5.15.2007
A Line In The Sand
Posted by Chris Morley

The Velocity Micro Raptor DCX recently scored an 8.7 and an Editor’s Choice Award at CNET. In their words, it “might be the best PC we’ve ever seen from [Velocity Micro].”

So why was this such a killer product? As a close partner with AMD and Intel, we were able to outfit this system with the latest graphics technology; the AMD ATI Radeon HD 2900XT, and Intel's fantastic quad-core CPUs. But it wasn’t speed that won the gold – it was keeping the configuration customer-centric. What would you really spend your money on?

CNET has lamented in the past that they have resigned themselves to high performance machines costing more than $5000. We delivered a system that was tricked out at under $4,000. With the introduction of the Radeon HD 2900XT, AMD seems to be pulling back from the ever increasing price of high performance video cards. We like that mentality, and the product fits the bill. It delivers a great alternative at a very acceptable price point. It’s not the fastest, but it’s extremely feature rich with 100% bitstream offloading for next generation high definition media and HDMI plus audio standard. That is where it stands apart from the competition.

So, with a robust graphics solution sitting at a price that’s easier to swallow, we outfitted the machine with other components that also made sense, including the very affordable Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor. Anyone can slap in the most expensive parts to win a review. It takes a little more verve to demonstrate system design that is in tune with what a larger group of customers are really willing to pay for. Everyone wants the halo product, but not everyone can afford it. We sent CNET a system that a high school student could afford over a summer break of mowing lawns, and CNET agreed with our philosophy. We delivered superior bang for the buck than the competition, and did it so more of our customers could afford the ultimate PC experience.

Looking for an Editor's Choice winner that features NVIDIA SLI? Check out the Gamers' Edge PCX which won an Editor's Choice and a score of 91% in this month's issue of PC Gamer.

[5.15.2007 @ 8:11 AM]  [Digg it]