The $850 Micro-ATX Pre-Built Gaming PC: PowerSpec G513 Review & Benchmarks

[@GamersNexus]

Through August 13th, use code 'CHAMBER' to get 10% off of any order on the GN Store to celebrate our acoustic chamber! store.gamersnexus.net/ Watch our pre-built reviews playlist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWnOoaWLfN5obac

[@robertlawrence9000]

Great review! I hope to see more of these

[@xrayl7392]

Btw in minute 13:01 it says Teperature test on the left. i think its supposed to be Temperature Test. Love the Content

[@stevewatson6839]

@@shinobi272 Opening early next year according to their website.

[@Revenant_Knight]

Chris (aka Revenant) from Small Form Factor Network here. Thank you for the reference in your video at 20:24!

[@lighttheoryllc4337]

Bro!! It is TIME 4 a Fresh Fade at the Barbershop Loose the women's hair. This is NOT an Herbal Essence Commercial bro

[@christopherjames9843]

You can see Steve didn't want to hammer this pre-built. Kudos to him because this isn't a terrible machine. With a couple tweaks like a better cpu cooler and a little more airflow and things would change for the better.

[@-opus]

Fairly cheap, so it can get away with much more than the overpriced pre-builts they often review.

[@Joreel]

I really hate cases that have no ventilation on the front.

[@winebartender6653]

​@@JoreelDrill some speed holes in the front. But in all seriousness, the front of the case isn't really an issue since it's really acting as the bottom. The single PSU fan isn't being choked too hard there. The issue is the PSU exhaust being dumped out the same place the CPU fan is getting it's intake from. It honestly makes more sense to just exhaust fully from the top (by placing an exhaust fan there) and using the rear and bottom fans as intake. In this setup, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it is.

[@GamersNexus]

It's a good machine with a bad thermal solution. They could fix it with low effort -- I think it has potential!

[@newbietricki239]

​@@GamersNexuswith how it is, it is probably still cheaper buying the prebuilt then just buying a 3rd party cooler of your choosing

[@DbDBlackJack]

I'm so happy there's not a MC near me. I couldn't afford to be there every day.

[@DavidTrejo]

😂

[@Dell-ol6hb]

Fr it’s tempting they have some fantastic deals and the customer service is always stellar in my experience

[@iambiggus]

I feel that. When Fry's was still a thing, I would go downtown and blow entire paychecks on pc stuff.

[@volvo09]

I went there a couple times for basic parts (a job site was right near one) and it was like radio shack felt to me as a kid... But all computer. It is a cool store.

[@scvic2006]

Honestly I live 10min from an MC. (North Jersey store). It’s not hard staying out of there, knowing how much you could potentially spend at any given moment. It is nice though when you need something and can just run down and grab it

[@eftalanquest]

judging from what i've seen from microcenter so far they'll probably listen to your critizisms try to remedy them as much as they can. to me they come across as a company that actually cares

[@-opus]

Still have to wonder how they came up with this set up and have never fixed it, they also defend the thermals of this model in reply to negative reviews on their website... which does not sound like they listen at all.

[@digitalis2977]

@@-opus The same way the First Time Builder would do it: *they take the case out of the box with the fans in whatever position the factory put them and then put components inside.* Everyone is acting like MicroCenter has a crate of fans and they're installing them...not that the fans came pre-installed in the case and they took Lian Li's word on the thermals for it.

[@-opus]

@@digitalis2977 Microcenter (under the label of 'engineer') have stated that they are happy with the thermals of this unit, that was in reply to a negative review on their own website. Microcenter stated "Having tested this system thoroughly, I am confident that thermal performance is just fine in this model". Microcenter have taken ownership of the thermal performance of this model, no excuses.

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

no business ever actually cares

[@joesterling4299]

@@Robbie-mw5uu They care about their own reputation. I agree no corporate entity can be trusted to care about the end consumer.

[@fensoxx]

I love the prebuilt reviews. I’ve been building this stuff for thirty years but it’s like French fry level of comfort food watching these for some reason. Thanks!

[@ANSWERTHECALLOFJESUSCHRIST]

I understand that feeling! It's just nice! 😅

[@tradingnichols2255]

Well said! Enjoy these like some good fries, but I think this show is better for me than the fries. LOL

[@termitreter6545]

Yeh its weirdly enjoyable and interesting to watch, despite never really having a prebuilt. Its a world I dont know, I basically got the same PC since I was 13, just constantly replacing parts.

[@dozza89]

Absolutely spot on. It's pure comfort food

[@HaggisDruid]

Agreed. Pretty new to all of this, I've only built two computers thus far, but having done adequate research I ran into no issues during the process. Seeing the mistakes on these pre-builts is crazy. I would hardly have a frame of reference for how bad some of this stuff is had I not gone through the process myself. I have some out of state friends that occasionally ask what good pre-builts are out there, so I always watch these to see if there's ever ones I can kinda recommend in the event someone really won't build one.

[@sijiehe1826]

The most important thing to note about Powerspec prebuilts is that the money Microcenter will make off these machines does not come from the price, but the warranty and after-sales service/upgrades. They are extremely good for their price across the board because they want you to come back into the store for a component upgrade, or just a flat-out 2-3 year warranty on the product.

[@madrox1989]

TRUTH! They will ask if you want to slap a warranty on almost anything. They tend to sigh when I come in just for a couple bottles of Bawls lol.

[@sijiehe1826]

that's because the employees on the floor get paid for the products you buy, not just because you didn't get a warranty lol@@madrox1989

[@beemerss]

I bought one of these for my brother in-law during Covid when he wanted to get back into casual PC gaming and GPUs were either impossible to get or overpriced. I was pleasantly surprised with how well put together it was and the price was super reasonable. Though he wasn't playing anything crazy so I admittedly never checked if it throttled under heavy load

[@AG-ld6rv]

Well, now you know the CPU runs at 95 degrees Celsius.

[@beemerss]

@@AG-ld6rv It's definitely possible cause it also used an AMD stock cooler, but the case and the fan layout were completely different (2 front intake and 1 back exhaust). Still micro-ATX though

[@jamesm568]

Average users don't fully load their PC anyway. I use 120mm AIO on a 3900XT and can't tell the difference. All I do is word processing.

[@arahman56]

@@beemerss Which is a different config to the video, and should have been pretty fine.

[@heygek2769]

@@AG-ld6rv Only if you run all the cores at full throttle for over 3 minutes. So the vast majority of users won't ever run into this issue

[@beardedgaming1337]

over the years it has been cheaper to buy a powerspec than to piece out the parts and build it your self. even before covid. they really do have some killer deals on systems

[@deathjunior7755]

Love finally seeing a company using a SAMA IM01 case for a pre built. My favorite budget case.

[@Hotlog69]

I guess it's a good sign they're usually out of stock.

[@CreativityNull]

Front intake isn't great, but overall seems pretty good. It can't be worse than the $75 dollar cooler master case I bought that didn't even come with the right screws for the add-in cards. That thing was garbage, but I bought it for a cheap DIY NAS and needed the 3.5" bays

[@deathjunior7755]

@@CreativityNull tbh if you build in one of these don't expect to front to do anything other than cool the PSU. I run bottom intake and top exhaust with a downdraft air-cooler pulling are through the side panel. Even with a SFX psu the only front panel airflow to the case is blocked by the SSD mounts.

[@quantum5661]

i made the questionable choice to buy one on ebay for 90$ because i thought it was vanishing from the face of the earth. definitely a nice case. i did some research, pretty sure i can ziptie a top 240 aio in to mitigate the cpu thermals. hoping to fit 2 gpus in and turn the little shit into a whole work station at half size once i get some money together.

[@deathjunior7755]

@@quantum5661 that's crazy lol. I dunno if this case can provide enough airflow but it'll be a cool build either way. Mine is just my spare I keep at my work desk since my work provided laptop can't keep up with certain tasks. Though a GTX 1080 and a 12gen i5 do quite nicely in it, to be fair my 1080 has been deshrouded and fan swapped to noctuas, if anything my NH-C14 cooler is overkill for this i5 but it's what I had in my closet so ohh well.

[@allenseksi]

I like that this is a "good" launching pad for new people that aren't into building their next computer from scratch - a good way to point out "what to look for" with pre-builds. And like you had said, if someone wants to spend a few minutes to replace the CPU cooler and maybe add a few extra fans to the top case for more air intake, this is a good way to point out ways to "fix" an otherwise "good" purchase for those that wants to get into a little tinkering for a not so expensive unit. This minor issue isn't bad compared to other pre-builts reviewed. Looking at you Dell.

[@latlanticcityphil]

Exactly

[@MagicBrownMan]

Also, if you didn't know Micro Center has a deal with all the Power Spec prebuilds where if you buy the computer and any upgrade for that PC (cooler, fans, HDD, SSD, etc.) together then they won't charge you to install 1 upgrade (at least they did when I got my Power Spec in '21). So, if you buy the PC and a cooler from the store you can leave with the upgrade installed by one of their in-house PC builders for free. I'm not sure how much they charge otherwise. The staff is super knowledgeable and helpful to so they will help you find what you need and let you know how to install things too.

[@-opus]

@@MagicBrownMan The page for this model on their website oddly does not appear to include any variations, additions etc, not even another drive. Although perhaps I have the wrong page since the page shows a 'PowerSpec', not a 'owerSpec'

[@MagicBrownMan]

@@-opus micro center is a store with PC components, when you are in store to buy this if you pick up an extra part with it they will install it with you. Micro center has in house techs in the store. They also have a build your own service too. Most of micro center deals are only in store

[@-opus]

@@MagicBrownMan This item can be ordered on their website, but as you say can only be picked up in store. Seems odd to be able to order (and pay for) it online, but not have it modified before you pick it up. A single 1TB drive will not get you far.

[@krazyeye5147]

I bought a Powerspec G438 at the height of the Gpu shortage. I have been very happy with it and it have not had any thermal issues at all. I love the fact that there is no bloat to speak of. Steve you may want to review one of their higher end options. From all of the research I have done people seem very pleased with them.

[@Stardust51]

I'm surprised the airflow/cooling situation has gone downhill. I bought a PowerSpec in early 2018 cause it was cheap (i7-8700K and 1070Ti for $930) and it has a full mesh front and the CPU cooler is a Cooler Master 212. Everything was good besides the PSU but that hasn't failed me yet. There was also the issue with the system rebooting itself every time I turned it on, but a BIOS update fixed that

[@CreativityNull]

Like Steve said early on, the components used are likely what they have a surplus of, and they may have had extras of this case (though that's surprising since others say they have issues finding this budget case.) This could be a one off, or someone just didn't think about fan orientation too much when designing this prebuilt. Oops.

[@volvo09]

​@@CreativityNullyeah, it all depends upon the parts. Don't ever think that todays brand experience will equal tomorrows... Things change.

[@SeaNyle]

For what it’s worth, I got a power spec 3080 prebuilt right before the 40 series came out. It has the mesh both on the front and top.

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

@@CreativityNull Not likely, they are used from completely off the shelf parts. Sometimes back stock they are trying to get rid of, Other times, like in the height of the GPU mining crazy, they were putting 3080 -90's in prebuilt to make people buy those instead of 5 gpu's. Often times the prebuilt was priced lower than the GPU that was inside it on the open market (thanks to crypto inflation) They could have jacked the price way up like many places did and they chose not to.

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

@@SeaNyle Each prebuilt by microcenter is almost unique. They may do runs of certain specs when they have back stock, but as was said before, its all "off the shelf" parts so the case you get can differ greatly.. They were even doing a partnership with EK waterblocks, fully prebuilt custom water loop rigs. "Fluid Gaming" Jayztwocents did a review on one a few years ago. They used the Lian Li o11 for those. One of the most popular cases. when dealing with Micro, air flow is always going to be a concern.

[@digitalis2977]

From my experience, this is actually an Uncommon L for PowerSpec/MicroCenter. I've been recommending them for years to perfectly happy people and this is the first "stock" cooler I've seen in one. It really looks like this was a "whatever's left of whatever's left" build that they tossed out.

[@sweer7048]

AMD Stock coolers are generally perfectly fine. Intel stock coolers... not so much.

[@linuxares]

@@sweer7048 Sadly not on 5000 series+ They are to warm for the cooler

[@Kromaatikse]

​@@sweer7048 I think the Wraith Stealth would have been adequate in a better ventilated case, or without a GPU pumping hot air all over the place. It's a slightly marginal heatsink for a 65W TDP, which is what the 5600X makes, and thus you need to give it a fighting chance by feeding it reasonably cool air. So that makes a third component choice that PowerSpec could have made to avoid the problem: a GPU with a blower (exhausting outside the case) instead of a dual-fan type (exhausting inside). There's also a whole bunch of inexpensive heatsinks on the market, both tower-style and downdraft, with thermal capacity in about the 100W region. This would likely allow handling a 65W load in this warmer environment, especially if the fan curves were set to "Standard" or "Performance" instead of "Silent". Ultimately, there's nothing *catastrophically* wrong with this machine, which already sets it above some prebuilts costing five times as much. There's just a couple of key oversights.

[@mapwheel00]

Most of their models use proper cases and/or coolers. Steve managed to find the worst one. I often end up buying PowerSpec computers for clients because it's so hard to beat the bang for the buck, and because they are easily serviceable with zero proprietary BS.

[@BrianCroweAcolyte]

@@sweer7048 The Wraith Stealth is actually a lot worse than Intel's new stock cooler they started shipping with 11th or 12th gen iirc.

[@mr-huggy]

I have that same case under a different name and i have found it not too bad, I have 2 fans on the bottom and 2 at the top and it runs nice and cool. I have the PSU taking air from inside the case and out the top, the other thing they need to sort out is that cabling blocking the air flow.

[@goldfries]

Tecware Fusion , among many other names.

[@dark_matter__]

Me: “10 hr round trip just for this vid. Crazy what these dudes do to get us helpful content”. Steve and GN crew: *_Laugh in Mandarin for 16,000-mile round trip_*

[@rdoursenaud]

That ESET installer popup is great. It's the way it should be for every bundleware!

[@theo._.5593]

yeah and they're really good to so even if someone wants to to try it they'll be happy abt it it's not like a crappy macfy thing or other fake protection software lmao (sup norton)

[@crylune]

@@theo._.5593 Norton is not "fake", it's a functioning AV with pretty good detection rates, but the problem with it is that it's more of a bloatware than an AV and it's owned by Gen Digital which suck ass

[@cjeffcoatjr]

2:05 "We actually don't live near one here" Soon to be changed! They're opening a store in Charlotte at the beginning of 2024. Still not exactly local for you, but MUCH better than driving to VA or GA. This North Carolinian is pumped 😃

[@soulshinobi]

Finally, a pre-built review of something that someone might actually buy instead of gratuitous entertainment.

[@wizardreplica]

I'd be curious to see what the thermals are with the stock cooler and just the PSU/fan location/orientation suggestions you mentioned, just to see what they could have had with the same actual parts cost and a negligibly more involved build.

[@ncohafmuta]

Or under a gaming workload, or with the dust filters removed, if possible; even though that wouldn't be stock.

[@mingyi456]

@@ncohafmuta Probably the dust filters are glued to the panels and will either be damaged once removed, or there is no way to reattach the filters the same way as it originally was. This seems to be the norm for cheaper cases.

[@TheOriginalFaxon]

Steve and Jay upload a minute apart, CONSPIRACY?

[@Memento86Mori]

Holy Shit that's true......thank you the great dice head for back to back entertainment

[@NicolasChapadosGirard]

Who knows!

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

Been asking for you guys to review PowerSpec prebuilt for a while. Much better than 99% of the stuff on the market in the prebuilt department. Dont end up with Factory ram nonsense, singe stick, ect. They are built by enthusiasts who work for the store, and yes by using back stock from the store. With this you end up with a better product, Because Every thing IN your build will be off the shelf DIY parts. ITs perfect for someone too scared to build one themselves but want to learn.. You can also pick your parts and have the "powerspec" people at microcenter assemble Your own rig, for a small fee. This is often done while you wait and walk the store.

[@jstriker90]

Nice! I think a video compiling all the things to go double check on a pre built, and the things you can do to make sure it is running properly would be a great help. I know you guys have plenty of the pre built reviews, but one video dedicated to a check list of sorts would be greatly beneficial to newbies.

[@Aaron_Lesse]

I'd like to see more prebuilt PC reviews from system integrators including Alexander PCs, Yeyian, Digital Storm, Ironside and others. I know these prebuilt costs come out of the pockets at Gamers Nexus, but hopefully these hugely popular videos and continued viewer support through the GN merch store and Patreon can continue this series for many videos to come. Thanks to all at GN for your efforts! Edit: Maingear was removed from my list because GN reviewed one of their prebuilt PCs about a year ago. Thanks, Steve!

[@integratedfrost435]

I love the inclusion of what possible fixes can be done with these pre-builts along with the analysis

[@Lyoishi]

Didn't expect those decent specs at that price. Not part of their target market, but impressed

[@jamesg7456]

I got a power spec for my daughter cheaper than if I built it myself. They skimped on the power supply but it’s been good

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

Usually done to cut the cost, but when you get it with them you get the warranty too, so even if the budget PSU takes a dump, Microcenter has you covered. I bought a laptop for my son off their platinum collection, it decided to take a crap, the screen just went black one day. Apparently a problem with HP but they took care of it no cost to us other than the gas to bring it in. Also did not touch our warranty for it, as it was HP's issue. So even a couple years down the line we still are guaranteed a full replacement/full original cost transferred to a new product. Microcenter is killing it.

[@ibapreppie]

Nice was waiting for this review of a micro center pc. I bought a G709, love it. Plus they have a stellar PowerSpec warranty. My PSU died 3 months into owning my pc. Took it to them and they had it fixed in 2 days for free

[@Mr.Genesis]

My very first computer was a PowerSpec right from a Micro Center in Pennsylvania.. Powerspec goes WAY BACK for me.. this was 20 years ago to see how far Micro Center and their Power Spec brand has gone is incredible.

[@pyronical]

Would have liked to see the result of you moving one fan to the top and reorienting the PSU.

[@ArdgalAlkeides]

Yeah honestly like that the fix might've been $0 instead of $20.

[@maxgern9186]

Description on the Temperature graphs says Teperature instead of Temperature lol Great video as always though :D

[@FcoEnriquePerez]

That case looks like the SAMA IM01, but this one has an acrylic/crystal side, interesting, the SAMA has a mesh metal side, which seems better than this version and wont suffer that much from airflow, I have it, two 120mm rads mounted in that side, which comes with an adapter to mount the AIO, I really like it is an amazing case for the size and price.

[@quantum5661]

specifically this is a rebranded version of the lancool 185m, which microcenter also sells, which itself is a modified sama. source: i have a sama im01 sitting on my bed right now, and i specifically avoided buying that one because they removed the mesh side panel and extra gpu mount.

[@OmairArif]

It's Tempered Glass. There exists the SAMA IM02, which is basically a SAMA IM01 with a glass panel like this and a different front panel. There are also half a dozen other variants of the SAMA IM01 sold in other countries around the world by different brands with a mix of these changes. I built my cousin a PC in the SAMA IM02, and found the glass panel can be mounted on either side of the case. That is probably the same for this version, so they could put the glass on the back where the ventilation isn't necessary and mount the mesh panel on the component side.

[@macyler]

The case is the SAMA IM01, probably my favourite case ever. It's so well thought out (and my build has no issues with airflow/thermals)

[@Hail_Eris]

Thank you so much Steve! I picked one of these up as an open box for $650 not too long ago. A nearly identical config with a double fan EVGA GPU. I wanted a budget rig strictly for 1080p gaming/light editing. The cooler and case were already my top concerns. Already got the cooling ordered. Great feeling to find content aimed right at my chest, I feel seen. Edit: Upgraded cooler keeps the CPU around 70C during gaming sessions.

[@colinduncanator]

I had this exact prebuilt model (except with an EVGA 3060) come in to my shop a week ago. It was well used I think the owner had it for around 9 months. The ASRock motherboard had died so I replaced it with a new one. I also (after okaying it with the owner) took the top and side air filters off and routed the PSU cables behind the back panel to free up some airflow in the case. All of the PSU cables were flat so it was easier to route behind. The stock cooler still could only keep the CPU at 45c at idle. I suspect the lack of airflow contributed to the motherboard's demise. I recommended getting a third 120mm fan to put on top to help with airflow once I sent it home. All the case panels besides the bottom one were bent in some way as well.

[@nasko235679]

This series is better than most TV shows. Thanks for the endless entertainment, Steve and team.

[@BigWillieFreestyle]

I bought one of these in January 2022 for $1000 because it was significantly cheaper than DIY. I immediately gutted the system and moved everything into my old Fractal R4 and put my NH-D14 on it. It's been great since!

[@alberttheroa4164]

Starforge would be interesting to see you review. BTW the other problem is "pretty" over practical. Having glass side panel is not the best in that form factor but rear intake and a slow top exhaust would have helped thermals a lot. with proper fan curves. Although using the mesh panel with a side mounted intake pushing air directly to the cpu intake fan works wonders and you can still achieve a nice rgb glow with strips. ( I have tested these) nr200p is fantastic for these but i like how this one uses a standard atx psu. Even the jonsbo d40 does this extremely well with a full atx build, but again need an optional mesh side panel(nr200p) or rear cpu intake to equal thermals to that of an meshify c. There is so many things companies can do and just won't and it's so annoying.

[@OSON001]

I love that case, never had thermal issues with it. So sad to see they missed some of the accessories.

[@zamb0nio]

the Powerspec G513 ($850) is a ripoff compared to the Powerspec G516 ($700). The G513 has weaker parts and smaller case with an awful layout. I'll also bring up that stock AMD cpu cooler. The G516 uses a 5600x3d instead of 5600x, uses RX 6650XT instead of RTX 3060, though the SSD is 500GB instead of 1TB; the cpu cooler is better using AMD's Wraith Prism cooler. It's definitely worth checking the Powerspec G516 considering it uses better parts and COSTS LESS MONEY.

[@eflarsen]

it's got potential, and the tweaks to fix it are super simple which gives me hope. still gonna build my own machine but it's nice to see these prebuilts getting better for the consumers who don't want to build their own but want solid performance.

[@AaronShenghao]

I wish GN would test the thermals after applying the suggested case fan swap. (Move one fan to the top as an intake)

[@sirius4k]

This is a test of a pre-built as is. This is the correct approach. You don't want to introduce any variables and unknowns to the testing and confuse people who know little to nothing about computers. If this was something people would like to see then it should be a separate video where they show what the system could've been, when done correctly.

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

I was surprised they didn't

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

@@sirius4k except he spent all that time claiming his tweaks were "correct" yet he didn't even prove it by demonstrating the thermals

[@sirius4k]

​@@Robbie-mw5uu This isn't the first time the GN team has reviewed a system and some things are just obvious, like the crappy CPU cooler that's starved of air.

[@HandleIsNewAndBad]

I'm trying the same with my NR200 case soon. Currently creating a conflict between my CPU cooler and the top exhaust fan.

[@chasenhorizons]

Just picked up it's bigger bro the G516, and I am absolutely blown away by the performance and the entire build itself. The case is a really nice Lian Li case with tons of ventilation and fans to keep things nice and cool.

[@christopherjames9843]

Living in New York I have three Micro Center stores that are fairly short rides. I have always had great experiences whenever I need something. The staff is always super helpful and courteous. Plus you never know what hidden gems the store may have in stock that isn't advertised.

[@Dell-ol6hb]

Yea same NYC has like 5 micro centers within a 1 hour drive and there’s like 3 you can get to using public transit easily

[@tim3172]

Their return policy is great. They simply ask why you're returning it. I said "because a new model came out since" and they said "alright" and offered a refund but I already had the new CPU in hand so they just charged the difference. You don't need to keep your receipt, just the credit card or phone number you bought it with. They're incredibly friendly (they work on commission). Being in Northern Virginia I can go to one of three MCs within easy driving distance.

[@christopherjames9843]

@@Dell-ol6hb I live in the Bronx so Yonkers is super close for me.

[@Ceredron]

microcenter is the only place I'll go in person for parts and prebuilds. The ones around the NYC area are also the only stores I ever found that were willing to respect their customers and sell us MSRP video cards during the massive shortages - everywhere else went to scalpers the minute they came off trucks.

[@Myxgrassxisxgreenest]

Great to see this brand getting reviewed. I think Powerspec's G444 would be a great candidate for a future review. It uses their much more common setup with the Lian Li ATX 205 Mesh case, and a Cooler Master ML240L AIO.

[@McH3RO]

I would love a Pre-Built Review of Starforge PCs

[@Vagitarian01]

"Its a rocket ship!"

[@McH3RO]

@@Vagitarian01 Is it a Hammer? Is it a Rockert Ship? No! It´s a P***s!

[@ColdWeatherJacket]

Shoutout to Damien at Microcenter! He helped me with two mATX budget builds on Saturday for an upcoming LAN party (including recommending a deal on storage that was a high tier SSD and cheaper price) and I did NOT expect to see him mic'd up for a GN video, lol

[@BannedOnMain]

At the MC in Indy they had essentially the same system, but with a 5600x3d and a 6650XT for 699. It’s a grand opening sale. If you’re anywhere close to Indy and you want a prebuilt, it seems like you can’t beat that price.

[@Scrub_Ghost]

“Thanks, Steve” I always wondered why you didn't quickly improve the previous prebuilt computers. Now you've done it. Thank you!

[@aaronjohnson772]

Would love to see you guys review one of Starforge Penis computers. I know LTT has done it but you guys dive a lot more in to the details of it and it would be interesting to see

[@1Grainer1]

also that would be video how they fare few months after

[@RemyL75]

The case for this build is made by Lian Li. Microcenter offers the case as a standalone product with or without a PSU. The thermals are a lot better with slim fans and you can replace the 80mm with a 92mm. Also, the case comes with a tempered glass panel or a mesh panel so you get to choose. Also, there is a way to mount an AIO in there. Overall, the case would proforma better with a different configuration.

[@hughjazz44]

I was looking for this comment. I built for a friend in this case with a Radeon 6800XT and Ryzen 5700X, and thermals are completely fine.

[@tiagomnlmnl]

This case is awesome for people who want compact builds, but don't want to pay the ITX tax. I have the version of this case with the "mesh" side panel, and it's great. It's sold as a Tecware Fusion/Sama Quzao or IM01/Others.

[@mickaelsflow6774]

I was gonna say! It's great to see a review from Gamers Nexus where this case is in the build. Although I'd prefer a review of the case separately or just a Live stream build. Looks like a pretty good compact cases "without ITX premium" ;) Since you have it: is it compatible with SFX PSU? I just hate seeing this giant PSU in it XD

[@Doobie3010]

That case is one of the many gazillion models of the Sama mO1 case.NR200 sized but houses matx mobi and psu. Versions are Itek Evoke,Nox Hummer and many,many others-solid boxes.

[@quantum5661]

tecware fusion aswell. the really fun thing about this case is how hard it is to actually the find specs, cause its from china.

[@Doobie3010]

@@quantum5661 The Nox Hummer has the specsheet on its website.

[@betawolfpup]

I would have liked to see how it would perform if you had added an intake fan at the top while keeping the wraith cooler, like you suggested toward the beginning of the video.

[@KaGe4twenty]

So i did exactly that. I put a intake fan on the top and tested that. Temps stayed in the 90s under heavy load. So i swapped the stock cooler with a be quiet tower cooler and got the temps down to normal temp levels. And i flipped the the top fan I installed from intake to exhaust. Now the whole case is cool too the touch with all the hot air being pushed up of the top and rear.

[@israellewis5484]

@@KaGe4twenty So basically, this is behaving as negative pressure airflow. setup Top mounted exhaust + Better cooler makes it a positive pressure setup from bottom to top?

[@KaGe4twenty]

@@israellewis5484 yep, perfectly said.

[@pika2sday]

I was pretty happy to see that GN reviewed this PC :) I actually own the G511, which is basically the same PC as the G513, with the main difference being 16gb of 2666mhz of RAM and a 500gb NVME SSD instead of 3200mhz and 1tb. I’ve had no major issues with the PC, although it does feel kinda hot when I touch the case while playing games. Other than that, I love the small size, and it works for all my browsing and just about anything I need it for :D P.S.: Thanks for showing me that there was a new BIOS update too :P

[@TheUnchosenOne]

You definitely should try flipping one case fan to the top and also flip the power supply sometime, the thermals & performance will improve. A tower cooler would be a good investment too, because the 5600x has enough juice to drive you through several gpu upgrades before you will want to trade it out. I use one with a 3080 in my machine and it works great!

[@Zosu22]

Interesting to see them use the Sama Im01 case. I love these smaller mATX cases like the AP201.

[@OmairArif]

The Sama IM01 & IM02 are fantastic cases. You basically get nearly SFF but with none of the added cost of SFF. The case is cheap compared to most SFF options, and you can use cheaper ATX PSUs and mATX boards instead of SFX and ITX.

[@darkSorceror]

25:51 "PowerSpec was trying to cut as much as possible in the name of the final sticker..." Hahah, yes "...price" Oh

[@vtnwesley]

That looks like a perfect system for a 5600G or non-X honestly, preferably with the better cooler.

[@Daniel_Kani]

Hey GN, have you ever done case tests where you use colored smoke? It'd be fun to see how the air moves through the different cases in a controlled test :) Maybe impractical, but I'm curious. Been to a few laboratories/testing facilities in my country where they test out ventilation products with colored smoke to see how thei distribute air etc.

[@gk4480]

Hey Steve, Im sure you see a lot of ppl asking in the comments to test different stock fan configs and you also talked about orienting the psu differently as well. I too was hoping to see you reconfigure the stock items or even removing the secondary dust filters on the case panels to find out what the lowest thermal you could get with just the items in the box. Please consider.

[@DigitalJedi]

My brother had a very similar prebuilt with a 9600KF and RTX 2060, also a PowerSpec. Served him well for years as a photographer editing things. We put a 13700K and A770 16GB in there this year with twice the original RAM and storage since he's getting into video work and animation. Deeplink is actually super useful for him with that iGPU. His case is very similar, with the big mesh side panel. We took a knee mill to it and converted all of the holes into vertical slots and replaced the filter material with window screen to catch some of the cat hair in his place.

[@BulletPr00fGAm3r]

Thank you for a great video. I love these types of videos where you look at prebuilts from various companies, it gives an idea of the quality from each builder. Keep up the good work!

[@Kbl-pu2sc]

I started with an HP omen this year, and I'm surprised nobody has reviewed one recently. It checks alot of the boxes that channels critique on. The thermals and case were good. The hardware was all hp or cooler master besides the drives, and nothing was proprietary. It was reasonably priced. The bios wasn't overly restrictive, and more. It had a 12700 and 3070 and cost me ~$1100 right under a year ago. There's some less than ideal stuff too but it can be easily taken care of if it's an issue to the end user. The CPU is effectively the only original part I still use, but it was just me wanting to upgrade everything, haha. I could also list all of the cons if anyone is really interested.

[@hacob2004]

I bought a powerspec in 2017 and it was a great computer. Came with components from respectable brands and was a killer deal at the time. Actually just retired the 1070 that came with it.

[@SomeNameGoesHere]

I'd watch a follow-up video testing the recommendations you made regarding turning the power supply around and moving a fan to the top.

[@DawnApon]

Upgrading 2 separate prebuilts gave me the confidence to build fresh.

[@pascualortiz3709]

As a previous BYO worker from Micro Center for 4 years, i've been begging for a proper review of these pcs. Nice work, thank you.

[@davilanetworks382]

agreed, Powerspec owner. Love the computer but replacing the wrath cooler was needed.

[@ClellBiggs]

I still have the ABS PC I bought after your review. Still working perfectly. I've also seen lots of other people that bought one after the review that are very happy with the purchase. Out of all the companies making prebuilts ABS is probably the best.

[@mdkizzle]

i bought a powerspec prebuilt 3 years ago from the baltimore microcenter and it's been fantastic. 3 years later still runs great no cooling issues no performance trouble everything inside was quality hardware (far better cooler than this one), well built, and priced very fairly. no complaints for me.

[@SurferSandman]

I'm so lucky to live near MicroCenter. I love having a brink and mortar computer store locally. I support them as much as possible.

[@SchnitzelDaemon]

I like what you've done with the editing here, changed things up and made it a bit more fun.

[@ConsecDesign]

yoooo, was literally just about to buy this next month. thanks for the review. there are no powerspec reviews out there

[@ewenchan1239]

Three things: 1) My first and only PowerSpec system was actually one of the Intel NUCs that I bought for $280 open box. STILL works like a charm! It's not particularly fast, but for being a dumb web server and now it has a new life as my father-in-law's system to browse Facebook and check his email with -- it works. (And it's VASTLY easier to clean than the tower that I originally gave him as a hand-me-down.) (Also sucks back less power as well, so overall, I'm very happy with it.) 2) For a mATX build, this actually LOOKS decent. I like the size and the form factor given that my tiny human's computer right now is an 8th gen NUC with a Razer Core X eGPU case (which is 14.4 L plus I think 0.7 L for the NUC itself. Something like that.) vs. the 21 L of this mATX build. It's small enough. 3) If a part of the solution to this thermal management problem is to just swap out the CPU cooler with a $20 tower cooler, that's easily doable.

[@AceStrife]

That history part was short, but being a frequent watcher of channels like LGR, Adrian's Digital Basement and others, I was fully ready to just sit back and enjoy a history lesson. Wonder if more deeper dives could be incorporated into some videos.. not sure how the broader channel audience would react to it though.

[@sadlerbw9]

I think one of this things I really, really appreciate about this style of pre-built (not just PowerSpec) is that they actually use standard components with standard layouts and connectors. So, if the CPU cooler sucks, you can replace it with an AM5 compatible cooler. If the case is trash, you can buy a different one and move all the components into it. Sure, you shouldn't HAVE to do any of that, but sometimes you just can't afford everything you want all at once, and with a build using standard retail parts you can at least be confident that you can upgrade individual pieces down the road. I would contrast this with an HP pre-built I bought for one of my kids a few years back. It was an AMD system with a Radeon r580 in it. The front-panel I/O was built into the motherboard PCB on a piece of the board that jutted out several inches to make it to the front of the case. This made both the Motherboard and case impossible to re-use with retail parts. I also couldn't upgrade or re-use the power supply since it used a proprietary set of cables including, for reasons I still don't understand, putting the fan controller for the PSU fan on the motherboard so you had to plug a signal cable from the PSU into the MoBo or the fan would spin at 100% all the time! Technically I could have upgraded the CPU cooler, but even though it was an AMD CPU, the hole spacing for the cooler was the Intel standard...and it screwed directly into the back of the case instead of a backplate. I did manage to salvage the GPU, but since it was a single-fan RX580, it was a wee bit thermally constrained. Whatever faults this pre-built has, I do appreciate that they can actually be fixed by the end user thanks to actually using standard parts and connectors. That doesn't excuse shipping a product that throttles hard, but it does put it a step up against a lot of the big OEM's and their everything-is-proprietary boxes.

[@medvejonka746]

Honey wake up, gn released a sffpc review

[@medowucha]

For those wondering what case that is: It's the SAMA IM01. Just its the Microcenter rebrand.

[@joser6948]

My friend bought a Powerspec G517 about a month ago for around $1200 to $1300. It was such a great value with strong specs. It has a Ryzen 5800X3D, 16gb RAM, 1TB NVME SSD, AMD 6950XT GPU, and a 240mm Coolermaster Masterliquid AIO. Temps are good, very quiet cooling system, and neat cable management. I was very impressed with it!

[@pyroslev]

I'd honestly feel comfortable buying this for someone like a family member or coworker I liked. I'd even think this would be a good one for my kids. It's ready enough out of the box that I could leave it for them but a new cooler would be an easy update if needed.

[@allenpeters4925]

I'd like to see a PC review of Starforge Systems!

[@TracksideViews]

We need a “Before That…” t-shirt

[@Tyler45832]

Wow, thermalright really is the goat. And Steve and GN are the goat for making this kind of content.

[@Absolutely_Allen]

i have a micro center 45 minutes from me. i make a trip once per year to spend money to hopefully keep it open. love that place.

[@drewmendoza2041]

Have that case for almost two years. Retty good for a mid gaming set up. Glad a big KZbinr finally reviews it even as part of a pre-built.

[@AMJayz]

Really love the politeness of that AV, hope this be a standard for AVs at one point

[@Vedthrfolnir]

I ordered a fantastic prebuilt from Digital Storm in 2009. I went with them because they had almost all the parts I was going to order for myself (after a month of research) for basically the same price, and they overclocked it for $35 more, which is something I was not comfortable doing myself at the time. I have no idea what they are like now.

[@jasonzuniga2587]

Falcon Northwest.....one of the OG gaming pre builds. Remember their ads in PC gamer when I was a kid.

[@Lady_Eleven]

So much "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed" energy in this video. It was so close! Sad that out of all the prebuilt reviews I've watched so far I think this is the one that was the most positive (I haven't watched all the old ones yet and I just recently found this channel, but I've seen an Alienware and Origin one). But honestly this makes me mostly happy because at least beyond the one core flaw, which would be easily fixable and I could actually see the company fixing something like this, it's a reasonable purchase. You're not wasting your money on anything (except the cheap cpu cooler), unlike almost every high-end prebuilt review I've seen on this channel and others.

[@JimSmithBrazil]

I have to say if I was a person that worked at PowerSpec building these pc's and saw this review I would be looking at our build pre and post check lists and procedures and updating them to ensure a better product. The issues brought up in this review are easily fixed and would provide the customer with a better system and definitely more reliable. Customer satisfaction will always bring back the customer and possibly new customers on top of it.

[@Nick-rs5if]

Wait, a company that went out of their way to not only ask the customer if they wanted the OEM's bloatware, but also asked whether or not they also wanted to remove it, the installers and the pop-up messages? Dude, PowerSpec are actual saints, that's well and truly amazing!😮

[@jdocgaming474]

Hey Steve, love the content. Might I recommend another Powerspec PC but this time, go for a normal form factor with a mid to high-end build? I feel like, of all the prebuilts out there, Powerspec actually does a pretty decent job overall. I wasn't aware they even had this micro build though. Thanks!

[@omw2876]

I would love to see a Digital Storm review from you. I admit, I bought a Digital Storm custom built PC only because I am now a former Mac user so building a PC was not my forte.

[@FrenziedManbeast]

I have a video suggestion for the GN team: obscure motherboard settings breakdown and explanations video. Take a few different boards with different chipsets on AMD/Intel, and compare feature parity/explain what the hell everything does. I've been building computers since the late 90s, and to this day I've never understood it all myself. A great example in this video was @ 22:52 when you referenced "Above 4G Decoding". What are the conditions where I'd even want to disable this setting, etc? What the heck is "SR-IOV", and what are the functional use cases someone would have to enable/disable it? Will enabling it and not utilizing its Virtualization features possibly introduce system instability, etc? Experience has taught me to just turn off "Bells and Whistles" I don't have a use case for, but that approach limits opportunities for learning. Maybe it's a good place I could get some growth?! Anyway just an idea - thanks for another great video on pre-builts. I don't often consider them even as recommendations to others, but it's a great reminder of why I build all this stuff myself. Best of luck in 2023 and beyond!

[@KaGe4twenty]

I have this pc. Its a great little machine. I replaced the stock cooler with a be quiet tower and added more ram. its a great started machine. Ive been loving this machine.

[@Syndroo]

Greatest PC day of my life happened when buying a power spec from my local micro center. Got it home and no boot. Got mad and returned it and leaned to build.

[@Destroyer954]

as sysadmin i can say that Eset is the only 3rd party antivirus that would not offend me on a prebuilt

[@TimColeman-n5t]

awesome video as someone whose interested in getting a prebuilt pc this was super informative. Heads up - there’s a small typo in the temperature plots (the y-axis is labeled teperature), such as the one at 13:05.

[@TheGhungFu]

Big fan of MicroCenter. Not perfect but have been beating the pants off of everyone else for over 30 yers, IMO. I bought my first pre-built there in 1988 when I went back to school as a CS major ( i286-12 mHz with a full megabyte of memory!). Two stores in the Atlanta area, now 2 hours away, mean I'm taking a trip every time I do a new build or upgrade. Again, not perfect but solid. Candy store for geeks.

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

Micro Center's selection is way too limited for actual geeks they only provide mainstream brands like NZXT and no Fractal or Phanteks

[@danielaguirre5949]

I bought a power spec for roommate when pc parts where costly during the pandemic and man that build was rock solid. It’s still going to this date. It was a m-atx build with a 6700xt red devil. Swapped out the cooler and installed an extra ssd for him

[@AnthonyMcqueen1987]

I would love to see this man do a full build of a PC with all of his knowledge and experience and show us what a well-balanced prebuilt PC should look like in 2023 and beyond. This guys obviously knows what he is talking about and its a very interesting learning experience as well.