iBUYPOWER Gamer Fire 585
Edit by Michael Lafferty, March, 2009

System Specs:
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 940
Memory: 4GB DDR3
Storage: 750GB hard drive
Optical Drives:BD-ROM/HD DVD/DVD±RW; DVD±RW
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4870X2 (2GB)
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)

Review:
When it comes to the iBUYPOWER brand, the Gamer Fire 585 not only packs a lot of power behind the side panels, but at under $1,500, you are getting a great deal of value for the price tag.

The CrossFire motherboard is the key to this system, allowing the dual video cards to interact for the best high-definition gaming experience possible. Now, simply allowing dual graphics processors to interact is fine, but unless you have solid graphics cards, that means little. But the Gamer Fire comes with ATI Radeon 4870 cards. These cards support DX 10, are HDMI capable, feature enhanced DVD upscaling (which means it can take lower resolution DVDs and improve them to near HD quality; not quite HD, but still much better than some of the older films can show in standard viewing), and has advanced anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering to provide better texturing in higher-end games. In other words, the motherboard and video cards deliver a first rate gaming experience.

The desktop came without a monitor, so much of what you see will depend on the monitor you have hooked up to it. And, of course, it also depends on the games you are pumping through the system and what those graphics look like to begin with.

Several games were used to test the system, not only was there a beta of an upcoming MMO (the NDA prohibits saying which), but open beta for Chronicles of Spellborn, as well as other MMOs like Age of Conan, EverQuest II, Lord of the Rings, City of Heroes, and other PC games like Wallace & Gromit’s Fright of the Bumblebees, Godfather II, and Call of Duty: World at War.

The graphics settings in EQ II took a bit of a framerate hit when running above the “very high quality” setting (not unusual), but generally the framerate for the online game was consistently in the upper 30 to mid-40s fps range. Playing the single-player campaign in Godfather II was flawless, as was the responsiveness, framerates and texture render in CoD.

Ok, though not a fan of the Vista OS, the Gamer Fire 585 does not come with a ton of peripheral garbage loaded onto the system, making the experience with Vista much smoother. Of course, having access to the DirectX 10 settings also a boon.

The size of the hard drive is also a big plus. With some games consuming up to 25 gigs for an install, having the 700-plus gigabyte drive creates lots of room for other programs and processes – like Photoshop CS5 or 3D rendering programs like DAZ.

The case itself is very sleek, with a temperature display in a LED screen on the front, as well as easy front access to disk drives and card reader. The machine has a stylized bit of artwork on one side panel (which is decent, but negligible in the long run), and clear plastic insets on the other side that allows a view of the inner workings. And the cooling fans are nice and quiet.

This is one heck of a machine, and a great value for the price. The machine was in constant use and performed each task given it superbly.

Review Scoring Details for iBUYPOWER Gamer Fire 585

Pros:
Crossfire technology to drive a pair of very good video cards, huge hard drive, and 4 gigs of RAM all combine to create a very powerful system.

Overall: 9.75
This is a great PC, and at a great price. This machine came into the house at a very opportune moment – the video card in the main gaming rig had gone belly up, and with several PC titles needing to be reviewed, the Gamer Fire got a workout and handled it all seemingly effortlessly.

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Gamer Paladin F870-SB
Edit by Matthew Murray, November, 2008

System Specs:
Processor: 2.93GHz Core i7 940
Memory: 6GB DDR3
Storage: 1TB hard drive
Optical Drives:BD-ROM/HD DVD/DVD±RW; DVD±RW
Monitor: 20.1-inch Sceptre LCD
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4870X2 (2GB)
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)

Review:
Is the iBuypower Gamer Paladin F870-SB a glimpse into the future of reasonably priced high-end gaming computers? Given how quickly technology can change, it's hard to say for sure. But this $2,499 system, which will be available from iBuypower later in November, demonstrates that the advent of Intel's new Core i7 processing platform can spell only good things for gamers—and their bank accounts.

One of the most impressive systems we saw last year was the Cyberpower Gamer Infinity SLI 8800 (in fact, we named it Gaming Desktop of the Year in our annual Top 100 Products of the Year roundup), one of the earliest Penryn-based systems. It retailed for $3,299. Less than a year later, the Gamer Paladin F870-SB comes close to matching it in almost every area we tested—for $800 less. That's how far things have progressed.

The last iBuypower system we tested was the Gamer Haf 9SE, in October, which at $1,999 seemed like a steal. While we're not convinced that every gamer will get $500 worth of extra benefit out of the F870-SB, even in this short time period there have been some major advancements in value for performance. At all resolutions (1,280x1,024, 1,600x1,200, and 2,560x1,600), our DirectX 9 (DX9) Supreme Commander tests hovered with new system around 53 frames per second (fps); the Gamer Haf 9SE averaged around 47fps. In our other DX10 tests (Company of Heroes, World in Conflict, and Call of Juarez), the two systems were in a statistical dead heat straight down the line. The big divergence happened on our DX10-based Futuremark 3DMark Vantage tests: The F870-SB's scores of 33,232, 15,390, 10,278, and 7,203 (at the Entry, Performance, High, and Extreme presets, respectively) noticeably surpassed the Gamer Haf 9SE's results of 22,633, 12,613, 9,458, and 6,985. This is despite both systems using the same powerful dual-GPU graphics card: a 2GB ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2.

Two big differences between the systems help explain the discrepancy, both related to Core i7. The first is the processor itself. The Gamer Paladin F870-SB uses a midrange 2.93GHz Core i7-940; the Gamer Haf 9SE used a 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad Q9550. The second is memory: The F870-SB uses 6GB of triple-channel DDR3 memory, while the Haf 9SE used 4GB of dual-channel DDR3. (The operating system was, in both cases, the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium, and thus able to use all of that memory.)

Aside from the hard drive—one terabyte (TB) now versus 500GB then—the systems were quite similar. Both had both a DVD±RW drive and a Blu-ray/HD DVD combo drive; both came with a 20.1-inch Sceptre LCD monitor; and both even used the same black and imposing Cooler Master Haf gaming case, which is loaded with fans and other ventilation, as well as industrial sex appeal with intricate grillework and even a windowed side panel. (The case is loaded with expansion potential, too: three free external 5.25-inch drive bays and four free internal 3.5-inch ones.)

On the Gamer Paladin F870-SB's front panel are four USB ports, one FireWire port, and one external SATA (eSATA) jack, as well as headphone and microphone ports and a 12-format flash-card reader. On the rear panel, you'll see eight more USB ports and a combo PS/2 port (meaning you can connect an old-school keyboard or mouse, but not both), as well as digital and eight-channel audio outs, two Ethernet jacks, and one more each of FireWire and eSATA. (The system uses Asus's P6T Deluxe motherboard, supporting the Core i7-ready X58 chipset.) There are also grommets for hoses in the back, in case you'd like to add an external liquid-cooling system to the rig at some point; another feature of the case is a fill port on the top to facilitate adding coolant.

However you cool it, this is a hot gaming system with a scorching price. It's not quite the fastest we've seen, even within the same general price range (the aforementioned Cyberpower trumped it in some areas), but it's a huge step up in capability—and down in price—compared with some of our all-but-unaffordable past leaders like the Vigor Colossus and even the Alienware Area-51 ALX we looked at a month ago. It won't be long until those systems are soundly surpassed by PCs costing half, or even a third, of the price. The Gamer Paladin F870-SB represents the first, bold steps in exactly that direction.

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iBUYPOWER Gamer HAF 9SE
Edit by Bill O'Brien, October,  2008

System Specs:
Processor: 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad Q9550
Memory: 4GB DDR3
Storage: 500GB hard drive
Optical Drives:Blu-ray/HD DVD dual-read combo; DVD±RW
Monitor: Sceptre 20.1-inch LCD
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 (2GB)
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

Review:
If the inevitable truth about gaming PCs is that they’ll always be big, hulking, glow-in-the-dark towers, then maybe we can at least debunk the rumor that they’ll also always be too expensive for you to own. iBuypower’s latest release, the Gamer Haf 9SE, is a full-tilt gaming rig available for $1,999—not a big-box store bargain price, but a virtual bargain for what the system contains and delivers.

Let’s get the surprises out of the way first: That two grand isn’t just for a box in a box. The Gamer Haf 9SE system includes a Logitech gaming keyboard, a Zalman FPSGUN FG1000 gaming mouse, and Logitech X-240 2.1 speakers. A Sceptre X20WG wide-screen LCD monitor is also included in the package

Inside the Cooler Master Haf Gaming Case, you’ll find a Gigabyte GA-EP45T motherboard stocked with a 2.83GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor and 4GB of DDR3 memory. iBuypower may have scrimped by including just a 500GB hard disk, but the 20x Blu-ray drive makes up for it in spirit. It’s an LG model that reads both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, and it also reads and writes standard DVD formats. In the bay below there’s an Optiarc 20x DVD burner for your data copying and archiving needs, but iBuypower will swap it for a 12-in-1 media reader/writer at your request

The real jewel in this collection is the 2GB Radeon 4870 X2 graphics card, which helped the Gamer Haf 9SE achieve some impressive benchmark results. It cranked out a 22,633 result on 3DMark Vantage using the Entry preset, proving its finesse with games at lower resolutions; its scores on the other presets (12,613 for Performance, 9,458 for High, 6,985 for Extreme) are also quite good. The Haf 9SE hovered around or above 50 frames per second in Company of Heroes at all three of the tested resolutions (1,280x1,024, 1,600x1,200, and 2,560x1,600) and around 47fps in Supreme Commander.

We encountered only two runtime problems: At 1,900x1,200 in Call of Juarez, the benchmark repeatedly locked up, and at 2,560x1,600 in World in Conflict, the action slowed to a 14fps crawl. Our general experience with new ATI products is that driver updates often solve such problems

(One note of caution: As excellent as the 4870 X2 might be, it tips the scales at close to 3 pounds. Think of it as a crowbar wedged into a PCI Express slot during shipment. Our first Gamer Haf 9SE arrived non-functional, with the 4870 X2 sitting in a cracked slot. It took a replacement motherboard and a new graphics card to get the system working

The Haf case may not be a work of art, but it is a piece of functional magic. Three 200mm fans inside keep everything—including the 800-watt power supply—cool while being whisper-quiet. Four USB ports grace the front panel, along with a FireWire and an external SATA (eSATA) port. There are six 5.25-inch and five 3.5-inch drive bays in total. The Gigabyte motherboard offers eight additional USB ports on the back panel along with two Gigabit LAN ports. You'll find two more eSATA ports on a bracket at the back panel along with a power connection. We can't imagine havng any expansion limitations with this case and motherboard combination.

Throwing money at a PC to make it a “gaming rig” has become an insane road to ever-escalating bragging rights. IBuypower has taken a detour from that route with its Gamer Haf 9SE—a solid gaming computer, grounded in the reality of current-day economics, that offers you the opportunity to brag about how little you spent to get to a good deal.

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iBUYPOWER Gamer Paladin 795-CX
Edit by Matthew Murray, June,  2008

System Specs:
Processor: 3GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9650 (overclocked to 3.6GHz)
Memory: 2GB DDR2
Storage: 150GB hard drive; 750GB hard drive
Optical Drives:Blu-ray/HD DVD dual-read combo; DVD±RW
Monitor: None
Graphics: Dual ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 (512MB, CrossFireX)
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

Review:
We still can't decide whether the recent advances in graphics technology are exciting or ridiculous. Multiple cards we've learned to live with, but multiple GPUs? And multiple multiple-GPU cards? It's a new world. One thing's for sure, though, that world—at least as exemplified by the iBuypower Gamer Paladin 795-CX—is one that really has game.

The Gamer Paladin 795-CX is the first system we've tested that uses two dual-GPU ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 cards in a CrossFireX configuration, which means it's powered by the equivalent of four high-caliber graphics chips. We expected it to be pretty terrific, but we weren't prepared for it to be the most powerful gaming computer we've ever tested—or be available for a price ($2,999) that's refreshingly un-extreme, given the performance you get.

iBuypower has stuffed plenty of potent technologies into the Gamer Paladin 795-CX. You get a 3GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Intel Penryn processor (overclocked to 3.6GHz), 2GB of DDR2 RAM (which remains a must for Windows Vista Home Premium), a 150GB hard drive for programs, a 750GB drive for storage, a Blu-ray/HD DVD combo optical drive, and a more mundane DVD±RW drive. Also included are an eight-channel sound card and a TV-tuner card. All this hardware runs on an Asus Maximus Formula motherboard inside the enormous—yet attractive—Thermaltake Xaser VI case.

While it's not surprising that this system can deliver the goods, we were a little startled by how well it managed, especially since the graphics cards (assessed singly) didn't completely blow us away, and haven't been at the top of the heap since nVidia released its own dual-GPU solution, the GeForce 9800 GX2.

In Futuremark's aging 3DMark06 DirectX 9 (DX9) benchmark test, the iBuyPower system attained outstanding scores of 20,833 at 1,280x1,024 resolution; 20,208 at 1,600x1,200; and 17,975 at 2,560x1,600—in each case, the highest we've seen. Because we've only just begun to use 3DMark06's DX10 replacement, 3DMark Vantage, we don't have a stable of scores for comparison yet. Still, we don't expect other systems to regularly top the Gamer Paladin's 795-CX results of 26,256 (on the Entry preset), 8,798 (on the Performance preset), and 1,704 (on the Extreme preset) for a while. (For some reason, we couldn't run the test using the High preset.)

Performance in actual games was likewise exceptional, although here the Gamer Paladin 795-CX set considerably fewer records. Its average of 282.8 frames per second (fps) in DX9 Company of Heroes was indeed tops, but in no other game was this latest system routinely triumphant. It was frequently outpaced—especially in DX10 tests at high resolutions—by iBuypower's earlier offering, the Gamer Paladin 900, which packs three GeForce 8800 Ultra cards. The Gamer Paladin 795-CX's result of 6.7fps in DX10 Company of Heroes at 2,560x1,600 isn't playable, although the same game at lower resolutions produced playable frame rates in the 50s. The same went for World in Conflict and Call of Juarez, which, at 1,280x1,024, topped out at 19fps and 24.2fps, respectively.

These lackluster numbers reveal the most significant flaw in the Gamer Paladin 795-CX: It's not quite future-proof. Crysis is just one of the few titles available that demand silicon-melting DX10 graphics, and with this iBuyPower system, serious gamers might not be satisfied with its performance for long. Also, because the motherboard uses DDR2 RAM, there's no chance of the extra performance boost (and insurance against obsolescence) that newer, faster DDR3 RAM would provide.

All that, however, is coming down the line in the future. For an amazing gaming experience today on titles that push the envelope—but not too far—the Gamer Paladin 795-CX is a great choice.

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iBUYPOWER GAMER MAGE 550-SLI -- HIGH MARKS ON THE LOW END
PC GAMER Magazine , September,  2007
                                     

System Specs:
NZXT Hush Gaming Case
NZXT 500 PSU
MSI K9N4 SLI-F Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Processor
Thermaltake MaxOrb Silent Cooler
1GB DDR2-800
2x eVGA NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT 256MB (SLI Enable)
SATA II 500GB 7200RPM HDD
18x DVD+/-RW and 16x DVD-ROM
Ligitech X-230 2.1 Speaker system
19" ViewSonic Q19WB LCD
Microsoft Vista Home Premium

Review:
Gaming rigs that cost upward of five, six, even $7000 are commonplace here at the PC Gamer compound -- the paparazzi don't even get up from the lunch counter anymore. Frankly, the scene is getting a little dull. Put a faster processor together with a faster video card and you get 170 frames per second in Oblivion instead of 160. That's great, but not everyone has that kind of money to spend on 10 frames per second and superfluous grass shadows. But what about $1000? Can you buy a decent gaming rig for less than a grand?

You betcha. iBUYPOWER's Gamer Mage 550-SLI clocks in at $999 for an AMD-based machine with 1GB RAM, dual NVIDIA GeForce 8500GTS in SLI config, a 7200rpm 500GB hard drive, dual opticals, and even a 19-inch ViewSonic widescreen LCD and Logitech X-230 speakers. Although I generally ask vendors not to send monitors and speakers, iBUYPOWER was wise to do so in this case, because a sub-$1000 PC is pretty much a starter rig for a gamer -- and someone buying a starter rig is least likely to have an LCD or a subwoofer.

OK, now have a look at the benchmarks -- I'll wait. No, the figures aren't pretty when held up against a $7300 rig, but keep in mind that you buy a high-end machine like last month's Falcon Northwest Mach V in order to crank up the graphic detail and squirt a load of full-screen anti-aliasing sauce over your images. The Gamer Mage 550-SLI, on the other hand, begins to shine when you dig through a game's settings and judiciously ratchet down detail and/or resolution settings. For example, I got an extremely playable average of 38 frames per second out of Half-Life2: Episode One by dialing down the full-screen anti-aliasing (FSAA) and anisotropic filtering to 2x while bringing the resolution down to 1440x900 (the native resolution of the bundled display). And eliminating FSAA and soft shadows bought me an average of almost 40 frames per second in F.E.A.R.. Those are minimal and easy compromises to make when you're saving over six grand!

You'd get the same results on a similarly configured machine from another vendor or from one you built yourself, however. The Gamer Mage 550-SLI stands out by making an inexpensive rig feel as comfortably appointed as a much more expensive one. You get dual optical drives, for example, and a sleek case houses an exceptionally quiet machine. The widescreen monitor is another nice touch (although it's slightly dimmer than some top-tier flat-panels), and the speakers are sharp and punchy at modest volumes.

iBUYPOWER has always had a knack for selling expensive gear at spooky-cheap prices, so it's nice to see it pull off the same stunt on a budget-priced rig. The only upgrade I recommed for this system is an extra gig of RAM, which definitely helps seed up Vista, as well as many modern games.

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iBuypower -- Battalion 101 LX750
Edit by Matthew Elliott April 28,  2007

Review:
The iBuyPower Battalion 101 LX750 is inexpensive and has adequate performance for casual gamers. Compact and lightweight for its class, it has an attractive display and a built-in Webcam.

In a world of $4,000 gaming laptops, the $1,743 iBuyPower Battalion 101 LX750 is certainly inexpensive; but is it a bargain? On the one hand, it has a lovely 17-inch display and a lightweight, compact case, and its gaming performance, though not top of the line, should be enough for casual gamers. On the other hand, it has a cramped keyboard, its disc drive (at least on our review unit) spins noisily, and its scores on our CNET Labs Photoshop performance test were rather abysmal. Ideally, we'd all have $2,899 to purchase a more well-rounded desktop replacement, such as the Toshiba Satellite P100-ST9722. But in the real world, the iBuyPower Battalion 101 LX750 should satisfy users who are looking for a very inexpensive, entry-level gaming laptop.

Measuring 1.3 inches thick, the iBuyPower Battalion 101 LX750 is rather thin for a desktop replacement. With a width of 15.5 inches and a depth of 11 inches, it won't take up much room on your desk (or in your bag). Compare that to the massive Alienware Area-51 m5790, which measures 16 inches by 11.5 inches by 1.7 inches, and you can appreciate the iBuyPower's svelte profile. At 7.5 pounds (8.7 pounds with its chalkboard eraser-size AC adapter), the Battalion 101 LX750 also weighs less than the Alienware by more than a pound, though it's still not portable enough for a regular commute or frequent travel.

As we'd expect from a gaming-desktop replacement, the iBuyPower Battalion 101 LX750 includes a 17-inch wide-screen display with a 1,680x1,050 native resolution. Other 17-inch laptops, such as the Alienware Area-51 m5790 and the Dell Inspiron E1705, feature finer resolutions that look great but make text and icons hard to read. We think the Battalion 101 LX750's resolution strikes a nice balance between readability and an excellent display of graphics and video. The glossy coating on the screen makes colors pop without being annoyingly reflective (those who despise any reflections should note there is no option for a matte finish). Above the display sits a 1.3-megapixel Webcam for video chats and Web conferencing.

We were generally comfortable typing on the Battalion's keyboard, which includes a 10-key number pad. However, the laptop's compact design requires the keys to be a little closer together than expected (we kept hitting number keys instead of Enter). Also, several keys--such as the space bar, the right-side Shift key, and the Enter key--are shortened to make everything fit. We eventually got used to the layout, but we aren't used to making such adjustments on a laptop of this size and wonder whether it would have been better off without the numeric keypad or the 1-inch buffer zone on either side of the board. The touch pad, however, required no adjustment and felt responsive during our use. The metallic activation buttons were a bit stiffer than we'd prefer but functional. Above the keyboard sits a large power button flanked on each side by three controls. On the left are quick-launch buttons to start your default search, e-mail, and Web browser applications; on the right, a wireless on/off button, an on/off button for the built-in Webcam, and a button to launch your default music player.

With the exception of a DVI-out video port, the iBuyPower Battalion 101 LX750 includes a pretty basic mix of ports and connections. These include four USB 2.0 ports, mini-FireWire, and S-Video, plus headphone, microphone, and line-in jacks. A five-in-one media card reader on the front edge recognizes SecureDigital, MemoryStick, MemoryStick Pro, xD, and MultiMediaCard formats; expansion options include both a PC Card slot and a slot for the latest ExpressCards. For networking there are modem, Ethernet, and 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi. A multiformat DVD burner rounds out the features. The Toshiba Satellite P100-ST9772 includes all of those plus S/PDIF and VGA connectors; other desktop replacements include more USB ports and such higher-end features as high-definition DVD drives and TV tuners.

In a category where price tags can veer dangerously close to the $4,000 mark, our iBuyPower Battalion 101 LX750 review unit cost a very competitive $1,743. That price includes a 2.2GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-64 dual-core processor as well as 2GB of swift 667MHz RAM, an Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 graphics card with 256MB of dedicated VRAM, and a large 120GB hard drive spinning at 5,400rpm (rather pokey for a desktop replacement with a gaming emphasis). The Toshiba Satellite P100-ST9722 offers a larger hard drive and a higher-end graphics card, but it costs about $1,000 more than the Battalion 101 LX750; the gaming-oriented Alienware Area-51 m5790 Special Edition costs more than $4,000 for an overclocked Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a Blu-Ray drive, and two larger, faster hard drives.

In our DVD battery drain test, the iBuyPower Battalion 101 LX750 ran for about an hour and a half. Though brief, that's not an unreasonable battery life for a system in this class, and it's more or less identical to the battery lives of the Alienware Area-51 m5790 Special Edition and the Toshiba Satellite P100-ST9722.

The iBuyPower Battalion 101 LX750 ships with an industry-standard one-year warranty that covers parts and labor. The company also offers technical support for the life of the product, which is a really nice perk considering most vendors cut off phone support when the warranty expires. Unfortunately, phone support hours are limited, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday only. The company's support Web site is rather weak, offering only a list of contacts and a handful of driver downloads.

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iBuypower -- 2007 Intel Solution Summit Award Recipient
March 21, 2007

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iBuypower Gamer FS-X -- Flight Simulator written all over it—literally.
Edit by Matthew Murray March 2007


KEY SPECS:
Processor: Two 3GHz Athlon 64 Quad-FX74
Memory: 2GB DDR2
Storage: Two 250GB hard drives
Optical Drives: Double-layer DVD±RW; DVD-ROM
Monitor: 20-inch wide-screen LCD
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX (768MB)
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

Review:
We've been fans of Microsoft's Flight Simulator since we first encountered it in the '80s, but we never imagined it would inspire a desktop. The iBuypower Gamer FS-X has Flight Simulator written all over it—literally.

Our $3,450 test unit's periwinkle Clio case came with an elaborate appliqué of images from Flight Simulator X, the latest and most extensive version of Microsoft's venerable series. Plastered with pictures of seaplanes, helicopters, and even a plane's flight controls on the system's front panel, the Gamer FS-X visually captures all the innocent aeronautic fun of the game it celebrates.

We loved the whimsical look of the front 250mm fan that was made to look a jet engine, even if it didn't work. (The 250mm fan in the side panel did, however.) But as much as we enjoyed the look of the appliqué, it was somewhat haphazardly applied, peeling in places, not properly lined up in others, and even catching on the side panel of the case and preventing it from opening easily. In fairness, the case's seams and the curves of the fan housing probably don't help, but the high price should get you a fit and finish closer to perfection.

Once we got the panel open, though, we were impressed with what we found. The desktop's interior was very cleanly designed, with all the components impeccably organized, plus ample space for both upgrading and air circulation. The FS-X also features toolless design; you get two 250GB hard drives, a pair of optical drives (DVD-ROM and DVD±RW), and a 12-format flash-memory-card reader—all connected with mechanisms that require no screwdriver. (A small plastic case inside the system contained additional connection implements for further upgrading.)

Our Gamer FS-X featured a top-of-the-line nVidia 8800 GTX graphics card, a 700-watt power supply, three conveniently placed ports on the top of the case (one FireWire, two USB), a 20-inch wide-screen ViewSonic monitor, a Saitek II Eclipse gaming keyboard, and a Razer Diamondback mouse; the installed OS is Vista Home Premium. The PC also includes a three-year limited warranty and lifetime tech support.

This system is the first we've reviewed with AMD's new Quad-FX platform (in this case, the Quad-FX74, paired with 2GB of RAM), which combines two dual-core processors to achieve quad-core-like performance. Unfortunately, no Vista benchmarking tests were available at press time to chart the Gamer FS-X's overall office-productivity performance running the latest version of Windows, but we did test the PC in its intended habitat: gaming.

The powerful 8800 GTX graphics card did help the machine somewhat, game-wise: It scored a solid 10,766 on our 1,280x1,024 Futuremark 3DMark06 test, and it performed more than decently in Doom 3, averaging 139 frames per second (fps) at 1,024x768. In our 1,024x768 F.E.A.R. test, though, it pulled a measly 35fps, too low to do this intense game justice in Vista. Ironically, it did only passably well at Flight Simulator X, being practically unplayable at the highest detail levels at the included monitor's highest resolution (1,680x1,050), and a little sluggish (if more manageable) at more modest resolutions.

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iBuypower Value 640 -- A Good Bet For PC Enthusiasts On A Shoestring Budget
Edit by Matthew Elliott February 2007


KEY SPECS:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 (1.66 GHz)
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Storage: 320GB hard drive 
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 7600 GS (256MB)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Review:
It's not as trim and tidy as the Shuttle XPC X200M, nor does the iBuyPower Value 640 house as many features. This Vista-based home-theater PC provides better performance at a lower price, however, and it allows for easy upgrades--an important fact given the sparse configuration of our $1,001 review unit. For the money, you get a mid-level Core 2 Duo processor and a midrange GeForce graphics card, along with Vista Home Premium. This version of Vista includes Media Center, but you won't get full DVR functionality without first adding a TV tuner card and a Media Center remote. Two other features that we'd want to see in a PC destined for the living room are also absent: a wireless networking card and either a Blu-ray or an HD DVD drive. Thankfully, the Value 640's case gives you lots of room to grow, and with the system's low price, you'll likely have the funds for future upgrades.

At 14.6 inches wide, 5.8 inches tall, and 18.1 inches deep, the iBuyPower Value 640 is nearly twice as tall as the compact Shuttle XPC X200M and much wider and longer. Whereas the Shuttle is the size of a slim DVD player, the iBuyPower is closer in size to a big A/V receiver. The $1,149 XPC X200M is the more complete system, with a TV tuner and a wireless card inside, but Shuttle restricts access to the case--crack open the Shuttle's case, and you void the warranty. Only two thumbscrews separate you from getting inside the iBuyPower Value 640, and you won't void the warranty if you do pry inside. The NZXT Duet case provides easy access to the motherboard; the power supply and the DVD burner sit in the front of the case, leaving the motherboard completely unobstructed.

On the MSI P965 Neo board, there are two x1 PCI Express slots, three PCI slots, and two open DIMM slots. A wireless 802.11g card should have occupied one of the PCI slots--it's a standard feature on the Value 640--but iBuyPower forgot to include it on our review unit. This type of oversight makes us question the level of quality put into each PC that leaves iBuyPower's factory. If the company can't correctly assemble a system it is submitting for an in-depth review, how careful is it when building custom orders from its customers?

Also, while iBuyPower binds most of the cables to keep the interior somewhat neat, the small power cord for the fan on the CPU heat sink is not bound and coils a bit too close to the side-panel cooling fan; we could envision that cord eventually nudging the fan and creating an annoying racket if left as is.

On the case's exterior, a small, flip-down panel under the power button hides two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, and headphone and mic jacks. Behind a larger panel that takes up the right side of the front panel, you'll find the system's DVD burner, a free 5.25-inch drive bay, and a media card reader. iBuyPower told us the Blu-ray and HD DVD drives are still in tight supply, and the company didn't know when it would begin offering next-gen HD optical drives.

Overall, the NZXT Duet chassis is inoffensive and it's better looking than what we saw last year with the iBuyPower Viiv-350 system. Seeing that the Value 640 uses Vista, however, we were hoping to find some sort of auxiliary display that took advantage of Vista's SideShow feature a la the small LCD on the lid of this Asus laptop. Such a display would be especially useful in a living-room PC, where you could view track and album information, for example, without having to turn on your TV.

To connect the Value 640 to your television, you have your choice among VGA, DVI, and S-Video, all courtesy of the system's 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7600 GS card. The integrated Realtek audio chip provides 7.1 surround sound, though iBuyPower offers a number of Sound Blaster cards. Likewise, there's a long list of graphics cards from which to choose, though the 7600 GS strikes a good balance for the Value 640 intended purpose as a living-room PC. You'll need to add a TV tuner if you want to record your shows to the Value 640's hard drive; iBuyPower sells a handful of internal TV tuner cards and an external box on the Value 640's online configuration tool. If you plan to record and archive TV shows, we'd recommend choosing a larger hard drive than our review unit's 320GB unit, particularly if you plan to record over-the-air HD content, which will result in very large video files.

Included in our review unit's price is a 17-inch KDS LCD, tiny stereo speakers, and a wired keyboard and mouse set from Apevia. You'll save $141 if you don't need the LCD and you expect to integrate the Value 640 into your home theater. If that's the plan, we recommend upgrading the keyboard and mouse to a wireless set.

With what amounts to mainstream specs these days--Core 2 Duo E6400 processor, 1GB of memory, and the aforementioned midrange GeForce card--the iBuyPower Value 640 ran Vista Home Premium with nary a hiccup. It carried out standard Windows tasks and Media Center tasks without a pause. Thanks to its desktop CPU, it clearly outpaced the other two Vista-based PCs we've reviewed, the HP TouchSmart PC IQ770 and the Shuttle XPC X200M, both of which use mobile dual-core chips.

The iBuyPower trailed XP-based Gateway DX420X on all of our benchmarks, which shows the power the Core 2 Duo E6600 processor; although it's clocked only slightly faster than the Value 640's E6400, it features twice the L2 cache. The Gateway also enjoys the advantage of having a more powerful graphics card while also running Windows XP, which isn't as resource intensive as Vista Home Premium. To be fair, the Gateway DX420X is $650 more expensive than the Value 640, so you should expect it to outperform the cheaper iBuyPower PC.

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iBuypower Gamer 640 -- A Perfectly Balanced Midrange Desktop
Edit by Bill O'Brien December 2006


KEY SPECS:
Processor: 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo E6400
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Storage: 320GB hard drive
Optical Drives: Double-layer DVD±RW; DVD-ROM
Monitor: No monitor
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS (640MB)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional

Review:
To keep the iBuypower Gamer 640 perfectly balanced at $1,499, the company had to select components from both the bottom and the top of the parts bin. It's a strategy that worked very well.

Intel's Core 2 Duo is a powerful and popular desktop processor, but the Gamer 640's 2.13GHz E6400 CPU is near the bottom of the Core 2 Duo lineup. This desktop runs Half Life 2: Lost Coast well, however, in large part because of its blazing GeForce 8800 GTS graphics card. Having such a tall graphics ceiling makes you wonder if you shouldn't lay down another hundred dollars for a Core 2 Duo E6600, clocked at 2.4GHz. That might be a good idea, considering that iBuypower shipped the Gamer 640 overclocked to 2.3GHz, which resulted in better benchmark scores but also instability. We dropped the processor down to its normal 2.13GHz, and the Gamer 640 lost between 2 and 5 percent of its overclocked benchmark performance. These results weren't disappointing, but you will get more for that extra $100.

If you buy the system as ours was configured, you'll get 1GB of memory, a double-layer DVD burner, a DVD-ROM drive, a 12-format flash-card reader, and an impressive Saitek Eclipse II gaming keyboard and Razer Diamondback mouse. The Asus P5N-SLI motherboard, which supports up to 4GB of memory, has integrated LAN and 7.1-channel sound. iBuypower also adds an 802.11b/g wireless PCI card, which leaves you with just one available PCI slot.

Four rear-panel and two front-mounted USB ports give you flexible external connectivity; a front-side FireWire port and headphone and mic jacks complete the plug-in array. Three 5.25-inch external bays and two 3.5-inch internal bays are available for drive expansion in the NZXT Apollo case.

iBuypower backs the Gamer 640 with a three-year labor/one-year parts warranty with depot service. That's adequate for a computer with so much growth potential, but most of the parts also carry longer original equipment manufacturer warranties of their own.

You can load this system with goodies from the start using iBuypower's online configurator, but we'd suggest you take it home, drive it for a while, and then upgrade as the need arises. It's a great starting point for the Vista generation of PCs.

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