I used the Maingear MG-1 to play a variety of Bethesda’s Starfield–which, regardless of being an influence hog, does not assist ray-tracing–in addition to the most recent replace to Cyberpunk 2077, which does. Each held up surprisingly properly. After taking part in on the 3090 Ti in my most important desktop, and even the 4070 laptop computer GPU within the Razer Blade 14, I anticipated the 4060 to be a mild step down, however I performed each video games with minimal points.
Starfield struggled probably the most, although. With settings cranked to Extremely, at 1080p, I used to be in a position to persistently hit 30 frames per second, although the sport began to slog a bit in crowded areas, like cities. Updates because the sport’s launch have improved efficiency a bit, however for those who’re hoping to make use of brute drive to beat some less-than-optimized video games, you would possibly not less than wish to step as much as the MG-1 Platinum, which comes with an Nvidia RTX 4070.
Whereas taking part in Cyberpunk 2077, I used to be in a position to crank the graphics settings as excessive as they might go—together with utilizing the ray-tracing options, which look unimaginable—at 1440p (whereas testing a special show), however the system nonetheless typically struggled to interrupt 50 fps. After I went again to my 1080p monitor, I used to be in a position to flip the ray-tracing options again on and persistently hit 60 fps.
Past that, although, the MG-1 is mercifully properly tuned. There’s virtually no bloatware put in. It is largely Microsoft’s personal apps that each one Home windows PCs include, like Workplace apps.
Customization and Repairability
The comfort of prebuilt PCs can typically come on the expense of upgradeability, however Maingear has fortunately made it fairly simple to swap out elements and improve elements. The glass panel on the facet is secured by two thumb screws that simply come off. A second panel on the alternative facet may be eliminated to deal with cable administration beneath the motherboard.
Practically every little thing within the PC is accessible from the primary compartment, aside from the facility provide. That’s siloed in a smaller compartment on the base of the tower, with energy cables extending from a couple of holes to run to the motherboard the place wanted. That is additionally the house the place HDDs will likely be mounted for those who add them throughout customization. Nonetheless, if you wish to add drives later, you’ll have to get the brackets they mount to, as they don’t include the PC and not using a drive.
In fact, it’s price noting how a lot you’ll be able to customise the PC earlier than you even get it. Maingear’s Live 3D Configurator allows you to swap out elements, add upgrades, and alter the RGB colour to see what it’ll appear to be with completely different aesthetics. You possibly can even add your customized artwork for the entrance panel to preview what it’ll appear to be when printed.
The configurator shows your preferences in a 3D viewport that you could orbit and zoom in on, and it’s surprisingly detailed. When including an HDD, for instance, it not solely provides the drive and the brackets, however even provides the cable operating to the SATA port precisely the place will probably be when it arrives. You will get extra info right here about your construct than I’ve ever seen in every other PC builder.
The 3D configurator additionally checks compatibility for all of the elements you’ve got chosen, so you’ll be able to’t unintentionally find yourself constructing a customized rig that does not work. For instance, once I chosen the RTX 4090 graphics card, which might require far more energy to run, the configurator lit up with brilliant yellow warnings telling me to decide on a stronger energy provide earlier than I might add the PC to my cart.
I used to be stunned at how a lot I loved utilizing the Maingear MG-1 Silver. It is price noting right here that you may most likely get the same, extra highly effective rig for cheaper for those who constructed it your self, as I did, but it surely’s nonetheless beefy sufficient to deal with a few of the most demanding video games. Higher nonetheless, it is one of many best methods to get a customized gaming rig with out having to learn to construct one from scratch. You possibly can choose from a couple of preset choices, or select which elements to improve in an easy-to-use interface, and it arrives totally assembled. All you must do is plug it in and begin gaming.
