Maingear MG-1: Two-minute assessmentWhen I opened the field for the Maingear MG-1 AMD Advantage – Enthusiast desktop gaming PC, I acquired a really good shock. The people over at Maingear had added a buyer order entrance plate on the case emblazoned with the TechRadar brand and, deliberately or not, a graphic design that fairly precisely captured the website’s coloration palette. It’s the form of contact I’m certain Maingear’s builders included as a pleasant gesture, however I took it for what it’s: an emblem of Maingear’s love of PC constructing, the firm’s unbelievable consideration to element, and an understanding that it is constructing gaming rigs for precise individuals who will really use them. It’s little surprise then that the Maingear MG-1 is definitely the best gaming PC I’ve laid fingers on all yr, and I believe it actually underlines Maingear’s coming into its personal as the premiere customized PC store in the US. I’d truthfully say it is a higher gaming PC than the Maingear Turbo I reviewed final yr, which in itself was a murals.After unboxing the PC, setting it up was a breeze. The premium packing job goes above and past what a variety of different producers will do, and it higher protects the components inside the PC throughout transport. Powering it on for the first time, the inside displayed simply sufficient flash to maintain issues attention-grabbing with out being overwhelming. The system booted shortly and there was no bloatware to take care of. Opening up the PC is simple sufficient if twiddling with elements is your factor, and the magnetic entrance panel can pop proper off when you’re trying to swap it out for an additional. As a typical mid-tower-sized PC, attending to the ports alongside the prime of the case and in the rear is as you’d anticipate.How many rear ports you get will clearly rely on which motherboard possibility you go along with, so when you’re going for a customized construct, maintain that in thoughts when making your choose. (Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)Speaking of configurations, a prebuilt Maingear MG-1 begins at simply $1,099 (about £900 / AU$1,520), so the MG-1 is actually one in all the best price range gaming PCs you will get. It’s additionally amongst the most premium high-performance machines round, whether or not for gaming, skilled content material creation, or a mixture of each. That is a really laborious factor to do in a single product, however Maingear has put in the work to make the MG-1 as accessible as doable to only about everybody.Performance goes to fluctuate broadly relying on which configuration you go along with, so you may positively have to perform a little analysis to search out the best construct on your wants. Maingear affords plenty of MG-1 prebuilds to make the course of easy or you’ll be able to customise the PC to your specs. One factor I can positively say about the efficiency is that no matter configuration the system stability might be stellar. I’ve had the privilege of touring the Maingear manufacturing flooring in New Jersey, and the testing that goes into every construct to make sure it should run with out difficulty could be very thorough, no matter whether or not it is a prebuilt PC or a customized order. Whichever construct you go along with, you may get a smooth-running machine that rivals the stability you’d get from far bigger producers. And when you do run into points, Maingear’s customer support will bend over backward to repair no matter issues pop up.All instructed, the Maingear MG-1 is a stellar gaming PC that virtually anybody, on any price range, should purchase. It ought to be on the shortlist for everybody contemplating a brand new gaming rig this yr. Whatever your want or worth vary, the Maingear MG-1 can slot itself into that area of interest with ease. You is not going to be disenchanted.Maingear MG-1: Price & availability(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)How a lot does it price? Starting at $1,099 (about £990 / AU$1,520)When is it accessible? Available nowWhere are you able to get it? Available in the US, however worldwide transport is an possibilityThe Maingear MG-1 is on the market now in the US beginning at $1,099 (about £990 / AU$1,520). And whereas transport this PC inside the US goes to be a lot simpler, worldwide patrons can contact the firm to see about their transport choices as properly.The worth you in the end pay for this PC will rely on what configuration you select, in addition to whether or not you go along with a prebuilt system or a customized construct. Prebuilds vary from $1,099 as much as $4,699. There are additionally branded prebuilds co-developed with Shroud, the widespread Twitch streamer and Valorant participant, in addition to AMD Advantage programs, the latter of which I acquired as a assessment pattern (the MG-1 AMD Advantage – Enthusiast, to be exact), which begins at $3,199 ($3,449 as reviewed).(Image credit score: Future / Maingear)The lowest I’ve managed to configure a customized construct has been $1,117, but when there is a cheaper one, it will not be lower than the entry-level $1,099 prebuild. The highest-end configuration I’ve managed to get (seen above) will price a staggering $7,441. It could also be the solely gaming PC you may want for the subsequent decade, however nonetheless an extremely lux construct.That being mentioned, all of this in a single gaming PC is a hell of a factor.Maingear MG-1: Specs(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)The Maingear MG-1 is available in dozens of configurations, starting from pretty accessible costs to sovereign wealth fund ranges of luxurious, and consists of each prebuilt programs and custom-built ones.Swipe to scroll horizontallyThese are the specs for the Maingear MG-1 | AMD Advantage – Enthusiast ComponentBase modelReview unit (AMD Advantage – Enthusiast)Top configuration (prebuilt)Price$1,099 (about £960 / AU$1,800)$3,449 (about £2,760 / AU$5,175)$4,699 (about £3,760 / AU$7,050)CPUIntel Core i5-13400FAMD Ryzen 9 7950X3DIntel Core i9-13900KGPUIntel Arc A750AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTXNvidia GeForce RTX 4090RAM16GB DRR432GB DDR532GB DDR5WirelessWi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetoorh 5.3Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetoorh 5.3As far as customized builds go, you’ll be able to go to Maingear’s MG-1 configuration web page and play with the specs to get the construct you need and discover out the pricing throughout configurations.The absolute breadth of configuration choices is one in all the MG-1’s greatest promoting factors. It consists of 13 processor choices, 11 graphics card choices, and 9 motherboards (5 Intel and 4 AMD), together with completely different RAM configurations, energy provides, M.2 SSDs, SATA SSDs, and HDDs. There are even seize playing cards for the streamers on the market.Throw in design customizations, coolers, and peripherals, and, properly, you get the concept. Maingear has a few of the best customized construct choices round, full cease.Maingear MG-1: Design(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)Mid-tower case with customizable magnetic entrance panelAttractive interiorNo possibility for customized cooling loopsThe Maingear MG-1 is definitely one in all the better-looking gaming PCs I’ve seen this yr, and never simply because they splashed TechRadar’s brand on the entrance of the rig (although flattery will get you in every single place, people).I’m not the form of gamer who wants their gaming PC to appear like a carnival sales space or the dance flooring of a German discotheque, and Maingear’s MG-1 supplies sufficient gamer aptitude with out going overboard. The acrylic aspect enables you to admire the high-quality construct inside, whereas the customizable entrance panel is usually a dialog piece or a chance to advertise your model.Compared to different Maingear programs like the Turbo, the MG-1 lacks the customized water-cooling loop and as an alternative goes for Cooler Master AIO coolers with Maingear’s brand on them. This means it feels extra off-the-shelf, nevertheless it would not really feel low-cost in any means. Image 1 of 5(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)If there’s something to knock on the design right here, it is that the case is a typical mid-tower type issue (although a really good one, to be truthful). There have been a variety of actually attention-grabbing case designs popping out in the previous few years, so when you’re searching for a type of, you will not discover it amongst the MG-1 choices.It’s additionally vital to notice the radiator on the prime of the case can really feel a bit uncovered, with naked metallic slots at the prime bleeding warmth from the AIO cooler. Several PC instances these days have some type of filter or cowl on prime to assist maintain mud out, and that is not the case right here. Had I reviewed this PC at dwelling, moderately than at our NYC workplace, my cat would’ve established a everlasting beachhead on prime of this PC, and it could’ve taken a supreme effort to dislodge her. Cat hair being what it’s, I can see a possible drawback right here, although my laziness in not brushing out my cat’s fur is not actually one thing I can knock Maingear for, is it?Maingear MG-1 AMD Advantage: Performance(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)Fantastic system stability for a customized constructPerformance will fluctuate tremendously relying on configurationMaingear MG-1: Gaming PC benchmarksHere’s how the Maingear MG-1 AMD Advantage – Enthusiast prebuilt system carried out in our suite of benchmark exams:3DMark Night Raid: 86,135; Fire Strike: 50,987; Time Spy: 25,821; Port Royal: 16,225GeekBench 6 Single-core: 3,008; Multi-core: 20,477PCMark 10: 10,427CinebenchR23 Multi-core: 35,652Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 264 fps; (1080p, Low): 498 fpsCyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 181 fps; (1080p, Low): 254 fpsDirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 264 fps; (1080p, Low): 425 fpsHandbrake 1.6: 138 fps (CPU); 185 fps (GPU)As far as gaming and workstation efficiency goes, the MG-1 AMD Advantage – Enthusiast prebuild I reviewed is an outstanding performer, all due to its AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor, AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPU, and ample reminiscence and storage.If there’s one thing I can take factors off for right here, it is the artistic efficiency. The RX 7900 XTX would not work with CUDA, so many CUDA-optimized applications will not carry out almost in addition to they’d have if this construct used an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090.On the flip aspect of that, the gaming efficiency on this PC is solely unbelievable (which my EIC completely cherished as I performed video video games in the lab all afternoon and known as it “work”). What components you find yourself getting will make all the distinction by way of gaming efficiency, however as talked about earlier than, the system stability for the MG-1 is top-notch, one thing that is not straightforward to do when providing a whole lot of various doable half mixtures. They actually do check these PCs extensively earlier than they’re shipped out, so that you might be assured that your PC goes to work for the lengthy haul with none bizarre half compatibility points that may usually plague these sorts of custom-built gaming PCs.Performance rating: 5 / 5Should you purchase the Maingear MG-1?(Image credit score: Future / John Loeffler)Swipe to scroll horizontallyMaingear MG-1 Score CardAttributesNotesRatingPriceStarting at $1,099, you will get an incredible budget-friendly gaming rig or blow stacks of money on the best gaming system conceivable, all in the identical PC.5 / 5DesignGlorious personalization options, elegant construct, and engaging lighting make this a great-looking PC regardless of the way you configure it.4.5 / 5SpecsThe number of prebuild choices and the intensive customization choices make this a top-notch possibility for the spec-obsessed.5 / 5PerformanceThe precise gaming or content material creation efficiency will fluctuate relying on the specs you employ, however you’ll be able to select from all the newest PC components assembled by skilled builders and extensively examined for stability, so efficiency might be incredible and steady at each tier.5 / 5Average scoreThe Maingear MG-1 may be the biggest gaming PC Maingear has ever made, and that is saying one thing. 4.88 / 5Buy it if…Don’t purchase it if…Maingear MG-1: Also take into accountSwipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0 Maingear MG-1Origin Chronos V3Maingear TurboPrice$1,099 (about £960 / AU$1,800)$1,501 (about £1,200 / AU$2,250)Starting at $2,215 (about £1,775/AU$3,325)CPUIntel Core i5-13400FAMD Ryzen 5 7600XAMD Ryzen 5 7600XGPUIntel Arc A750Integrated Radeon RDNA 3Nvidia RTX 4060RAM16GB DRR432GB DDR516GB DDR5WirelessWi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetoorh 5.3Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2If my Maingear MG-1 assessment has you contemplating different choices, listed below are two extra customizable gaming PCs to contemplate…How I examined the Maingear MG-1I had the Maingear MG-1 for a number of weeksI used it as my day-to-day workstation PC, which concerned content material creation, recreation testing, and moreIn addition to our customary benchmark instruments, I performed a number of of the newest video games for a number of hours with each efficiency setting maxed out.I examined the Maingear MG-1 for a number of weeks, utilizing it as my essential workstation PC in our NYC workplace, together with content material creation like photograph and video enhancing, benchmark testing, and PC gaming (even on the clock!).Given the variety of doable configurations, the MG-1 might be appropriate for every part from 1080p price range gaming to high-end content material creation with 8K video, in addition to high-performance PC gaming.I’ve been reviewing pc {hardware} for years now, and I’ve been a PC gamer and PC fanatic since I used to be a child, so I do know my means round a gaming PC, in addition to what it must do properly and the way properly it ought to carry out at any given worth level.Read extra about how we checkFirst reviewed July 2023
https://www.techradar.com/computing/gaming-pcs/maingear-mg-1
