CyberPower Gamer Xtreme 8500: How Far Can SLI 450's Go?
by Dustin Sklavos on September 16, 2010 12:15 AM ESTConclusion
The MSRP we were given for the CyberPower Gamer Xtreme 8500 was $1,499. As of this writing, that particular machine still isn't up on CyberPower's site. I tried to assemble a similar build using their "Rattler:" it's basically identical and it cost a pretty hefty $1,715, so here's hoping that MSRP eventually shows up and sticks. Going through the custom Intel P55 Configurator results in a similar price.
What do we get for the money? If you can get it for $1,499, that brings the build pretty close to what you'd pay for the components individually and in that case it's not that bad. These are all quality components, though again the case feels a little like a cut corner. Maybe a softly sanded, rounded corner, but it's still a place where money was saved on the build. Everything else is fairly choice, though, and while a single GTS 450 may underwhelm, a pair in SLI make an excellent alternative to single-GPU solutions like the Radeon HD 5870 and the GeForce GTX 470.
The drag is that the overclock is another lazy one. Seriously, auto voltages in the BIOS? And again, they couldn't be bothered to try and leave SpeedStep or Turbo enabled, and they couldn't be bothered to use the "Offset" mode. I don't understand this, and it's a problem that's shown up in all three boutique units I've reviewed now: yes, it takes time to properly tune an overclock, but there's no reason a series of builds can't be lined up on a bench and tuned for a day. Just leave Prime95 running overnight to be sure. It's not like you have to actually sit there and calculate pi with the program. Instead we have watercooled processors with so much juice being shoved into them that they idle in the forties. Good thing it comes with a three year warranty and lifetime technical support.
Having all four bays taken up straight from the factory may also be an issue to some users. It's a minor complaint, but if you're like me you like being able to have one optical drive designated to hold a game disc and the other for regular use. In other words, we didn't find the Aerocool Touch 2000 worth the two bays it occupies.
On the other hand, the performance is there. We'd probably recommend upgrading to a pair of GeForce GTX 460s to really let the overclocked i7 soar, but other than that everything seems to be in its right place. If you had to choose between the 8500 and the iBuyPower Paladin XLC we reviewed, we'd probably recommend the 8500 for the faster processor and quieter graphics solution. At $1,499 as quoted to us, the Gamer Xtreme 8500 is a solid choice and reasonably easy to recommend. On the other hand, if you have to pay the $1,715 I ran into on their site, it may be time to learn to roll your own. At that price, it isn't worth the markup and doesn't separate itself from competing solutions.
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alephxero - Thursday, September 16, 2010 - link
Umm.... top of the page, directly above the headline. Unless you mean as part of the menu buttons common to all pages on the site. But really, is it that hard to bookmark http://www.anandtech.com/tag/systems ?flipmode - Friday, September 17, 2010 - link
Yes, I meant as part of the standard menu buttons.You want me to bookmark it? I have a bookmark for Anandtech already.
Even if I did want to bookmark it, what about all the people that come here that don't know there is a "System" section or don't know how to find it? Some people just remember seeing a real cool article on Anandtech about a Dell computer that Anandtech says they were impressed with. Since the "Search" feature of Anandtech sucks crusty balls, that's of little help.
Drewoid13 - Thursday, September 16, 2010 - link
While its nice to see anandtech reviewing a working rig, the one I bought from them I've had to get the mobo replaced three times, and now its randomly dropping HDDs on my newest one.I can't recommend this company.
Schrodinger's Lolcat - Thursday, September 16, 2010 - link
Given the horror stories I've read about this company, I have to wonder why anyone would risk buying from these guys. Is the price premium worth it if they still botch your system and you have to pay for repairs?http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/dctag/maki...
Toms83 - Thursday, September 16, 2010 - link
1700 dollars for 4GB of system memory? did i read that right? my system from gateway has 8GB of system ram and it cost me just under a grand minus the monitor and the frame rates are comparable to those seen in this systems graphics tests.JarredWalton - Thursday, September 16, 2010 - link
You know you can actually spend an extra $100 to get another 2x2GB in the system if that's what you're after. Anyway, more RAM isn't inherently better, but it's not bad either... it might make overclocking a bit more difficult at worst.Pricing all the components used in this system on Newegg, I came up with a total of $1500, and another $90 or so to find the Asetek 570LX (not at Newegg). So, even at $1700 for this system it would be a very good deal, and $1499 would be a steal. Except we're not at all sold on the dual GTS 450 setup.
Does your $1000 Gateway have a CPU anywhere near the speed of a 3.83GHz i7-875K? Does it have graphics power anywhere near the dual 450 SLI setup? The best $1000 Gateway FX that I can see right now is the FX6840-01e, which comes with:
Core i7-860
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
8GB DDR3-1333
1TB 7200RPM SATA hard drive
ATI Radeon HD5570 1GB
16X DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive
500W Power Supply
If that's your system, your claim that "frame rates are comparable to those seen in this system's graphics tests" is downright laughable. A single GTS 450 is already slightly faster than the HD 5750, and that GPU has 720 stream processors clocked at 700MHz with 73.6GB/s of bandwidth. Your HD 5570 on the other hand comes with a stellar 400 SPs at 650MHz and 25.6GB/s of bandwidth. So roughly half the performance of a single 5750, which a single GTS 450 already surpasses. The only area where it comes out ahead is RAM, which is as I mentioned a $100 upgrade.
quibbs - Thursday, September 16, 2010 - link
I ordered a Black Mamba system from CP. It should arrive this coming Monday. Liquid cooled gtx 480 sli gpu(s) and liquid cooled cpu. The case I chose was the Xion 970. It seemed from the video (released by CP) and the Xion's website to be well laid out and spacious for a mid-tower (which I require since my box sits in a built-in cubby hole in my desk). Looked comparable to the CM 690 II.Curious to see if the Xion will be a let down or not. For anyone interested in the Xion 970 I'll post my thoughts in this thread when once my pc arrives.
sulu1977 - Friday, September 17, 2010 - link
I've got a radical idea: how about developing a fast pc that's totally quiet and doesn't act like an electric room heater! You think that's too much to ask for? You think we have the technology and intellectual genius to accomplish such a feat? Could it be done within 5 years? ... or perhaps 10?Ninjahedge - Friday, September 17, 2010 - link
You mean you are asking for something that can play all the games at excellent detail levels, a constant and humanly perceptable framerate, and is PRACTICAL in terms of space, power and noise levels?C'maaaahn! ;)
Seriously though, I agree with you. There are many out there that would like to find that $1000 rig that would be able to do these things and not worry about gettingthe fastest test results. As many may claim this, few can see the difference between a 60fps and a 120fps performance (if both are kept constant and you experience no tearing or artifacts.).
Getting a rig that can play on a Sony JumboTron at 300FPS while in a mass explosion level on "Where's my Shorts III" isn't exactly the bet thing to keep constantly, well, shooting for.
Dustin Sklavos - Saturday, September 18, 2010 - link
Easy: Get an Antec P183. Put an i7-870 and a Radeon HD 5850 in it, and put a halfway decent air cooler on the processor.My desktop's actually pretty quiet. I'm using an Antec P182, and I have five hard disks and an SSD, a Radeon HD 5870, a GeForce GTS 450, and an i7 930 OC'ed and undervolted to 3.6GHz cooled with a Xigmatek Dark Knight.
Sure, it's big and heavy, but it's damn quiet.