CyberPowerPC’s ‘Gamer Xtreme’ gaming line is expanding in a big way this year with assorted gaming desktop for all prosumer niches. The all-out racked gaming PCs boast of newer components and features reminiscent of better performance, though, the designs remain unchanged. The CyberPowerPC GXiVR8080A3, is one of those more peppy options, a flashy tower that falls somewhere between the desktop midrange and high-end in terms of cost and power.
With the newer Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 (8GB) graphics and a snappy Intel core i7-8700 CPU, the GXiVR8080A3 is a reliable 4K gaming machine with few real drawbacks. As with all CyberPowerPC designs, the look may not be for everyone, but the system is cleanly assembled.
More important, this machine has potential to fundamentally change what we expect from graphics. Both the GeForce RTX 2080 and GeForce RTX 2080 Ti use Nvidia’s Turing architecture, which boasts more cores than the previous generation Pascal architecture, along with significant updates that promise more performance per core. On a feature-price basis, the Gamer GXiVR8080A3 represents remarkable value for those seeking to maximize speed as much as tote-around convenience.
Design
The new Gamer GXiVR8080A3 uses the same standard tower case as its siblings from this year (of course with a few tweaks), and I’m a big fan. It stands at 18.6 by 8.5 by 18.5 inches (HWD), all black brushed aluminum. The front panel is half-solid black cover, and the other half is a glass panel that reveals a trio of concentric LED circles.
The upper panel host a couple of quick-access ports recessed to the right-front side, and the rest of the panel is made of parallel lines, save for grilled vent that lets you view the interior components and lighting from the top. On the left side is a near-full window made of tampered glass, and gives you a perfect view of the interior components. Looking at the case you’ll realize that it isn’t a small-form-factor, but it happens to be on the smaller side for traditional towers.
For size comparison, the iBUYPOWER AM003i Gaming Desktop PC stands 25 inches tall, 12.5 inches wide, and 21.38 inches deep, taking up much more space. CyberpowerPC, just like other boutique manufacturers, sometimes go overboard on the bling, but here the design is rather restrained, and I can say –elegant.
Connectivity
The system doesn’t have an optical drive, which is fine given that these days you occasionally need to play from DVDs, as most PC games can be downloaded from digital services like Steam and Origin. Plus, having one on the front would be a scratch on the case’s stylish austerity. As it is, there are easy-access ports on the top panel (towards the front): two USB 3.1, microphone and headphone, and a Reset button.
On the back, it’s a completely different story, it’s there you find the rear panel ports: two USB 2.0, four USB 3.1, one RJ-45 Network Ethernet, and Audio 7.1 channel. The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card also includes one HDMI 2.0b and two DisplayPort 1.4, alongside a VirtualLink connector the latest versions of the ubiquitous technologies you’d need to power most G-Sync HDR monitors.
Storage and Inputs
This configuration is loaded with a 240GB solid-state drive (SSD), and an additional 1TB hard drive, which is a huge amount of room for games. It’s nice that the system gets a speedier SSD, and a bigger large scratch drive for storing files. In a pricey, roomy desktop, that’s a bit encouraging.
The iBUYPOWER AM1000X offers a bold storage option, with a 480GB SSD and a 3TB hard drive, and also the latest Intel Core i9-7900X processor with an 11GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card. Also Bundled into the package is a RGB 7 Colors gaming keyboard and mouse, alongside 802.11AC Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity.
CPU Performance
While this is by no means an inexpensive desktop, you can easily find more pricier rigs out there, so its satisfying that this unit soars in both productivity and gaming.
The 8-core Core i7-9700K CPU with 16GB RAM has been a favorite all year round, posting high scores in productivity tests, and clearly demonstrating strong capability for general use. Plus, it also soars through more strenuous multimedia desktops, getting into the same league as, truly high-end desktops like the iBUYPOWER AM1000X, Acer Predator Orion 5000 and the HP OMEN 900-250.
On daily productivity, it gets a punch against the competition and can easily beat some pricier machines. Despite being in the cusp of high-end gaming systems on price, the Gamer GXiVR8080A3 is still a very capable media machine should you need it for work or a hobby.
GPU Performance
The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 (8GB) is no slouch, leveraging new technologies to enable real-time ray tracing on your favorite games and deep learning Tensor cores. From the onset, the next-generation GeForce RTX 20-series graphics cards (starting with GeForce RTX 2080 AND GeForce RTX 2080 Ti) look like the most significant generational upgrade to the gaming cards. The RTX 2080 system included in this system uses new Nvidia Turing architecture that boasts more cores than existing GTX GPUs.
We mentioned earlier that the Gamer GXiVR8080A3’s design isn’t entirely different from its predecessor, and for that the graphics must be the culprit for the price hike. Thus, we expected that performance needs to be impressive to justify the added bucks, and right now it seems to be the case. Nvidia claimed that the GeForce RTX 2080 would be, on average, 50 percent faster than the GTX 1080.
That’s true but on tests the modestly overclocked GeForce RTX 2080 Founders edition basically tied with the GTX 1080 Ti, which somehow adds to the typical aspect of diminishing returns, while the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders edition remains unrivalled, so far. And, there is some difficulty assessing the RTX 2080’s performance as it gets tons of new features, including 46 RT Cores for ray tracing and 468 Tensor Cores for deep learning.
Currently, games that can leverage such potential and features aren’t available. In future, the GeForce RTX 2080 may end up being a better performer than the 1080 and 1080 Ti with newer games, but in the present the benefits are far more marginal. We have seen popular overclocking apps like EVGA Precision X1 and MSI Afterburner release beta builds of their apps, and we are hoping for the same in gaming in the near future.
As far as comparisons to more expensive systems go, gaming still is, a different story, as many pricier desktops boasts two graphics cards. Compared to the rest with just one, though, the GXiVR8080A3 holds its own, again as a less-expensive option.
Spec by spec, the RTX 2080 boasts 2,944 CUDA cores, 8GB GDDR6 memory and 1710MHz boost clock, which is far better than the GTX 1080’s 3,584 CUDA cores and a 1,600MHz boost clock. As a result, the new graphics card gets a jump of 20-40 fps in frame rates, and at 4K the RTX 2080 here can easily hit as high as 60 fps, which is damn impressive.
Some real-world game scores, the RTX 2080 manages to achieve 42 fps on Shadow of the Tomb raider at 4K at the highest setting, while Destiny 2 yielded 73 fps, once again at 4K and Ultra settings, with HDR turned on. This is pretty impressive for a single card GPU, and for the price it can’t get any better. Plus, short of the Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti, you won’t find another more capable graphics card than what you have on this system.
The Bottom Line
The CyberPowerPC GXiVR8080A3 is an efficient, ready-to-go gaming PC with a distinct (yet common) style. Whether you personally like the aesthetic is a question for another day, but at least it has some personality and the trio of rings on the front panel and a transparent side make it stand out. The design, love it or leave it, is just a part of development that houses a unique array of components that are of more interest.
Of interest is that, the GXiVR8080A3 offers decent performance and racks up well against expensive gaming PCs in both productivity and 4K gaming, thanks to the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 graphics cards and a capable hexa-core Core i7-8700K CPU. With this combination, you don’t have any reason for DIY endeavors, since this high-end system has it all for much less than the competition.
If you’re looking for gaming desktop that moonlights as a productivity PC for media creation but boasts of the latest components and tons of features, the CyberPowerPC GXiVR8080A3 represents unbeatable value. It easily earns our Top Pick award for value high-end gaming desktop PCs.
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