Yoyotech Warbird RS1.3 review

The Yoyotech Warbird RS1.3’s compact case contains a surprisingly capable PC. The system has one of AMD’s latest A-series “Kaveri” processors, which is designed to provide a low-cost balance between processor power for desktop applications and an on-chip GPU capable of handling 3D games.

This is a simple budget PC, so there’s not much to clutter up the interior of the case, although we’ve seen neater PSU cable routing. The unlocked AMD A10-7700K processor that handles almost everything the PC does is installed with the stock AMD cooler, and runs at its default speed of 3.4GHz. Its performance is strong for a budget processor, though, with an overall score of 69 in our application benchmarks and a respectable 67 in our challenging multitasking test.

The MSI A78M-E35 motherboard has only two memory slots, and both are occupied by 4GB modules of fast 2,133MHz DDR3 RAM. While this means that you’ll have to replace both modules if you want more memory, 8GB is plenty for any task you’re likely to require of a family PC. Fast memory can make a significant difference in systems with Kaveri processors with on-chip graphics, particularly improving frame rates in games, so the supplied G.Skill RipJaws kit is put to good use.

The fast RAM helped in our Dirt Showdown test. At High quality settings with 4x anti-aliasing at a resolution of 1,280×720, we saw a frame rate of 52.3fps, which is a couple of frames per second more than we’ve seen on Kaveri systems with slower RAM. We didn’t see a playable frame rate at Ultra quality and 1,920×1,080, where the game only ran at an average of 18.8fps, but we were able to play at the monitor’s native resolution by dropping to High quality, which gave us a smooth 32.8fps on average. You’ll easily be able to play most modern 3D games at lower quality settings, while older games will run fine. You’ll still need to fit a dedicated graphics card to run ultra-challenging games such as Crysis 3, however. A relatively easy and inexpensive upgrade to further improve 3D gaming performance would be to use AMD Dual Graphics to pair the on-chip GPU with a compatible graphics card such as an AMD Radeon R7 250.

Surprisingly for a cheap system, the Warbird RS1.3 has both an SSD and a mechanical hard disk. The SSD is only 60GB, but it’s unusual to find one at all on a £500 PC, and it certainly provides a boost to the PC’s boot speeds and responsiveness on the desktop. The disk’s very small size means you’ll have to install most of your software to the 500GB hard disk, though.

There’s not a huge amount of room for upgrades. The motherboard has only three expansion slots. There’s a PCI Express x16 slot for an extra graphics card, which can also take a x1 or x4 card. Below it, and likely to be blocked if you do fit another graphics card, is a PCI-E x1 slot, and there’s a PCI slot at the bottom. There’s enough space in the case’s internal bay to fit even long cards, as the hard disks are installed vertically on a removable strut. You’ve got a good 300mm to play with, but depending on which card you choose and what other upgrades you add, you may also want to upgrade the generic 500W PSU.

It’s easy to work in the case despite its small size, and all the interior edges are properly finished. There’s only one fan along with the CPU cooler, so the system is fairly quiet, but the PSU fan is a little louder than most. The case’s closed top and bottom help to keep dust out, although the perforated side panel does little to block either dust or noise. There are just two vacant spots to install extra drives: one externally facing 5 1/4in bay and an external 3 1/2in bay. Only three of the motherboard’s six SATA3 ports are in use, connected to the DVD drive and hard disks. There’s also an unused USB3 header, which you could use with a sub-£10 USB3 backplate to give you an extra couple of ports.