A few months ago Maingear announced their X-Cube small form factor custom Gaming PC. It struck us as interesting since most people think of ginormous computers when they think of a computer capable of hardcore gaming.
So we asked Maingear if they could loan us one to test out. We wanted to see if a small form factor PC could handle hard core gaming, especially since the system is overclockable. So they sent us one.
The system I received had the following specs:
Intel Core i5 3.2 Ghz Dual Core Processor
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB GDDR5
8 GB DDR3-133 Crucial
Optical Drive Dual Layer DVD RW with Lightscribe
750 GB of Storage
Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
750W Silverstone Strider Plus Modular PSU
Windows 7
Pretty rock solid system from looking at the specs, but often times you get a high end system that leaves a lot to be desired. I mean after all you do need a huge system that gets so hot you can fry an egg on it to game effectively. Don’t you? I’ll answer that now. No you don’t and maingear proves that you don’t with the X-cube and its size makes it perfect for the dorm room gamer or anyone with not a lot of space.
The first thing I did with the X-cube was of course fire it up and game! Man what a gaming experience before I even attempted to overclock it gaming on it was fantastic. I played my all-time Favorite Fall Out 2, and Crysis. Graphics were flawless even with high settings. The system itself ran smoothly and silently with no issues at all.
I then attempted to run PCMark and 3DMark but for some reason both would fail to give me an accurate benchmark, not sure what was happening but after the third attempt I just gave up on the benchmarks. In hindsight I should of tried different video drivers, oh wells.
Aside for the issues running the benchmarks I had no issues with the system, as I already said gaming on it was flawless. The power the X-Cube was able to deliver in such a small form factor in my opinion is mind boggling. I was sure I would experience some sort of heating issue own the road but after using it for nearly two months no issues what so ever.
The X-Cube also made a great work PC. Running Microsoft Office and Adobe CS5 was a breeze. It isn’t as fast as my jobs workstation but man it sure rivaled it and made it very easy for me to work from home. I called out sick a few more days than I should have because of the power of the X-Cube.
Overall the Maingear X-Cube is a great system and well worth the money. It’s perfect for the Dorm Room gamer or anyone who has little to no room for a giant PC. It delivers all the power you’d want and more. There is even a 3D version for those who want that 3D gaming experience.
We award the Main Gear X-Cube our 5 Star editors Choice award. For more information on the X-Cube visit http://www.maingear.com
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