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Maingear is building ventilators using gaming PC cases
The LIV ventilator could be a simple way to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maingear's latest PC is built for flight simulators
Maingear has teamed with flight sim outfit Honeycomb Aeronautical on a desktop PC designed for flight simulator nerds. "Honeycomb by Maingear" is built to handle the complex demands of airplane sims, with triple-monitor support and a built-in USB hub to handle your yoke, rudder pedals, throttle, panels and other sundry sim hardware. It comes installed with X-Plane 11 and everything is set up to ensure a plug-and-play experience, the companies say.
Razer and Maingear partner on an all-out gaming PC
Maingear isn't playing favorites when it comes to partners for over-the-top gaming rigs. The PC builder is teaming up with Razer for the R1 Razer Edition, a tower PC that's as much about showing off as boosting your frame rates. Razer, as you might have noticed, handles the design -- it's monolithic, flashy and loaded with green lighting, including for the optional liquid cooling system. Even the wiring is kept super-tidy to both improve airflow and impress your friends.
HP's new Omen gaming PCs include a cube-shaped desktop
Gamers have many reasons why they steer clear of desktops from big-name brands, but one of the biggest is the poor expansion. You may have fewer upgrade slots (if any) versus a white label or home-built rig, and you'll frequently have to contend with non-standard parts. HP thinks it can make you reconsider, however. It's refreshing its Omen gaming PCs once again, and the highlight is a completely new Omen X Desktop that promises both the perks of a major company's industrial design with the expansion that you crave. That cube-on-its-side look is not only relatively unique in a sea of generic towers, but genuinely functional. Its three-chamber structure separates hot components while giving you room for expansion that includes dual graphics cards, four tool-free hard drive bays and an M.2 SSD. Also, this is an industry-standard chassis -- HP will sell you the barebones case if you prefer to supply your own internals, and Maingear will even build its own beastly gaming PC around the box this year.
Maingear proves that all-in-ones can be monster gaming PCs
Ask gamers why they don't buy all-in-one PCs and they'll usually give you two main reasons: The hardware isn't beefy enough, and it's rare that you can upgrade after the fact. Well, Maingear might have both issues licked. Its new Alpha 34 crams genuinely good hardware behind a curved, 34-inch 1440p display -- we're talking up to an 8-core Intel Core i7 processor (or an 18-core Xeon chip), NVIDIA Titan X graphics and other parts you'd normally expect in a big tower. You can still expand it with desktop-sized parts, and there's optional liquid cooling to spare you from listening to fans all day.
How would you change Maingear's Pulse 17?
When Maingear's Pulse 17 launched, it was famous for being the world's thinnest 17-inch gaming laptop (not that that's a big achievement) and its sports car paintjob. Jam packed with top-of-the-line hardware, the Pulse 17 was an easy device to fall in love with, except for a few minor gripes that knocked some of the sheen of the experience. After all, if you're spending $3,000 on a laptop, you expect a working keyboard, right? Still, now we turn the question over to you, so head over to our forums and talk about what you loved and loathed about this device.
Another Steam Machine is coming, this one from Maingear
If you thought the Steam Machine news would be limited to Valve's announcement, well you're not quite right. Maingear's back to give the the platform another go with the Drift. What's in the aluminum box? An Intel i7-4790K processor mated with either an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 or an AMD Radeon R9 290X -- both of which are 4K capable. What's more, Maingear boasts that its Steam OS machine can hold up to 16GB of DDR RAM, a pair of 1TB solid state drives and a single 6TB hard drive as well. Those options alone will almost assuredly drive the price a bit beyond the $849 (!!!) baseline Mainger's asking.
Which gaming PCs are worth buying?
If you're serious about your computer gaming, you're going to want a desktop made for it. Many gamers choose to build their own, selecting the parts that best suit their needs. But to do that, you need the time and money, and it also generally helps to know what you're doing. For those of you lacking in one of these essential qualities, there are plenty of companies that will sell you a great pre-configured gaming PC or even a custom-built one. But which to choose? While we don't really review gaming desktops ourselves here at Engadget, we've gathered opinions from across the web on some recent gaming PCs to help you figure out which one will best suit your individual needs.
Daily Roundup: Maingear Pulse 17 review, DJI's photography-oriented drone and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Maingear Pulse 17 review: portability, paint and power come at a hefty price
Whisper it, but we think that 2014 is going to be a watershed year for PC gaming. Despite dwindling interest in the platform (compared to smartphones and tablets), heavy-duty machines for polygon cranking are gaining more prominence. After all, the Xbox One, PS4 and Steam Machines are all, broadly speaking, gaming PCs in boxes that will more comfortably sit beneath your DVR. But what does this mean for the traditional desktops and laptops we grew up with? It's a question that high-end outfit Maingear is wrestling with as it releases the Pulse 17. The 17-inch gaming notebook was trumpeted as the "world's thinnest," and more than just a desktop replacement. No, this is designed to go places, and that's why as much time has been spent on the outside as the in. But will an expensive paint job really be what sells you on this gear? Join us as we give this machine a proper shakedown.
Maingear's Spark is a tiny Steam Machine with laptop internals
Traditionally, gaming PCs aren't built with size in mind, but Valve's Steam Machine initiative has changed the game -- now these rigs are taking up residence in the living room. In fact, that's exactly what Maingear's Spark was built for. This diminutive PC is built from notebook components: a 3.1GHz AMD A8-5575M processor with Radeon R9 M275X graphics, up to 16GB of DDR3L RAM and support for a 256GB SSD with a spare 2.5-inch HDD tray. All together, the Spark measures in at just over two inches tall and 4.5 inches wide in either direction. Tiny? You bet. Weighing less than a pound, Maingear says it's the smallest gaming PC they've ever offered. Despite its size, the company still had room to squeeze in four USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet and audio jacks and both HDMI and Mini DisplayPort output. Unfortunately, the Spark's final price point is up in the air, but the company promises it will be "an affordable PC solution." Spark is set to launch in the first quarter in Windows 7, Windows 8 and Steam OS configurations.
Here are Valve's 14 Steam Machines partners (so far)
Valve's Steam Machines initiative is supported by a first-party box that 300 beta users have right now, but 2014 is all about third-party Steam Machines taking that reference box and running with it. Thus far, the only third parties we know of that're making Steam Machines are iBuyPower and Digital Storm -- today, that all changes. Alienware, Falcon Northwest, iBuyPower, CyberPowerPC, Origin PC, Gigabyte, Materiel.net, Webhallen, Alternate, Next, Zotac and Scan Computers are among the first companies signed on to support Valve's initiative, Engadget learned this afternoon. The entire lineup will be on display this week at CES 2014, and we'll have many more details in the coming days. Beyond the dozen companies above, it's totally possible that there are other third parties signed on for Steam Machines -- we'll have to wait and see when Valve unveils everything at its press conference tomorrow afternoon. Update: As seen in the image above, live from Valve's CES 2014 presser, those third-party manufacturers are double confirmed. Maingear is the final addition that makes 14 in total.
Maingear announces Pulse 17, the 'world's thinnest' 17-inch gaming notebook
Maingear's normal method of constructing a gaming notebook works something a little like this: 1. Grab a Clevo chassis, 2. Crowbar as much high-power tech it can. For the Pulse 17, however, the company has decided to follow a different path. Abandoning Clevo's hardware, the company has crafted a 17-inch laptop that'll put a dent in your wallet and your friend's egos. This self-styled "world's thinnest" gaming notebook comes with a Haswell Core i7 4700HQ clocked at 2.4GHz, but which'll push all the way up to 3.4GHz when required, in addition to a GeForce GTX 765M with 2GB RAM and a staggering 16GB RAM. Up front, your eyes will be staring into a 17.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080 widescreen display, and users will have a choice of a 1TB HDD or a pair of 480GB SSDs in a Raid 0 configuration. Systems go on sale from today and will start from $2,099 -- with prices increasing depending on your build-to-order choices, naturally.
Maingear rolls out Battlefield 4-themed gaming PCs with Radeon R9 graphics
Do you like Battlefield so much that you bleed blue and orange? You'll like Maingear's new Battlefield 4-branded Shift (pictured at left) and F131 (right) gaming PCs, then. Both special editions will ship with BF4-themed case artwork, desktop wallpaper and codes to download the game itself. They'll also have performance that does justice to EA's military shooter, as Maingear is equipping the two desktops with AMD's just-launched Radeon R9 290X video cards. Pre-orders for the BF4 systems start today; the F131 will set you back $2,199 with one R9 290X inside, while the Shift carries two cards and a heftier $3,789 base price.
Maingear launches liquid-cooled Epic series with 4th-gen Intel Core-i7 CPUs
Liquid-cooled PCs are de rigueur for serious gamers, but Maingear knows there are plenty who'd rather crowbar headcrabs than fiddle with plumbing. To that end, the company's just buttressed its water-chilled desktop lineup with the Epic Series, consisting of the full-tower Force and mid-sized Rush models. Each pack a "BiTurbo" pump design that keeps things cool in the event of a single pump failure, along with the latest Intel 4th-generation Core i7 or AMD FX processors. As for graphics, you'll get four-way SLI NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan or Radeon HD 7970 GPUs if you opt for the Force model, while the Rush offers two-way GeForce GTX Titan SLI or dual Radeon HD 7990 graphics. There are also numerous memory, storage and static pressure fans using Corsair parts, and custom touches like lighting and Glasurit paint with an "automotive finish." Prices start at $3,259 for the Force and $3,059 for the Rush and go way up from there -- if that doesn't phase you, check the source for more.
Computex 2013: the best of Haswell
Intel used this year's Computex to officially debut Haswell-based Core processors, and it had no shortage of willing launch partners: seemingly everyone had at least one updated PC to reveal. The refinements to battery life and graphics also led to quite a few companies pushing the boundaries, whether it was in cutting-edge screens or exotic form factors. Quite frankly, there was a lot to cope with in several days -- enough so that we're putting the more important Haswell offerings in one convenient roundup. Read on for our look at the desktops, laptops and tablets that launched in sync with Taiwan's premier tech event.
Maingear's Pulse 14 laptop: Haswell and a GeForce GTX 760M starting at $1,299
Haswell-infused devices have been stepping out from behind curtains for the past few days, and now Maingear's ready to unveil its latest gaming notebook with Intel's fresh silicon: the Pulse 14. Each configuration of the rig comes decked out with a quad-core Core i7 processor clocked at 2.2GHz, a GeForce GTX 760M graphics card with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, 2.1-channel speakers and a 14-inch, 1,600x900 resolution display. As for connectivity, an SD card slot, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet and three USB 3.0 ports all come standard with the machine. Extracting $1,299 from your wallet will net you a respectable 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 500GB hybrid drive. Ponying up $1,399 will nab you a 1TB HDD with a 32GB caching SSD, while shelling out $1,699 brings in 16GB of RAM and two 128GB solid state drives in Raid 0 backed by a 1TB hard drive. Take a gander at the laptop in the bordering gallery or hit the break for more details in the press release.%Gallery-190358%
How would you change Maingear's Pulse 11?
Gaming laptops are tricky beasts to review, since you're naturally sacrificing those normally cherished qualities (battery life, portability) for pure performance. When your humble narrator reviewed Maingear's Pulse 11, we found that its hulking insides were only let down by a slightly awkward keyboard and a weak trackpad. In fact, as an eleven-inch premium gaming machine, we were staggered, and as long as you bring along some peripherals, we had no reservations about recommending one. Then again, we didn't live with one of these for the better part of six months. As such, we need to turn to our readers and ask, if you own one of these, what do you love, what do you loathe and most importantly, what would you change?
Maingear fits 3-way GTX Titan graphics into (un-priced) gaming PC
If you're a high-end gaming PC manufacturer, why not just time your desktop launches for when the latest pixel-blasting GPUs come out? That's exactly how Maingear rolls, so it's just announced three new machines based on NVIDIA's freshly launched GeForce GTX Titan. The new flagship graphics card borrows its name (and some of its tech) from the Kepler-based Titan supercomputer and packs 2,688 CUDA cores and 7.1 billion transistors, along with 6GB of GDDR5 RAM and a 384-bit interface. That lends it 4,500 Gigaflops of horsepower, displacing the company's GTX 690 model at the top while letting modders overclock and overvolt the cards with "higher limits than ever," according to NVIDIA. Maingear will ship three units armed with the Titan: the SHIFT, which will be available in dual or three-way GTX Titan configurations, the F131 with one or two cards and the single-card only Potenza. All feature a 90 degree rotated motherboard design to vent hot air out the top for better cooling, along with with AMD or Intel processors up to the Core i7-3960X six-core model, SATA 6G, USB 3.0 and up to 64GB of RAM. You'll also get 4K max resolution on four simultaneous displays, thanks to two dual-link DVI, HDMI and Display Port 1.2 connectors. There's no word yet on pricing, but for a three-way SLI SHIFT PC? Think big.
Maingear announces Nomad 15 gaming laptop: small in size, big on specs
Power and portability is a tricky balancing act, and if you're in the market for a gaming laptop that satisfies both, Maingear's Nomad 15 might be the one. Apart from the 15.5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 anti-glare screen, pretty much every other bit of hardware is customizable on the Windows 7 notebook. You'll have the choice of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 670M, 670MX, 675MX or 680M for the GPU, up to an Intel i7-3840QM quad-core beast running at 3.8GHz, and a maximum of 32GB RAM. Which optical drive it comes with is also your decision, and for storage, up to dual 256GB SSDs or dual 750GB HDDs are supported. A wireless card is optional, with Ethernet joining the stock ports, including HDMI, DVI-I and S/PDIF outs, two USB 2.0's, three USB 3.0's and a lone Fire Wire. The important part comes after you've finished selecting the guts -- picking the right color finish to match your style. It might not be delivered as quickly as Maingear's other similar sized lappy, but the Nomad 15 certainly packs a heavier punch. Unfortunately, the price is pretty weighty as well: a solid $1,549 for the most basic model.%Gallery-170766%
