At a glance, it's difficult to tell the difference from the previous we reviewed in August -- barring the giant, laser etched skull, of course. But the differences are more than skin deep. Pull the cover off, and it becomes easy to see where the "Super Stock" options come in. The updated F131 Super Stock sports a speedy second-generation Core i5-2500K, overclocked to a whopping 5GHz. There's 8GB of RAM, with two empty DIMM slots to fill in later. A 7200rpm 1TB drive accompanies a 250GB SSD allowing for both maximum storage and speed. And though Maingear certainly didn't hold back with the hardware, the case is admittedly a bit dull.
Two graphics cards arranged in SLI make an solid gaming machine, without having to spend to much on the high-end graphics card. They offer four DVI and two mini-HDMI outputs. In our Unreal Tournament 3 benchmark (2560-by-1600 resolution, highest settings), it performed 131.1 frames-per-second, which is slightly better than the (129.9 frames per second) running a single slightly stronger card (). Confused about running two cards, versus one higher-end one? Check out Alex Wawro's for a run-down on the pros and cons.
In our WorldBench 6 tests the F131 Super Stock was able to annihilate the competition with an astonishing score of 215, thanks to the overclocked processor and solid state drive. For comparison, the mainstream variant of the received a 206 in the same tests. The runner up Maingear Vybe got a 207. Not to point out the obvious, but that is quite a notable difference.
The chassis is a bit of a bore from the outside, but it does supply some great features and plenty of ports to keep all your accessories connected. A brushed black aluminum case sports the Super Stock logo on the side. Unfortunately, there is no side fan which I find greatly helps keep the graphics cards cool. This can be an important factor to running a stable PC, especially when running two cards at once. The front offers a readily accessible multiformat card reader, the DVD burner, and a single USB port. On top there is a small indented area for various electronic devices (or a cup holder, if you're brave or messy enough). This tray offers another pair of USB ports, a FireWire port and the headphone and microphone jacks.
In the rear there are a plethora of USB ports -- eight to be exact - and a pair of lightning fast USB 3.0 ports. The F131 Super Stock also includes an eSATA port, PS/2 ports, a FireWire port, 7.1-channel analog and optical audio options.
For connectivity purposes, the F131 Super Stock covers all the bases, and then some. It supplies you with a Gigabit Ethernet port, as well as an integrated 802.11n wireless and Bluetooth adapter. They are integrated right into the case, sparing more space on the motherboard for whatever else you may need to put in the PCI slots.
Maingear designed the F131 Super Stock with PC enthusiasts in mind, making access inside the case easy and (mostly) tool free. A couple thumb screws and a small latch release the case's side panel. The first thing you may notice is the soft, plush material on the inside of the panels. This acoustic dampening keeps the noise inside the case, making the system near silent. The drive bays are also user friendly, with no need for more than a simple screwdriver. There are six 3.5-inch internal bays that use racks that slide in and securely lock into place for easy installation, as well as four 5.25-inch bays that use a similar, tool-free implementation. The wires are all neat and organized, meticulously hidden when possible to give the interior an open, clean look. Plenty of room to tinker around if needed, and great for airflow.
The F131 Super Stock is a fast, powerful machine, but it does sit at the higher end of the Mainstream category. For raw processing power, this machine sets some new standards in the Mainstream category. Where gaming performance is concerned, it was outpaced a bit by the Origin Genesis Midtower ($2,254). The builds and prices are similar, but the Genesis Midtower offers twice as much RAM, while opting for a pair of standard hard drives (in RAID 0) to keep prices competitive. If all else fails, you can still save about $400 with the Maingear Vybe Super Stock.