Maingear MG-1 Review: A Mighty, Beautiful Boutique Gaming PC

front quarter full view
MAINGEAR MG-1 Gaming Desktop: Setting up At $1499

The Maingear MG-1 is the swiftest pre-crafted gaming Computer we’ve at any time tested. It also helps make for a solid workstation, and it’s not tricky to glance at, possibly.

hot flat

  • Outstanding General performance
  • Significant Place For Expansion
  • Desirable And Customizable
  • Outstanding Construct Top quality
  • Higher-Quality Components
  • Excellent Warranty Assist

not flat

  • CPU Runs Warm In Threaded Workloads
  • 1TB Storage Choice Is A Small Tight
  • Windows 11 Home Is just not Optimum

hothardware editors choice 103

The latest round of gaming Computer hardware is a huge move up from the past technology, equally in conditions of CPUs and GPUs. AMD and Intel are each clocking their processors increased than at any time, though also making substantial architectural enhancements. Meanwhile, in graphics, we’ve noticed the debut of even larger and badder GPUs than ever just before. If you happen to be a Computer gamer perusing parts and pondering the idea of a whole method upgrade, there’s a good deal of cause to check out boutique stores like OriginPC, Falcon Northwest, and of program, Maingear, whose new MG-1 system will be our focus right here. You can decide up a pre-crafted Personal computer from one of these shops for a tiny additional than parting just one out and placing it with each other by yourself, and you get all the gains of a Do it yourself create with qualified design, article-sale provider, and optionally, the peace of brain of a multi-yr warranty.
rear quarter full interior

We wrote about Maingear’s new MG-1 process late previous calendar year, when expert Valorant and CS:GO player Michael “shroud” Grzesiek joined the company as co-owner. Along with the new method, Maingear has gone through a bit of re-branding, with a new emblem and a new look to its internet marketing products. The MG-1 is the firm’s latest flagship Computer, and to confirm that it justifies such a title, Maingear despatched just one over for us to defeat on.

Let’s have a look at the entire requirements of this mighty machine ahead of we dig in:

Maingear MG-1 Features & Specifications

We’d like to appear up with some pithy pun about how this machine is “fast as a raptor,” but actually, the specifications of this method do not warrant any jokes. Just about every component on this laptop is major-notch, and the core components—that Raptor Lake Main i9 CPU and Ada Lovelace GeForce GPU—are by now well-recognized to crank out blistering functionality in all sorts of tasks.
That’s going to be type of a working concept in this review, in fact. Soon after all, we are nicely-acquainted with the Core i9-13900K and the GeForce RTX 4080, and while we haven’t really analyzed the blend of the two just before, the way they perform in tandem is completely not shocking. That is form of a spoiler, but components enthusiasts will have an inkling of our benchmark benefits by just glancing at the specs earlier mentioned.

Of study course, as a finished product, you will find a lot extra to a laptop or computer than its factors. Certainly, one particular of the major good reasons to buy a pre-built Computer from a boutique store like Maingear is simply because of the skilled build good quality. How did Maingear do in that regard? Very well, let us have a search about the exterior and inside of the program to discover out.

frontbackends

This image reveals the entrance and back of the MG-1. Close to the again, you will find almost nothing surprising for a Computer system enthusiast, but there is a ton of connectivity. Chalk that up to the great MSI mainboard that Maingear selected. The CPU is a totally-enabled “K” design, so you can use the integrated graphics if you want to hook up a couple of added displays. Unfortunately there’s no Thunderbolt ports, but that is typical on a desktop gaming machine, genuinely.

front panel off

Much a lot more notable is the front panel of the device it really is magnetically-connected, and pops ideal off if you want to dramatically make improvements to your cooling. That spiffy blue custom HotHardware plate could have run us $100 if we had purchased the equipment. You can set whichever colours or design and style you want on the entrance panel, and there is a resource on the Maingear web-site to customize your personal. If you never like it, you can basically adhere with the default, which is a rubberized black plate with an RGB LED Maingear logo toward the top, like our HotHardware one particular.

interior

Peering into the inside of the machine—always visible thanks to the crystal-apparent tempered glass window on the side—we can see a ludicrously-clear construct, with nearly no wires to be obvious. The handful of cables that are existing are tightly bound, and tucked powering the motherboard. Really don’t be way too alarmed about the GeForce RTX 4080’s power adapter bunched up towards the window the way it is that in fact helps ensure that the connector is completely-seated and are unable to jostle loose.

right side internal

With the proper-side situation panel off, we can examine Maingear’s cable routing. For tailor made builders, you will find usually minor point in making this component of the technique unquestionably flawless when the majority of the time it will be buried absent from the gentle behind the motherboard. Even so, Maingear painstakingly routed the cables for greatest effectiveness, then bundled up the excess wire so they were not dangling around back again right here.

If we have 1 singular grievance about the develop, it is really that the business did not pre-route SATA cables for the dual 2.5″ drive bays guiding the motherboard. Individuals could provide a lot of extra reliable-point out storage for really small income, and as it stands, obtaining them hooked up will be a bit of a discomfort. Maingear doesn’t guarantee 3rd-occasion components, however, so we realize why the cable routing was not carried out. It truly is a nearly-trivial grievance, but a criticism even so.

three quarter angle black fascia

You can also see the normal black front panel here.

At last, on the major entrance of the circumstance, you can see the dual USB Style-A ports, the USB Variety-C port, the audio combo jack, the reset button, and the electric power button. We would have appreciated to see some filtering or even the alternative of a strong deal with for the prime of the case the open up grille there is excellent for ventilation, but it does pretty tiny to protect the system from dust, spilled drinks, or mischievous pets. A further small criticism, but it could be a thought.

As rather as it is, that’s possibly adequate gawking at the MG-1. Let’s get her booted up and see how she performs…