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- First reviewMarch 23, 2016
- Last reviewJuly 11, 2016
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- Average rating4.5
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- First answerJuly 11, 2016
- Last answerJuly 11, 2016
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OPNerd's Reviews
Asus Desktop: With a hybrid hard drive, this computer combines plenty of storage for your music, photos and videos and fast start-up times. Built-in wireless connectivity makes it easy to stay connected with friends over the Web.
Posted by: OPNerd
This is the third ASUS machine I've purchased from Best Buy in the past 2 years (two for myself, one as a gift), and all have 2 things in common: they use the same case design and are visually indistinguishable from each other, and they've all performed like champs.
If you're looking for the best bargain possible, this machine may *not* be the best choice, but for a good reason: the performance it delivers is overkill for the needs of most users. If your needs are primarily office applications, watching streaming video such as Netflix, and doing research on the Internet, you could save yourself some money by going with a lower-priced model that offers something like an Intel i5 processor.
On the other hand, those with more demanding needs will be very pleased. If you're running office apps while you have a browser with 50 tabs open and are watching a YouTube video, this machine can handle it. If you're doing video editing or other CPU-intensive tasks that will benefit from multi-core rendering, this machine is a great choice.
Be aware that there is only ONE expansion slot on this machine, a PCI-E 16x 3.0 slot. The means no legacy PCI cards. The power supply has a max output of 350 watts, so if you want to use the expansion slot to add a graphics card for gaming or other graphics-intensive tasks (or any other card that requires power from the PSU), you'll also have to upgrade the power supply. Either way, simply popping the case open will void your warranty, at least from ASUS.
I've had this machine for just over 2 weeks now, and I've been using on a daily basis to transcode and compress live video for streaming, which is a very CPU-intensive task. Not only has it held up well, but it also runs cool and quiet.
One last thing: I had to enter the UEFI BIOS to enable the turbo boost clocking feature; this feature was disabled on my machine out of the box, so you may need to do the same thing to get the maximum performance out of this machine for demanding tasks.
My Best Buy number: 2287464902
I would recommend this to a friend!
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CyberPowerPC Gamer Ultra Desktop: Take down big bosses with ease using this desktop, which features 2GB dedicated graphics and 16GB system memory for smooth gameplay and stunning images. Store games and movies on the 2TB hard drive, and customize your setup with RGB lighting.
Customer Rating
4
Not really for serious gaming, but still great
on March 23, 2016
Posted by: OPNerd
The graphics card and power supply included in this build are not what I would consider "gaming-grade" components. However, I knew this before purchasing this PC, because I had a different use in mind.
I needed a dedicated PC for livestreaming (via a capture card) and for editing some audio and video. These are the types of tasks that really benefit from multi-core CPUs. To that end, this PC works great.
Furthermore, CyberPowerPC includes the documentation and disks that you would hold on to if you had built this machine yourself--the motherboard manual, driver discs, and the Windows 10 installation disc. Yes, you read that right: an installation disc for the OS is included. That's a rare and welcome sight these days.
It's unfortunate that the dual-slot GPU covers the PCI-E 1x expansion slot; I had to remove it to install my capture card, but then again, I am not doing any gaming from this PC, so the APU graphics support is more than enough to meet my needs, and the motherboard has ports for HDMI, DVI, and VGA connections.
The CPU fan is very loud, even under medium loads, so that is something to consider if noise is a consideration.
The overall build quality is great, and the case has plenty of room for additional drives. You would need to upgrade the PSU if you wanted to install a beefier graphics card and additional had drives.
Overall, this is a decent workhorse PC with quality components for the pre-built price. For gaming, though, I'd look elsewhere.
My Best Buy number: 2287464902
I would recommend this to a friend!
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OPNerd's Answers
Asus Desktop: With a hybrid hard drive, this computer combines plenty of storage for your music, photos and videos and fast start-up times. Built-in wireless connectivity makes it easy to stay connected with friends over the Web.
Graphics card?
What graphics card comes in this computer?
There is no discreet ("separate") card; the CPU includes the Intel HD 530 APU for handling video output. The single PCI-E 16x slot on the motherboard can be used to add a GPU, but in most situations you would then need to upgrade the power supply as well.
7 years, 9 months ago
by
OPNerd
Asus Desktop: With a hybrid hard drive, this computer combines plenty of storage for your music, photos and videos and fast start-up times. Built-in wireless connectivity makes it easy to stay connected with friends over the Web.
Will a Gtx 970 fit in here
It might depend on the exact model, particularly with the aftermarket coolers that brands such as EVGA, ASUS, and Gigabyte add to their cards, but the vast majority of Nvidia GTX 970s will fit in this case. I know from personal experience that an EVGA SC edition will fit. You'll need to upgrade the power supply, and I'd also recommend purchasing additional case fans that can be powered by Molex or SATA connectors instead of motherboard fan headers.
7 years, 9 months ago
by
OPNerd
Asus Desktop: With a hybrid hard drive, this computer combines plenty of storage for your music, photos and videos and fast start-up times. Built-in wireless connectivity makes it easy to stay connected with friends over the Web.
How many PCIe/PCI slots are available?
Asus Desktop: With a hybrid hard drive, this computer combines plenty of storage for your music, photos and videos and fast start-up times. Built-in wireless connectivity makes it easy to stay connected with friends over the Web.
My current graphics card is a NVIDIA GeForce GT720. I also do not know anything about display adapters. Will I be giving up or gaining better graphics viewing by purchasing this Asus?.
You'll actually get *slightly* better performance from the Intel HD 530 than you would from the GT720. The 720 might match the performance of the 530 for some games. If you're looking to use the PCI-E slot on the mother board to add a more power GPU, you'll also need to upgrade the PSU as well because it maxes out at 350W.
7 years, 9 months ago
by
OPNerd
Asus Desktop: With a hybrid hard drive, this computer combines plenty of storage for your music, photos and videos and fast start-up times. Built-in wireless connectivity makes it easy to stay connected with friends over the Web.
Does the operating system come installed on the SSD portion of the hybrid drive, or on the SATA portion?
The OS is installed on the primary 1TB partition; the 8GB of SSD storage is used for caching data that is frequently accessed for faster loading times, so it's not something that you can save data to directly.
7 years, 9 months ago
by
OPNerd
Asus Desktop: With a hybrid hard drive, this computer combines plenty of storage for your music, photos and videos and fast start-up times. Built-in wireless connectivity makes it easy to stay connected with friends over the Web.
IS THERE AN OPEN BAY FOR A FIRE WIRE CARD?
Asus Desktop: With a hybrid hard drive, this computer combines plenty of storage for your music, photos and videos and fast start-up times. Built-in wireless connectivity makes it easy to stay connected with friends over the Web.
Is there an empty bay for a second hard drive?
Yes, there is mounting space as well as several open SATA connections on the motherboard for additional drives. Adding a single HDD or SSD won't tax the power supply, but if you're adding more than one drive (especially HDDs), you may want to look at upgrading the power supply.
7 years, 9 months ago
by
OPNerd