Paradigm SHIFT: MainGear's Unique Gaming Rig Tested

by Marco Chiappetta — Thursday, May 20, 2010, 01:38 PM EDT

When it comes to the business of building PCs, true innovation is hard to find. There are exceptions—HP had the Blackbird 002, Alienware designs its own enclosures, and there's always the Thermaltake Level 10—but most companies aren't willing to take the financial risk that's part and parcel of designing new and different products.

Fortunately, MainGear is. While they've not been around as long as Alienware or Falcon-Northwest, the company has six solid years of experience in building custom PCs. MainGear recently sent us a high-end system built around its unique SHIFT chassis. When it designed the Shift, Maingear took a standard ATX configuration and literally turned it 90'. Add a hybrid aluminum/steel frame, custom detailing, and a cable mount system that turns what might've been a ghettoish kludge into a gorgeous surface, and you've got the Shift. It's a unique blend of style and practicality that manages to improve system thermals and look good doing it. Curious? So were we...

Paradigm SHIFT: MainGear's Unique Gaming Rig Tested

Tags: core i7, Gaming, overclock, system, shift, GTX 480, Maingrear

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