Compact, Powerful Punch: iBuyPower Revolt Game PC

Performance Summary: Other than a couple of minor hiccups, the iBuypower Revolt whipped the other small form factor gaming PCs in our tests, with authority. Of particular note was the astoundingly high, chart-ruining score in SANDRA’s Physical Disks test as well as the system’s score in 3DMark 11, which was far more than double the next-best score. In fact, some of the Revolt’s scores look more like what you’d expect from a full-size gaming rig.


When we first got a look at the Revolt at CES, it was clear that the iBuypower folks were excited about it. They had a certain buzz around them that was undeniable, and now we see why; this thing is an absolute beast of a performer.

Although we’re not particularly enthused about the plastic chassis nor the inconveniently-layered interior that’s wholly unpleasant to work on, there’s really nothing more you can say against the iBuypower Revolt. It’s a beautiful-looking machine that appears to have more common DNA with an Xbox than your typical gaming PC, and for as inconvenient as it may be to tinker with the system, iBuypower’s lab folks should be lauded for fitting in as many excellent components as they did--including the liquid cooling system and its 140mm radiator. There’s just really not a lot of space to work with there; the Revolt measures just 16 x 4.6 x 16.2 inches [HxWxL].

Further, with its black front panel and slim profile, you could slot the Revolt into your home theater setup just as easily as you might tote it to a LAN party, and there are plenty of ports for adding peripherals as well as a handy SD card slot right on the front of the machine.

As for the $1399 price tag? To put it perspective, consider two of the other SFF systems that we loved: We considered the Alienware X51 an acceptable deal at $999, and it’s really not even in the same class as the Revolt, performance-wise. The Revolt’s main competitor in our testing, the Digital Storm Bolt, was usually in second place behind the Revolt in our benchmarks, yet it cost $200 more at the time of testing. Of course, all of these systems can be configured with a variety of options that will cause the price to swing wildly up or down--the Revolt actually starts at $639, for example--but as configured, the Revolt is a good deal in terms of what you get for your buck.

The SFF market is starting to get deliciously competitive, and it’s producing some incredibly compelling machines. The iBuypower Revolt is currently one of the best (if not the best) we’ve seen so far, both in terms of performance and cost. It’s pretty easy on the eyes, to boot.