MAINGEAR PC's tend to be in the upper echelon of pre-builds as the quality of parts that are included are top of the line. The tech that's offered for its builds varies based on the price you are looking to spend as its Vybe series starts off at around $1700 for its lower-end specs. Last year, MAINGEAR sent over its Vybe Stage 4 desktop and while it offered the best tech at that time, the price was high into what could be built or purchased elsewhere. Fast forward a year and a half and the PC market is seemingly out of control, so being in the market means there's money to spend. Since that time, the tech has vastly improved when it comes to CPUs and GPUs, and this Vybe better justifies the price.

The Vybe Stage 4 that was sent last year included an Intel i9-9900K and a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super as this retailed at just a few hundred under $3000. Intel has now jumped two generation since that launch and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 series seemingly doubles the performance of its previous line of cards, as the RTX 2000 series didn't see huge gains from its predecessor outside of including Ray Tracing and DLSS. For the latest Vybe's, MAINGEAR has seemingly dropped the stages and focused on including the graphics card in the name to differentiate each model. MAINGEAR also dropped Intel for its latest line in favor of AMD, which has proven to provide better performance returns than Intel for its current matchup of CPUs.

While MAINGEAR still allows users to customize their builds with the choice of either Intel or AMD processors or NVIDIA or AMD GPUs, the Vybe pre-builds have been configured to include AMD CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs. This may have a lot to do with availability at the time, and MAINGEAR lists its shipping time of 6-8 weeks. This Vybe, simply titled the Vybe RTX 3080 Ti, includes just that along with AMD's current top processor the Ryzen 5900X. A 240mm AIO cooler from Cooler Master is included to allow overclocking as AMD's Ryzen overclocking software is included on the computer. This is more for advanced users, but allows for quick auto-tuning for those looking for a quick boost. It also features a Gaming Mode as the tool is a nice boost to include with the system.

The radiator for the 240mm Cooler Master sits directly in the middle on the top of the case. The case remains a full-tower case that is from MAINGEAR rather than a third party. The MAINGEAR logo illuminates on the front of the case as a removable screen sits on the top for access to easy cleaning. If you are one for checking cable management, this is perfect on the opposite side of the case. Tempered glass showcases a wide open interior that allows for a lot of air flow. This thing sounds like a jet engine under heavy load, but the temperatures stay consistent and safe. The AMD Ryzen 5900X with the AIO cooler would stay between 60-65 degrees Celsius while the included RTX 3080 Ti wouldn't go above 75, but mostly stayed at 70.

The RTX 3080 Ti that's included in this build is a Founder's Edition from NVIDIA. The previous Vybe had used third party cards but the current line, no matter the pre-build, will include Founder's Edition cards. Powering the system is an EVGA 750W Gold Rated power supply, which unfortunately is the bare minimum for the card. It didn't seem to affect it in usage as it was paired with that 5900X, but there isn't going to be a lot of overhead there. Then again, this is as far as this current technology goes outside of upping to a 3090 or AMD 6900 XT. All of these components are installed on a MSI Gaming Plus X570 motherboard. It's worth noting that the motherboard nor the system includes Wi-Fi connectivity, and MAINGEAR included a Wi-Fi dongle on the last Vybe, but competitors have started going with boards that have this built in.

The RAM that's included is HyperX Fury RGB ram that runs at 3600 MHz and adds much-needed lighting to the interior. Along with 1TB Intel 670p M.2 NVMe with a heat sink and a 2 TB Seagate HDD, storage won't be an issue. The system boots up quickly and is responsive for everyday tasks. The PC case also allows for vertically mounting the GPU, but if you're looking for flashy RGB, the Vybe is largely lacking. There are pre-installed RGB strips that are hidden near the top and rear inside the case. This is controlled by software that is pre-installed on the PC. The front of the case is dark as no fans up front are lit, just the rear. If RGB isn't a big thing to you, this won't be an issue. Things can easily be added, but if you're spending the retail price of $3,499 on this, you shouldn't have to expect to add anything.

The focus on performance metrics for this Vybe RTX 3080 Ti will be on 4K gaming as the setup is overkill for 1080p, but would provide high frame rates for 1440p. What this setup does in 4K is everything you could ask for as it makes the most out of these games and handles Cyberpunk 2077 as you would expect. Running Timespy Extreme on 3D Mark netted an overall score of 9383, with graphics at 9712 and processor at 7876. This netted 400 points below average for the overall score, and this may be attributed to the power supply. Port Royal, the Ray Tracing test on 3D Mark, scored a 12693 as that was also below average by 700 points. These really only matter if you care about scoring your system as the performance metrics in-game matter the most. Outside of selecting Cyberpunk as a benchmark with various NVIDIA options including Ray Tracing and DLSS at 4K, I also included the recently-released Diablo II: ResurrectedCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War multiplayer and Doom Eternal. This setup wiped the floor with these three titles while accomplishing higher frame rates on various settings on Cyberpunk. It was playable with Ultra Ray Tracing and no DLSS, but the benchmark takes place in the city. You can check out the benchmarks below:

Closing Comments:

For those in the market for a high-spec pre-build with quality parts, MAINGEAR delivers more with the Vybe RTX 3080 Ti than the previous year. There are competitors with similarly-priced builds that lack the quality of parts that MAINGEAR includes with the Vybe. Those looking for a more budget build can expect the same type of parts quality while opting for the starting RTX 3060 Ti and AMD Ryzen 5600X. This build is geared towards 4K gaming with Ray Tracing and high FPS as it includes the best CPU on the market with the Ryzen 5900X and a RTX 3080 Ti. The space inside the case is nice as it allows for supreme cooling, but the design implementation of the Vybe itself with lacking RGB and no included Wi-Fi puts it a few years behind based on the competition. You purchase this Vybe for the performance, however, and it's not lacking in that.