Review

Computer Power User
Heavy Gear     April 2007 • Vol.7 Issue 4     Page(s) 31 in print issue
Vigor Gaming Force Recon QXN

CPU Rating: 3.5

Specs: Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 at 3.7GHz; Asus P5N32-E SLI; 2GB Corsair CM2X1024-8500C5; 768MB XFX GeForce 8800 GTX XXX (SLI); 500GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000KS; 150GB Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD (2X, RAID 0); 900W Tagan TG900-U96 PSU, Windows XP Pro

Meet Vigor Gaming, a California-based PC boutique that offers high-end desktops and notebooks. I checked out the Force Recon QXN, which Vigor Gaming overclocks on request.

My review system sported an Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 clocked at 3.7GHz (The factory overclock is covered under Vigor Gaming's warranty.) The QXN owes its hefty graphics power to two XFX GeForce 8800 GTX XXX cards in SLI.

This particular QXN doesn't have one of Vigor Gaming's custom paint jobs, but it's plenty snazzy, thanks to two large, blue LED intake fans at the front panel, a massive side panel exhaust fan behind the motherboard, and some flashing blue lights at the bottom of the PC. That said, QXN's cable management could use an overhaul. The builder left a rat's nest of power supply cables at the top of the system. This doesn't obstruct the system's airflow and wouldn't be a problem if the case window didn't extend to the top of the case. Vigor Gaming tells me that it's working to reduce the amount of cable clutter.

Thanks to those 8800 GTXes and the overclocked processor, the QXN holds its own in the gaming and office applications. It scored 16018 in 3DMark06 and offered a frame rate of 106.94fps in Quake 4. The system topped many of the scores that the similarly configured Cyberpower Gamer Infinity SLI KO produced.

Vigor Gaming seems to have a grip on what makes a gaming PC. It also has some great warranty and customer service features, offering customers lifetime phone tech support and 24/7 email tech support as an option. I was surprised to reach a service tech over the phone as soon as I called; I didn't encounter a machine. The standard warranty isn't too shabby either: All desktops include a 30-day, money-back guarantee, three-year parts, and lifetime labor warranty.