Processor: 2.93GHz Core i7-940 (overclocked to 3.6GHz)Memory: 3GB DDR3Storage: Two 150GB hard drives (RAID Level 0); one 1TB hard driveOptical Drives: Blu-ray burner; DVD±RWMonitor: NoneGraphics: Two Nvidia GTX 295 graphics cards (1GB each, Quad SLI)Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
One of the unexpected benefits of Intel's new line of Core i7 processors is that the lower-cost chips let you save money that can be used for other components, such as graphics cards, for example. Because Cyberpower's screaming new Gamer Xtreme XE desktop uses only the $562 Core i7-940 CPU (albeit overclocked from 2.93GHz to 3.6GHz), the middle member of the Core i7 family, it packs in two of Nvidia's insanely powerful new GTX 295 graphics cards (operating in Quad SLI mode) and still comes in at a price of only $2,999. That makes it not only the most powerful Core i7 desktop we've seen for the money, it also gets 2009's performance desktops off to an impressively (and unusually) value-oriented start.
The case, a Cooler Master Sniper, is sturdy and spacious, offering lots of room to work and expand without the bloat you sometimes see in go-for-broke power machines. An external fan-control dial on the top panel—which also organizes the oversize power button, an external SATA (eSATA) port, four USB ports, a FireWire port, and headphone and microphone jacks—lets you maintain your own desired balance between cooling and noise for the 120mm fan that expels excess heat via the case's ceiling. A completely internal Asetek liquid-cooling system blows heat from the CPU out the back of the case.
In addition to the CPU and graphics cards, which are plugged into an Asus P6T motherboard, the Gamer Xtreme XE also has three hard drives (two 150GB Western Digital Velociraptors in a RAID Level 0 configuration for Windows and programs and a 1TB storage drive), three 1GB sticks of DDR3 RAM for full triple-channel performance, two optical drives (a DVD±RW and a Blu-ray burner), a 12-in-1 card reader on the front panel, and a 1,000-watt Thermaltake Toughpower PSU that provides the juice for all this. Two internal hard drive bays, two external 5.25-inch drive bays, and three RAM slots are free for future expansion. The operating system is the de rigueur Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit), and you also get a copy of Far Cry 2 thrown in.
You might want to start installing that sooner rather than later, because as soon as you see what the Gamer Xtreme XE can do you won't want to waste a moment. Even expecting tremendous results because of the graphics cards, we were stunned by some of the numbers this rig pulled in on our benchmark tests. While it lagged just behind the Maingear F131 in our overall productivity tests (unquestionably owing to that system's even faster Core i7-965 Extreme Edition processor), the Gamer Xtreme XE pegged nearly every game we threw at it, right up to the highest resolutions. Okay, okay, so it only produced 370.1 frames per second (fps) in our DirectX 9 (DX9) Company of Heroes test at a resolution of 1,280x1,024, and the Maingear managed 409.7. The Gamer Xtreme XE's scores of 342.6fps and 287.8fps at 1,600x1,200 and 2,560x1,600, respectively, were way ahead of the F131's 263.7fps and 161.7fps.
These capabilities don't dissolve when DX10 comes into the picture, either. On Futuremark 3DMark Vantage, the Cyberpower turned in astounding scores of 75,261, 32,222, 24,169, and 16,714 on the Entry, Performance, High, and Extreme presets, respectively—in every case the highest we've seen, and towering over the Maingear's still impressive results of 43,335, 22,840, 16,998, and 12,915. Numbers were similarly smoking in Company of Heroes, World in Conflict (51fps, 30fps, and 24fps at 1,280x1,024, 1,600x1,200, and 2,560x1,600, respectively), and Call of Juarez (38.5fps, 32.1fps, and 31fps at 1,280x1,024, 1,600x1,200, and 1,920x1,200)—though both the Dell XPS 730x and Maingear's own liquid-cooled X-Cube edged the Gamer Xtreme XE out in certain tests in that game by the tiniest of margins.
About all you don't get with the Gamer Xtreme XE is a monitor, something you do get with iBuypower's flagship Core i7 machine, the $2,499 Gamer Paladin F870-SB. And Maingear's F131 might be a bit more cutting-edge creative in some ways—such as its use of a solid-state drive for an added speed boost—but it costs nearly $3,000 more than the Gamer Xtreme XE. Even if you do have to shell out for a display, the Cyberpower's prowess in practically every area could make the outlay into an investment if you want the most powerful system out there and you want it now.Price (at time of review): $2,999
The case, a Cooler Master Sniper, is sturdy and spacious, offering lots of room to work and expand without the bloat you sometimes see in go-for-broke power machines. An external fan-control dial on the top panel—which also organizes the oversize power button, an external SATA (eSATA) port, four USB ports, a FireWire port, and headphone and microphone jacks—lets you maintain your own desired balance between cooling and noise for the 120mm fan that expels excess heat via the case's ceiling. A completely internal Asetek liquid-cooling system blows heat from the CPU out the back of the case.
In addition to the CPU and graphics cards, which are plugged into an Asus P6T motherboard, the Gamer Xtreme XE also has three hard drives (two 150GB Western Digital Velociraptors in a RAID Level 0 configuration for Windows and programs and a 1TB storage drive), three 1GB sticks of DDR3 RAM for full triple-channel performance, two optical drives (a DVD±RW and a Blu-ray burner), a 12-in-1 card reader on the front panel, and a 1,000-watt Thermaltake Toughpower PSU that provides the juice for all this. Two internal hard drive bays, two external 5.25-inch drive bays, and three RAM slots are free for future expansion. The operating system is the de rigueur Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit), and you also get a copy of Far Cry 2 thrown in.
You might want to start installing that sooner rather than later, because as soon as you see what the Gamer Xtreme XE can do you won't want to waste a moment. Even expecting tremendous results because of the graphics cards, we were stunned by some of the numbers this rig pulled in on our benchmark tests. While it lagged just behind the Maingear F131 in our overall productivity tests (unquestionably owing to that system's even faster Core i7-965 Extreme Edition processor), the Gamer Xtreme XE pegged nearly every game we threw at it, right up to the highest resolutions. Okay, okay, so it only produced 370.1 frames per second (fps) in our DirectX 9 (DX9) Company of Heroes test at a resolution of 1,280x1,024, and the Maingear managed 409.7. The Gamer Xtreme XE's scores of 342.6fps and 287.8fps at 1,600x1,200 and 2,560x1,600, respectively, were way ahead of the F131's 263.7fps and 161.7fps.
These capabilities don't dissolve when DX10 comes into the picture, either. On Futuremark 3DMark Vantage, the Cyberpower turned in astounding scores of 75,261, 32,222, 24,169, and 16,714 on the Entry, Performance, High, and Extreme presets, respectively—in every case the highest we've seen, and towering over the Maingear's still impressive results of 43,335, 22,840, 16,998, and 12,915. Numbers were similarly smoking in Company of Heroes, World in Conflict (51fps, 30fps, and 24fps at 1,280x1,024, 1,600x1,200, and 2,560x1,600, respectively), and Call of Juarez (38.5fps, 32.1fps, and 31fps at 1,280x1,024, 1,600x1,200, and 1,920x1,200)—though both the Dell XPS 730x and Maingear's own liquid-cooled X-Cube edged the Gamer Xtreme XE out in certain tests in that game by the tiniest of margins.
About all you don't get with the Gamer Xtreme XE is a monitor, something you do get with iBuypower's flagship Core i7 machine, the $2,499 Gamer Paladin F870-SB. And Maingear's F131 might be a bit more cutting-edge creative in some ways—such as its use of a solid-state drive for an added speed boost—but it costs nearly $3,000 more than the Gamer Xtreme XE. Even if you do have to shell out for a display, the Cyberpower's prowess in practically every area could make the outlay into an investment if you want the most powerful system out there and you want it now.Price (at time of review): $2,999
author : Matthew Murray
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