ARTLINE Gaming GT502 gaming system review: a powerful platform based on ASUS components
When it comes to a powerful gaming system, a potential owner of such a PC is usually interested not only in a banal list of components, but also in the overall concept and implementation of the platform. Today we are going to review a variant of the powerful desktop ARTLINE Gaming GT502 with an interesting visual style, rational equipment and convenient practical features. Component selection, subsystem performance, heating, and power consumption of components. Did the manufacturer manage to balance all the parameters and offer a PC in an attractive “wrapper” at a reasonable price?
ARTLINE Gaming GT502 configuration
| Processor | Intel Core i5-14600KF (6/12+8; 3,5/5,3 Ghz + 2,6/4,0 Ghz) |
| CPU cooling | ASUS ROG ROG STRIX LC 360 ARGB White Edition |
| Motherboard | ASUS PRIME Z790-A WIFI (Intel Z790, LGA1700) |
| RAM | G.Skill Ripjaws S5 White DDR5-6000 32 GB (2×16 GB) |
| Video card | ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 White Edition 12GB GDDR6X |
| Drive | WD Black SN770 1 TB (NVMe, M.2 PCI-E 4.0 x4) |
| Power supply | ASUS TUF 850W 80+ Gold (TUF-GAMING-850G, 850 W) |
| Body | ASUS TUF Gaming GT502 White |
| Additional equipment | fans 4 × ASUS TUF Gaming TF120 ARGB White (120 mm), decorative ARGB panel ARTLINE Overlord |
ARTLINE Gaming GT502 components
The desktop is built around the Intel Core i5-14600KF processor. This model looks very organic as part of a progressive gaming configuration. The chip offers 6 productive cores (P-cores) with Hyper-Threading support, operating at 3.5/5.3 GHz, as well as 8 energy-efficient computers (E-cores) operating at 2.6/4.0 GHz. The overall functional formula is 6/12+8 and allows the CPU to process up to 20 data streams simultaneously.
Energy-efficient computers help to significantly improve processor performance in multi-threaded tasks. The chip has 24 MB of total L3 cache and a 125W thermal package, increasing to 181W at peak times.
Core i5-14600KF belongs to the Raptor Lake Refresh line. Although there are no actual functional differences between this model and its immediate predecessor, the Core i5-13600KF, the updated model is more attractive at a similar price. The additional 100-200 MHz won’t significantly affect the overall performance, but it’s not worth giving up either. In addition, the fact that the chip belongs to the updated series gives the owner a certain moral boost [sarcasm].
However, it should be noted that during the previous CPU generation update, processors starting with Core i5-13600K/KF received a real architectural upgrade with an increase in cache capacity and improved performance per clock (IPC). At the same time, the top models of the Core i5 line also doubled the number of E-Cores, so in terms of performance, these chips were pumped up even when switching from Alder Lake to Raptor Lake.
For quite some time now, enthusiast models of Intel processors have been shipped without a standard cooler. The manufacturer assumes that the owner will choose the right cooling system, depending on the conditions of use of the CPU. In this case, the powerful and expensive liquid cooling system ASUS ROG ROG STRIX LC 360 ARGB White Edition was used to cool the Core i5-14600KF. The SRO model is equipped with an Asetek pump and a large three-section radiator block. Three proprietary 120mm ROG STRIX FAN MODEL 12 ARGB fans with targeted lighting are used to blow the cassette. There is a possibility of synchronizing the Aura Sync backlight, so you can organize the color “chaos”.
The efficient cooling system allows you to use the Core i5-14600KF in an unlimited power consumption mode, allowing the processor to accelerate as much as possible regardless of the nature of the load. Therefore, in general, for such CPU models, the SRO system makes sense even in cases where you do not plan to experiment with overclocking yourself. Of course, effective liquid cooling is not a cheap pleasure, but you should also take into account technical, functional, and even personal aesthetic requirements.
For a system based on Core i5-14600KF, the most organic is the use of a motherboard based on the Intel Z790 chipset. Such models allow you to not be limited by the operating modes of the RAM, and to additionally accelerate the CPU if desired. In the Intel ecosystem, the unlocked boost factor, which allows overclocking, remains a feature of enthusiast chips. Whether to use this option or not is an individual decision. However, even apart from exclusively overclocking options, models based on Intel Z790 usually offer advanced equipment that is useful for a wider range of users.
In the current case, the ASUS PRIME Z790-A WIFI board was used. This is a functional full-size ATX model with an 18-phase (16+1+1) power supply, a PCI-E x16 5.0 slot, and the ability to connect four M.2 drives with additional cooling. Increasing the number of connectors of this standard allows you to flexibly configure the storage subsystem, increasing the total capacity of the drives if necessary. Support for a SATA interface for one of the M.2 drives allows you to connect a similar SSD that, for example, could have been left over after upgrading a laptop drive.
Other features of the board include a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (20 GB/s) port for connecting high-speed external SSDs and a Wi-Fi 6E controller for wireless communication and Bluetooth support. ASUS PRIME Z790-A WIFI also has a lot of options for customizing general settings, adjusting the backlight and cooling system algorithms.
In terms of external aesthetics, although the board has a black PCB, the silver coolers support the overall light-colored PC concept. The massive radiators reflect under the additional lighting, thus adding to the atmospheric interior of the system unit.
For a progressive gaming configuration, 32 GB of RAM is a rational minimum. The G.Skill Ripjaws S5 White DDR5-6000 32 GB (2×16 GB) is quite justified here. For the set, we offer a profile with a timing formula CL30-40-40-96 at a supply voltage of 1.35 V. The combination may not claim to have any record-breaking latency, but the moderate cost of the set justifies it. Again, compact white radiators are very appropriate for the chosen color scheme of the system.
Usually, RGB-backlit RAM modules become the focal point and eye-catcher for a system with additional lighting, but this time the platform has many sources of illumination.
A video card is a crucial element of the overall capabilities of a gaming platform. This time, the PC is equipped with ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 White Edition 12GB GDDR6X. The compact dual-fan model is only 267 mm long. Once again, the “white edition” of the video card came in very handy here, which was probably one of the key criteria for choosing this particular graphics adapter. We’ve already examined the capabilities of the classic ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 model with a black chassis, and the “blonde” will probably be almost identical in terms of performance.
As for the GeForce RTX 4070 12GB series, it is a definite starting point for powerful gaming configurations. It is a balanced model with excellent efficiency in its class. A top-of-the-line solution for gaming with maximum settings in Full HD mode and the best option for 1440p. The card is also quite suitable for 4K, but in this case you will have to experiment with the picture quality settings. DLSS support will increase fps and reduce memory requirements.
For data storage, the PC is equipped with a 1TB SSD WD Black SN770. The M.2 PCI-E 4.0 x4 model is a mid-range SSD. The drive uses SanDisk’s proprietary 20-82-10081 controller and 112-layer 3D TLC (BiCS5) flash memory chips. Combined with good firmware, the SSDs in this series demonstrate surprisingly good performance for relatively affordable models without an additional DRAM buffer. The declared sequential read/write line speeds are 5150/4900 MB/s and the performance when working with 4K blocks is 740,000/ 800,000 IOPS. Given the current retail price of ~3000 UAH, this option is quite acceptable, especially in the case of a gaming system where SSD performance is not crucial.
The only thing that needs to be improved is the SSD capacity. For a platform of this class, a 1TB drive is the absolute minimum, and a 2TB model would be much better. As the capacity of top projects increases, we have to adjust the configurations according to requests. For a clear example, we note that the available 1 TB was not enough for us to simultaneously install all the test programs and games from the list we used.
The platform is powered by ASUS TUF 850W 80+ Gold (TUF-GAMING-850G). A modular unit with good efficiency and low noise at medium load and passive mode operation at low loads. A special feature of the PSU is its compliance with the new ATX 3.0 standard, which provides a standard 12VHPWR connector for connecting additional power to new NVIDIA graphics cards without additional adapters. The latter usually significantly affect the appearance of the assembled system, which is clearly visible through the transparent walls of the case.
The maximum power of 850 watts will be enough with a good margin, even if the owner wants to experiment with overclocking the processor/video card. In normal mode, under maximum load, the platform will consume up to half of the maximum power, which will allow you to get the best efficiency.
The system is assembled in the ASUS TUF Gaming GT502 White case. A very interesting conceptual model with non-standard zoning of the interior space. The case is actually divided into two segments, but not in the usual vertical layout, but in a horizontal plane. But this is exactly the case when bold experiments at the conceptual level ultimately turn out to be convenient for practical use. It’s too early to talk about industry standardization, but ASUS TUF Gaming GT502 may be of interest to a certain category of users.
As an initial reference point, the case weighs 11 kg with overall dimensions of 285×450×446 mm. The combination of a steel chassis and tempered glass panels. The developers managed to configure the design in such a way that despite the unusual proportions, the case looks quite compact in general and has very wide possibilities for configuring the cooling system. For example, ASUS TUF Gaming GT502 has three slots for 360mm radiators of liquid cooling systems. And in the case of not using SROs, it is possible to mount 13 (!) 120 mm fans. The power supply has been moved to the side compartment, and the chassis is configured in such a way that at first glance it is difficult to understand “how did they do it?”.
The concept is also interesting because the case is as open as possible for viewing the components of the interior space. Here, not only the side wall but also the front wall is made of tinted tempered glass, through which you can see the system “interior”. Such a panoramic view really adds to the overall effectiveness and encourages a more responsible selection of components and organization of power cables.
To customize the cooling system, the system was equipped with four 120 mm fans ASUS TUF Gaming TF120 ARGB White with additional lighting. Three of them are mounted on the bottom panel and work to pump air into the case, while another one is fixed on the rear wall and helps to remove heat.
The SRO fans also work for exhaust, so the internal air flows are balanced, creating conditions for efficient cooling of all components.
CPU performance and heating
The capabilities of the 14-core, 20-thread Core i5-14600KF processor are already well known to us, so we can only state here that the chip copes with the loads perfectly, providing high performance in both single-threaded and multi-threaded tasks. Productive cores are accelerated up to 5300 MHz. By default, the platform has no power consumption limitations, so P-cores operate at this frequency even when all computing units are loaded.
If we compare the capabilities of the Core i5-14600KF with those of its predecessors, then of course it will have a relatively small advantage over the Core i5-13600KF. But if we compare the performance with that of the 12th generation Core models, then the Core i5-14600KF on average is significantly ahead of the Core i7-12700K (8/16+4), which is so close to the Core i9-12900K (8/16+8). And this is actually the flagship of the desktop line from two years ago, if you don’t take into account the slightly faster “special edition” KS.
During the test phase with rendering in Cinebench R23, which places a very high load on the CPU cores, we determined the processor performance parameters.
With the chip’s power limits initially removed, the Core i5-14600KF performance cores ran steadily at 5300 MHz. At the same time, all energy-efficient cores were accelerated and operated at 4000 MHz without time limits. At the same time, the CPU power consumption at the peak increased to 171 W, with an average of 155 W.
As for the processor heating, the SRO kept the chip temperature within 72C. Objectively, this is a good indicator for the conditions of maximum simultaneous load on all computing cores of the processor. Obviously, the motherboard also coped with the Core i5-14600KF without any problems. The heating of VRM elements only up to 41C, which is recorded by HWinfo64, looks like some kind of overly optimistic scenario, but for the power unit of the Core i5 board, it probably does not create any extraordinary problems.
We also measured the processor parameters while playing Cyberpunk 2077, selecting the 1920×1080 graphics mode to increase the load on the CPU. Judging by the results, the processor also accelerated to 5300/4000 MHz under these conditions, allowing for maximum fps. As for heating, the temperature of the Core i5-14600KF remained at 52-57C. At the same time, the processor consumed 90-100 watts of power. It should be noted here that Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most demanding games in terms of processor power. In most cases, even during active play, these figures will be lower. An attentive reader will probably notice that the heating indicators of the motherboard VRM elements increased to 45C. Well, this is an indicator that the monitoring is still working, and the load on the power assemblies is moderate.
Video card performance and heating
The capabilities of the GeForce RTX 4070 12GB series are also well known to us. Moreover, when studying the capabilities of the adapter of this line, we used an almost identical model from ASUS. If you are interested, you can read the separate review.
ASUS GeForce DUAL-RTX4070-12G-WHITE has a recommended frequency formula for the GPU – 1920/2475 MHz, as well as GDDR6X memory chips – 1333 MHz (effective 21,000 MHz).
A basic set of benchmarks allows you to refresh your understanding of the potential of the GeForce RTX 4070. Among the features of the ASUS GeForce DUAL-RTX4070-12G-WHITE, we should note the compact size of the video card itself. Although in the case of the ASUS TUF Gaming GT502 case, the dimensions of the graphics adapter are not really important, since the case allows you to use models up to 400 mm long.
Nevertheless, it was interesting to evaluate how the ASUS GeForce DUAL-RTX4070-12G-WHITE cooling system performs in a PC assembly.
At rest, the GPU of the video card heated up to only 32C with 37C at the hottest point. At the same time, the temperature of the memory chips remained at 38C. In such conditions, the cooling fans stop and the video card operates silently. According to GPU-Z monitoring, the graphics adapter consumed about 9 watts of power at rest.
Under gaming load, the GPU warmed up to 61C with a peak of 73C, while the temperature of GDDR6X chips rose to 72C. The GPU dynamically accelerated up to 2775 MHz, and the actual power consumption of the video card did not even reach the claimed 200 watts.
In general, we can talk about quite comfortable operating modes of the CPU and video card. The cooling systems of these elements, as well as the general ventilation of the system, provide good temperature performance for components of this class.
SSD performance and heating
We also paid special attention to the features and operating conditions of the drive. As already mentioned, the WD Black SN770 1TB can be classified as a mid-range SSD, equipped with a PCI-E 4.0 controller and fairly fast flash memory, but the lack of a DRAM buffer does not allow us to count on record performance. However, it is in the context of a gaming system that maximum transfers and theoretical performance fade into the background.
During the rapid testing, the drive actually confirms the claimed characteristics, providing a maximum sequential speed of 5225 MB/s for reading and 4976 MB/s for writing data. The performance in 4K blocks is also close to the specified level – 744-777,000 IOPS.
The SSD’s firmware is well optimized for user tasks, so the drive has very decent results in integrated tests from the PCMark suite, as well as load simulation as part of a gaming system. The only thing we can complain about is the 1TB capacity. For a system of this class, I would frankly like to have more free space for installing massive projects. There are more and more games in the 100+ GB category, so the issue of increasing SSD capacity will be even more relevant. However, with four M.2 ports on the motherboard, adding another drive is quite easy.
When it comes to temperature conditions, the SSD heated up to 34C during idle time. Immediately after the drive was heavily loaded, Crystal Disk Info recorded a temperature of 49C. The additional cooler certainly reduces the heat of the controller and memory chip, allowing you to avoid temperature throttling and maintain maximum SSD performance.
RAM performance
A dual-channel DDR5-6000 RAM kit with a capacity of 32 GB (2×16 GB) is a perfectly balanced option for an advanced gaming configuration. Anything less makes no sense, and anything more is for the future or for specific tasks. The LGA1700 platform allows you to use faster modules, but the actual performance gain in games is usually not comparable to the increase in the cost of the corresponding kits. So in fact, it is possible, but of doubtful practical use.
The G.Skill Ripjaws S5 White DDR5-6000 kit installed in the system has an XMP profile with a latency formula of 30-40-40-96 at a supply voltage of 1.35 V. Of course, in the appropriate mode, the kit works without any problems.
AIDA64 benchmarks show a throughput of 84-87 GB/s and overall memory subsystem latency of 72.4 ns.
PC performance in games
Having separately examined the capabilities of the processor, video card, and RAM, it was time to perform tasks with a simultaneous high load on all key system components. Of course, we are talking about games. The combination of Core i5-14600KF + GeForce RTX 4070, which is “seasoned” with 32 GB of DDR5-6000, will surely perform as expected. Let’s see how exactly – let’s see the results. First, we choose a set of fairly resource-intensive projects and test the PC’s capabilities in Full HD mode with the maximum picture quality settings.
The PC copes with this load perfectly. There is more than enough processor power to spare, and as for the graphics card, which is usually the limiting factor for gaming platforms, the GeForce RTX 4070 12GB is rather redundant for Full HD mode. However, there are sure to be many fans of competitive projects where even triple-digit fps is not excessive. So it’s more a matter of taste and preference.
However, even in Full HD with ray tracing enabled, and especially with the path trace option, the additional performance of the video card will not hurt. Cyberpunk 2077 with RT Overdrive mode stands out in this regard, with the activation of which decent performance can only be obtained by enabling DLSS scaling.
The system with Core i5-14600KF and GeForce RTX 4070 looks like a good combination for gaming in 1440p mode. As the resolution increases, the overall performance decreases significantly, but even so, the PC usually provides an average of 100 fps. However, ports with poor optimization may need to be reconfigured.
Also, additional configuration of options may be required when activating ray tracing. In such cases, DLSS usually allows you to significantly improve the performance. Here, too, you should not rule out the need to abandon the initial maximum settings.
To get an average of 60 fps in 4K mode in “heavy” projects, you’ll probably have to give up the maximum quality settings. A significant increase in resolution increases system requirements. You may already feel the lack of 12 GB of video card memory. Using ray-tracing mode will affect performance even more significantly. However, DLSS support and simple settings of other graphics parameters without noticeable damage to the picture quality will allow you to get comfortable fps in 4K mode.
PC power consumption
In the express mode, we also checked the overall power consumption of the platform. At minimum load, the PC consumed 65-70 watts of power. In the multi-threaded Cinebench R23 test, which practically creates the maximum load on all CPU processing units, but does not use the video card, the total power consumption of the system was about 260 watts.
Consumption in games largely depends on the specific project and the nature of the CPU/GPU load. For example, during the tests and Cyberpunk 2077, the system unit consumed 366-400 W of power, in Dying Light 2 – about 360 W, and in Far Cry 6 – 310-330 W.
Let us remind you that the configuration in question uses an 850W PSU, so there is a good margin here, and the unit’s operation mode will be optimal in terms of efficiency.
Conclusion
ARTLINE Gaming GT502 is a spectacular and powerful gaming system for demanding users. The combination of the Core i-14600KF processor and GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card is the basis for advanced configurations that allow you to get comfortable performance in the most demanding projects. Only for confident 60+ fps in 4K mode at maximum settings, you may need an even more powerful graphics card, and this option is initially provided by the manufacturer. The system is assembled in a conceptual and easy-to-use ASUS TUF Gaming GT502 chassis with a panoramic view of internal components through the transparent front and side panels. The spectacular internal lighting and the use of white color elements allow you to use the PC as an additional point of attraction and an element of the overall room decor. Stylish, practical, productive, but not cheap. Details on possible configurations and the cost of gaming platforms are available on ARTLINE.