Boutique systems builders separate themselves from bulk OEMs by using off-the-shelf parts and, on the higher end, constructing beautifully crafted machines that help justify the pricing premium. Maingear is no stranger to such designs, though for its latest desktop line, it employed the help of Razer. Together they came up with the Maingear R1 Razer Edition, "a desktop designed from the ground up to offer the best gaming experience possible."
That's a tall order and to come close to that goal, you'll need to skip over the "Stock" $999 starting configuration and jump to the "Superstock" models, either the Z170 config starting at $3,599 or the X99 setup that runs $4,099 and up.
Both top-end models sport a hand cut hardline custom liquid cooling setup built with polished nickel plated metal tubing. Maingear's press photos show off green color coolant, though you can also roll with yellow, red, blue, or clear. You can also request a custom color option.
The most expensive model comes standard with an NZXT H440 Razer Edition chassis, MSI X99A Raider motherboard, Intel Core i7-6800K processor, the aforementioned liquid cooling setup with clear coolant, 16GB of HyperX Fury DDR4-2666 RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, 1TB Seagate HDD (7,200 RPM), 8X DVD burner, and 750W EVGA SuperNova power supply.
"Collaborating with Maingear to deliver an uncommonly powerful and versatile desktop system that satisfies the demands of even the most ardent gamer is extremely exciting," says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. "The feature-set and craftsmanship of the R1 Razer Edition leave it in a class of its own today, and the customizable design leaves the door wide open for untold enhancements well into the future."
That's a burly configuration, though it leaves plenty of room for beastly upgrades. If you have enough coin, you can deck this thing out with a 10-core Intel Core i7-6950X processor, 64GB of HyperX Savage DDR4-2800 RAM, two liquid cooled Nvidia Titan X graphics cards in SLI, 1,200W PSU, 1.2TB Intel 750 PCIe SSD, Blu-ray burner, Asus Xonar sound card, and onboard Wi-Fi.
Going extreme like that can push the tally north of $11,000. Of course, you don't need anything close to tackle AAA titles in 4K and VR, but it's nice to dream, isn't it?
At the other end of the spectrum, a $999 configuration gets you an Asus H110M-A motherboard, Core i5-6500 CPU with retail air cooler, 8GB of HyperX Fury DDR4-2666 RAM, GeForce GTX 1060, 1TB HDD, and 500W EVGA PSU.
You can configure and purchase a Maingear R1 Razer Edition now.
