iBuyPower Element Gaming PC Review: i7-8086K and GTX 1080 Ti Inside
by Joe Shields on July 6, 2018 10:00 AM ESTConclusion
iBuyPower and system builders like them present users with an expedient option for buying a custom PC, taking all the building and testing hassle away and just leaving the 'plug it in and play' portion for the user. iBuyPower gives potential buyers a broad array of options to choose from including the case, down to wire lighting so it can really be a one-stop shop for those who may not want to build or feel uncomfortable building their own PC.
The Element system we have runs for $2199. If someone decided to build a system like this themselves, the cost would be around $250 less, but of course it wouldn't be built, configured, and tested out of the box for you. It takes hours to install hardware properly and route cables neatly as well as additional time to set up your OS and system, including overclocking as you like it. In some cases that process can be rewarding, and in other cases the desired reward is saving that time – albeit at an additional expense – something that can be worthwhile even for those who can put together their own PC. There is also a matter of tech support which a system builder provides, but when building your own, users are generally left to fend for themselves and find homes in forums such as ours. This is the value system builders can bring to the user.
We saw in our performance testing the iBuyPower system performs as it should out of the box which is what is to be expected. The overclock to 5 GHz for all cores on the Core i7-8086K processor improves performance across the board, making quick work against the lower clocked stock i7-8700K. One item of note with overclocking this system is to be sure adequate cooling is selected. Though the 120mm CLC kept things under the throttling point after a bit of tweaking, it was already at the limits so a warmer than average room (my office is kept at ~22C) it may be a tipping point. Because of this overclocking further, expecting to pass a stress test under 90C was a reach. Cooler is usually better and I would recommend a 2x120/140mm CLC for this processor if you want it to run at 5 GHz with little worry.
So where does that leave us? As someone who has built PCs with my own hands for well over 20 years, it can be difficult to find a lot of value in any system builder. But taking a step back and putting myself in the other 90% of people's shoes who do not have the experience and the worry removed from building a system and getting it set up for you can be priceless. The amount of time it can save and still have a quality system on your desk can easily be worth the price premium. The website, though it can be intimidating with so many options, was easy to work through and build systems with. Users can select to choose within the framework of their signature lines or build a completely custom system using the substantial catalog of parts they offer. Be it an AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA fan, small form factor or full tower, iBuyPower can put together some great looking and performing PCs and have done so with the nicely configured Element we had to play with.
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1_rick - Friday, July 6, 2018 - link
Well, you should certainly use care taking it out, and (at minimum) discharge static, or better yet, ground yourself first.I'm not sure if that's Styrofoam or not--it's pretty cool: expanding foam that will shape itself to the insides of the case it's put in. I bought a CyberPowerPC last year that had the stuff. I don't remember it being staticky when I took it out.
Aside: I took the computer back because of some issues I had with it. One thing I did not like was it was a mid-range Ryzen, and CyberPowerPC had replaced the stock Ryzen HSF with a cheap combo that included a 3-pin fan that ran at something like 3000RPM all the time, even when the PC was idle. As you can imagine, it was pretty annoying. I don't know why they would've put an inferior component in that case.
Flunk - Friday, July 6, 2018 - link
OEMs buy CPUs by the tray without heatsinks, there was nothing to replace. They probably got that cooler cheap. That's exactly the sort of cost-cutting I'd expect in a white-box system like this.PeachNCream - Friday, July 6, 2018 - link
Why am I seeing stock photos/renders when there's a physical product being tested and ample time to take photos of it? I don't care about fake marketing version. I want to see what was shipped and reviewed.Ryan Smith - Friday, July 6, 2018 - link
We actually use stock photos fairly frequently. Sometimes it's hard to get a great photo of a product, especially something this glossy with integrated lighting. Those $5K DSLRs and professional photo editors definitely make a difference.PeachNCream - Friday, July 6, 2018 - link
That's perfectly reasonable for a motherboard or some other non-changing single component where one will be identical to another. In the case of a system where the actual hardware configuration is different from the stock photos, it leads to a jarring experience.Also, take a read through the visual inspection and unboxing page. It's got some awkward wording here and there and could use some editorial massaging.
Craig234 - Friday, July 6, 2018 - link
The goal of the photo should be accurately communicating the product info, not looking as pretty as possible at the expense of not being as accurate, shouldn't it?That's a little like a wedding photographer returning outstanding photos with great backgrounds and lighting of another couple, saying the top effects weren't possible at their wedding.
DanNeely - Friday, July 6, 2018 - link
The difference is that wedding photographers are supposed to be experts at taking pictures with high end cameras. Product reviewers are supposed to be experts at the product category they write about; unless that's reviewing cameras pro level photography isn't a job requirement.Death666Angel - Friday, July 6, 2018 - link
At least give us a picture caption or a mouse over text that tells us if it is a stock photo or one of the tested configuration.Ryan Smith - Friday, July 6, 2018 - link
Indeed. We aim for great photos regardless, but there is a practical limit to what a guy working out of his home office can do versus a pro photographer with dedicated studio space.wolfemane - Saturday, July 7, 2018 - link
I gotta agree with the nit pickers here. The stock photos don’t really represent the product review. I’d think even a few cell phone pics would have been acceptable.For shooting pc hardware you don’t need a lot of space, or a lot of lighting. A small home office could easily accommodate the set up ( even with a metric ton of hardware benches everywhere). I know, my wife has a set up in my office for just that. A white box, couple of over head lights, and reflectors ( or whatever). All picked up on Amazon for basically nothing. And you don’t need a $5k dslr to shoot those. D750 or canon equivalent will run you $1500 with a good lense. Can’t tell me Anandtech doesn’t make enough for that kind of equipment? :)
Love the article, though. Don’t want to leave that out. IMO it was well written, and as always well laid out. And when was the last time a prebuilt was reviewed? Cool segment, again, IMO.