Corsair One i300 review

The Corsair One i300 demonstrates that when it comes to the best gaming PCs, you often get what you pay for. This gorgeous machine will set you back at least $4,000, and if you want top-of-the-line hardware, you’ll have to pay even more than that. But in return, you’ll get a compact chassis with a striking design, a bevy of ports and hardware that’s powerful enough to run the latest and greatest games at the highest possible settings.

With a minimalist design and top-of-the-line components, the One i300 is ideal for both work and play. The only prominent downside — aside from the price — is that upgrading the machine is a pain, and your options to do so are pretty limited. Still, the high-end hardware should give the machine enough power to last a long time out of the box. Read on for our full Corsair One i300 review.

Corsair One i300 review: Price and availability

The Corsair One i300 is going to be expensive, no matter how you configure it, but you do have a few options at your disposal. No matter what, the machine comes with an Intel Core i9-12900K CPU, a 2 TB SSD and Windows 11 Pro.

With an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and 32 GB RAM, the computer costs $4,000. With an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU and 64 GB RAM, the system costs $5,000. You can also go with a 3080 Ti and 32 GB RAM for $4,700, but at that point, you may as well go for the $5,000 model. You can purchase the machine directly from Corsair,  and you may be able to save a little on the prices with our Corsair coupon codes.

Corsair One i300 review: Design

When I reviewed the Corsair One i300’s predecessor, the Corsair One i200, I had nothing but praise for its small frame and light weight. At 15.0 x 7.0 x 7.9 inches and 17.3 pounds, it’s easily one of the smallest prebuilt gaming PCs you can buy — particularly with such a large, powerful GPU inside. It’s fair to say that the One i300’s premium price is due at least in part to its elegant construction.

Aesthetically, the One i300 is also a cut above most other gaming PCs, which tend to be either plain black boxes or overdesigned showoffs. This machine features an understated Corsair One logo and two illuminated LED strips on the front, and triangular holes in each side that double as ventilation. The One i300 is a gaming PC that’s pretty enough to live on your desk, and light enough to not break anything.

Corsair One i300 review: Ports and upgradability

In terms of ports, the Corsair One i300 is pretty generous. On the front, you’ll find a 3.5 mm audio jack, two USB-A ports and a USB-C port. The back, however, is positively jam-packed with ports: six USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, an Ethernet port, three DisplayPorts, one HDMI port and a power port. There are also three 3.5 mm audio jacks: in, out and mic.

Image 1 of 2

However, what the One i300 provides in ports, it lacks in upgradability. Opening up such a tightly packed machine is a bit of a process, as you might imagine. You have to pop open the top of the machine, disconnect the fan, flip the PC on its side and unscrew a panel. And even once you do, you can’t modify much apart from the SSD. What you get is what you’ll probably be stuck with until you buy a whole new PC.

Corsair One i300 review: Gaming performance

The Corsair One i300 is absolutely beautiful when it comes to gaming performance. On 1080p or QHD screens, it can support incredibly high frame rates; on 4K displays, you’re still unlikely to drop below 60 frames per second. Here’s how the machine stacked up to the Origin PC Millennium (2022) and the Alienware Aurora R13 (review forthcoming), two other gaming desktops that Tom’s Guide evaluated recently.

Generally speaking, the Corsair One i300 outperformed its competition in every instance. This is not surprising, since it’s a slightly more powerful machine, but it’s great news for gamers who have 4K displays, and who want to crank game settings up as high as they’ll go. The frame rates on 4K games never dropped below 60 fps — an enviable metric, which not even the PS5 and Xbox Series X can consistently match.

Qualitatively speaking, the One i300 ran like a dream. I tested the system with Age of Empires IV, Doom Eternal, Cyberpunk 2077 and Final Fantasy XIV on a 4K display, on maximum graphical settings. While each game occasionally dipped below 60 fps, they bottomed out around 59 fps, which is a pretty good problem to have.

Corsair One i300 review: Overall performance

If you want to use the Corsair One i300 for work, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s also a productivity powerhouse. Here’s how it stacked up to the Millennium and the Aurora R13:

In the Geekbench 5.4 test, an artificial benchmark that measures a system’s overall power, the One i300 performed beautifully, although the Millennium ever-so-slightly edged it out. Likewise, the One i300 can copy files and encode video with ease.

I used the One i300 as my work machine for a few days, and had absolutely nothing to complain about. No matter how many tabs I had open, no matter how many videos I watched, no matter how much music I streamed and no matter how many programs I had open, the system never lagged or stuttered. It also stayed remarkably quiet, which was a helpful bonus while I was trying to get demanding work done.

The One i300 is also mercifully light on optional software. The only thing you’ll have to deal with is the Corsair Utility Engine (iCUE), which monitors your system’s vitals and controls the tasteful LED lighting. If you have other Corsair gear, you should already be familiar with iCUE, and it’s one of the better peripheral management programs out there.

Corsair One i300 review: Bottom line

When I reviewed the Corsair One i200 a few years back, I adored how the system looked, but felt a little more ambivalent about the kind of components you got for the price. While the Corsair One i300 will still set you back quite a bit, the components will also keep your games running in excellent shape for years to come.

While the One i300 won’t be in everyone’s price range, it’s well worth thinking about if you can afford it. Otherwise, you can save some money by going for the Aurora R13, even though it’ll cost you some floor space instead.

Editor's Note: Corsair recently announced the Voyager a1600 gaming laptop, which represents the first time that the company has ventured into the portable PC space.