Battle Of The Boutique Behemoths: iBuyPower Vs. Maingear PC

1. Less Work, More Play

Most enthusiasts prefer to build things on their own boxes, but the time involved can often be excessive, especially when overclocking and stability tests are (necessary) parts of the plan. If you’d rather spend your leisure time doing anything but banging your head against the desk (and don't mind paying a bit extra for that luxury), a boutique builder might be the best way to get exactly what you’re looking for in a PC. But whom should you choose?

Two leaders in configuration options, iBuyPower and Maingear PC, designed a pair of $4,200 systems specifically to meet high-end performance demands in gaming and general multi-tasking. Comparing these should answer some questions about which company provides the best build quality and/or value.

Custom-Built PC Specifications
System	iBuyPower Paladin	Maingear PC EPHEX
CPU	Intel Core i7 965 (3.20 GHz, 8.0 MB Cache) Overclocked to 3.73 GHz (28x 133.3)	Intel Core i7 920 (2.66 GHz, 8.0 MB Cache) Overclocked to 3.80 GHz (14x 200)
CPU Cooler	Asetek Low Cost Liquid Cooling (LCLC) 2x 120 mm Dual-Fan Radiator	Maingear Arctic X20 by CoolIT Systems 2x 120 mm Dual-Fan Radiator
Motherboard	Asus P6T Deluxe V2 Intel X58/ICH10R Chipset, LGA-1366	Asus P6T Intel X58/ICH10R Chipset, LGA-1366
RAM	Corsair 6.0 GB DDR3-1600 CAS 9-9-9-24 (2T)	Kingston 6.0 GB DDR3-1600 CAS 8-8-8-20 (1T)
Graphics	2x XFX GeForce GTX 295 1.8 GB SLI 576/1,242MHz GPU/Shader, GDDR3-2484	3x EVGA GeForce GTX 285 1.0 GB, SLI 648/1,476MHz GPU/Shader, GDDR3-2484
System Hard Drive	Intel X25-M 80GB SATA 3.0 Gb/s SSD	Intel X25-M 80GB SATA 3.0 Gb/s SSD
Storage Hard Drive	Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B 1.0 TB 7,200 RPM, 16 MB Cache, SATA 3.0 Gb/s	Western Digital Caviar Black 1.0 TB 7,200 RPM, 32 MB Cache SATA 3.0 Gb/s
Sound	Integrated HD Audio	Integrated HD Audio
Network	Integrated Gigabit Networking	Integrated Gigabit Networking
Power	Corsair CMPSU-1000HX 1,000 W Modular ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91, 80-Plus	Silverstone DA1000 1,000 W Modular ATX 12V 2.2 / EPS 12V, Active PFC
Optical	LG GH22NP20 22X DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW Panasonic SW-5584 2x BD-RE, 8x BD-R	Lite-On iHAS422-08 22X DVD±R, 8X DVD±RW
Removable	12-In-1 Internal Flash Card Reader/Writer	All-In-One USB 2.0 Flash Card Reader/Writer
Software
OS	Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate x64 SP1	Windows Vista Home Premium x64 SP1
Productivity	None	None
Games	FarCry 2, Halo 2	None
Warranty and Price
Warranty Period	3-Year Warranty	14-months (3-year option add $199.99)
Price	$4,368 ($4,209 w/o Keyboard, Mouse, BRD)	$4,205 ($4,405 with 3-year Warranty)

iBuyPower skewed the price comparison a bit by including a keyboard, mouse, and BRD compared to Maingear system, but none of these will affect benchmark performance. Ignoring those parts puts these systems within $10 of each other, making the head-to-head extremely well-balanced.

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0

mansalim , May 6, 2009 2:22 AM

ibuypower is cooler i think.. you got everything, quad sli, BD player, SSD drive, 965 extreme at almost the same price point.. haha good article. wish i had the money
0

astrowhiz , May 7, 2009 1:06 AM

Great, another article with systems you can't buy in the UK.
0

zebzz , May 7, 2009 3:47 AM

Dosent matter you can build one of those rigs yourself here is a breakdown.

Product Name Qty Line Total
Dell Ultrasharp 3008WFP 30"
Widescreen LCD Monitor 1 £1,091.34
Intel Core i7 965 3.20Ghz
(Nehalem) Extreme Edition
(Socket LGA1366) - Retail 1 £805.00
XFX GeForce GTX 295 1792MB
GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI 2 £942.98
Intel X25-M Mainstream 80GB
2.5" SATA-II SSD 1 £298.98
Asus P6T Deluxe Intel X58
(Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard 1 £239.99
Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB)
DDR3 PC3-12800C8 (1600MHz) 1 £157.99
Microsoft Windows Vista
Ultimate SP1 64-Bit 1 £149.99
LG GGW-H20L Blu-Ray Rewriter
& HD-DVD ROM Serial ATA Drive 1 £149.99
Coolermaster Real Power 1000w
Modular Power Supply 1 £142.99
Coolermaster HAF 932 Case 1 £105.79
Swiftech H2O 120 Compact Kit 1 £103.49
Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B 1TB
SATA-II 16MB Cache 1 £71.29
Razer Lycosa Gaming Keyboard 1 £61.00
Razer DeathAdder Blue 1800dpi
High Precision Gaming Mouse 1 £35.98
Scythe Card Reader &
Floppy Drive - Black 1 £26.44
LG GH22NP20 22x DVD±RW IDE
Dual Layer ReWriter 1 £16.99
Total: £4,420.47
0

the-real-link , May 7, 2009 10:44 AM

Zebzz, isn't that around $6,000 USD? There's quite a difference between 4,000 pounds and 4,000 dollars I'm afraid. I've not priced out everything you listed in USD but still, that seems to give you quite a sweet system!
0

cmashwin , May 7, 2009 12:03 PM

Since an overclocked 920 beats the 965 in most of the tests, why waste money on the 965? even if u burn out ur 920 during suicide runs, u wud still have enuff cash to buy another 920!
0

david__t , May 7, 2009 6:54 PM

Who in their right mind would build a $4000 PC and use onboard sound - utterly ridiculous.
0

zebzz , May 7, 2009 10:35 PM

If you were going to buy this system in USD at the moment it would be $6,648.71, but I would do as smashwin suggested and look towards compnents that can provide similar or better performance for a reduce prices managed to get it down to £3,600. Also dont forget as a system builder they will get discounts on hardware and they will also get the OS for a fraction of the cost we would pay for it and I also put a 30" Dell screen becuase the tests were being done at 2560x1600, they mgiht have come with smaller screens.

And for dvid__t there has also been a SB X-Fi card added to that new lower price. The system should be clockerable to about 3.8 to 4.0Ghz