AVA Direct Custom GT3 SFF Gaming System Review

by Marco Chiappetta — Friday, August 21, 2009, 11:02 AM EDT

When building or buying a desktop gaming system, enthusiasts don't normally put much thought into how much it's going to weigh, or how hard it will be to carry around when attending a LAN party. Notebook and netbook end users are much more weight-conscious consumers than are folks looking at desktops, obviously. And in the case of a gaming desktop, users tend to opt for power over form factor. Then the day comes that you decide to bring the system to someone's house, or to a hotel ballroom, for a LAN party. That's when you realize your desktop, in its steel tower case, throws your back out when you try to load it into your car.

AVA Direct's custom GT3 series is aimed squarely at the LAN party gamer, and won't throw out your back with its diminutive size and weight. It's built with portability in mind; the case is small, it comes with a handle and the thing weighs less than 20 pounds. And because it's custom, you can build it up as you please at AVA Direct's Web site. Finally, due to the fact that the GT3 is more a tiny desktop than a true SFF (Small Form Factor) machine, in theory, it shouldn't sacrifice much power for the sake of portability.

AVA Direct Custom GT3 SFF Gaming System Review

Tags: core i7, SFF, Radeon, Gaming, system, portable, AVA, GT3

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com

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