Thanks to the help of an expertly overclocked Intel "Sandy Bridge" CPU and a smart choice of components, the Shift Super Stock brings bleeding-edge performance a fair bit closer to affordability. By Bill O'Brienreviewed May 18, We're fairly certain that Shakespeare wasn't thinking of high-end PCs when he wrote, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. But that was then. After a slight delay caused by that whole second-generation Intel Core Sandy Bridge chipset debacleMaingear is again jousting for our top-performing extreme-PC honors.

The mm fan and radiator for the Epic cooling system hides under the main section of the case. An additional mm fan sits atop the power supply. Normally we delve into a PC's design and features in detail before offering up its test results. But with a system like the Shift Super Stock, performance is the main draw, so let's jump right into the fray and see how Maingear's latest contender stacks up against 's Genesis configuration.

Things started off a little shaky for the Super Stock. At first, our configuration of the Shift Super Stock showed a bit of weakness in Cinebench 10a CPU-centric test that fully taxes multicore processors. But after that blow, the Shift came back strong. On our Windows Media Encoder 9 test, which tests a PC's video-conversion capabilities, the less-pricey Shift stood tall.

Likewise, in our iTunes Conversion Testin which we time how long it takes a PC to convert 11 MP3 songs to AAC, the Shift finished in 1 minute and 26 seconds, while the Genesis took 25 seconds longer to do the same task. The differences here aren't exactly drastic, but keep in mind that these tests use relatively short samples. If you frequently convert loads of files or edit HD video, the the time differences will scale up along with the file sizes.

The Futuremark PCMark Vantage suite rounds out our productivity tests with a range of processor, drive, video, and graphics trials that make this test a good measure of a system's overall performance prowess.

Here, once again, the Shift was victorious, and by no small margin this time, scoring 29, to the pricier Origin PC's 24, Shifting to real-world gaming, specifically our Far Cry 2 DirectX 10 test, the Shift again came out on top, though not by such grandiose margins. At the inch-monitor resolution of 2,x1, Shift's result of frames per second fpswhile certainly stunning, only beat out the Genesis' score by about 7fps.

Moving over to the more demanding DirectX 11 tests, the Shift continued its winning streak. In Heavena synthetic measure of a PC's DirectX 11 performance power, the Shift Super Stock lunged ahead across all three of our typical test resolutions. At the top-end test resolution of 2,x1, the Shift Super Stock's average frame rate of What that tells us: In cutting-edge games, particularly at the extreme resolutions that these kinds of systems were built for, the Shift is a significant leap over last year's Genesis in terms of raw performance.

Maingear Shift SuperStock Review

Of course, this is largely due to the seemingly unending release of ever-more-powerful graphics cards. Our Shift Super Stock was loaded up with a trio of Nvidia GeForce GTX cards, the fastest single-chip cards available as of this review in mid-May Back in November ofwhen we looked at Origin PC's Genesis, it was outfitted with a trio of older GeForce GTX cards.

Maingear Shift Super Stock (Core iK) Review & Rating | ykewobuzyjeca.web.fc2.com

You can, of course, configure a current Origin PC Genesis rig with a trio of GeForce GTX s like the Shift for similar gaming performance, or lesser cards if your budget isn't quite astronomical enough to reach orbit.

But Maingear's got more in its repertoire than just shiny new high-end components. This Shift carries a quad-core Intel Core iK CPU that, while a speedy and smart balance of price versus performance, is normally outclassed by the costlier six-core Core iX that was found in our Origin PC Genesis configuration.

But Maingear took the Core iK CPU, which normally runs between maingear shift super stock (2016) review and ratings. Do this without the right expertise and impressive cooling, and your CPU will supernova in the blink of an eye. But Maingear has added its aptly dubbed " Epic Supercooler " to the hyper-clocked processor in this rig. The Epic is a new self-contained water-cooling system backed by a mm fan. We're exceedingly impressed with the cooler since, despite the aggressive overclock, the Shift's CPU was still solidly ticking after days of testing.

That being said, we're happy that, given how much the CPU is being pushed in this PC, Maingear includes a generous three-year parts warranty with the Shift. More on that in a bit.

Two memory slots are free, but don't expect to plug any extra expansion cards in between the three graphics cards.

Maingear Shift Super Stock (Core iK) Review & Rating | ykewobuzyjeca.web.fc2.com

Perhaps surprisingly, none of that is because of the cooling system. The bulk of the Epic 's hardware namely the radiators are stashed below the motherboard. What does dominate the interior real estate are the aforementioned trio of GeForce GTX graphics cards, each equipped with 1. They take up the bulk of the space inside the case, blocking all other card expansion, unless you happen to have a PCI Express x1 card lying around that's about three inches long. The memory slots are easily accessible, however.

Two slots are filled with 8GB of Patriot DDR memory; the other two are unoccupied, so adding extra memory will be an easy upgrade. The port panel is packed with high-speed connection options, namely six USB 3. If external port expansion is more your speed, there are enough USB ports four 2. The usual analog and digital connectors for 7. In a bold move for a computer at this price point, or perhaps once again indicative of the maingear shift super stock (2016) review and ratings and price drops that bring bleeding-edge tech to more affordable levels, Maingear included two GB OCZ solid-state drives SSDs our test config of the Shift.

They're configured in a RAID 0 striped array that improves performance but doesn't offer the protection of file redundancy.

Maingear shift super stock () review and ratings and with it prom dress shops in lancashire

Since this system is aimed squarely at gamers and speed freaks, that's fine by us, especially since the Shift is also equipped with a 2TB mechanical hard drive to store your voluminous media usd exchange rate dubai. You can fill the three internal drive bays as well as forex trading live room two externally accessible bays with whatever you want, either when configuring the system on Maingear's site for an added up-front cost, or down the line on your own when you decide the Shift's generous drive assortment is no longer sufficient for your needs.

We think that day, if it ever comes, will hdfc demat intraday trading at least a few years in the future.

The 1,watt Silverstone power supply Maingear includes with this configuration of the Shift should suffice for about all conceivable future upgrades we can think of. The hard drive bays bays lower right have backplanes installed that allow you to slide a drive right into the bay without busting out a screwdriver. As for the case itself, the Shift is housed in the same chassis that we've seen previously: Instead of the traditional motherboard orientation, where the ports and card connectors run along the back of the case, the Shift's case rotates the motherboard 90 degrees so the ports live on top of the case, underneath a snap-off panel.

This orientation is becoming increasingly common in high-end systems and cases, as it lets the heat from components rise naturally up and out of the case. If you're tired of black being the new beige, however, you do have options at Maingear, but don't expect them to come cheap. If you're up for a two-tone look, the same color palette is available on the inside too. That doesn't guarantee your PC will be bulletproof, but it will sure look that way.

At least you'll have something to hide behind when the angry creditors come calling. Normally covered by an aluminum panel, the causeway lets you string cables out neatly through the back of the case. When investing in a system like this, that should offer sufficiently speedy performance for years to come, extended warranties and service are always welcome additions, especially if you aren't the type that feels comfortable servicing and replacing parts yourself.

What Maingear offers, at least on paper, is one of the better options we've come across for high-end PCs. Computer performance is always on the rise as faster and cheaper chips and components make it to market, so the Shift's return to the top of our performance benchmarks is likely fleeting. That being said, Maingear gets major kudos from us for reaching new heights of productivity and gaming performance at a price that, while far from frugal, knocks a couple thousand dollars off the cost of entry for a benchmark-busting extreme gaming PC.

For the uncompromising gamer or those who just want extreme-PC bragging rights, the Shift Super Stock and its Redline Overclocked CPU just made the price of admission a fair bit more affordable. ComputerShopper may earn affiliate commissions from shopping links included on this page. To find out more, read our complete Terms of Service.

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Maingear Shift Super Stock Review By Bill O'Brienreviewed May 18, Related Reading See All Reviews of Maingear Products Acer Aspire Predator AGU Review Dell XPS Review Gateway FX Review Maingear Shift Review Origin PC Genesis Review.

Specifications Key Specs Processor: Intel Core iK overclocked to 5GHz Memory: Three Nvidia GeForce GTX cards 1GB each Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium bit. Looking for more about desktops? Follow Computer Shopper Facebook Twitter Sign up for e-mail updates.

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