Maingear F131 is arguably the best desktop for gaming I have got in my labs to date. It is powered by a Intel’s new unlocked Core i7 875K CPU and costs $2,499. The Core i7 950 processor is overclocked to 4.2 GHz and there is a pair of Nvidia graphics cards which can play any game in the market right now in all its glory. I would recommend this system to any hardcore gaming enthusiast.
Maingear Apex F131 Price
On the sides, there is a Mafia II artwork which adds to the aesthetic appeal of the desktop but I think this is more of an effort from Maingear to promote Nvidia’s Mafia II. It is going to work on Nvidia’s 3D Vision gaming technology and so the company is trying to build some hype around it. This machine is equipped with 3D Vision-capable graphics cards but there is no 120Hz LCD monitor (which costs around $350) or 3D Vision glasses and receiver kit (priced at $200).
Maingear could have chosen a better game than Mafia II for the side panel. After all, this game enjoys only 74 Metacritic rating. On the bright side, this laser etching is options. You can either submit your own artwork or have it completely blank. Maingear doesn’t charge you extra for this inscription.
Maingear F131 has everything that you’d expect in a high end gaming system. The insides are designed very well and all the internal cables are wrapped up nicely. Previous Maingear desktop didn’t have the data and power connections for the open hard drive bays. But in this machine, the manufacturer has corrected the problem. My review unit didn’t have a front panel hard drive access that is now common on all high end gaming systems but it is available for additional $99.
Design – Maingear F131 Great Desktop for Gaming
I liked the Maingear F131’s design and the feature set too is really good for the price that it is offered. The Intel Core i7 950 CPU is overclocked yet pretty stable and for your gaming needs, there are two GeForce GTX 460 graphics cards. Maingear has also put in a solid state hard drive for the OS. I can confidently say that this machine is now better than Talon’s Falcon Northwest.
Talon doesn’t have Intel’s X58 chipset and instead goes for a P55 chipset. This motherboard reduces card expansion capacity and has lower memory bandwidth. I checked what Velocity Micro, Alienware, and Origin, had to offer for comparison purposes and found that they either asking for more money or weren’t offering the same components at all.
Maingear F131 was simply brilliant in my gaming tests. As expected, this machine was faster than Falcon Northwest Talon having Core i7 875K processor but I was surprised to see that it was better than even the $5000 Origin Genesis gaming desktop.
This means that the Maingear system is faster than a gaming system which costs twice the price. Do I need to say anything more? I would recommend this system to anyone looking for high end gaming, converting, editing or manipulating media files.