CyberPower X-Treme Titanium review: CyberPower X-Treme Titanium

This stylish PC has lightning-fast good looks and the performance to back them up. But what's truly impressive about the CyberPower X-Treme Titanium is that it's packed with top-of-the-line components, loaded with bundled software, and backed by a three-year warranty at an aggressive price. This stylish PC has lightning-fast good looks and the performance to back them up. But what's truly impressive about the CyberPower X-Treme Titanium is that it's packed with top-of-the-line components, loaded with bundled software, and backed by a three-year warranty at an aggressive price.

Racing engine
With specs such as these--a 2.53GHz Pentium 4; 512MB of PC800 RDRAM; a 7,200rpm 80GB hard drive; and a GeForce4 Ti 4600 graphics card--it's no surprise that this $2,299 system performs impressively on CNET Labs' tests. It fits right in the middle of the pack of similarly configured, blazingly fast systems we've tested. The less expensive Atlas Micro GS 9800 delivers comparable performance with DDR SDRAM and a Ti 4200 card; the X-Treme comes with better speakers, though. Also, this system lags behind the higher-priced Dell Dimension 8200 and Sys Performance 2533 on the office productivity tests because of its relatively poor hard-disk throughput. And the Xi MTower Platinum's 1.066GHz RDRAM gives that system's memory bandwidth and, therefore, its 3D graphics scores a boost over the X-Treme's.

Flashy looks
Despite the X-Treme's excellent scores on business applications, this system isn't a likely candidate for your office desktop. The tool-free aluminum case includes windows on the top and on each side, and its blue-neon, sound-activated lighting system flashes like a harnessed lightning storm during hard-disk activity.

Turbo-Media may not be the best-known input device manufacturer, but its bundled silver-and-black keyboard is impressive. It's packed with special function keys along the top for Internet, multimedia, and program control, but what we really like is the comfortable and responsive key design. The Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer provides the kind of quick, precise movement that gamers need without the risks of tangled cords during a heated deathmatch.

We were less impressed by the 19-inch ViewSonic E90fb, a budget flat-screen CRT display. The picture is reasonably sharp and looks good at a resolution of 1,280x1,024 or below. But the GeForce4 Ti 4600 can run many of today's games smoothly at 1,600x1,200, where the E90fb displays noticeable flicker. CyberPower doesn't offer a better CRT option for this system, only LCDs.

Sounds good
High-res flicker aside, the X-Treme Titanium supplies plenty of horsepower for the most demanding games and DVD titles without skipping a beat. The Audigy sound card and the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 speakers make for room-shaking but clear audio for music, gaming, and DVD playback. You can put the system to the test right out of the box; it comes with a number of excellent games including No One Lives Forever, Sacrifice, and Aquanox, in addition to WordPerfect Office (Microsoft Office is available at an extra cost), PowerDVD 4.0, and a number of utility-packed CDs.

Support policies are very good, with a three-year parts-and-labor warranty that includes onsite service the first year (extendable to three years for $59). Toll-free tech support is available 24/7 for as long as you own the system, and the company pays shipping both ways on returned parts. CyberPower doesn't offer 24-hour parts replacement, however.

Overall, the CyberPower X-Treme Titanium offers top-of-the-line components, and it looks great. We'd suggest shopping for the monitor separately, though, if high-res operation is important to you.