CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme FTW: Performance at Any Cost
by Dustin Sklavos on June 1, 2011 1:05 PM ESTGaming Performance
Before we get into this testing, I do feel compelled to point out that Quad SLI is decidedly a niche product and you'll find the support is relatively commensurate with that. While NVIDIA's most recent drivers actually do a fantastic job of correcting the majority of surround testing quirks, I experienced some of the odd "red/blue" flickering during testing that people with Quad SLI have brought up on forums. This seems related to the SLI bridge being faulty or not high enough quality, and our rep at NVIDIA has suggested as much. The flickering doesn't impact performance, but it's pretty annoying. Thankfully it's easy enough to fix: replace the bridge.
Our "High" preset is liable to be a waste of horsepower, but for the sake of completeness, here it is:
And the CyberPower Gamer Xtreme FTW, with its pair of GeForce GTX 590s, puts in a rocking performance nearly every step of the way. In certain situations it's still processor limited (which is amusing given it's being driven by a 4.5GHz Intel Core i7-990X), but when we finally shift the majority of the workload to the graphics subsystem it'll really start to pull away.
Two side notes, though: first, I've included the Dell Precision T1600's NVIDIA Quadro 2000 performance results as a kind of baseline for the sort of gaming performance one might expect from a $100 or less video card, but try to keep in mind that it's a workstation card and not designed for this purpose. The T1600 will still run roughshod over even this machine in many workstation-based applications. Second, the STALKER: Call of Pripyat benchmark has a very unique bug that we were able to root out while testing: if DirectX isn't installed or updated properly, the benchmark won't render dynamic shadows. It'll run perfectly fine otherwise, but dynamic shadows and some post-processing lighting effects won't appear, and as a result the score will be twice to nearly quadruple what it ought to be. If anyone ever runs into this (and it was a new one on me and the NVIDIA guys alike), update your DirectX installation.
Now, on to the "Ultra" testing!
Once we shift the brunt of the workload to the graphics subsystem, CyberPower's desktop takes off like a shot, and you can expect this trend to further continue when we enter the "Surround" testing suite. StarCraft II continues to be the odd man out, but I've been griping to anyone who'll listen about how badly coded that game was since it came out. Released in 2010. It's a real-time strategy game that doesn't scale past two threads and still struggles with the now standard mainstream resolution of 1366x768, and there's no built-in anti-aliasing. What, were the designers too busy counting their money to produce a halfway modern engine? Come on, even World of Warcraft has DirectX 11 support and scales past two threads at this point.
But let's not dwell on badly engineered PC games when we can test a quad-GPU monster at the punishing surround resolution of 5670x1200.
Now that the pair of GeForce GTX 590s can stretch their legs, the CyberPower Gamer Xtreme FTW takes a comfortable lead in every game. While some show better scaling than others beyond the pair of GeForce GTX 580s in the DigitalStorm Enix, ultimately there's still a performance boost and room to grow in every test case. The major question I have, though, is whether or not it's enough of a jump to warrant the increased price over a pair of GeForce GTX 580s. The 590 SLI rig is faster, sure, but the pair of 580s are still more than adequate even at this resolution. But if you're thinking about buying a trio of 27" or 30" LCDs for gaming purposes, by all means, go for the Quad SLI setup....
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Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of the case's aesthetics, but the thermals are stellar. It gets the job done.nuker - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Can we have the noise levels please?Excellent review! I'm just wondering if it's better to have an Ibuypower's Erebus system rather than a Level10 case, they cost nearty the same with equal hardware specs.
Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
I can try getting an Erebus in for review, but in the meantime I'll also be reviewing the Level 10 GT on its own sometime soon.IdioticLoginSystem - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
It's me or it's not SO impressive as it seems?The Geforce GTX 590 aren't as impressive as the HD 6990 in the benchmarks I've seen. In fact, the 6990 beats the crap out of them in high resolutions with AA activated, due to their higher vRAM size. Plus, 6990 clocks nearly 300 mhz faster, and while Fermi architecture is superior, 300 mhz is, well....a lot of difference.
The SSD is also a bad choice. Intel has never done any SSD comparable to an OCZ Vertex 3 (or an OCZ PCIe-based one, aka VeloDrive). Besides, who the hell needs 2 terabytes of disk space?
I don't know if it's performance-wise or what, but 6x2 GB's modules seems a waste to me. If you want to upgrade (it's "only" 12 gb's of RAM after all), you've to throw away one or more of them.
At least the price seems "correct", but to claim this is the "fastest system ever"...I'm not impressed at all.
szimm - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
I kind of agree with you on the graphics part, but the difference is neglible. The SSD is not a bad choice, though - the Intel 510 is probably the fastest option out there right now, according to benchmarks, and assuming you have an MB that supports 6Gbps. And yes, the RAM configuration is horrendous - a system like this should have absolutely no drawbacks. At that price point, nothing less should be expected. But - there's bound to be a few idiots with enough disposable income. I'm sure CyberPower (hate that name) is betting on it...Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
The difference between the 6990 CF and GTX 590 SLI is going to seem at least somewhat academic given the results I had with the GTX 590 SLI config. And personally, I'd make the trade-off: the GTX 590 runs much quieter than the 6990 does.3DVagabond - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
This system was built to sell to people with some, but not a lot, of PC knowledge. Thus Intel drives and Geforce graphics. The 6x2 GB RAM just helps to confirm it. It's cheaper and still says "12GB" on the side of the case. Although it's not the way anyone would build a system for themselves. Add to it a case with aesthetics that set it apart, and the thinking that went into the design seems pretty obvious.I'm not saying it's a bad design from a business POV. Just the opposite. Well thought out on the marketing teams side.
IdioticLoginSystem - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
The price WOULD BE correct if that config is tagged at "$1,565"If "As configured $5,017" is the full system with the specs we see, then it's pure and absolute crap. If Sandy Bridge-E gets out before October, I'll be able to build a system that kicks it's ass for 500$-1000$ less.
Spazweasel - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
With that power draw, consider the possibility that you will need a dedicated circuit to power it. It's drawing as much power as a microwave (9 amps@110v), and microwaves typically get their own circuit. Most home circuit breakers are 20-amp units (again, US voltage), and you don;'t want to exceed 75% of capacity. Add in the power draw of a pair of 30" monitors and a sound system, and you don't have much room left for anything else on that circuit.Also consider your line conditioning. At that power draw, the run-of-the-mill 700Va home UPS ain't gonna do it. You'll want to protect your $5000 worth of computers and $2000 worth of multiple 30" monitors (you're not getting this to drive a 24" 1920x1200 display, after all), and to do so at that load you're looking at another kilobuck; your UPS will have to be a low-end data center piece instead of a consumer piece.
Is this worth $5000 to you? The better question is, is it worth $8000? If so, go for it. Just consider all the extra expenses, above and beyond the power bill and the computer itself.
meshugge - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Have to say that I bought a $3K Cyberpower pc last month based on recent reviews here - they sent me a defective machine and have not responded now to three separate emails over the last two weeks requesting support or return information. If that is the service they provide to customers, not quite sure why you are bothering to review their machines.