Power
We measure power consumption using a Kill-A-Watt device at the wall outlet. Idle indicates a measurement taken in Windows with no applications running. Max indicates the maximum power draw with the system fully loaded (running eight instances of Prime95 plus 3DMark Vantage simultaneously). We've also indicated power draw with just the CPU loaded.
Results here are good, and remember that these numbers are measured at the outlet, so power supply efficiency comes into play. The 800W power supply is clearly overkill in this system, but we will not fault this too much as it allows for expansion with headroom to spare.
Noise
We measured noise with a sound level meter, at distances of 24" and 48". For reference, ambient noise was approximately 37.5 dB(A).
Results here are very good, aided by the incredibly quiet 230mm fans in the Cooler Master case. The CPU cooler is the primary source of noise, closely followed by the video card. A water cooling solution would make this system almost silent while maintaining high airflow. We did experience intermittent noise coming from the backplate of the motherboard, however. It sounded like a zip tied cable routed behind the side panel that would rattle against the motherboard tray. This was annoying and significantly added to the noise when present (about 2.5 dB(A) increase at 2 feet).
Temperature
We utilized CoreTemp 0.99.4 to measure CPU temperatures, which has incorporated the latest TjMax values for Intel processors. We loaded each core with Prime95 and ran 3DMark Vantage in the background.
The stock Intel HSF has never been renowned for its performance with the Core i7 processor line, but it's aided immensely by the airflow of the Cooler Master 932 case. As a result, it manages to stay reasonably cool at 2.93 GHz, but there isn't much margin here to overclock. We recommend a different cooling solution, particularly with the combination of this case, to allow for better temperatures and overclocking headroom.
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Hxx - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
You're basically paying $255 for the commodity of having it aseembled for you.san1s - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
don't forget paying for the building the computer was assembled in, the worker's wages, power/water bills...$255 over is a very good deal
Rasterman - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
I totally agree, in fact its quite a good deal IMO, if you are building a similarly specced machine you would be crazy not to just get a pre built one with being fully tested, warranty, etc, although I think the case is quite ugly in this one IMO. I was astonished how little markup there is, I thought it would be well over $400.What I would love to see is Newegg or Zipzoomfly offer a build option, order all your parts from them, and pay them $200 or whatever to completely assemble, test, and warranty the build, that would be awesome. Probably the biggest bonus I can see to this is getting a known working system, I can't stress how infuriating it is to get all your parts and build your system only to find out one component is bad then having to wait to get another. With a build option they could handle all of this for you and more quickly. And even worse is getting a glitchy product that causes intermittent problems.
Hxx - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
FYI u can get a glitchy product that causes intermittent problems with a prebuilt computer too. They're just "testing" it - whatever that means.vol7ron - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
i agree. and not only that, moved into an apartment where i dont really have space to build anymore. this is what i'm looking at doing next.MadMan007 - Monday, April 20, 2009 - link
How much space do you need to build a PC?poohbear - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
why do u guys even bother reviewing these pre-built fully loaded systems? most of us are enthusiasts that like to MAKE our own comps, it takes all the fun out of it if u pay someone else to build it for u. Seriously, just review parts, who cares what some company that caters to rich folks can offer.snookie - Monday, June 1, 2009 - link
"most of us are enthusiasts that like to MAKE our own comps,"Most of us? Who are most of us?
Check their prices. Hardly catering to "rich folks".
Hxx - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
I agree, however unfortunately not everybody can follow a walkthrough on "how to build ur own computer in a few easy steps".vol7ron - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
it's not a waste of time. putting my own parts together was fun when i had time (and excess parts to test). it's no fun when you have multiple dead parts all at the same time and you don't know what it is, with no voltmeter to check.this is exactly as someone else said, taking newegg, putting it together, and charging a premium for the service. it's like getting a dell, with actually good parts. not to mention, if it's not working when you get it, just send it back; no need to hassle with the testing.
i also would like to see other "competitors" in this genre as cyberpower seems to be the only one and they're a little pricey.