computerwoche.de

Archiv

iBuyPower Chimera XLC

29.04.2011
The iBuyPower Chimera XLC is loud in all the right ways. Its aggressive looks include a slick black finish and fun, fiery decals. Its well-designed chassis is packed with premium powerful components that run silently, despite the plethora of massive fans. And at $2700 (as of April 29, 2011), it stands out as one of the more cost-effective entries on our .

The Chimera comes housed in the Phantom NZXT, a stunning (albeit heavy) chassis that we first encountered on iBuyPower's . Tall and roomy, the case is surrounded by large, virtually silent fans. Of special note are the five fan controls located on the lid. You can toggle the fan speeds at will--handy if you decide to overclock the innards and you need a bit more airflow. iBuyPower also provides a pair of USB ports, an eSATA port, and the requisite headphone and mic jacks.

Inside, a simple liquid-cooling loop keeps the overclocked CPU's temperatures in check, trapping the heat and routing it to the dual-fan 120mm radiator strapped to the top of the case. Tinkerers will appreciate the roominess of the interior. You'll find a pair of PCI-e X8 slots, and one free PCI-e X16 slot (the other houses the massive graphics card).

There's room inside for a total of eight hard drives, plus four more 5.25-inch drives--the Blu-ray drive occupies one bay. The best part: Almost everything is tool-free (the graphics card is held in place by thumbscrews).

Cables can make or break a custom-build, and iBuyPower has done a great job of keeping this PC tidy. Cables are routed through rubber grommets and effectively hidden in a compartment on the opposite side of the chassis. The optimized airflow keeps the Chimera XLC's innards happy. But woe unto those who seek to add new hardware. It's a tight fit--and if you want to preserve the neat presentation, you'll have your work cut out for you.

The Chimera's rear end offers a fair assortment of connectivity options: eight USB ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two eSATA ports, optical and analog SPDIF audio connectors, 7.1-channel audio connectors, and a gigabit ethernet jack. Mouse and keyboard purists will appreciate the PS/2 serial keyboard and mouse combination port. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 590 graphics card contains three DVI ports and a mini-HDMI output port. Unless you're especially attached to FireWire, there's something for everyone here. A multiformat card reader would've been nice, though.