The Maingear Potenza Super Stock ($1,999 direct) is a compact gaming system that's an inbetweener. It's somewhat larger than competitors that are "console-size", but it's much smaller than a full size tower. Add stellar benchmark numbers, interesting design, and a really nice price to the mix, and what we have is our new Editors' Choice award winner for midrange gaming desktops.
Design and Features
The Potenza Super Stock (SS) redefines the desktop form factor. It measures about 15.75 by 7.5 by 9.25 inches (HWD), which is tall for such a compact desktop. The sides of the system are black painted metal, with a pop-off top panel made of black plastic. The front and back panels are easy to remove without tools. Once open, you can get to the included Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 graphics card, as well as the drive bay for the 1TB SATA hard drive. Those are about the only two internal components you should mess with, as the rest of the internal components will require quite a bit more disassembly. Thankfully, Maingear offers lifetime labor for future upgrades (you'll of course have to buy the upgrade components from Maingear).
With all the panels in place, the Potenza SS looks kind of like a subwoofer enclosure. It's certainly one of the more unique system's we've seen. It's minimal and unique. Longtime PCMag readers will remember that Maingear also brought us the Prysma back in 2006. The Potenza SS will work in a variety of rooms and offices, unlike the Prysma. The Potenza SS is a bit little larger than the Falcon Northwest Tiki ($2,793 direct, 4 stars), but both are small-form-factor (SFF) PCs with high-end 195W Nvidia graphics cards and quad core Intel processors.
The top of the system is a diamond mesh perforated lid, with a cutout for an internal riser. The riser features the system's power and reset buttons, along with audio and two USB 3.0 ports. The one annoying thing about the riser is that it bisects the cavity that houses the ports and power supply. Because of that, you need to snake the display cables and the power cable out of different access holes. Add wired keyboard and mouse, and the wiring makes the system look a little hydra-like. It's not a deal breaker, but it may prompt you to put the system out of sight rather than displaying it proudly on your desk, as you might with the Tiki.
Remove the top plastic lid, and you're actually looking at the system's "back" panel. Maingear did this to ease access when the system is on the floor, as well as to help heat dissipation. The system's airflow is from the base to the top, so the heated air from the graphics card follows natural convection. The system's ports include four USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, jacks for the included Wi-Fi antennas, Ethernet, and two powered eSATA/USB ports. There are two sets of graphics ports (HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort), one set on the graphics card, one on the motherboard. The ones on the motherboard use the internal graphics on the Intel Core i7-3770k CPU, so make sure you connect your main display to the ones on the graphics card. The system's front panel has a slit cut into it for the slot-loading DVD burner. Above that on the front panel is a lit Maingear logo. The front panel is connected to the motherboard and power supply via a set of thin cables, so be careful when showing off the inside of your Potenza SS.
The hard drive has nothing to show off: it's clear of bloatware and other programs. The folks at Maingear loaded the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, the drivers for all the included hardware, and Virtu MVP. Virtu MVP helps speed graphics performance and quality by managing which tasks get done by the system's CPU, integrated GPU, and discrete GPU. See performance below for how it turned out. The rest of the system's hard drive is blissfully clear. You'll note in the specs that the system includes a 60GB cache drive. The cache drive is invisible to the user. It works as a sort of hybrid drive, improving system boot time and app launch time. The system comes with a three year parts, and lifetime labor warranty. This is a good thing, since the system's processor is overclocked.
Performance
That's all well and good, but how did the Potenza SS do on the game grid? In a word, well. The Potenza SS garnered playable frame rates, even at the highest settings on Crysis (65 frames per second) and Lost Planet 2 (89 fps). While the Falcon Northwest Tiki beat the Potenza SS slightly on the Lost Planet 2 test (95 fps), you'd have to be very meticulous to notice the difference. While the Cyberpower was faster still, that's because the Cyberpower has its two AMD Radeon 7950 graphics cards. Essentially, the Potenza SS and Tiki were some of the fastest systems we've seen with single graphics cards. Both would be welcome in a hardcore gamer's home.
So which to buy? The Cyberpower Zeus Thunder 3000SE has faster frame rates at the highest settings, but it's hundreds of dollars more expensive, much larger, and you'd be hard pressed to note which system is faster during most gameplay. The Cyberpower 3000SE also has a flimsy plastic panel. The Falcon Northwest Tiki feels a bit more solid, no small part due to its bolted-together construction and granite base. However, the combination of the Maingear Potenza Super Stock's performance, feature set, and sub-$2,000 price can't be ignored. The Potenza SS' outpaces both deities on the bang for the buck, which is one of the most important factors in the midrange and value gaming PC categories. The Potenza SS combines innovative design, class leading performance, and a more reasonable price tag. All of that results in an Editors' Choice award for midrange gaming desktops for the Maingear Potenza Super Stock.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Maingear Potenza Super Stock with several other desktops side by side.
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