F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R.  is not a new release by any means but it remains one of the most graphically demanding titles even today. For all of our testing we are only going to concentrate on resolutions of 1600 x 1200 or higher with eye candy set to the max.

1600x1200	4XAA 16XAF
Minimum FPS	35
Average FPS	85
Maximum FPS	253

2048x1536	4AA 16XAF
Minimum FPS	19
Average FPS	53
Maximum FPS	180

Even at 2048 x 1536 FEAR was still playable.  The minimum FPS we recorded was a low 19 FPS but that was only for a brief second.  With an average of 53 FPS game play was smooth and enjoyable despite the occasional brief drop in FPS.

Half Life 2 Episode 1
Episode 1 is the most recent installment of the Half Life 2 series.  While very similar to the original HL2 they have made changes in visuals by adding full HDR capabilities and also tweaked many of the games features to provide a better overall gaming experience.

1600x1200	4XAA 16XAF
Minimum FPS	90
Average FPS	126
Maximum FPS	151

No problems at all with everything maxed. Game play was very smooth throughout our testing.

Prey
Prey is the most recent title to use the Doom 3 engine and probably the most graphically intense title to date. As with all games that use the Doom 3 engine the maximum FPS is capped at 60 FPS by default.  This can be bypassed by adding the command (com_fixedTic “1”) to the Prey config file located in the Base folder within Prey.  Prior to making this change the game runs like melted butter with the 60 FPS cap in place and all eye candy turned up to the maximum.  Let’s see how things change with the FPS cap removed.

1600x1200	4XAA 16XAF
Minimum FPS	52
Average FPS	120
Maximum FPS	305

Removing the FPS cap did nothing to hinder our performance.  It actually allowed us to run at an average of 120 FPS at 1600 x 1200 which is double the capped amount. This result is very impressive considering all the eye candy is maxed out using the games menu settings. 

Oblivion
This gorgeous looking title has been out for a few months now and ranks among the most popular games on the market today.  Let’s see how well the Sabre system does with this one.

1600x1200	16XAF HDR
Minimum FPS	34
Average FPS	63
Maximum FPS	90

Once again we scored some very respectable results with an average FPS in the low 60’s and a minimum of 34 FPS.

Overclocking
Intel's X6800 Extreme CPU comes unlocked which is a contributing factor when it comes to the popularity of this new CPU.  Thanks to having an unlocked multiplier we are able to easily break 3GHz without any trouble at all. Using the Foxconn heatsink included with the system and leaving all voltages at stock levels we easily raised the CPU speed from 2.93 GHz to 3.2 GHz (12 x 266 MHz). Chances are this system will easily surpass this level of overclock but for today let's see what this increase shows us.

Prey
1600x1200	4XAA 16XAF @ 2.93 GHz	4XAA 16XAF @ 3.2 GHz
Minimum FPS	52	53
Average FPS	120	124
Maximum FPS	305	309

FEAR
1600x1200	4XAA 16XAF @ 2.93 GHz	4XAA 16XAF @ 3.2 GHz
Minimum FPS	35	36
Average FPS	85	88
Maximum FPS	253	255

Both games showed a small increase in FPS, while not earth shattering by any means every increase in FPS is a welcomed thing and there is little doubt that pushing the overclock further would increase this gain.

Conclusion
During the weeks that we had this system it performed wonderfully and was able to complete any task we asked of it, those who have read the review from the start will have seen the excellent performance with the Driver Heaven Photoshop Bench V2 so this would be a great choice for a design based system.  The Intel CPU is extremely fast and having 4MB of L2 cache is certainly noticeable under specific conditions.  The ATI Crossfire setup worked flawlessly throughout our testing and should please any avid gamer looking for that high resolution gaming fix.  They Red colour scheme that Systemax implemented for this system is ideal for a performance rig as it is very eye catching.  If we were going to make any immediate changes to this setup, it would be to the case and power supply.  While the case is not bad it could have had small additions like thumb screws instead of standard screws.  The power supply did not cause us any troubles during testing, but it’s our personal feeling that a bit more juice to drive this system would be a welcome addition. Since we received this system, the X1900 CF cards have been replaced with the new high end counterparts offering even more value for money.

Even though specific hardware in this test system has been replaced with newer high end counterparts, this review is a good indication of the high build quality and attention to detail that Systemax are able to deliver to those people not confident enough to build their own system.

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