I just went did a configure on their website. If I go with Windows 7, they insist on installing Microsoft Office on it. I say no to spamware! Just plain old no! I thought they were a boutique, there is no place for spamware from a boutique!
At least they allow you to configure this PC with no OS. If you have a Windows license that can be recycled from previous built (like most self-respecting people would have in drones), you can have your wish of spam-free install and save some money too.
Really most self-respecting people have a full retail copy of Windows? I find it odd that very many people would shell out $199 for the full retail copy.
Technically speaking Microsoft only has 1 version that you can install on your own "naked" box. That is the full retail. OEM is not legal for personal use, though everyone does it (as do I).
Hogwash, OEM is perfectly OK for personal use, you simply give up Windows support from Microsoft. You're taking on the role of OEM yourself when you build your own machine, which makes you resposible for your own support. Just how Dell supports Windows on Dell machines, you support Windows on machines you build from scratch if you use the OEM version. Full retail gets you direct phone/chat/email support from Microsoft, which is why the added cost.
I like the case design and the fact that a boutique is actually approaching being price-competitive with building your own rig.
I'm not going to buy one when they don't give the option of anything but Intel for CPU (not that I'd use anything but Intel for a desktop CPU at the moment, admittedly) and, more importantly, don't offer any AMD graphics solutions whatsoever.
I guess the reason for Intel only CPUs is the custom motherboard. They would have had to design an other version for AMD CPUs to fit. That said, personally, I would love to see a configuration with an FX-6300 and a 7850/7870 with a reasonable price tag as it's better CPU-GPU balance than a 3570k and a GTX660 or 650.
So you want them to offer an AMD CPU although you wouldn't buy one... yeah, they'll really want you as their customer. What other options you would't consider should they offer?
I'd rather have something like an i3-3220 (or the updated version with slightly better clock?) instead of an FX-6300. Similar price (if not less expensive), but enormously higher single threaded performance = better for most and competitive for all games.
Note: There is an i3-3240 with an extra 100mhz on the clock compared to the 3220. So that would be a tiny performance boost to what you see here. The 3220 slots in 10-20$ less than an FX-6300, but the 3240 is 10$ more. BUT the 6300 also consumes more than twice as much power, which would almost definitely make up that 10$ in a year.
I was hoping the author can answer some of the following questions 1) Is there space for one more 3.5" HDD? 2) Is there space for one 2.5" SSD and one 3.5" HDD?
While I understand that most of the system is accessible by removing a phillips screws, can I at some point change the Video Card personally when a new one comes out or is it in some way fixed permanently with the system when I purchase one. I am really interested in the system size and the MB they provide and would like to get something this small, so is there something case/MB wise that I can get to put below my TV? The mITX cases I have seen so far on NewEgg or Amazon all seem to be towers and largish (roughly the size of a large AV reciever). Is there an option to get a BD drive instead of a DVD drive?
You can configure it with an SSD and an HDD. The wizard won't let you pick 2 HDDs (throws an error message) so the second bay is almost certainly only 2.5". Surprisingly it doesn't have an option for two SSDs; since in the past I've read that butiques were claiming it was a customer demanded config when they sent raid 0 SSD review systems out.
It has one 3.5" bay, one 2.5" bay, and one mSATA slot. It would not let me configure all three filled, but you should be able to have 3 drives internal if one is a SSD using mSATA.
Shame they killed it rather than continuing to upgrade it. They were early to this segment and instead of capitalizing on their lead they let it die off. Sounds familiar for them.
Not interested much, but I did read it. Thanks for the work Dustin. Kept me occupied for fifteen minutes on this boring Sunday, and I appreciate that.
This isn't for PC Gaming enthusiasts; they would want the security of an upgradable machine. This is just for console gamers who'd like to expand their options to PC games. With a disposable machine.
I keep wondering why they want to shrink these "living room boxes". You could accomplish so much more in something the size of a HT subwoofer enclosure without grossly scandalizing the living room.
I'd like to agree with the earlier comment complaining about the MS Office inclusion. It should be the consumer's option to receive the product with a completely blank drive, if they wish it. These back-office deals have always PO'd me, I don't need a bloated, ghost'ed drive. But in this case I have to remember the demographic this was built for, which isn't me. Can't deduct for that.
The case design is hideous. I've seen it before, on an $8 plastic clothes hamper at Wal*Mart. Reminiscent of something the new Johnny Hou would draw up.
Is it? Swap out the PSU, GPU, toss in an AMD CPU, motherboard? Hmm. I was under the impression that space was limited, and PSU/GPU length and mainboard config would be an issue.
...seems ill advised. In a few months, a CPU designed from the ground up for this kind of low-power, low-heat, optimal performance is going to come out and make all these power/heat numbers look high.
Plus, I HOPE Intel is smart enough with the GT3 configuration that they enable PC's that can run 720p/1080p at good enough to mostly match a GF630/640. At that point, if that were to happen, prices will drop out the bottom of NUC-like devices that incorporate that.
Suddenly, it won't be $1k for a HTPC that can game, it'd be $500. Sure, it won't be high end and it ain't meant to be. It'll be HTPC-level quality with the option to take console ports and put them up on the big screen at acceptable framerates, which is all the nascent HTPC industry needs to shove consoles out of the value picture altogether.
I've seen rumors that GT3 will be a mobile only config which might slow the availability a bit; but previous generations of mobile parts have found their way onto miniITX sized boards before.
Somehow I doubt that the ~15W that Haswell reserves for its GPU will achieve the same performance as a 640 which can draw more than 100W under load.
There is a distinct chance that Haswell manages to exceed the current A10-5800K performance, and thus get to call itself "Good enough for certain games".
I think it will be completely sufficient if Haswell can play current Console-Ports on Full-HD, and then only have Broadwell or even Skylake be as capable as the next Gen consoles.
To call original Xbox 360 tolerable in terms of noise pollution is an understatement of the year. The only way to drown that noise was to play games even louder. If this thing is as noisy, I personally don't want it in my living room.
I think the faceplate could be improved. Matte look, or even interchangeable colors/design will greatly improve the aesthetics. The base doesn't look very stable either.
I found the Revolt to be an excellent value compared to Alienware, Falcon NW, and other "boutique" shops offering compact gaming systems! I priced out an i7 3770K, Kraken cooling, 8GB Gskill RAM, 240GB Corsair SSD, 2TB storage drive, Nvidia "Signature Edition" GTX680, 500w power supply, and Windows 7 (I'm NEVER running 8!) for just under $2000 (it was about $2100 when I added a wireless "Phantom" keyboard and mouse).
I priced similar systems from Falcon NW and Alienware, and ended up paying about $500 more for a similar configuration! I also tried various shops with "standard" mini-tower case configurations, and they always were more expensive.
ibuypower seems to be offering a truly competitive price for the hardware they are including. Yes, I could build it myself and save a couple hundred dollars (with a regular case, mind you), but I doubt I would get the reliability and performance (or the warranty!) that I will get with their product. I am saving up now to buy mine! (probably pull the trigger in April)
DO NOT buy from ibuypower.com The absolute worst customer service, hidden clauses not allowing no cost service repairs returns. Rude customer service person on the phone, interruting, called me a liar. Unity did not work out of the box. no shipping damage. They said it went through quality control but many mars scratches, things lose inside, rattling noise. I would spend more money at wal mart if i had to in order to avoid ibuypower.com
Just do yourself a favor. STAY AWAY from this company. Yes they look good. But when it breaks and it WILL. All they do is give you the run around. They have had my system for over 2 months trying to fix the garbage they sell. Worse company out there for support. DONT BUY
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rRansom - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
Say what?danjw - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
I just went did a configure on their website. If I go with Windows 7, they insist on installing Microsoft Office on it. I say no to spamware! Just plain old no! I thought they were a boutique, there is no place for spamware from a boutique!damianrobertjones - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
Is your post a joke? MS Office isn't spamware and if you don't like it then un-install it?Netscorer - Sunday, February 17, 2013 - link
At least they allow you to configure this PC with no OS. If you have a Windows license that can be recycled from previous built (like most self-respecting people would have in drones), you can have your wish of spam-free install and save some money too.bah12 - Tuesday, February 19, 2013 - link
Really most self-respecting people have a full retail copy of Windows? I find it odd that very many people would shell out $199 for the full retail copy.Technically speaking Microsoft only has 1 version that you can install on your own "naked" box. That is the full retail. OEM is not legal for personal use, though everyone does it (as do I).
freedom4556 - Tuesday, February 19, 2013 - link
Hogwash, OEM is perfectly OK for personal use, you simply give up Windows support from Microsoft. You're taking on the role of OEM yourself when you build your own machine, which makes you resposible for your own support. Just how Dell supports Windows on Dell machines, you support Windows on machines you build from scratch if you use the OEM version. Full retail gets you direct phone/chat/email support from Microsoft, which is why the added cost.kyuu - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
I like the case design and the fact that a boutique is actually approaching being price-competitive with building your own rig.I'm not going to buy one when they don't give the option of anything but Intel for CPU (not that I'd use anything but Intel for a desktop CPU at the moment, admittedly) and, more importantly, don't offer any AMD graphics solutions whatsoever.
da_cm - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
I guess the reason for Intel only CPUs is the custom motherboard. They would have had to design an other version for AMD CPUs to fit.That said, personally, I would love to see a configuration with an FX-6300 and a 7850/7870 with a reasonable price tag as it's better CPU-GPU balance than a 3570k and a GTX660 or 650.
tim851 - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
So you want them to offer an AMD CPU although you wouldn't buy one... yeah, they'll really want you as their customer. What other options you would't consider should they offer?karasaj - Sunday, February 17, 2013 - link
I'd rather have something like an i3-3220 (or the updated version with slightly better clock?) instead of an FX-6300. Similar price (if not less expensive), but enormously higher single threaded performance = better for most and competitive for all games.http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/699?vs=677&...
Note: There is an i3-3240 with an extra 100mhz on the clock compared to the 3220. So that would be a tiny performance boost to what you see here. The 3220 slots in 10-20$ less than an FX-6300, but the 3240 is 10$ more. BUT the 6300 also consumes more than twice as much power, which would almost definitely make up that 10$ in a year.
mariush - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
Too bad you're not actually posting some pictures of the actual motherboard and case internals.You say it's custom but it would be nice to see who exactly makes it or what model of motherboard is the base this motherboard was customized from.
Surely it's not a 100% custom design.
RDO CA - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
Sooooo when do you read the article?secretmanofagent - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
Too bad I'm not putting together words that represent a thoughtful contribution.You say it's custom, and then you go into detail exactly what it is in the conclusion.
Surely I should have read the article 100% before bitching.
arnavvdesai - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
I was hoping the author can answer some of the following questions1) Is there space for one more 3.5" HDD?
2) Is there space for one 2.5" SSD and one 3.5" HDD?
While I understand that most of the system is accessible by removing a phillips screws, can I at some point change the Video Card personally when a new one comes out or is it in some way fixed permanently with the system when I purchase one.
I am really interested in the system size and the MB they provide and would like to get something this small, so is there something case/MB wise that I can get to put below my TV? The mITX cases I have seen so far on NewEgg or Amazon all seem to be towers and largish (roughly the size of a large AV reciever).
Is there an option to get a BD drive instead of a DVD drive?
DanNeely - Sunday, February 17, 2013 - link
You can configure it with an SSD and an HDD. The wizard won't let you pick 2 HDDs (throws an error message) so the second bay is almost certainly only 2.5". Surprisingly it doesn't have an option for two SSDs; since in the past I've read that butiques were claiming it was a customer demanded config when they sent raid 0 SSD review systems out.jnemesh - Monday, February 18, 2013 - link
It has one 3.5" bay, one 2.5" bay, and one mSATA slot. It would not let me configure all three filled, but you should be able to have 3 drives internal if one is a SSD using mSATA.tipoo - Saturday, February 16, 2013 - link
Shame they killed it rather than continuing to upgrade it. They were early to this segment and instead of capitalizing on their lead they let it die off. Sounds familiar for them.Earthmonger - Sunday, February 17, 2013 - link
Not interested much, but I did read it. Thanks for the work Dustin. Kept me occupied for fifteen minutes on this boring Sunday, and I appreciate that.This isn't for PC Gaming enthusiasts; they would want the security of an upgradable machine.
This is just for console gamers who'd like to expand their options to PC games. With a disposable machine.
I keep wondering why they want to shrink these "living room boxes". You could accomplish so much more in something the size of a HT subwoofer enclosure without grossly scandalizing the living room.
I'd like to agree with the earlier comment complaining about the MS Office inclusion. It should be the consumer's option to receive the product with a completely blank drive, if they wish it. These back-office deals have always PO'd me, I don't need a bloated, ghost'ed drive. But in this case I have to remember the demographic this was built for, which isn't me. Can't deduct for that.
The case design is hideous. I've seen it before, on an $8 plastic clothes hamper at Wal*Mart. Reminiscent of something the new Johnny Hou would draw up.
Dustin Sklavos - Sunday, February 17, 2013 - link
Uh...this is upgradable.Earthmonger - Monday, February 18, 2013 - link
Is it? Swap out the PSU, GPU, toss in an AMD CPU, motherboard? Hmm. I was under the impression that space was limited, and PSU/GPU length and mainboard config would be an issue.Dustin Sklavos - Monday, February 18, 2013 - link
The PSU is server size 1U.The GPU is a garden variety card.
The motherboard is mini-ITX.
Space is limited, but they're not using nonstandard parts.
HisDivineOrder - Sunday, February 17, 2013 - link
...seems ill advised. In a few months, a CPU designed from the ground up for this kind of low-power, low-heat, optimal performance is going to come out and make all these power/heat numbers look high.Plus, I HOPE Intel is smart enough with the GT3 configuration that they enable PC's that can run 720p/1080p at good enough to mostly match a GF630/640. At that point, if that were to happen, prices will drop out the bottom of NUC-like devices that incorporate that.
Suddenly, it won't be $1k for a HTPC that can game, it'd be $500. Sure, it won't be high end and it ain't meant to be. It'll be HTPC-level quality with the option to take console ports and put them up on the big screen at acceptable framerates, which is all the nascent HTPC industry needs to shove consoles out of the value picture altogether.
DanNeely - Monday, February 18, 2013 - link
I've seen rumors that GT3 will be a mobile only config which might slow the availability a bit; but previous generations of mobile parts have found their way onto miniITX sized boards before.ShieTar - Tuesday, February 19, 2013 - link
Somehow I doubt that the ~15W that Haswell reserves for its GPU will achieve the same performance as a 640 which can draw more than 100W under load.There is a distinct chance that Haswell manages to exceed the current A10-5800K performance, and thus get to call itself "Good enough for certain games".
I think it will be completely sufficient if Haswell can play current Console-Ports on Full-HD, and then only have Broadwell or even Skylake be as capable as the next Gen consoles.
Netscorer - Sunday, February 17, 2013 - link
To call original Xbox 360 tolerable in terms of noise pollution is an understatement of the year. The only way to drown that noise was to play games even louder. If this thing is as noisy, I personally don't want it in my living room.beepboy - Monday, February 18, 2013 - link
I think the faceplate could be improved. Matte look, or even interchangeable colors/design will greatly improve the aesthetics. The base doesn't look very stable either.jnemesh - Monday, February 18, 2013 - link
I found the Revolt to be an excellent value compared to Alienware, Falcon NW, and other "boutique" shops offering compact gaming systems! I priced out an i7 3770K, Kraken cooling, 8GB Gskill RAM, 240GB Corsair SSD, 2TB storage drive, Nvidia "Signature Edition" GTX680, 500w power supply, and Windows 7 (I'm NEVER running 8!) for just under $2000 (it was about $2100 when I added a wireless "Phantom" keyboard and mouse).I priced similar systems from Falcon NW and Alienware, and ended up paying about $500 more for a similar configuration! I also tried various shops with "standard" mini-tower case configurations, and they always were more expensive.
ibuypower seems to be offering a truly competitive price for the hardware they are including. Yes, I could build it myself and save a couple hundred dollars (with a regular case, mind you), but I doubt I would get the reliability and performance (or the warranty!) that I will get with their product. I am saving up now to buy mine! (probably pull the trigger in April)
unhappyibuypowercustomer - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - link
DO NOT buy from ibuypower.com The absolute worst customer service, hidden clauses not allowing no cost service repairs returns. Rude customer service person on the phone, interruting, called me a liar. Unity did not work out of the box. no shipping damage. They said it went through quality control but many mars scratches, things lose inside, rattling noise. I would spend more money at wal mart if i had to in order to avoid ibuypower.comDrittz121 - Friday, February 28, 2014 - link
Just do yourself a favor. STAY AWAY from this company. Yes they look good. But when it breaks and it WILL. All they do is give you the run around. They have had my system for over 2 months trying to fix the garbage they sell. Worse company out there for support. DONT BUY