One of the ironies of computing is that while consumers and everyday business users see the costs of new systems constantly coming down, gamers are always at the painful end of the hardware equation. They want—nay, need—great designs and top-performing components, but that has always meant spending a bunch of money. And if you’re a gamer on a budget—let’s say a student—those choices get even more difficult. What’s more important: RAM, or ramen?
IBuyPower is looking to offer some relief with its new Gamer Power BTS11, a liquid-cooled, discrete graphics, full-tower PC gaming rig that just happens to be capable of doing mind-expanding coursework alongside mind-blowing games. And prices for the BTS11 start at $999—which is quite a deal for a gaming rig.
“This time of year students and parents are scrambling to buy books and school supplies, and a new computer is often at the top of that list,” said IBuyPower VP Darren Su, in a statement. “We designed Gamer Power BTS11 to meet the dual needs of the student gamer, offering a solid value without sacrificing performance.”
The BTS11 base configuration sports a second-generation Intel Core i5-2500K (four cores with speeds up to 3.3 GHz with Turbo Boost), 8 GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti graphics with 1 GB of video RAM, a 750 GB hard drive, a 600 watt power supply, and a 24× DVD±RW drive, along with gigabit Ethernet and 3D premium surround sound. Of course, since iBuyPower is all about options, customers can crank up the system with solid-state drives, additional optical drives and video cards, heftier power supplies, much more storage, heaps of RAM, Blu-ray, and an Intel Core i7 processor—and, as you might expect, those kinds of upgrades increase the cost. But the base BTS11 configuration is $999, and comes with a one-year warranty—more than enough to get most students through a year of dorm life.
The BTS11 will only be available through September 30—once the school year is in swing, it’ll be gone.
