iBuypower Revolt 2 Review: A Powerful, Portable Gaming Desktop

Name: IBuypower Revolt 2
Brand: IBuypower

by Joshua Gulick — Thursday, June 16, 2016, 12:50 PM EDT

Performance Summary: For a system that can be tucked under one arm, the iBuypower Revolt 2 has some serious gaming chops. The system has ample horsepower for daily computing tasks and hardcore gaming, producing great framerates in our benchmarks. The Revolt 2 is built to handle today’s games at high settings and in that regard it clearly succeeds.

That said, we’re a little surprised to see the system nipping at the heels of the Bolt 3 in some benchmarks. If you’re the type to compare benchmark scores with friends, iBuypower’s overclocking service might be worth the extra cash.

If it’s attention you want, the Revolt 2 is for you. The unusual window design, lighting and visible hardware make the Revolt 2 a head-turner. We like that the window opens, making it easy both to get a better view of the hardware and to reach it for upgrades. It’s a slick computer and it will start more than a couple conversations at LAN parties.

Despite its big personality, the Revolt 2 is going to appeal to practical users too. The handle makes it easy to lift and its weight is about half of that of a typical computer. It also has plenty of ports up front, which is important in a gaming system - especially one that will hit the road with you. You might be fine plugging your headset or other accessories into the back of the PC at home, but it’s sometimes more convenient to use the front ports when you’re at crowded BYOC events.

As we mentioned earlier, the downside to a system like the Revolt 2 is that there is little room for hardware expansion. That’s probably not a problem for those who tend to move from one new PC to the next, but it’s worth keeping in mind. Also, the absence of a card reader option could be a minor pain point for anyone who wants to use the Revolt 2 at home and often works with digital imagery.

The Revolt 2 has an attractive starting price for a custom-built system. But even at the higher end of the Revolt 2’s price range, we think this system is a good buy for the money.

Very portable
Case shows off internal hardware
Solid performance
Customizable Lighting

No card reader option
Little room for expansion

Tags: IBuyPower, LAN party, Revolt, Skylake, core-i7, gtx 980 ti

Joshua Gulick

Josh cut his teeth (and hands) on his first PC upgrade in 2000 and was instantly hooked on all things tech. He took a degree in English and tech writing with him to Computer Power User Magazine and spent years reviewing high-end workstations and gaming systems, processors, motherboards, memory and video cards. His enthusiasm for PC hardware also made him a natural fit for covering the burgeoning modding community, and he wrote CPU’s “Mad Reader Mod” cover stories from the series’ inception until becoming the publication editor for Smart Computing Magazine. A few years ago, he returned to his first love, reviewing smoking-hot PCs and components, for HotHardware. When he’s not agonizing over benchmark scores, Josh is either running (very slowly) or spending time with family.