Skytech Gaming has been building gaming desktops for years now, and one of its latest rigs makes a proper showing of the brand’s pedigree. Reviewed here is the Skytech Nebula, an entry-level gaming model for budget buyers. It’s capable of playing the latest games and esports at 1080p, thanks to its Intel Core i5-13400F processor and Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics.
It isn’t the most powerful configuration of the Nebula series, but it still has tremendous value for gamers on a tight budget. We especially like it for its competitive pricing next to other pre-built gaming rivals like the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme and iBuyPower PC. Also, it is a classic design with a tempered glass case. Lots of ports and plentiful RGB lighting, and intricate cable work make it look just as high-end as it works.
As with all budget machines, the Nebula isn’t free of tradeoffs, but it still holds its own against more expensive machines and the case offers some real estate for future upgrades as needed. For under $1000, you’re getting a package that’s capable through and through; should you need more muscle, there are other Skytech Nebula configurations with up to RTX 4080 GPUs and the latest processors from both Intel and AMD.
Skytech Nebula Specs
Desktop Class: Gaming
Processor: Intel Core i5-13400F
Processor Speed: 2.5 GHz
RAM (as Tested): 16 GB
Boot Drive Type: SSD
Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested): 1 TB
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060
Operating System: Windows 11 Home
Design & Features
Like most other pre-built gaming PCs, the Skytech Nebula strikes that elegant gamer aesthetic that all Skytech products have. It’s a look you’d ordinarily find on gaming machines like CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme and iBuyPower’s latest gaming range. I like the case design here, especially since it’s on the larger side so is not the kind of rig you can discreetly stash away or have difficulties upgrading.
Part of the charm is that almost matte-black color that’s accented with RGB fans on the inside, a transparent glass side panel, and a honeycomb grille on the front. For the most part, Skytech creatively manages to give the case texture with its venting on the top and front without adding aggressive-looking lines as you’d find on most gaming machines.
Additionally, the RGB comes through stylishly, giving you a nice light show instead of just one or two small lighting zones. Not only is “SKYTECH GAMING” emblazoned atop the front panel, but the venting on the front allows for cooling fans, which all sport RGB lighting, to glow through.
For ports, there are plenty on hand, and the selection is quite robust than most budget gaming machines. The top panel holds two USB ports, a USB-C port as well as a headphone and mic jack. There are more USB ports at the back, alongside HDMI and DisplayPort inputs on the RTX 4060 graphics card.It doesn’t come with a bundled monitor, but you can pair it with, let’s say, a Sceptre C255B-FWT240 with a 240Hz resolution as it doesn’t cost too much.
Performance
As mentioned, the Skytech Nebula in our review isn’t the most powerful in the Nebula series or against competitors. We’ve seen machines rocking the latest 14th-generation processors and Nvidia’s 40-series graphics cards, but very few can be had for less than a grand. Our review unit features a 13th-generation Intel Core i5-13400F processor, Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD storage. This configuration is decent enough for those making an entry into PC gaming, or buying a machine that they can upgrade into something bigger down the road.
With the Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card, this Nebula is decent enough for playing esports at 1080p resolution on high-to-mid range settings. It handles titles like Gears 5, Resident Evil Village, and Doom Eternal without slowing down.
In real-world gaming, the GeForce RTX 4060 makes a strong showing compared to gaming machines running RTX 3060, but well below those running RTX 4070 and RTX 4080 cards. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla runs pretty fine at 1080p, delivering 64 fps on average using the high-quality settings, which is the second-highest quality preset in the game. The RTX 4060 is however slower at 1440p unless you want to reduce the resolution quality.
Elsewhere, Shadow of the Tomb Raider played at high settings (1080p resolution) averages 86 fps but drops to 58 fps in 1440p resolution. At the same settings. Given the Skytech Nebula Gamer’s RTX 4060 graphics card, this kind of performance is quite impressive, but we’ve seen newer machines like the CyberpowerPC Gamer GXiVR8040A14 in the same category but come with more powerful RTX 4060 Ti and Intel core i7-13700F CPU.
As mentioned above, the RTX 4060 graphics card used here benefits greatly from both ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technologies. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the Skytech Nebula performs especially well at 1080p, but 1440p might not be that fluent, and not all games are going to utilize all that 8GB RAM, after all.
Also, the RTX 4060 meets the requirements to support VR gaming, meaning it’s optimized for your HTC VIVE and Oculus Rift VR headsets.
Finally, Skytech positions its machines as exclusive for gamers, but if you don’t mind the RGB lighting on the chassis, the Skytech Nebula is an excellent productivity workhorse. The 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB RAM, and 1TB are more than you’d need to complete most productivity tasks – everything, from processing spreadsheets, typing away projects, and media creation.
Skytech Nebula Review: Verdict
For those who are just getting into PC gaming, or don’t have the budget to splurge on the top-of-the-line, the Skytech Nebula Gaming is impressive. Sure, it doesn’t have all of the power, bells, and whistles that PC gaming can offer, but it’s also less than $1,000. And because the design has no proprietary parts as other computer makers use, you can upgrade everything you want in this case in the future.
Overall, the Skytech Nebula is a fair entry in the entry-level gaming space. We like its tempered glass case and extensive RGB lighting, and especially its top-notch cable management. That said, the CyberPowerPC Gamer GXiVR8080A38 remains our Editors’ Choice for midrange gaming PCs, offering a solid feature set at a very reasonable price.
Recommended Configuration
CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC, Intel Core i9-14900KF 3.2GHz, GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB, 32GB DDR5, 2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, WiFi Ready & Windows 11 Home (GXiVR8080A38)
The Review
Skytech Nebula
The Skytech Nebula Gaming PC is a proficient starter PC that will run most games at 1080p well. It’s easy to upgrade and is a capable productivity workhorse, too.
PROS
- Very affordable
- Excellent performance
- Striking design
CONS
- Port selection is just OK
Review Breakdown
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ARS RATING
