CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 01/04/2007
- Updated on: 10/31/2009
We've seen a handful of quad-core PCs so far with a single Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX 3D card in them, but we had yet to see any with two of those cards in SLI (scalable link interface) mode until the Widow PC IX2 SLI. More than simply a high-end game desktop, this system is a hyperbolic showcase of PC design and up-to-the-minute hardware. Priced at $7,361, it's also unreachable for all but the most dedicated and wealthiest gamers. Amazingly, that price seems to be about the going rate for any boutique-class system with a similar configuration. We remember when a $4,000 PC would break records. Those days probably aren't gone for the DIY crowd, but if you'd rather have someone else do the dirty work for you, this Widow PC runs as fast and is built as well as systems from better-known boutique vendors. If you have the money and the inclination, we recommend it.
Similar to Velocity Micro, Widow PC relies on Lian Li's clean, sturdy case design to give the IX2 SLI a strong visual impression. Inside, the IX2 SLI features a compartmentalized BTX design that helps isolate the various parts from each other for maximum thermal efficiency. We've found that as power demands have risen in recent months, high-end PCs and the fans that keep them cool have gotten louder as well. The Widow PC IX2 SLI uses a combination of liquid and air cooling, and though still loud, it's not as bad as others.
The IX2 SLI came with an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 chip overclocked from 2.66GHz to 3.34GHz. That's the most aggressively overclocked quad-core chip we've seen so far, and it paid off on our performance tests, the results of which are below. Widow PC uses an Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI motherboard, and matches it with 2GB of L33T-branded 800MHz DDR2 memory. Its hard drive configuration includes a common pairing of two 150GB 10,000rpm Western Digital drives in a RAID 0 array, along with a large, 750GB 7,200rpm storage drive. That mix gives you fast read and write access for Windows and your applications, and leaves you with plenty of room for general data storage.
The Widow PC IX2 SLI's performance outpaced that of every other quad-core PC we've tested so far on almost all of our application and game tests. The only competitor that comes close (and that actually wins on a test or two) is the similarly configured (and soon-to-be reviewed) Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition, whose CPU isn't overclocked as aggressively (although Velocity Micro will push the chip harder on customer request). We have a Falcon Northwest Mach V in the lab right now with a Core 2 Extreme QX6700 that's overclocked to 3.73GHz, but we haven't been able to test it yet. That system (also priced and configured similarly to the Widow PC) stands a chance of outpacing the Widow PC, but until we actually run it through our benchmark tests, the Widow PC IX2 SLI is our current overall performance winner.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
 |
In seconds |
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
|
In seconds |
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
|
In seconds |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
Rendering Multiple CPUs | |
Rendering Single CPU |
If you look at the game test scores for the IX2 SLI, you'll notice that no matter how high we set the resolution on Quake 4 or F.E.A.R., the Widow PC scored over 100 frames per second, in some cases far surpassing that. We were actually hoping to challenge it even more by dialing the antialiasing and anisotropic filtering settings up to 16x, but when we did, our scores fluctuated wildly. Different test runs at the same settings wavered by sometimes more than 30 percent, and frame rates between resolutions didn't scale logically. We tried updated drivers and different patches, among other things, and tried it on several different quad-core systems with either one or two GeForce 8800 GTX cards; the same inconsistencies arose. We can report that not once did the frame rates on the Widow PC drop below playable levels, but we're just not confident that all of the settings we thought we'd turned on were actually enabled. Nvidia is looking into the problem for us, and we'll report back if we figure it out in a reasonable amount of time. Still, we feel comfortable saying that the Widow PC will handle any modern game at the highest image-quality settings, and that its pair of beefy, DirectX 10-capable graphics cards will leave you positioned well for the next-generation titles we expect will tax high-end PCs over the next few years.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
2,048x1,536 (4x AA, 8x AF) | |
1,600x1,200 (4x AA, 8xAF) | |
1,280x1,024 (4x AA, 8x AF) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
2,048x1,536 (4x AA, 8x AF) | |
1,600x1,200 (4x AA, 8xAF) | |
1,280x1,024 (4x AA, 8x AF) |
Most helpful user reviews
-
Average user rating:
0 stars
Not yet available
Back to product review - My rating: 0 stars Write review
-
Showing 1 of 1 user review
-
1 out of 1 people found this helpful
"fast computer; not "fanatical customer support" as claimed on website"
- See 1 user review Write review
Submit your review
