if…
Starforge Systems Frieren PC review: Also Consider
How I tested the Starforge Systems Frieren PC
- Tested for two weeks
- Used for work, video calls, and general internet use
- Replaced my usual desktop for gaming
I tested the Starforge Systems Frieren PC for a set period of two weeks, during which it replaced my usual home office desktop (a similarly beefy system). I naturally used it for everyday work from home, which usually involves straightforward tasks like word processing, emailing, and web research, but also image editing using GIMP.
As usual with PC reviews, I ran the Frieren PC through our usual suite of benchmarking tests, which includes both in-game and synthetic benchmarks, as well as using it daily for my own gaming activities – it ran Black Myth: Wukong and Doom: The Dark Ages great (and Stardew Valley, but that could run on a lemon clock). Aside from gaming, I also used it for a few other online activities; I’m rewatching Twin Peaks, and on two occasions, it played host to my regular virtual TTRPG session.
I’ve been reviewing PC hardware for more than seven years and have been a PC gamer for more than twice that time, with so many laptop and desktop reviews under my belt at numerous different publications that I genuinely can’t even count them. This was my first time reviewing a system from Starforge, and needless to say, I came away from the experience impressed (and quite frankly, frustrated that I couldn’t keep it).
- First reviewed: December 2025
- Read more about how we test
