3DMark Vantage
As we mentioned in previous reviews, 3DMark Vantage has replaced 3DMark06 in our test suite, and though the new payment scheme is inconvenient, it is still user reproducible. Vantage runs on Windows Vista only, and has four different default test settings: Entry, Performance, High, and Extreme.
The Gamer Paladin is only equipped with one HD 4870, and it simply can't keep up against systems with twice the GPU power like the CyberPower and the Edge Z55. The Maingear F131 (a Core2 Duo E8400 at 4.0 GHz with an NVIDIA GTX 260) matches the Paladin at High and Extreme levels where the GPU becomes the overriding bottleneck.
Crysis
Crysis is getting old, but it still stresses even the most recent PC hardware. This demo has two built-in benchmarks in the "bin32" folder, one "CPU" and the other "GPU". We ran all benchmarks three times, discarding the first result and averaging the other two. We ran all tests at "High" quality unless otherwise specified.
As indicated in 3DMark, we see the F131 and the Gamer Paladin neck and neck at high resolution without any anti-aliasing. However, with 4XAA enabled, the Paladin takes a solid lead. The CyberPower system has an HD 4870X2 2GB card, so comparing those results to the Paladin along with Derek's excellent article on two-GPU options should give a good feel for the performance boost possible with a GPU upgrade or SLI configuration.
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 is a new addition to our test suite. It's a fun game with great ratings, and has a fantastic built in benchmarking tool (located in the "bin" folder with the executable, or right-click on the shortcut in Games Explorer and select "Benchmark"). We've chosen to run our system tests with the reproducible settings shown below:
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Far Cry 2 has good performance scaling in general, and AMD's new drivers have significantly improved stability and performance. The system is very playable at 1920x1200, but is completely trounced in the numbers by the CyberPower system.
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Hxx - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
Buying a prebuilt computer has pros and cons. U dont know what u get, for all i know they could use some refurbished components and charge u full price. Putting together a computer on your own is still the way to go. It takes the average user a couple of hours to do it. A little research will save u from doing any testing in most cases; and u end up saving a couple hundred bucks. They one and only benefit is that u get it at ur doorstep and thats about it.crimson117 - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
IBUYPOWER is hardly a rich person's computer supplier... IBUYPOWER is much more like someone putting your newegg-bought parts together. I like seeing just how much (how little?) I'm saving by putting my own machine together.http://www.falcon-nw.com">Falcon Northwest... now THAT'S a luxury supplier.
gwolfman - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
Was nero InCD installed or any type of packet burning software? I've seen that cause errors just like you ran into. Die packet writing software, die!!!Matt Campbell - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
Thanks for the input, I'll take a look at that.gwolfman - Thursday, April 16, 2009 - link
Any news on whether this was installed (or similar software) or not?Matt Campbell - Sunday, April 19, 2009 - link
Nothing of this nature - in fact, the only 3rd party application installed was Cyberlink PowerDVD.gwolfman - Monday, April 20, 2009 - link
Ouch. Thanks for the update! :)Gunbuster - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
You bash because it has windows update turned on but then turn around and say they don't do enough hand holding for prospective buyers?Yeah...
crimson117 - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
They say they don't do enough hand holding compared to other high-end system suppliers. When you're paying someone to build you a $2000 machine, you don't want some impersonal warehouse-feeling website.
Windows Update alerting you there are updates isn't bad, but most gamers prefer to choose when to download and apply them so they don't interrupt their gaming plans.
vol7ron - Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - link
while i agree with you about the windows update, i also disagree with you. when buying a prebuilt computer, many times they're already loaded/configured and just sitting in a lot with one or two plug and play needed to be added... then things like the blasterworm come along.having windows update already turned on for the initial load is actually a good thing. it will help identify new drivers that might not have been installed when the system was configured... and then the user can turn it off.