iBuyPower Intel Z390
A well-priced, quality, good-looking build
IBUYPOWER IS ONE of the more affordable PC builders out there. Obviously, the price of your build will vary depending on what components you put in it, and whether you add any extras—such as an extended warranty or a new monitor— to your purchase. When it comes to the usual up-charge of paying someone else to build your PC, iBuyPower doesn’t work out much more than a DIY home build, but this pre-built Intel Z390 9900KS gaming desktop offers incredible value: For $2,300, you’re getting a well-designed, high-end build in a small, beautifully unique case. If you’ve built your own rigs in the past and don’t have the time to spare for your next one, this pre-built is a good alternative.
The Slate MR case design stands out from the crowd, especially as iBuyPower cases aren’t usually the most glamorous. Oddly, the tempered glass side panel is screwed into the chassis with just two thumbscrews at the back, so the frontfacing side of it pops out slightly, but that’s the only minor niggle. The front of this case functions like a two-way mirror. You can see your reflection when the PC is off, but as soon as you boot it up, three fans light up from behind like car headlights through the fog. The front is divided into three asymmetrical triangles, which allows for some additional cool air intake next to the right-side vent. Hot air escapes efficiently out the back with a single fan, and through the magnetic dust filter on top.
This PC stays cool even when pushed to the max—impressive, given it’s built around an Intel Core i9-9900KS, an eightcore 5.0GHz behemoth of a processor, paired with an RTX 2080 Super. But we wish the default storage was a little more impressive. For about $70 extra, you can get Intel’s 760p, which is a better option, as it has average read speeds of 3,040MB/s compared to the 660p’s 1,901MB/s that you’ll find in here as standard.
Adata is a good choice if you’re looking to save the most money on a 16GB RAM kit. However, the timings for the RAM in this desktop are 16-18-18—not bad, but not great. There are RAM kits with better timings out there for a minor increase in price. But better storage and memory won’t massively improve performance, so this build comes down to getting the best possible components while saving the most money, which isn’t a bad strategy.
For gaming performance, the processor and graphics card are what matter most, and this rig churns out excellent numbers. Total W ar:
WarhammerII showed the processor’s power at 1080p and 1440p, with an average frame rate between 85 and 120.
TheDivision2 averaged 116fps on 1080p and 80fps on 1440p. MetroExodus’s performance takes a bit of a hit at those resolutions, with only 80fps on 1080p and 63fps on 1440p; 60 isn’t the lowest bar for frame rate, but it’s still a gold standard.
4K performance is where things get dicey for this GPU, which is also not unexpected: TotalWar:WarhammerII floated between 48 and 57fps; The
Division 2 averaged 44fps; and Metro Exodus averaged 40fps. But, some good news: Ray-tracing performance (set to high on 1440p) on MetroExodus averaged 60fps. Playing at 1080p or 1440p is superresponsive and smooth, and arguably a better choice than 4K for now. Having a good monitor helps, but regardless of your display, this configuration will run games reliably and smoothly.
iBuyPower is a little less enticing on the customer service side compared to other builders. It does build your PC professionally and include all the extra cables in the box, but it’s missing that boutique touch, such as neatly wrapped swag or “personal” messaging from the company’s president. If you’re someone who doesn’t need to feel special with those things, iBuyPower is a good nofrills option. –JOANNA NELIUS