The purpose of this article is to share my review of Skytech’s Chronos Prebuilt PC. The Skytech Chronos is a good prebuilt PC, but it has its limitations. In this review, I will share details about the hardware, talk about pricing, and provide a list of popular games you can play. I won’t go into all the details about the hardware but I will talk about the most critical aspects, such as CPU, GPU (graphics card), RAM, and hard drive.
Benefits of a Prebuilt PC vs DIY
You will see a few advantages from buying a prebuilt PC versus building your own. Building your own from scratch can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing. You may end up buying parts that you have to return. Also, you might not get the full functionality out of your computer if you aren’t able to complete your build.
When you build your own computer, you are solely responsible for making it work. Prebuilt vendors like Skytech test their PCs before they get shipped. You are also on the line for doing all your own research and being 100% confident when you buy your parts that they will be compatible. Sizing out the case, the fans, and the graphics card can be a daunting task. That being said, if you’re the type of person who enjoys that, then you absolutely should build your own PC. I for one, think it’s fun but can speak from experience to some of the challenges that go into building it on your own.
Skytech Chronos Review – Why I Like It
Overall, the Skytech Chronos is a good entry-level gaming PC. It has a decent processor and graphics card, 16TB of RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD drive. The specs for the Chronos are listed below and I will talk about each one in detail and provide my reasons for liking this build, as well as some items that I’m not a big fan of.
It is also made in the U.S.A. (so you get U.S. based support) and comes with a 1-year warranty with lifetime technical support.
Review of the Skytech Chronos Processor
I would absolutely recommend AMD Ryzen processors for a gaming PC. The great thing about AMD Ryzen processors is that they can all be overclocked for more performance if you want. This is not the same as with Intel where only their K series processors (e.g. Intel i7 12600K) can be overclocked. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core processor comparable to an i5 12400F series processor. Its performance for this build would not require you to overclock.
This processor will meet the most demanding games currently on the market such as Elden Ring. You won’t have to worry about needing to upgrade or replace this anytime in the next three to five years in order to meet the recommended system requirements of new game releases.
Review of the Skytech Chronos Graphics Card
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB) graphics card is considered a low entry GPU in the 30 series line. However, it does have a LOT of VRAM (12GB) and is going to be a good performer all new game titles. I provided an in-depth review on using the RTX 3060 across twelve new games in 2022 that you can read to get a better understanding of performance. In general, this card will produce well for 1080P and 1440P resolutions. You may be able to play some games at 4K.
RAM and Hard Drive
RAM: The Skytech Chronos comes with 16GB of DDR4 3200MHz which is pretty common. I would not want a new PC with slower RAM than that, but it is decent performing RAM. 16GB is also a pretty standard configuration these days but again I would not want less than that for a new PC. It’s safe to say that you are pretty much getting a bare-minimum build from a RAM perspective with the Skytech Chronos. The good news however, is that if you need more RAM, you can add more RAM.
Hard Drive: The Skytech Chronos comes with a 1 TB NVMe SSD drive. Not only is that drive going to be super-fast, but it also has a lot of capacity. Unless you’re doing a lot with photos and saving videos you might find it hard to fill up that drive over the next 3-5 years.
Limitations or Cons of Skytech Chronos
Skytech Chronos seems to be designed as an entry level gaming PC. The money in this build went towards the graphics card, processor, RAM, hard drive, motherboard and cool looking case with colorful lighting effects for the fans. What’s missing but also probably less important to its audience is liquid cooling and a more powerful power supply. Cooling is important for anyone looking to overclock their processor. A more powerful power supply is important for anyone who would want to upgrade the Skytech Chronos in the future (such as the graphics card).
I personally would have traded the colorful lighting scheme for a more powerful power supply or liquid cooling, but that is my preference. Not everyone would agree with me on that.
Skytech Chronos Pricing and Comparisons
For its price, the Skytech Chronos is worth it. This is especially true when deciding whether or not to build your own. When you look at the cost of doing it yourself you can see the pricing below would add up and that you’re really not saving money to build a PC yourself and you’re saving a lot of headaches from problems.
- AMD Ryzen 5600X: ~ $160
- GeForce RTX 3060: ~ $400
- 16GB RAM: ~ $50
- B550 Motherboard: $100
- 1TB SSD NVME: ~$80
- 650W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply: $100
- Full ATX Case with RGB Fans: $100
- Windows 10 Home: $100
- Total Estimate for DIY: $1,180
You might ask yourself how they are making money when you see these numbers. The answer to that is that Skytech is able to leverage their buying power for better discounts than the DIY community.
Comparing Skytech to Other Prebuilt Manufacturers
I compared this build to other Prebuilt Manufacturers and here’s what I found. The Skytech Chronos for what it has, is the best deal I could find. I looked across iBUYPOWER, OriginPC, CyberPowerPC and Dell. I provided some references below so you can see for yourself.
AMD Gaming PC Configurator 2 | iBUYPOWER® – This PC costs $300 more but has a smaller power supply and less powerful processor.
Customize Gamer Essential Esports Gaming PC (cyberpowerpc.com) – This PC costs a little more but again does not have as good of a GPU in my opinion and definitely a lower performing processor.
Gaming Desktop Computers | Dell USA – Alienware is not selling NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics cards and their nearest comparable is around the $1,800 price point with the RTX 3060 Ti.
PC Games for Skytech Chronos
The Skytech Chronos will meet the recommended system requirements for any new AAA game release. The question you need to ask yourself is whether you want to play on 1080P resolution, 1440P, or 4K. You would not want to buy this PC if you’re planning on 4K gaming with ultra-graphics settings turned on. This PC is meant to play 1080P and 1440P resolutions. At 1440P you may need to adjust your graphics settings a little depending on the game, but you should still expect good graphics out of your game.
Here is a list of some of the popular games you can play with the Skytech Chronos. It’s not a complete list but it does show you will have no problem playing these games as well as future games that are going to be released, such as Starfield and Diablo 4.
- Elden Ring
- Modern Warfare 2 / Warzone 2.0
- Fortnite
- Halo: Infinite
- CS:GO
- PUBG
- Minecraft
- Starfield
- Diablo 4
- Far Cry 6
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Minecraft
- Dota 2
- Grand Theft Auto V
- CyberPunk 2077
- Civilization VI
- RUST
- Overwatch
- League of Legends
- Valorant
FAQ – Skytech Chronos
Q: Does the Skytech Chronos Come with Mouse and Keyboard?
A: Yes, it does.
Q: Does the Skytech Chronos come with Bluetooth?
A: Yes, it does.
Q: Does the Skytech Chronos have HDMI or DisplayPort?
A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card has one HDMI and three DisplayPorts. It supports up to 4 monitors. VGA is not supported
Q: What type of monitor would I need for the Skytech Chronos?
A: Really, you can have any monitor as long as it has HDMI or DisplayPort. Curved, OLED, Full HD (FHD), Widescreen, 22″-60″, 60Hz-144Hz, 1080P, 1440P and 4K are all supported. The limitation comes from the graphics card and the games you play. You can have any of those resolutions, but you may not be able to experience really great gaming performance at 4K resolution.