Well, let’s go This is over for starters: $7,000 is more than any reasonable person would pay for a PC. But someone who buys a gaming PC is not, by definition, a reasonable person. So let’s put the price aside for the moment and take a look at how Maingear’s latest brushed metal brute stacks up against the competition.
At first glance, Maingear’s Shift looks business as usual: this monster measures 21.5 x 8.5 x 24 inches and weighs over 40 pounds; It’s not huge, but it’s not exactly slender either.
Windows 7 Ultimate is powered by a 3.3 GHz Intel Core i7-975 Extreme, boosted by 6 GB of RAM. Add the three ATI Radeon HD5870 graphics cards and Shift will cut through any electronic entertainment that comes your way.
It averaged 65 to 70 frames per second in Crysis and Crysis Warhead (at absolute maximum settings, 1920 x 1200 resolution), dropping to between 50 and 50 during graphically complex scenes and gunfights.
Other specs are equally impressive: two 80GB solid-state drives give you plenty of space for games and apps, while a 2TB spinning hard drive handles old storage at a respectable 7,200 rpm. Media buffs will appreciate the Blu-ray burner. There are plenty of ports to choose from: 10 USB, 2 Firewire, eSata, a multi-format card reader, and digital SPDIF and coaxial ports for 8-channel surround sound support. The 1200 watt power supply leaves plenty of room for upgrades.
On top of that, “the recession is over!” The price ($6,930 for the configuration we tested) makes this a lot more sensible than the $15,000 Falcon Northwest Mach V you bought last year.
But forget about the numbers game for a second: the real story here is the Shift case. It’s a little bland on the outside, but once you’ve lifted the side walls and taken a look, you’ll start to see the bigger picture.
Kudos to Maingear for easy, tool-free entry into the Shift case. The first thing you’ll notice is the impeccable wiring work: the cables are tied discreetly, but are within easy reach for disconnecting components and swapping in new parts. Maingear uses off-the-shelf parts, meaning eventual upgrades are easy.
There are a total of six drive bays, each capable of holding a single 3.5-inch drive or a pair of 2.5-inch drives. Do you want six 2TB drives or 12 SSDs? Go ahead, Uncle Pennybags. Installing or removing a drive is as simple as unlocking and sliding the plastic tray, dropping the new drive in, connecting the appropriate cables, and sliding the tray back into place. Look mom, no tools!
Tinkerers and perpetual updaters are covered, and there’s something here for junior overclockers too.
The heat increases. Therefore, the Shift case is designed to direct airflow upward, orienting the heat-generating elements of the PC towards the roof of the case. Three large, slow fans draw air from beneath the case, through the chassis, and exhaust it out the top. The processor is liquid cooled, but its radiator is also located right on the roof of the case.
Serious overclockers will scoff as you can’t expect to get the same level of performance with simple air cooling, but what do you want for $7 grand?
The end result is that the traditional back of the case, where all the cables connect, is now on top. This can be tricky, especially if you keep the desktop on your desk. To mitigate clutter, you can route cables around a rail protector, and a removable, tight-fitting grille allows homeowners to hide the clutter.
But the Shift is worth seven thousand dollars? Let’s consider some more numbers. The components cost about $4,480. That leaves a difference of $2,450 for labor, a well-designed case, Maingear’s lifetime warranty, and shipping.
That’s a pretty big premium for a PC, especially if you’ll only use it for gaming. But the interesting design of the case adds quite a bit of value to the package. Better heat management means longevity for your parts, and with easy access to major components, future upgrades will be a breeze.
