TechRadar Verdict
Entry-level gaming rigs need to be remarkable to warrant such a price tag, and this just isn't
Pros
- +
Overclocked out of the box
- +
Excellent build quality throughout
Cons
- -
Lacks real punch in the graphics stake
- -
Too pricey
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Nothing drives a PC refresh like a graphics card launch, and with AMD and NVIDIA both releasing a new generation of pixel-pushers, rig-builders suddenly have a lot of options. CyberPower is one of the first to market with a 4850-driven Gamer Infinity Crossfire GT.
CyberPower has impressed us with its systems before, and there are no nasty surprises hidden away here – yet again we're witness to excellent component selection, quality system building and carefully routed cabling.
However, the overall price of this rig has us scratching our heads a little, as it doesn't come across as such an outrageous bargain as previous rigs have.
Future upgrades in mind
The main reason for this is that it isn't a fire-and-forget budget rig; it demonstrates too much of an eye on a future upgrade path for that. Core to this philosophy is the CrossFire-enabled motherboard and the 700W power supply that is waiting for that second card to really stretch it.
The cooling hints at a more powerful system as well, with a pair of fans on the chassis side panel sitting above the graphics card slots. The standard 4850 is a fiendishly toasty running card, and it will certainly benefit from the added cooling when (rather than if) you do upgrade to a twin graphics solution.
There is a fundamental problem with CrossFiring a pair of 4850s though: it isn't going to have enough back-end muscle to drive the bigger screens that are getting more and more affordable. And while we don't expect a sub-thousand pound machine to be able to drive a 30-incher, it's not unreasonable to be tempted by one of the more affordable 24-inch screens, that can be had for as little as £200.
Powerful gaming spec
What you do get for your money is a hearty amount of overclocking of the E8400 CPU, from its fairly lacklustre default 3GHz up to a much more respectable 4GHz.
You do get 4GB of RAM to play around with too, and thanks to the installation of the 64-bit version of Vista Premium, all of that memory is available for your games to play around with. The 750GB drive provides enough space for now and the foreseeable future as well.
All these components fit together well, and indeed are excellently integrated, but as a package it simply lacks impact.
Underwhelming package
With £500 fast becoming the new sweet spot for entry-level gaming, this doesn't quite do enough for extra cash being asked.
Drop the price, or swap out the graphics card for one of NVIDIA's newest babies, and you're looking at a much more interesting box.
