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Maingear SHIFT reviewed: $7,000 can shatter a lot of records

by Darren Murph posted Nov 5th 2009 at 11:01AM

It's the priciest rig we've seen since we laid eyes on Alienware's latest gaggle of machines back at TGS, and it's not even from a company that you would generally take seriously in the gaming PC arena. But according to Computer Shopper, that small-man bias should be shelved, and fast. Maingear's newly unveiled SHIFT can be had for just over $2,000 if you stick with the basics, but CS managed to review a loaded-out $7,113 edition that produced "record-shattering performance." The "uncompromising design" and build quality was also lauded, through the college-fund shattering price tag prevented it from notching a 10/10 rating. Feel free to tap the read link for the full skinny, but honestly, this thing simply did exactly what it should've done for the price; anything less than world-beating would've been a disgrace at seven large.

Maingear unveils Core i7-packin' SHIFT, your own 'personal supercomputer'

by Darren Murph posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 9:00AM

We'll be straight with ya -- we're betting these "personal supercomputer" claims are just a bit out of line with reality, but even still, there's no denying that Maingear has shoved an insane amount of horsepower beneath the (admittedly large) hood of its newest rig. The beastly SHIFT does away with copious LED lighting and blinging accents found on many modern gaming PCs and instead opts for a classier, more ominous tower. Within, you'll find a vertical airflow system, a Core i7 processor, your choice of ATI or NVIDIA graphics, 8GB (and up) of DDR3-1600 RAM, up to 6 HDDs or 12 SSDs, DVD and Blu-ray options, an Asetek liquid-cooling solution, Razer peripherals, an optional Killer NIC Xeno Pro and Windows 7 running the show. The Intel P55 rig gets going at $2,199, while the X58 model starts $400 higher; for those in creative design fields, Maingear's expected to unveil a SHIFT just for you in the near future. Head on past the break for the full release.

Gallery: Maingear unveils Core i7-packin' SHIFT, your own 'personal supercomputer'

Continue reading Maingear unveils Core i7-packin' SHIFT, your own 'personal supercomputer'

Maingear, CyberPower and iBuyPower gaming desktops pick up ATI Radeon HD 5870

by Darren Murph posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 5:24PM

ATI's Radeon HD 5870 GPU has already taken its rightful place within a few of Alienware's newest desktops, but as with most every major GPU launch, a few of the smaller guys are also taking the opportunity to offer gamers the option to pick one up inside of a new rig. Maingear's Ephex, F131, Prelude, and Dash can all be ordered up right now with the staggeringly potent graphics card, and if none of those suit your fancy, CyberPower would be more than happy to have your business. In fact, it has squeezed the DirectX 11-friendly GPU into the Gamer Xtreme 4200 (starts at $999), Gamer Xtreme 5200 (starts at $1,393) and the AMD-based Gamer Dragon 9500 (starting at $927). Still on the hunt? iBuyPower has an eerily similar trio, though their lineup starts at just $819. Hit the read links below if you feel like putting together a system for kicks, but don't blame us when the order button presses itself.

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Read - iBuyPower rigs

Continue reading Maingear, CyberPower and iBuyPower gaming desktops pick up ATI Radeon HD 5870

Maingear's eX-L 15 gaming laptop arrives on planet Earth

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 6th 2009 at 6:29PM

Maingear may have given up on the "world's most powerful gaming laptop" title for the time being, but it's still keeping expectations pretty high for its new ex-L 15 laptop, which has just arrived on the scene from parts unknown. Judging from the specs, however, it won't have much trouble keeping up with the competition, with it packing your choice of top-end Intel processors, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a max 1TB SATA hard drive or 160GB SSD, a built-in DVD burner or optional Blu-ray drive, and your choice of a glossy 15.4-inch 1680 x 1050 display or (thankfully) a 1,920 x 1,200 display with a matte finish. Sold? Then you can pick one up right now for a starting price of $1,899, or you can wait until September when the slightly lower-end mX-L 15 model will be available.

Maingear's eX-L 18 grabs for "world's most powerful gaming laptop" title

by Darren Murph posted Jul 24th 2009 at 1:08AM

You know, this whole "most powerful laptop" game is pretty hilarious. Back in '05, CompAmerica's (who?) Orca 9098 held the title with a cutting-edge 3.8GHz Pentium 4, and over the years, we've watched outfit after outfit pull the award back and forth, much like those tugging games we used to play as tots. Regardless, it seems as if Maingear's down for the fun, today rolling out the planet's all new "world's most powerful gaming laptop" in the eX-L 18, which arrives with an undisclosed Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme processor, twin NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to three 2.5-inch SATA or SSD drives, an optional Blu-ray drive and a screen that's probably larger than your mother's desktop LCD. And by that, we mean 18.4-inches with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. If you're down with lugging around this beast, you can get one headed your way provided you've got at least $2,999 you're willing to see off.

Gallery: Maingear's eX-L 18 grabs for "world's most powerful gaming laptop" title

Continue reading Maingear's eX-L 18 grabs for "world's most powerful gaming laptop" title

Maingear's Axess HD Gamer PC looks to blow your mind, empty your wallet

by Ross Miller posted Jun 19th 2009 at 4:44AM

Make no bones about, Maingear's new Axess HD Gamer (and by merit of its namesake, HTPC, too) is nothing if not a powerhouse for those wanting to pay an arm and a leg for a souped up gaming experience. You want specs? At its best, we're looking at an Intel Core i7 on a X58 chipset, dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT in SLI, up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM, Blu-ray, Windows Vista / Media Center, and two 3.5-inch storage bays supporting 320GB SSD or 2TB HDD. If you need more nerd cred, ghost of vaporware past Phantom Lapboard serves as one of the bundled input devices, as does the NVIDIA GeForce 3D vision kit and a 22-inch Samsung LCD. Starting price is $1,799, but if you wanna go for broke -- and whether not you can, you probably want to -- top configurations can run you well over $5,000.

Maingear introduces eco-friendly, Ion-powered Pulse SFF PC

by Darren Murph posted Jun 5th 2009 at 10:05AM

Stating that NVIDIA's Ion platform has already snagged wide industry support would be a gross understatement, but for whatever reason, Maingear decided to skip out on all the Computex revelry and blaze a trail of its own. Hailed as the planet's greenest gaming PC (which is certainly up for debate), the Pulse is an energy efficient small form factor PC that offers up Ion graphics. Said configuration is available with Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs and an 80+ certified 300-watt power supply; those who care more about frame rates than Ma Earth can opt for a GeForce 9800 GT ECO, which -- despite being a discrete, power-hungry GPU -- still swallows some 40 percent less power than a standard 9800 GT. You'll also find WiFi support, room for an optional Blu-ray drive and TV tuner, upwards of 8GB of RAM and room for a single 2.5-inch HDD or SSD. The whole box checks in at just 7.6- x 8.3- x 11.4-inches, and it's available for order right now starting at $799. Full release is after the break.

Gallery: Maingear introduces eco-friendly, Ion-powered Pulse SFF PC

Continue reading Maingear introduces eco-friendly, Ion-powered Pulse SFF PC

Maingear freshens up F131 gaming desktop

by Darren Murph posted May 7th 2009 at 2:32PM

Maingear's latest gaming desktop doesn't arrive with any 3D goggles or fairy dust, but it does boast a nice sheet of specifications and a surely polarizing motif. The relaunched F131 offers gamers quite a lot of options, providing a choice between AMD's Phenom II or Intel's Core i7 and even the ability to shove a trio of ATI Radeon 4890 graphics cards in there for triple-digit frame rates. Deep-pocketed consumers can also get 8TB of HDD space, acoustic dampening technology for whisper quiet operation, Maingear's M.A.R.C. custom laser etching and upwards of 12GB of DDR3 RAM. The newly decorated F131 is up for order now starting at $1,299, but it doesn't take long to push that figure well beyond the two grand mark.

Maingear unloads BD / SSD-equipped mX-L 13.3-inch laptop

by Darren Murph posted Mar 26th 2009 at 1:48PM

Look out, world -- a relative no-name has just showed up with a new ultraportable, and it's darn tough to not pay attention with a specs sheet like this. The Maingear mX-L arrives with a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display (1,280 x 800), a Core 2 Duo CPU, GMA X4500HD graphics, 8GB of DDR2 RAM, 160GB Intel X25-M SSD (or a 500GB HDD for those without the cheddar), a dual-layer Blu-ray reader, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, VGA output, three USB 2.0 sockets and a custom etched top that's totally take-it-or-leave-it. The unit weighs in at 4.4 pounds and gets going at $1,099.99, but don't expect that measly four-cell Li-ion to last you through a whole transcontinental flight.

Gallery: Maingear unloads BD / SSD-equipped mX-L 13.3-inch laptop

Maingear intros Prelude 2 3D gaming system

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Feb 19th 2009 at 11:14AM

Maingear bills itself as a fine purveyor of "high performance luxury computers," hand built machines such as the Remix workstation (for "creative professionals"), and now Prelude 2, a 3D gaming workstation that features the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision setup, a 22-inch SyncMaster 2233RZ display, and a desktop PC rocking an Intel Core i7 processor -- all for $1,999 (though were guessing that once you start tweaking things here and there the price can rise pretty quickly). More detailed specs are sadly unavailable at the moment, but if you've been itching to jump on the 3D bandwagon (not that we approve, but whatever) this one is probably worth a look. Full release is after the break.

Update: Feel free to check out the order page over at Maingear's site for all the system's specifications and customization options.

Continue reading Maingear intros Prelude 2 3D gaming system

Maingear intros Remix workstation for the creative professional

by Darren Murph posted Jan 30th 2009 at 2:34PM

We tell ya, Maingear doesn't get a lot of play amongst the big timers like Dell and HP, but it sure knows how to crank out machines that are just different enough to be worth examining. Enter the Remix workstation, a desktop designed for creative professionals who dabble in graphic design, video production and pro audio. As expected, there's plenty of horsepower under the hood including a Core i7 CPU, Quadro FX / CX GPU options, up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM, RAID 0 HDD configurations, gobs of ports and an advanced liquid cooling system to keep the fans from making too much racket. The "handbuilt in America" machine starts at $1,999, though you can easily push that figure above the four grand mark with just a few tweaks. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Maingear intros Remix workstation for the creative professional

Maingear prepping mammoth Centrino 2-based eX-L gaming laptop

by Darren Murph posted Jul 16th 2008 at 1:38PM

For those who won't even glance in the general direction of a gaming laptop unless it weighs in at 12+ pounds, you'll probably be unable to take your retinas off of Maingear's forthcoming beast. Word on the street has it that the aptly-titled eX-L will posses a potent 3.06GHz Core 2 Extreme X9100 CPU, which will predictably be overclocked by an undisclosed amount. Graphically, we're told to expect a couple of ATI GPUs or a single NVIDIA unit, while the 17-inch display, built-in speakers (with subwoofer) and 802.11n WiFi are pretty much par for the course. Pricing and availability details are still being withheld, but it sounds like this one won't be coming your way cheap.

Maingear offers up Quad FX-powered BEAST, throws in 1,000 watt PSU

by Darren Murph posted Dec 1st 2006 at 2:16PM

Aw yeah, just hours (nay, moments) after AMD's Quad FX chip went official, we've already seen one machine ready and willing to satisfy your gaming desires, and now we've found another. Maingear is busting out an Athlon 64 FX-powered BEAST aimed at hardcore (and sufficiently funded) gamers looking for the latest and greatest. The machine is fully customizable (right down to the paintjob), but comes stock with twin FX-70 processors, a 1,000 watt power supply (!), liquid cooling system, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 250GB SATA hard drive, a paltry 16x DVD-ROM drive, NVIDIA's GeForce 8800GTS 640MB graphics card, 8-channel HD audio, dual gigabit Ethernet, Windows XP Home, and a one-year warranty. While it won't take long to price this bad boy right into the stratosphere, it starts out a hair under $3,900, and should handle just about anything -- at least for the next few months -- without a hitch.

Maingear's Prysma does Viiv Egyptian-style

by Paul Miller posted Apr 14th 2006 at 3:39PM

We knew that shady Viiv spec had a few tricks up its sleeve, and apparently they involve completely pointless (well, rather pointed in this case) yet strangely mesmerizing form factors. The new pyramid-shaped Prysma Media Center PC from game PC manufacturer Maingear has support for the Viiv spec, and though the $1752 base configuration has a mere 512MB of RAM, 80GB HDD, and integrated graphics, there's plenty of room to grow. Of course, in keeping with the Viiv spec, there is gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 Intel HD Audio, and a Pentium D 920 Dual Core 2.8Ghz processor, so the PC should at least be able to push around a bit of HD content if you can manage to find some. Maingear rounds out the Prysma with dual NTSC tuners and some pricey ($299) custom color options.