New Intel Core i7 Computers roundup: Part 2, the Enthusiast Computers
You read our New Core i7 computers roundup for your mainstream brands , but are you man enough for the following enthusiast Core i7 computers from lesser known (but not necessarily worst) computer? iBuyPower Paladin F970 Read - iBuyPower Velocity Micro may not offer quite the same extravagant cases that some other manufacturers seem to be so fond of, but it sure does take care of the innards of its systems, and its new Edge Z-55 system is no exception. As with all of Velocity Micro’s systems, this one is fully configurable (including options for all three new Core i7 processors), or you can simply opt for the “Launch Edition,” which includes the base Core i7 920 processor, a 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, 4GB of RAM and, last but not least, the company’ founder’s signature. The early reviews of the system also look to be pretty positive across the board, with it snagging CNET’s Editor’s Choice award and some similarly high praise from the folks at HotHardware. Read - Velocity Micro We actually got our hands on this particular system during the initial round of Core i7 madness and came away suitably impressed, and it’s now finally out there for anyone with the necessary cash to call their own. Of particular note, this is quite possibly the only Core i7-based system to offer an HD DVD option, which comes in the form of a Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drive, and will no doubt please those still out there hunting for some high-def bargains. Otherwise, you can expect the usual full range of customization options or, if you’re less adventuresome, you can opt for the default configuration listed below. Read - Falcon Northwest While most manufactures are pitching their Core i7 systems at gamers, Puget Systems is taking a slightly different tact and offering both gaming and video editing systems based around the processor. Each of those, of course, are fully configurable, and they each come with a free copy of Far Cry 2, which we’re sure will be just enough to push someone, somewhere over the edge. Core i7 Video Editing Computer (base config) Read - Puget Systems Read - CyberPower CyberPower’s system couldn’t quite top Smooth Creations’ latest Hellcat system in TweakTown’s tests, however, with it delivering the most impressive benchmark scores they’ve seen to date, and an equally stratospheric price tag: $5,400. That’ll get you nothing but the top end components, including an overclocked Core i7-965 processor, a speedy 300GB boot hard drive and two 1TB drives in a RAID array for some added storage, plus an elaborate Danger Den cooling system to keep everything from exploding — the whole thing also comes packed in an actual wooden crate to prevent any shattered dreams that could possibly occur a shipping mishap.
iBuyPower Paladin F860-a, F860-n, and F970
Key specs:
iBuyPower Paladin F860-a & F860-n
Velocity Micro Edge Z-55
Key specs:
Read- CNET
Read - HotHardware
Falcon Northwest Mach V
Key specs: (base configuration)
Puget Systems Core i7 Gaming Computer, Core i7 Video Editing Computer
Key specs:
Core i7 Gaming Computer (base config)
CyberPower Black Pearl Core i7 965 EE Gaming System
Key specs:
Read- TweakTown
Smooth Creations Hellcat Core i7 965 EE Gaming System
Key specs:
New to Josh’s Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don’t miss anymore great stuff!
