Skip to main content

Origin Millennium Battlebox (2015) review

Like a charging T.rex, Origin’s Battlebox is a fearsome beast

Origin Millenium Battlebox
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Origin Millennium Battlebox (2015)
MSRP $4,000.00
“Origin’s Millennium Battlebox is a beast of a machine that scores high in all areas -- it’s the best tower desktop on the market today.”
Pros
  • Attractive, customizable case
  • Low fan noise
  • Excellent performance
  • Reasonable pricing
Cons
  • Massive and heavy

Skylake shootout 

We pitted this system against four other Skylake desktops. For the full scoop, including processor and gaming benchmarks, check out our comparison.

Recommended Videos

Origin’s Millennium Battlebox is the company’s mid-tower PC, but you’d be hard pressed to tell that from looking at it. The enclosure is as large, and as heavy, as full tower computers from some competitors. Fortunately, the heft is not wasted, as the attractive and intimidating exterior hides a wide range of factory customization options. Owners can even re-configure the system after purchase, though doing so will require significant knowledge of computer hardware.

Benchmark performance was predictably excellent, especially in our processor tests, as the system we reviewed was overclocked to 4.8GHz. Shipping powerful hardware isn’t what makes this system stand out, though – any manufacturer can do that. The surprise is how well Origin balances this power with tame fan noise and power draw. While large, the Millennium actually produces significantly less fan noise than many of its competitors, making it an easy system to live with.

Origin Millenium Battlebox
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The rig is reasonably priced, too, matching or beating most competitors in a variety of configurations. There are less expensive systems available, but they sacrifice build quality or performance relative to the Millennium. Origin’s mid-tower has no glaring faults and plenty of positives, and it’s the best tower desktop on the market today.

Highs

  • Attractive, customizable case
  • Low fan noise
  • Excellent performance
  • Reasonable pricing

Lows

  • Massive and heavy
Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
How to use Soul Shield in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Jack fights with the Samurai Job in Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin borrows almost all of its gameplay mechanics more from action games than Final Fantasy titles. Even the more action-focused games in the series, such as Final Fantasy 7: Remake and Final Fantasy XV, are very different compared to how this game wants you to interact with it. This makes sense when you realize it was developed by Team Ninja, the team behind the Souls-like Nioh series. While Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is certainly not a Souls-like game itself, it has a lot of mechanical depth that you would expect to find in those games. Outside of the more basic and streamlined RPG mechanics, the default abilities Jack and crew have to combat Chaos require a higher level of execution to master.

Outside of attacking, blocking, dodging, and parrying, a new system introduced in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is the Soul Shield. As the name implies, this is yet another defensive option but is also a way to vastly expand your options for offense. The game does try and make sure you grasp how it works, but especially for those not too familiar with action games like this, the concept may not be as clear as it should be. Get your edgy rock music ready because this is how the Soul Shield works in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin to help you finally kill Chaos.

Read more
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin: Jobs guide
Jack fights enemies in Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin had a very mixed reception upon its reveal. Right off the bat, it was clear that this game would not be our typical Final Fantasy-style game. From the edgy main character, Jack, to the heavy emphasis on action gameplay rather than the typical JRPG affair, this spinoff is perhaps the most divergent game to bear the title of Final Fantasy, even if it is just in the subtitle. Even with all those changes, Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin still makes an effort to include many of the most popular elements from the series, even if they need to be tweaked quite a bit to fit the new gameplay flow.

Jobs have been a popular inclusion, not just in. Final Fantasy, but many JRPGs for decades. This system of allowing characters to take on various roles, rather than each one being stuck in one style the entire game, adds a brand new layer of choice and tactics to the game. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin brings back the Job system, but revamped to flow in the action-heavy mechanics the game is based around. Still, the game has an almost overwhelming number of Jobs, plus each one has its own strengths, weaknesses, skill trees, and more. Rather than make it feel like a job in itself to learn on your own, here's a full Job guide for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

Read more
The Samsung G6 OLED gaming monitor is $200 off for a limited time
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor on a white background.

To maximize your investment in gaming PC deals, you're going to have to purchase a proper display. Fortunately, there are some amazing offers that are available online right now, and one of them is this $200 discount from Samsung for the 27-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor. From its original price of $900, it's down to $700 -- but only for a limited time. This deal will end when the Discover Samsung Spring Sale ends.

These Samsung G-line monitors seem to be having a fire sale right now. If this G6 doesn't scratch your itch, check out these deals on the Samsung G7 and Samsung G8.

Read more