When the GXi210 first shipped into the computer workshop I work at, I just knew I had to test the power it claimed to have. I am one who recommends custom built gaming PCs over a  previous built PC, but I knew a "diamond in the rough" previous built would come through the doors, eventually. Featuring an Intel i5 quad-core processor with 8GB of ram, DVD re-writer, HDMI port, and 1TB of Harddrive space, the easy part of a gaming PC seem to be handled nicely. But then again, the most important aspect of this kind of PC is, of course, its GPU (Video Card).

Featuring a GT430 will get you in the doorway of PC gaming, but playing your games at a resolution of over 720p (1280X1024, or 1366X768) will result in irritating slowdowns when the graphics are looking their best. Even games like Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 run slightly above playable. You can forget about playing Crysis with all of its eye candy enabled with this card. Be prepared to tune a lot of atmospheric settings to medium and low.

Eventually, especially if you want to play in the sought after resolution of 1080p (1920X1080 or 1920X1200) you'll need a beefier video card. Thankfully, the GXi210 is equipped with a reliable 600w power supply, so you won't have to worry about measuring the strength of the card versus the output of power inside your PC.

On the software side, the GXi210 comes pre-installed with a copy of Windows 7 64-bit Home Edition, which supports the latest graphic API's, DirectX 10 and 11. It also comes with a copy of Microsoft Office 2010 starter Edition, more than enough for office work and filing. Bloatware doesn't appear to be vaguely present, but some of it can be rather irritating. DVD burning software and some drivers may need updating to get the most out of them, though. All in all, not the best software package, but doesn't hamper your experience with useless software  like some of the other well known brands.

So all in all, if your alright with average graphics performance until your next GPU upgrade, this is an excellent starter PC. But I have to tell you, you could do a lot better with a custom made PC (as in, buying all your parts individually, and putting them together either by yourself, or with the help of a tech). But for pre-builts, cyberpower seems to be ahead of their competitors with the GXi210.

Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 799.95
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50