Blackfire Apex arrives in a large Fierce PC branded box which is loaded with plenty of padding – inside this box, the system is concealed within the original computer chassis packaging. This extra protection should ensure the parcel arrives to its destination without any hitches.

The chassis which Fierce PC are using for this system is the GameMax Vegas, which oddly has no manufacturers website but is available to buy as an individual item from various outlets like Amazon, CCL, Scan etc. This case is a midi tower and is touted as an entry-level enclosure, providing accommodation for up to ATX form factor. One of the biggest attractions to this case is its RGB functionality – this lighting can be controlled by the touch of a button up at the top.


Up at the top of Blackfire Apex there is an assortment of ports and buttons to take advantage of. These include the following:

• Power button
• 2x USB 2.0 Ports
• 1x USB 3.0 Port
• Headphone and Microphone Jacks
• Two fan control switches
• RGB control switch

Having access to manage the speed of the cooling fans inside our system is very handy, furthermore, the RGB switch is also useful too; this button allows you to specify the colour (Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Purple, Pink and White) or perform a demonstration of all the colours with a breathing animation.


Around the back of Blackfire Apex there are further ports which offer even more functionality. In the upper section, the ports directly from the motherboard provide:

• 1x PS2 keyboard port
• 1x PS2 mouse port
• 1x D-Sub port
• 1x DVI-D port
• 1x HDMI port
• 2x USB 3.0 ports
• 4x USB 2.0 ports
• 1x Gigabit LAN port
• 7.1 Channel Hi-Def Audio Jacks (via Realtek ALC887)

Again, we have quite an assortment of ports available on the rear IO section of this system. The only flaw is that we have no USB 3.1 with this particular motherboard which is one of the benefits users can benefit from by using a Skylake-based configuration.

Below this we also have the graphics card (XFX RX 470 RS Black Edition). On the rear IO of this card we have a selection of video out ports to choose from:

• 1x HDMI port
• 1x Displayport
• 1x DVI port

And then we also have the power supply at the bottom which is a Cooler Master B500 PSU. This PSU is a 500W unit and is 80 plus certified.