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  • Velocity Micro Raptor Z90: A Great Gaming Machine
Technology Articles > Computers > Desktops > Velocity Micro Raptor Z90: A Great Gaming Machine

Featuring Ivy Bridge, or Intel Core i7-3770K, and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 graphics card, the Velocity Micro Raptor Z90 is a gamers dream. In testing it proved it could overpower most top gaming systems, but is it really the best?

Design

If you are familiar with VM machines, you'll be happy to note the Z90 uses their Classic chassis rather than the bigger Signature case. The chassis is sleek, brushed-aluminium on the outside with a clear door giving you a peek at the insides. And who wouldn't want to marvel over the internal components? Take a peek at the two graphics cards, sealed Asetek liquid cooler in case the processor is overclocked, the hard drive, and the Intel SSD. Two cooling fans are lit with blue LED lights to entice you to take a peek.

Features

Don't worry about expansion room, there are plenty of free slots: two free RAM slots, a PCI Express x16 graphics card slot, PCI slot, PCI Express x1 slot, room for three additional hard drives and two more optical drives, as well as enough free SATA ports to service the added drives. Lots of peripherals are no match for the Z90, with four USB 3.0 ports in the rear, ten USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 port, two HDMI ports, two DisplayPorts, and media card reader. It does not have eSATA, but correct this by purchasing a USB 3.0 to eSATA cable if you feel you must. As for internet connectivity, it comes with the standard Ethernet port and also built-in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi.

One of the best things about the Z90 is the fact it is more economical in terms of energy usage. It comes with an 850-watt power supply as the Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 graphics card and Intel core i7-3770K processor use much less power than their predecessors. Gamers probably won't notice the noise of the fans and liquid cooling process, but it might be noticed by those just listening to a music file or checking out a video on YouTube.

The Micro Raptor Z90 uses a 120GB Intel SSD for the C: drive and a 1TB 7,200rpm SATA drive for a data drive. This is adequate for most gamers, though hardcore gamers might find they need to uninstall a game every now and then as they've filled the SSD. The system is quick to boot, with programs launching quickly. Another bonus: it is free from all of the added useless software other machines come with right out of the box.

Performance

This machine is fast when gaming. Animation is smooth making game play more enjoyable, even when setting screen levels to very high quality. When compared to other top systems, in most cases, it won hands down in terms of the frames per second figure.

Value

Overall, the Velocity Micro Raptor Z90 (core i7-3770K) is an excellent choice. It features a sturdy chassis and in gaming tests, fared better than most other desktops like it on the market. That said, there are other machines out there that give you more hard drive space and system memory for the money.