Our totally configured Intel evaluation unit ships with customized UV-printed glass door panels, which provides $300 to the price. And as a result of we wished each tinted glass and strong aluminum panels to swap between, we had so as to add $80 to the construct — which is nicely price it in case you see the thickness of the extruded metallic on these doorways. Creatives who do not take care of RGB lighting will doubtless need to persist with the non-see-through aluminum panels, which provides a stealthier aesthetic to the Talon.
(Image credit score: Falcon Northwest)
We’ve additionally upgraded to a greater motherboard, added extra RAM for a complete of 64GB, chosen a extra highly effective 1200W energy provide unit, and opted for the most effective Intel Core i9-12900KS and NVIDIA RTX 3090 Ti silicon accessible. Our premium construct totaled just below $7,000 earlier than transport prices.
Specifications
Review configuration
OS
Windows 11 Pro with USB restoration key
Processor
twelfth Gen Intel Core i7 to Core i9-12900KS
Graphics
NVIDIA RTX 3090 Ti Founders Edition
Processor cooler
Falcon Northwest Liquid Cooling 280mm
Memory
G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB 64GB
System drive
2TB Samsung 980 Pro
Power provide
EVGA SuperNova P2 1200W PSU
Motherboard
Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero WiFi
For a completely loaded construct, workstation customers and professional audiences also can double our RAM alternative and add as much as three extra SSDs, two 2.5-inch drives, and two 3.5-inch HDDs. You can configure all features of the Talon utilizing Falcon Northwest’s PC builder device. Nvidia’s RTX A-series graphics can be an possibility in addition to dual-GPU configurations.
With comparable upgrades to the facet panels as our evaluation configuration, a premium construct with AMD’s Threadripper Pro with a 1600W PSU, 64-core CPU, 512GB of Micron Server reminiscence, RTX 3090 Ti graphics, and a single 2TB SSD would value almost $17,500 earlier than including the price of a secondary knowledge drive to the unit.
(Image credit score: Falcon Northwest)
The parts you select are solely a part of the equation when constructing your personal PC by means of Falcon Northwest. Each PC comes with an in depth guidelines, and every rig is inspected, examined, and validated earlier than it even will get shipped to make sure you get the efficiency you’d count on. Falcon runs a number of benchmarks on every system, like 3DMark, PCMark, and FutureMark, earlier than cargo.
Falcon Northwest Talon: What you’ll love
(Image credit score: Falcon Northwest)
The firm’s restrained method to design and meticulous consideration to element set the Talon aside from different gaming PCs in the marketplace. If this stealthy black-clad desktop got here in a fairer gray hue or a silver end, you may simply mistake this PC for a gaming Mac desktop. With its 4mm thick aluminum body and strong metallic development — except you go for the glass facet doorways — the Titan stands as one of many few PCs that may rival the Mac Pro’s construct high quality. This makes the Talon a pure alternative for discerning avid gamers with an enormous funds and game designers working at studios like Epic Games and Oculus.
Falcon Northwest says its buyer base is evenly break up between customers and company purchasers. For customers, the great half about ordering from a small operation like Falcon is that the corporate is extraordinarily responsive.
(Image credit score: Falcon Northwest)
I had complained about paint chipping points due to the hinge mechanism on the doorways of the prior twentieth Anniversary Edition of the Talon just a few years in the past, and the corporate instantly invested $11,000 to retool its processes to repair the issue. This degree of service and responsiveness is virtually exceptional when coping with a bigger PC OEM, and Falcon’s consideration to element is second to none.
Fit and end is prime notch, as anticipated from a $7,000 system. And whereas Falcon’s rivals could declare that their circumstances are additionally constructed from metallic, they’re encased in sheet metallic and none include the 4mm-thick panels of aluminum which might be current on the Talon. This heft and sturdiness take the Talon from digital battle station to feeling like a real-world tank. Every element is believed out — together with a foam headliner on the within prime of the case to dampen noise — to make the Talon really feel like a luxurious automotive. This is the Bentley of gaming PCs.
The Falcon is barely extra compact than Apple’s premium desktop in all dimensions at 8.75 x 15.5 x 17.25 inches (222.3mm x 393.7mm x 438.2mm). The Mac Pro, for comparability, measures 20.8 x 17.7 x 8.58 inches. And as a mid-sized tower, the Talon’s dimensions are nearer to that of Digital Storm’s Redux gaming PC. Both desktops share comparable measurements, however the Talon’s use of extruded metallic within the development provides it a heftier really feel and a extra refined aesthetic when in comparison with the Redux’s use of a plastic entrance plate with RGB-lit fan design.
This present iteration of the Talon has grown barely greater in quantity over the prior twentieth Anniversary Edition. Falcon Northwest founder Kelt Reeves says this elevated house is used to accommodate bigger GPUs, just like the RTX 3090 Ti that’s loaded on our evaluation system, and bigger motherboards to help AMD’s Threadripper Pro.
(Image credit score: Falcon Northwest)
Given our RTX 3090 Ti GPU’s weight, Falcon did a terrific job securing the graphics card to the body whereas not utilizing increasing foam packs throughout cargo. The firm had in-built retention mechanisms that may accommodate bigger playing cards like our 3090 Ti to assist shield the GPU throughout cargo and in addition forestall GPU sag over time with out having to resort to gimmicky options, like EVGA’s string that hooks on to the highest of the case or ASUS’ use of a jack positioned on prime of the ability provide shroud to maintain the cardboard in place.
And regardless of its compact stature, the Talon can deal with a dual-GPU setup, however with NVIDIA dropping help for NVLink on all however probably the most premium 3000-series playing cards, Falcon doesn’t advocate going with a multi-GPU configuration except you’re stepping as much as skilled workstation RTX A-series graphics.
(Image credit score: Falcon Northwest)
Another massive change coming off of the prior twentieth Anniversary Edition is that this present iteration ships with an extra fan on the rear close to the GPU. This provides the Talon a complete of 5 followers, successfully decreasing inside temperatures by 2 levels Celsius. In use, the added fan didn’t produce extra audible noise, and with the additional cooling, I used to be capable of squeeze as much as 10 further frames out of extra intense video games whereas the GPU was beneath heavy load.
“The actual PCBs on the Ampere generation of NVIDIA cards are really pretty short,” Reeves defined. “And so that fan near the back is actually kind of the primary fan, but it’s the furthest from the fans at the front where most of the fresh air is coming in on most systems. So we just decided to kind of play with it. And normally in case design, you don’t ever want to point fans at each other because they will just basically create dead air. So you’ll notice that fan in the back has a really low RPM and is super quiet for just a little bit of added intake. And normally we vent all those slots in the back end anyways, so the [graphics] card will be able to pull from its own fan, but that little rear fan gives that an extra little kick as well. But, we’ve been designing our cases to intake from the back for a while now.”
(Image credit score: Falcon Northwest)
The fan is non-obligatory, nevertheless, and the system will carry out fantastic with out it. With the fan put in, you will not be capable of set up extra playing cards contained in the Talon, like a devoted sound card.
Reeves confirmed me prototypes of Talon case designs previously, some with cutouts on prime, which in concept can be a good suggestion for added air flow. However, in observe, these extra prime vents produced the other impact, which signifies that explicit prototype by no means made it to manufacturing. Reeves used his pilot background and his aeronautics engineer diploma to design airflow within the Talon and permit this desktop to soar over the competitors.
One factor that’s carried over from the earlier main Talon redesign is the choice to have strong aluminum doorways or glass doorways, that are mounted on rear hinges that enable the panels to open from the entrance and swing outwards. If you go for each kinds of doorways, swapping out is extraordinarily simple — you simply have to raise the door up and off the hinge.
Befitting the desktop’s title, the Talon appears like a fowl able to take flight when the doorways on either side are open. For added customization, Falcon additionally affords UV-printing choices on both or each doorways and the entrance panel for an added value, and we selected to have the Windows Central brand on our tinted glass doorways whereas retaining the entrance clear. We can pop on the metallic door for a extra discrete workstation if we wish a extra subdued desk-side aesthetic.
(Image credit score: Chuong Nguyen)
In battle station mode, nevertheless, the glass door is the higher possibility, permitting Falcon’s current embrace of RGB lighting to shine by means of. Unlike competing methods, the implementation of RGB lighting is extra restrained, and the considerate execution provides the Talon a extra refined and refined look. RGB might be haphazardly utilized on cheaper rigs, and the end result can seem garish.
Keeping consistent with the Talon’s premium aesthetics, all of the ports are neatly organized to keep up the desktop’s minimalist design. Quick entry ports are aligned on the prime in direction of the entrance of the unit, and right here you’ll discover two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and a headphone jack together with an influence button. On the rear, you’ll discover extra audio, USB-A, and USB-C ports, two Thunderbolt ports, a 2.5G Ethernet jack, and video ports for connecting to shows.
Given the wide-swinging doorways and the massive case dimension, there may be loads of house to make upgrades sooner or later. Accessing the internals doesn’t require instruments, and the door is held shut when closed through magnets. Like the case, cables are additionally stealthily wrapped in black braided cloth. All the cables are nicely organized to maintain issues tidy, and also you’ll be capable of respect the considerate cable administration work by means of the suitable door.
Benchmark
Redux PC (Core i7, RTX 3080)
Falcon Talon (Core i9, RTX 3090 Ti)
Geekbench 5
1,935
2,230
14,586
21,502
CPU-Z
797
882
9,296
11,993
Cinebench R23
1,945
2,254
22,967
29,145
PCMark 10
8,576
9,503
3DMark Time Spy
21,236
23,412
3DMark Fire Strike
35,213
43,201
3DMark Port Royal
13,008
15,002
With a twelfth Gen Intel Core i9-12900KS with 16 cores of processing energy and NVIDIA’s top-of-the-line GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics, the Talon delivers insane efficiency ranges. Gamers who need higher bang for the funds can step all the way down to an RTX 3080, which usually sits about 10 to twenty % slower than the beefy 3090 Ti however shaves off almost $1,500 off the construct value.
At the very best game settings and with 4K decision enabled, even graphics-intensive video games like Battlefield V pulled in 140 frames per second (fps) on common. Assassin’s Creed notched in at simply shy of 115fps in our check, whereas Fortnite Battle Royale carried out at 132fps. Even Borderlands 3 carried out at 72fps in UHD.
Scaling down the decision to 1080p FHD or 2K yields even higher outcomes, particularly amongst non-graphics intensive titles. Apex Legends , for example, clocked in over 220 frames per second at 2K, whereas Metro Exodus nonetheless carried out at greater than 120fps on common. Even Battlefield V managed to carry out at 230fps in 2K. The Intel-NVIDIA silicon combo on the Talon is solely unstoppable.
We did not check the Talon’s 8K gaming efficiency with the RTX 3090 Ti, as we did not have a monitor able to that decision readily available.
If you are an fanatic gamer, maybe the largest draw back to the Talon’s energy is discovering the suitable peripherals to maintain up together with your game, together with a quick refresh charge monitor, responsive keyboard, and click-ready mouse to remain on prime of the motion. Whereas the prior Turing structure on the RTX 20-series struggled to maintain up with raytracing enabled, this actually was not the case with the brand new Ampere technology RTX 3090 Ti. Even with raytracing enabled, video games seem very clean and playable.
The solely factor that is actually retaining the RTX 3090 and the beefier RTX 3090 Ti on our evaluation unit out of the attain of mainstream avid gamers is the value of those playing cards. Whereas the RTX 3080 Founders Edition begins at simply $699, stepping as much as the RTX 3090 greater than doubles the value to $1,499. Given that the greater than 100% worth enhance yields simply on common a 20% efficiency achieve, it is probably not price it for many PC customers to leap into flagship GPU territory. The RTX 3090 Ti begins at $1,999 when bought individually.
Still, in case you want the perfect, nothing in the marketplace beats the RTX 3090 Ti, and Falcon Northwest’s thermal administration helps enhance body charges by 5-20fps when the extra rear fan is enabled.
For artistic execs trying on the Talon as a workstation fairly than a battle station, Falcon Northwest additionally affords configurations with NVIDIA’s RTX A-series skilled graphics. Dual-GPU is supported with RTX A-series playing cards, making this technique a dream for picture and video enhancing studios.
Falcon Northwest Talon: What you gained’t love
(Image credit score: Chuong Nguyen)
Besides the premium worth – for which you get premium high quality – there’s little to not like concerning the Talon. This desktop is made to carry out and designed to outlast you. If there’s such a factor as an heirloom PC, it might be the Talon, given the desktop’s unbreakable construct and high quality craftsmanship.
We solely discovered one main gripe and one minor quibble with this desktop.
The largest concern with the Talon is that the pipes for the radiator tubings for the liquid cooler come out on prime fairly than on the underside, which is a matter that plagues many of the gaming desktop market and isn’t restricted to Falcon Northwest. Though this provides the Talon a cleaner aesthetic, the position of the tubes imply that air bubbles might get caught within the cooler, leading to extra system noise and probably a shortened lifespan for the radiator.
(Image credit score: Falcon Northwest)
In our check of the Talon, there was an occasional trace of whining from the cooling system. It would have been higher if the radiator was mounted on prime with the hoses coming down, or if Falcon had flipped the radiator the wrong way up in its present front-mounted location in order that the pipes would come out from the underside as a substitute. Though we didn’t try to reverse this positioning on our evaluation unit, this needs to be a straightforward repair for tinkerers at dwelling given how a lot house is inside this tower.
And since we have now had expertise with Falcon’s methods over time, we obtained used to the “extras” that include these premium rigs. Inside the equipment field, you’ll discover further cables, brackets for mounting drives, a flash drive for re-installing Windows 11, a mouse pad, the construct guidelines, in addition to bonuses like a espresso mug and a few espresso bean to get you as amped up because the system you’re receiving. Missing this yr is a wood valet field – earlier fashions even shipped with a leather-based folio. Touches like that add to the premium expertise, like shopping for a luxurious automotive, and we’re uncertain if Falcon did away with its valet field on account of cost-cutting measures or if it was a casualty of pandemic-borne provide chain points.
Falcon Northwest Talon: The competitors
(Image credit score: Windows Central)
As a pre-built system, the Talon competes in opposition to rigs from high-end boutiques like Origin PC, Digital Storm, and others. It additionally competes with mainstream gaming desktops, like Alienware’s Aurora R13, Lenovo’s Legion Tower 7i, HP’s Omen Desktop, and gaming PCs from Asus, Acer, and MSI.
For comparability, HP’s Intel-powered Omen 45L Desktop begins at $1,749, however upgrading to 64GB of RAM, an Intel 12900K (not KS processor), and RTX 3090 (not 3090 Ti) would convey the value as much as $3,859. Admittedly, that is virtually half the price of our Talon evaluation configuration for some barely much less highly effective silicon, and it might be a greater worth for many avid gamers. However, in case you demand the highest processor and graphics, these components can nonetheless be a little bit onerous to return by on pre-built methods.
(Image credit score: Dell)
Corsair-owned Origin PC’s Neuron is maybe the closest competitor to the Talon with its tower dimension, UV-printing choices for customizations, and configuration decisions. Built to match our Talon’s specs, the Neuron comes to only over $6,000, virtually $1,000 much less. This continues to be a big worth distinction for comparable efficiency, particularly for many who don’t care about extruded metallic panels or total construct high quality of a stationary case.
Finally, Apple’s Mac Pro is one other doubtless challenger nipping at Falcon’s throne for workstation customers and artistic execs. Apple’s desktop begins at $6,000, and the value solely goes up. Throw in casters to roll this workstation across the workplace, and also you’re already at $6,400 earlier than any significant tech upgrades are made.
But for all these Talon rivals, even in case you can configure the parts to match our evaluation system, you wouldn’t have a rig with the design, thermal administration, efficiency, and craftsmanship. Falcon’s desktop builds are second to none, and no producer – not even Apple – can match Falcon Northwest’s consideration to element. It all comes all the way down to how a lot you worth the Falcon expertise. And in case you’re making an attempt to funds, you’ll be able to all the time step all the way down to barely much less highly effective processor and graphics.
A normal three-year restricted guarantee is included with the desktop.
Falcon Northwest: Should you purchase
(Image credit score: Falcon Northwest)
You can buy this if …
You desire a premium and highly effective PC with out investing your personal effort into researching the most effective parts to your construct
You demand the most effective silicon from Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA
You desire a meticulously designed tower with strong all-metal development and sufficient house for future upgrades
You nerd out over thermals and airflow
You worth good design and don’t desire aggressive RGB lighting
You should not purchase this if …
You’re on a funds and desire a system that offers you probably the most bang for the buck
You do not care a couple of extra muted case aesthetic and like extra aggressive styling
You want a starter system to get you going
You do not care concerning the means to make future upgrades
Falcon Northwest’s Talon is the final word gaming machine that does not make any compromises, delivering among the greatest efficiency on any system we have ever encountered. Meticulous craftsmanship and Falcon Northwest’s unwavering dedication to driving the most effective efficiency out of any silicon that comes its approach make the Talon stand out.
After redefining the private pc house by inventing the gaming PC market within the ’90s, Falcon Northwest is once more reshaping the gaming narrative with a luxurious PC formed by efficiency, design, and particulars. If you are after a quick battle station, yow will discover one from any producer. But if you’d like the final word gaming machine, you will have to show to Falcon Northwest.
Falcon Northwest Talon gaming PC
Falcon Northwest’s Talon is an unmatched gaming desktop by way of construct high quality, efficiency, and craftsmanship. Meticulously designed and engineered by a pilot, the Talon’s optimized thermals will allow you to extract as a lot efficiency as potential from the Intel Core i9 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 3090 Ti graphics.
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