iBuypower Chimera 4

The Chimera 4 (as indicated by the name) is iBuypower's fourth iteration of the Chimera series. It's built for speed on the gaming grid and comes in four base models, of which each can be configured down to the type of network card installed. The starting price for the most inexpensive version, the Chimera 4-FX is $799 and while it's the cheapest, it's no slouch.

The side of this mid-tower chassis features a mythical beast?possibly a fiery Balrog?wreathed in flames on a black aluminum canvas, giving it a "wow" factor, especially among fellow geeks. Inside it comes with a quad-core AMD FX-4100 processor (the other versions offer Intel options), 4GB of RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6770 (1GB), and a 600 Watt power supply. The processor can be upgraded up to an AMD FX-8150 for $200 more, and the GPU can be upgraded as high as an Nvidia GeForce GTX 590 (3GB) for $671 more.

The last version, the Chimera-V1, and most expensive features the new Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E processor, while the two middle units can only be upgraded up to a Core i7-2700K CPU. But you'll only really need these high-powered CPU if you plan on doing Photoshop CS5 work that would take advantage of such processing power. Every Chimera 4 also comes with its CPU overclocked by at least 10 percent.

A liquid cooling system and 120mm fan comes standard with every unit, but if you're uncomfortable with a liquid solutiuon iBuypower allows you to downgrade to a CPU fan and heatsink. There are grates on top of the chassis, utilizing the age-old science-fact that heat rises, creating a natural ventilation solution. There are also vents on the back of the case.

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