You don't have to be a spendthrift to shop a system from a boutique builder. That's not to say you can't still configure a professionally built system that costs as much as a Kia, it's just no longer required. Even liquid cooling setups are fair game for frugal enthusiasts. Enter Origin PC's new Frostbyte 360 liquid cooling system (LCS). Origin PC claims it's reaching speeds up to 5.2GHz using the Frostbyte 360, and starting at $1,599 you can grab a Genesis system configured with the new cooler.
Not all boutique system builders have the stomach to overclock, let alone selling a system that's been pushed to 5.7GHz. Not only is Origin PC boosting its top-tier factory overclock option on its Genesis desktop line, but it will be backed by lifetime 24/7 technical support for no additional cost, a change in support policy that applies to all Origin PC desktops and laptops.
In Greek mythology, Erebus is a primordial deity representing the personification of darkness. Given that overclocking was once considered a dark art, we suppose it's only fitting that iBuyPower would name a liquid cooled gaming system begging to be overclocked after the god of darkness. New and improved for the modern worshipper, the Erebus GT is similar to iBuyPower's first generation system, but has been redesigned with a smaller footprint.
Boutique gaming PC outfit CyberPowerPC said it hit the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) floor "at full throttle" accompanied by a top-of-the-line and decked out Fang III Black Mamba computer system. First introduced in December 2011, the Fang III can now take a bite out of gaming chores with AMD's new Radeon HD 7970 graphics card, which along with everything else will leave a couple of holes in your wallet.
For those of you who prefer not to roll your own gaming machines and would rather have a boutique system builder do it for your, Maingear, based out of New Jersey, announced it has begun equipping its Shift and F131 rigs with AMD's new Radeon HD 7950 and 7970 graphics cards (check out our performance preview of the 7970 
With barely more than a week to go before Christmas, AVADirect announced a line of pre-configured, "Quick Ship" gaming notebooks the Ohio-based boutique system builder promises it can process to ship to customers' door in five business days or less. The obvious drawback is that buyers aren't able to customize these ready-to-ship systems, but they also won't have to wait 10-14 business days, as is typical of a custom notebook.
The marketing mavens at Dell are singing praise about the OEM's new Alienware Aurora system, which they describe as "a serenade to raw gaming power." The rebuilt Aurora debuts on Dell today starting at $2,199 and is supposed to be "without a doubt, the most advanced Alienware desktop to date," and not just because it's sitting pretty on a Sandy Bridge-E foundation.
Liquid cooling isn't nearly as complicated, expensive, or downright scary as it used to be, or at least it doesn't have to be. Self-contained liquid cooling setups are becoming fairly commonplace, and they're especially popular in pre-built systems. iBuyPower's new Gamer Paladin HS11, for example, brings liquid cooling within reach to the average user for less than $1,000.
Origin PC is looking to get a leg up on other boutique system builders with a series of free upgrades on select systems. Normally we don't post this kind of stuff, in part because we know you don't come here to read about sales, but when a company offers a free upgrade to a second Nvidia GeForce GTX 580 videocard, well, we make an exception.
Few companies in the PC industry can escape the resonating effects of the hard drive shortage caused by recent flooding in Thailand. It's had a bigger impact than simply doubling, and in some cases, tripling the cost of hard drives, the shortage also creates challenges for PC makers who buy HDDs in bulk and build systems around them. Making the best of a bad situation, Jon Bach, founder of Puget Systems, explains how his company plans to cope with an outside-the-box solution.Connect with MaximumPC
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