CyberPower Gamer Extreme 3000 Core i7 860 System
Conclusion
Performance Summary:
The performance levels offered by the Gamer Extreme 3000 were impressive throughout testing. Going head-to-head with three X58 based systems, CyberPower's configuration consistently finished at or near the top of the charts. With NVIDIA's current high end GeForce GTX 295 installed, we expected the superior gaming results, but were also impressed by Intel's new Core i7 860 processor. The mid-range Lynnfield-based Core i7 860 kept up with higher clocked processors during our Cinebench and LAME benchmarks, and produced the highest PCMark Vantage result in comparison to our reference systems.
Taking a look at our gaming benchmarks, the Gamer Extreme 3000 produced the highest 3DMark Vantage overall score out of all four test systems and beat out the Gamer Paladin F970 in 3DMark06. Our real world gaming tests confirmed the synthetic results as the CyberPower build surpassed the competition, only trailing iBuyPower's offering in Far Cry 2 and Crysis.
Taking a look at our gaming benchmarks, the Gamer Extreme 3000 produced the highest 3DMark Vantage overall score out of all four test systems and beat out the Gamer Paladin F970 in 3DMark06. Our real world gaming tests confirmed the synthetic results as the CyberPower build surpassed the competition, only trailing iBuyPower's offering in Far Cry 2 and Crysis.
As configured, the CyberPower system we tested commands a price of $1599. Based on the performance benchmarks alone, that seems like a good deal. But to find out just how good a deal it really is, we hit up Newegg and built the same system using identical parts. After a few clicks, we arrived at the subtotal of $1535 before shipping and taxes. So basically, CyberPowerPC offers a custom built gaming system for a $65 price premium over the cost of parts if you decided to build it yourself. Considering the three year warranty, system build labor, operating system installation, and cable management, we feel the asking price is an extraordinary value.
The Gamer Extreme 3000 is the first P55 based full-system build we've tested but it definitely won't be the last. With the release of Intel's Lynnfield platform, Nehalem features and performance has been delivered to the mainstream market. We've seen this clearly in our Core i5 / i7 / P55 review and it has been reinforced by our testing of this system. Indeed, the option to purchase a $3000 X58-based monster is still available for those who want the best that money can buy, but we definitely like the $1500 P55 alternative that can give comparable results for much less money. As a result, we recommend the CyberPower Gamer Extreme 3000 for anyone looking to put together a new P55 based gaming system.
The Gamer Extreme 3000 is the first P55 based full-system build we've tested but it definitely won't be the last. With the release of Intel's Lynnfield platform, Nehalem features and performance has been delivered to the mainstream market. We've seen this clearly in our Core i5 / i7 / P55 review and it has been reinforced by our testing of this system. Indeed, the option to purchase a $3000 X58-based monster is still available for those who want the best that money can buy, but we definitely like the $1500 P55 alternative that can give comparable results for much less money. As a result, we recommend the CyberPower Gamer Extreme 3000 for anyone looking to put together a new P55 based gaming system.
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