CINEBENCH R10
CINEBENCH places a heavy load on the CPU during the rendering tests, and can utilize a single CPU or multiple cores. The video subsystem has no bearing on the CPU rendering portion of this benchmark.
There's no denying that CINBENCH loves the Core i7; it performs incredibly well for rendering. Performance here is good but lags behind some of our other Core i7 systems (including an i7-920) with higher than stock base clocks.
PCMark Vantage
Our new standard for general platform performance is the PCMark Vantage suite that provides a wide series of tests, some of which focus on the CPU while others also utilize the video subsystem, and include digital photo manipulation, webpage loading, video transcoding, High Definition content playback, and so forth.
The Paladin does well here, scoring in the middle of the pack. In our look at the CyberPower system, we said that the WD "Green" hard drive was the main component holding back performance. This system scored very similarly to that one in most individual areas, with a large (1200 point) increase in the Hard Drive suite, raising the composite score as predicted.
SPECviewperf 10
Though these systems are intended for gaming, often the high-end hardware is useful for other purposes as well, such as CAD, artistic rendering, and medical software (though purists will tell you that professional graphics solutions are the only way to ensure that the driver packages will be completely accurate and stable). SPECviewperf is a set of benchmarks that measure the OpenGL performance of packages such as 3D Studio Max, Pro/Engineer, Solid Works, and other professional applications used daily by many individuals and companies. The software is free to download and test on your own system, but running all the tests will take several hours to complete. We ran all tests at a resolution of 1280x1024, and highlight two of these in our comparison chart.
Results can also be compared at the SPECviewperf website. We see the Paladin do much better than the Reactor due to the Core i7's rendering performance, but in turn it's handily beaten out in 3D Studio Max by the CyberPower system due to its higher GPU horsepower.
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Hxx - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
Buying a prebuilt computer has pros and cons. U dont know what u get, for all i know they could use some refurbished components and charge u full price. Putting together a computer on your own is still the way to go. It takes the average user a couple of hours to do it. A little research will save u from doing any testing in most cases; and u end up saving a couple hundred bucks. They one and only benefit is that u get it at ur doorstep and thats about it.crimson117 - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
IBUYPOWER is hardly a rich person's computer supplier... IBUYPOWER is much more like someone putting your newegg-bought parts together. I like seeing just how much (how little?) I'm saving by putting my own machine together.http://www.falcon-nw.com">Falcon Northwest... now THAT'S a luxury supplier.
gwolfman - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
Was nero InCD installed or any type of packet burning software? I've seen that cause errors just like you ran into. Die packet writing software, die!!!Matt Campbell - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
Thanks for the input, I'll take a look at that.gwolfman - Thursday, April 16, 2009 - link
Any news on whether this was installed (or similar software) or not?Matt Campbell - Sunday, April 19, 2009 - link
Nothing of this nature - in fact, the only 3rd party application installed was Cyberlink PowerDVD.gwolfman - Monday, April 20, 2009 - link
Ouch. Thanks for the update! :)Gunbuster - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
You bash because it has windows update turned on but then turn around and say they don't do enough hand holding for prospective buyers?Yeah...
crimson117 - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
They say they don't do enough hand holding compared to other high-end system suppliers. When you're paying someone to build you a $2000 machine, you don't want some impersonal warehouse-feeling website.
Windows Update alerting you there are updates isn't bad, but most gamers prefer to choose when to download and apply them so they don't interrupt their gaming plans.
vol7ron - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
while i agree with you about the windows update, i also disagree with you. when buying a prebuilt computer, many times they're already loaded/configured and just sitting in a lot with one or two plug and play needed to be added... then things like the blasterworm come along.having windows update already turned on for the initial load is actually a good thing. it will help identify new drivers that might not have been installed when the system was configured... and then the user can turn it off.