Power
We measure power consumption using a Kill-A-Watt device at the wall outlet. Idle indicates a measurement taken in Windows with no applications running. Max indicates the maximum power draw with the system fully loaded (running two instances of Prime95 plus 3DMark Vantage simultaneously). Note that power supply inefficiencies come into play, but we want to know the requirements for the system as a whole so that's okay.
In what seems to be a running theme in today's system builds, we see a huge margin on the power supply versus what the system actually draws (minus PSU efficiency losses). However, this does provide ample (very ample) room for expansion, particularly with the 3-way SLI board, though Triple SLI is not a solution we recommend. It's also worth noting that typical maximum efficiency for PSUs comes at 30-50% load, so using a larger PSU than is strictly required isn't a serious problem - provided it's not too large.
Noise
We measured noise with an SPL (Sound Pressure Level) meter, at distances of 24" and 48". The case fans and video cards dominate the noise produced. For reference, ambient noise is approximately 37.5 dB(A).
We see the F131 just about in the middle of the other systems we've tested. Subjectively, the system is reasonably quiet, particularly with the water cooling option, and most of the noise generated comes from the video card. However, we did observe an odd noise throughout testing that sounded like a popping noise coming from the water cooler. The noise was intermittent and unpredictable, and sounded like a sudden surge of liquid passing through the reservoir or the radiator. It did not affect stability, but would be annoying on a long-term basis.
Temperature
We utilized CoreTemp 0.99.3 to measure CPU temperatures, which incorporates the latest TjMax values for Intel processors. We loaded each core with Prime95 and ran 3DMark Vantage in the background.
These temperatures are very reasonable, and the CPU never broke 60C even under maximum sustained load. The water cooler is doing its job well here, but we wonder how well it would work with two more cores underneath it.
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gorbag - Thursday, November 13, 2008 - link
I'm not sure why this is a mac v. everyone else debate (again), but I could not let the following pass:"Finally, do you really think engineers are responsible for the look of Apple's computers or most cosmetic designs for that matter? Usually it is an industrial design artist who's job is to make products look pretty. Unless ergonomics are a factor, an engineer wouldn't even come close to the drawing board. Where the engineer comes into the pictures is to fight with the industrial design artist when they try to hinder the functionality of the original design."
I don't consider myself an engineeer (I'm in R&D), but I do work with quite a few of them. Really, a whole lot (100s), and of all kinds: electrical, systems, software, etc. And I would have to say that in a consumer products company, if there is a requirement for "customer experience" that includes, e.g., the internal board layout, disk connection scheme, etc. that I've seen in Macs, then you better believe there were engineers who made it their job to create that experience. Engineering is about balancing trade-offs. I'm not quite sure what you think it's about, but I would suspect you have little professional experience in that area or you would not be making comments such as this one.
I have more respect, not less, for the folks who can not only create a functional but also an aesthetically pleasing design. I'd rather have my office in the Sistine Chapel than in some steel and glass monstrosity out of the 70s, even though both would serve the same primary functional purpose. There are a lot of non-functional requirements (in software, the -ilities) that professional engineers must take into account when creating a system.
mindless1 - Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - link
Nice snowjob. Not true, but an admirable effort nonetheless.headbox - Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - link
There is more than one computer being compared, and if the main computer in the article was upgraded to Mac Pro specs... oh wait... it couldn't because a Mac Pro is an 8-core system... it would still come in a flimsy box, likely not booting.And stop pretending SPEED is the only thing that matters with a computer. Reliability? Operating system? Tech support? If you know how to build a computer, then you'd build one and save the money and be your own tech support. If you don't know how, you buy a gaming system, and you're screwed when it arrives and won't boot.
If speed were the only thing people cared about, the entire USA would be riding around on 1,000cc sportbikes. You can buy a 600cc sportbike faster than any car for $2,500- yet you only see a handful of these on the streets. They also get 50 mpg and insurance is about $15/mo. Speed isn't everything. Just like in computers.
3DoubleD - Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - link
The computer being compared is the one in the article.. I'm not sure what other one you are looking at? You are right though, you can't compare a Mac Pro to this computer as the computer in the article would be ridiculously faster for the intended use (general use and video games). Who needs 8 cores? I have a feeling that if you are using a Mac you might have trouble using software that uses 8 cores (except for the 100 people in the world who actual edit video and use a Mac). Not to mention that Apple wanted to give their customers the best performance, they probably should have gone with two AMD Opterons instead, as I think they are still king in the multi-socket arena. To summarize, the computer in this article is a far better application of technology to meet the end user's needs than the Mac Pro, which offers abysmal value to the customer outside of its small niche market (professional video editing).Why does speed matter... because this is an OVERCLOCKED computer. If speed didn't matter, then the customer wouldn't be looking at this computer! That was brilliant. Again, did you read the article?
This computer is very reliable. You get a 1 year warranty with an option to extend it to 3 years, similar to most computer and Mac manufacturers. Tech support roles in with this one.
As for OS, again, since this is mostly targeted towards users who will use this computer for both general use and gaming. Consequently, there is only one good choice, Windows!
Again, you just sound like a fanatic Steve Jobs follower. Macs have their place in the world. They are great for Grandma who likes to type emails and check the weather. For people who have more serious things to do, more serious equipment is usually needed.
kboom1 - Sunday, December 26, 2010 - link
I thought Maingear's systems were one of the better boutique builders not only from reviews of benchmarks but because of their warranty (angelic service). in feb 2010 I finally took the leap and bought a F131 system and maxed out some of my hardware,It wasn't hard to spend 5g on my system. with in 9 mos. so far I had to have my MB,,RAM,Optical drive,and GPU replaced which I had no probs with the warranty as of yet.One thing that does concern me about MG,upon replacing my GPU I noticed the ssd I paid for and was on my invoice was not the one installed.I paid extra to have this spesific ssd installed.The one installed was a lower model That had problems with the controller and trim, this issue has yet to be resolved. so to sum it up although warranty service has been top notch make sure you check all your hardware when you get your rig.