The Cyberpower Gamer Dragon
When we looked for the Gamer Dragon on the cyberpowerpc.com Web site, we didn’t see it there. Instead, we saw was a number of different systems, and while one of them was called the Gamer Dragon, it wasn’t quite identical to our test system. This is because Cyberpower's site allows the user to configure systems however one chooses within a wide range of parameters.
Here are the specifications of the machine as we tested it. According to Cyberpower, it would cost about $1,743 to purchase the system as-listed.
| Cyberpower Gamer Dragon | |
|---|---|
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P, BIOS F4a, AMD790X |
| Processor | AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (3.2 GHz, FSB-200) 6 MB Cache.Factory OC at 3.6 GHz, FSB-225, 2,022 MHz HyperTransport link |
| Memory | Kingston HyperX 9905403-048.A00LF PC3-107002 x 2,048 MB, 1,498 MHz, CAS 9-9-9-24 2T |
| Graphics | 2 x HIS Radeon HD 4890 in CrossFire850 MHz GPU, 2,200 MHz RAM, 1 GB Per Card |
| Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda ST31500341AS1.5 TB, 7200.1RPM, 16 MB Cache, SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| Optical | LG GGCH20-L Blu-ray/HD-DVD ROM |
| Case | Cooler Master CM STORM Scout |
| Power | Corsair CMPSU-650TX650 W, ATX 12V 2.2 |
| CPU Cooler | Xtreme Cooler HP-1216 |
Now, we know the Phenom II X4 is no slouch in its stock form, but since it is factory-overclocked to 3.6 GHz, the chip should give us an ideal demonstration of its prowess. Realistically, the maximum overclock you can expect out of a Phenom II is around 4 GHz, so we consider 3.6 GHz a reasonable speed, especially when you consider that Cyberpower offers this overclock under warranty.
The cooler was a bit of a puzzle for us. We couldn't easily identify it, and it wasn't listed as an option on Cyberpower’s Web site. A query to Cyberpower brought the model's name to light: it's an Xtreme Cooler HP-1216. The cooler appears to be a capable unit with a great deal of cooling area, five heat pipes, and a 120 mm Cooler Master fan.
The Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P is a fine board, and its AM3 CPU socket allows for fast DDR3 memory. The memory is Kingston HyperX PC3-10700, clocked in at 748 MHz (1,498 MHz effective)
Everything fits nicely in a Cooler Master CM Storm Scout gaming case.
Within this unique and attractive case, Cyberpower has executed the cable management well. You probably won’t see this kind of care and attention from one of the big suppliers.
The included hard drive is Seagate’s mammoth 1.5 TB Barracuda. No RAID array here, which is a little odd in a premium system, but opting for one is as easy as ticking the checkbox when ordering.
Supplying the juice to everything is Corsair’s 650TX power supply unit (PSU), which we were pleased to use in past SBMs.
The dual Radeon HD 4890 cards in CrossFire are using up a great deal of its power, and although we usually try to dispel the rumors that CrossFire and SLI configurations require ungodly amounts of juice, we would have opted for a little more margin of error and a beefier PSU. The power benchmarks will tell us if our concern is justified.
The operating system controlling everything is, of course, a flavor of Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit to be exact, to take full advantage of the 4 GB of RAM. Bear in mind that this adds $83 to the machine's total cost, which is not included in the System Builder Marathon configuration we presented last month.
