![]() There’s a total of eight USB 3.0 ports (including the two at the front), two eSATA ports, two Ethernet ports, and an additional four USB 2.0 ports. Lidless glasses and the Mach V should be kept separated at all times. And don’t think that the guard completely protects the ports, because while it prevents direct contact of solid objects, it is perforated to allow for exhaust of hot air. This is particularly true with the Mach V, because the I/O guard is stiff and takes a bit of effort to remove or replace. While this protects them, it largely negates the ease of access to be gained from putting the ports up top. ![]() The ICON2 enclosure, like many cases that offer this layout, solves that issue by placing a guard over the I/O ports. However, doing so presents a problem – how do you protect those sensitive ports from damage? They’re now vulnerable to spills, falling objects, and the rumps of errant pets. Rotating a PC’s internal layout so that the motherboard I/O panel is at the top of the case seems as if it would be convenient for connectivity. While the front panel door must be swung open to access the card reader and optical drive, all of the forward-facing ports (such as USB 3.0) are located on the front top edge of the case along with the power and reset buttons, providing a perfect combination of refinement and functionality. One might think this could lead to boredom, but a light-up Falcon Northwest logo on the front of the case provides the dash of spice it needs. The Mach V’s exterior is a clean design that doesn’t even offer a case window. The power supply resides in its own physically separate compartment and the hard drives are placed in the intake path, which means they’re kept cool without excessive use of fans. Like the Raven enclosures, the internal layout has been tilted so that the motherboard I/O panel faces upwards, allowing for better exhaust of hot air (heat naturally rises). In many ways it is similar to the Raven series, which is built by Silverstone for consumer purchase, and used by many PC manufacturers for high-end gaming and workstation computers. Unlike the enclosures used by many other companies, this one is a custom solution crafted by Silverstone specifically for the Falcon Northwest Mach V. The Mach V has only one case option, the massive black ICON2. Let’s dive in and see if the Mach V can live up to its price. The Origin Genesis we tested in June retailed for $5,499, and the iBuyPower Erebus reviewed in May was $7,670. The total price of our unit rings up to $5,688, which is staggering, but not surprising. Equipped with an Intel Core i7 3930K (overclocked to 4.5GHz) and two GTX 580 graphics cards in SLI, it represents the cutting edge of what’s currently available to consumers. Our review unit was no base model, however. You simply can’t buy a Mach V that isn’t a performance monster. Even the base Mach V P67 system has a liquid processor cooler and a GeForce GTX 570 graphics card. You need to select upgrades if you’re a serious gamer.įalcon Northwest’s approach is different. We’d argue, however, that those base configurations offer merely adequate performance. That’s a non-trival chunk of change, and much more expensive than the base configuration of competitors like the Maingear Shift and Origin Genesis. You can grab yourself a Mach V for just a hair over $3,000 if you choose a AMD or Intel P67 platform. The Mach V is at least a gaming powerhouse, and at most a tribute to the kind of computing excess only true geeks can understand. Falcon Northwest has been offering computers under the Mach brand name for years, and while the hardware obviously has changed, the purpose has not. Just as we suspected.In the realm of flagship gaming desktops, Mach V is a name that means something. It could also be the dual graphics card capability, quad-core CPU support, and great overclocking capability. ![]() I've found that the more capital letters a part has, usually the better it is for gaming. Why does Falcon Northwest CEO, Kelt Reeves, think the EVGA nVidia nForce 680I - SLI makes for a good motherboard in a gaming system? "Mainly because it has a lot of letters, some of which are even capitalized. Since the folks at Falcon Northwest are the experts when it comes to building gaming PCs and we're the experts when it comes to asking obvious questions, we decided to combine our relative talents and present you with a short bit about a different component each day. This isn't some old thing we found in a firing range (but we'll be giving some dead raccoons away at a later date). And don't be concerned about those bullet holes - they're just decals inspired by Soldier of Fortune: Payback, the latest in the face-splattering first-person franchise. Look, we're really sorry to keep pestering you about this, but we thought you might like to win a ludicrously powerful Falcon Northwest computer worth five thousand dollars.
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