CyberPower Gamer Ultra 7500 SE

The midsize tower system we tested came in a silver-colored case (other colors are available) with a tricked-out, front-panel door that prominently features three display gauges--for monitoring temperature, volume, and fan speed--accented by colorful neon lights. The hinged door gives access to the power and reset buttons and to six drive bays. The system we reviewed came with a six-in-one media card reader and dual-layer DVD±RW, DVD-ROM, and floppy disk drives.

The left side of the case includes a clear panel that offers views of the neatly organized interior and its components, all bathed in blue neon. On the lower right side of the front panel are ports for USB, FireWire, and audio (microphone and headphone) connections. Also on the side of the front panel are volume and fan-speed adjusters. The back panel provides four USB 2.0 ports and six audio ports (the motherboard supports high-definition 7.1 audio), but no FireWire connector.

One feature this system has in abundance is fans: I found them built into the top of the case, behind the front-panel door, on the side, and in the back. CyberPower has even added a knob for adjusting the speed of the power supply fan in the rear, but it occupies a slot bracket that belongs to an open PCI slot inside the case.

Our review unit's interior was easy to access using thumbscrews. Expansion options include two open memory slots, three open PCI slots, and two open PCI Express slots. Two externally accessible and three internal drive bays are also open. Although tools are required for adding cards and drives, there's ample space in which to work.

The model came with ViewSonic's 17-inch VA712b LCD monitor, which scored high marks for displaying sharp, clear text (even at small sizes) and colorful graphics with good detail and realistic skin tones. The sound from the bundled Logitech X-530 5.1 speaker system was also pleasing; it produced solid tones with no distortion in our CD music and DVD movie tests.

CyberPower includes a Microsoft Multimedia keyboard and USB IntelliMouse Explorer that matches the color of the case; all are available in a variety of colors (including black, blue, green, red, and yellow). The company also provides useful documentation for the motherboard, graphics card, and monitor.

Upshot: Sporting a showy design, the CyberPower Gamer Ultra 7500 SE offers adequate performance at a very low price for budget-minded gamers.

Richard Jantz