MaximumPC 2007 112

reviews Tes Ted. Reviewed. veRdic Tized

76 MAXIMUMPC december 2007 december 2007 MAXIMUMPC 77

rig we’ve tested in a while that shipped

with a dedicated soundcard other than a

SoundBlaster X-Fi; most rigs, if they eschew

Creative, opt for onboard audio. It’s a relief

not to have to listen to RealTek audio.

The 150GB Raptors in RAID 0 are speedy

but will leave system owners walking the

high-wire without a net since there’s no

backup drive. Would a simple terabyte drive

have hurt, guys? And why not install XP while

you’re at it? The AVADirect box is the first to

impress us with its almost XP-like gaming

performance, but let’s face it, gaming and

Vista are still an odd couple. Another letdown:

Where’s the Penryn? When the company

said it was shipping us a “next-gen” box, we

thought it would include Penryn and Nvidia’s

G92, but the machine included a 1,333MHz

Kentsfield CPU and GeForce 8800 Ultras.

Hardly next-gen.

Despite these quibbles, we were generally

impressed with the system’s stability and per-

formance. The horror of a leaky water-cooling

system was ameliorated by the quick cor-

rective action taken by AVADirect’s optional

on-site tech support.

While we wouldn’t necessarily buy this

exact configuration, we’d definitely go to

AVADirect for their nigh-infinite customizability,

good build quality, and excellent tech support.

—NathaN Edwards

a missing hose clamp resulted in a

coolant leak during shipping, but the

vendor’s tech promptly replaced it.

$6,770, http://www.avadirect.com

avadirect core 2 duo sli

dirEctor’s cut

Solid build; great tech sup-

port; high performance.

dirEct to dvd^7

Shipped with Vista; no backup

drive; the leak hurts the final

score.