Xotic PC Executioner Stage 4 Gaming PC Review

Performance Summary: What happens when you pair an Intel Core i7-5960X processor with not one, but two EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Superclocked graphics cards, and then liquid cool the entire operation? You get a system that rips through the benchmarks like a chainsaw in a horror flick, but without all the noise. For the most part, Xotic PC's aptly named Executioner spent its time at the top of our benchmark charts, only giving ground to a system with three GTX 980 cards. Just as importantly, it proved a capable 4K gaming machine, though in taxing titles like Metro Last Light, you may have to dial back some of the eye candy.

Let's go ahead and address the elephant room right off the bat. At around $6,500, the Executioner will murder most wallets and bank accounts, and if you add up the parts individually, there's definitely a generous markup. Fair enough, but the Executioner isn't intended for gamers on a budget, it's for the ones who can afford to spend a premium on a top-tier, custom built, modified product, and that's exactly what it is.

Xotic PC's Executioner is both beastly and beautiful. It also demands attention, as it will instantly become the centerpiece of wherever it ends up, whether it's in the living room, dedicated computer room, or man/woman-cave. You can turn off the interior lighting (or opt out of them altogether), but with so much high-end hardware neatly packed inside, why not err on the side of gaudiness? This is one place where it works, and the giant window on the side of the Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 case gives you full view of the craftsmanship that went into building the Executioner.

It truly is a spotless interior, and while many clean setups hide a bundle of excess cabling haphazardly behind the motherboard tray, Xotic PC earns itself geek cred for taking the time to clean up the unseen cables. The pride in Xotic PC's workmanship is obvious.

As configured, the Executioner isn't a perfect machine. At the asking price, slapping stickers on the case seems like a poor choice, and the branding is a bit too much in-your-face. To Xotic PC's credit, you can opt for higher-end accents, like full case wraps, laster etching, and custom paint jobs.

Otherwise, we're not left with much to complain about. Sure, in some of the benchmarks, the slower clockspeed of the Core i7-5960X compared to the faster clocked Core i7-4970K caused the Executioner to slip a spot or two on the charts. But if you want to rectify that, you can overclock the chip yourself or have Xotic PC do it (for a fee).

We should also point out that since receiving this system, NVIDIA released the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and AMD the Radeon R9 Fury X, both of which Xotic PC carries. There's enough horsepower here to handle 4K gaming in most titles, but if you want even more oomph, higher end options are available. So are three- and four-card setups, if you want to go that route.

If you have the loot, we have no reservation in recommending Xotic PC's Executioner.