Maingear’s Apex Rush Gaming Desktop Makes Laziness Really feel So, So Good

You can construct your individual PC. It isn’t that arduous. The time dedication could also be an excessive amount of for some individuals, however the finish result’s usually extra compelling since you recognize what went into it and what might inevitably be upgraded. Custom PC makers like Maingear should dig up some compelling causes to promote a dearer tower. You can already inform by the photograph above there’s an enormous motive you may go for the Maingear Apex Rush earlier than one other PC. Your ultra-expensive tower might seem like a bit of artwork, so long as you deal with it proper.

The final Maingear desktop I reviewed, the MG-1, was a carefully constructed, customizable PC that appeared an excessive amount of like one thing I might have pieced collectively, no less than judging from the outside. Inside, the tower was much better than that due to its screw-in GPU bracket and cable administration that would depart even probably the most demanding IT professionals nodding in approval. The inside was inlaid with a strip of RGB lights that supplied a refined inner glow. It was the type of slapdash DIY undertaking anyone constructing their very own PC might have simply completed.

When Maingear first introduced its Rush PCs at CES 2025, the corporate’s CEO, Wallace Santos, advised Gizmodo they tried to create a desktop that actually appeared distinctive, therefore the particular “Artist Series” designs that push a novel case whereas providing an inner design with the whole lot players have come to count on. This design doesn’t come low cost. My evaluate unit, full of the top-end AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU, 32GB of RAM, 2TB storage, and all of the particular cooling equipment blaring RGB lights in and across the case, prices $4,325. That’s $1,000 greater than the earlier era MG-1 which contained a high-end Intel 14th-gen CPU and an Nvidia RTX 4080 Super. GPU The Artist Series prices an additional premium above the items with out the distinctive artwork.

If I try to create a really related PC utilizing ordered elements, I can construct one thing for nearer to $2,600, and that’s with out looking for reductions. You’re paying Maingear for the hassle-free expertise. At that worth, the Apex Rush needs to be the final PC—for gaming or not—you’d purchase for a protracted, lengthy whereas. The MSI Pro B850-P motherboard has sufficient RAM and PCI-E slots to make upgrading simple. But then, you’ll find many different, far cheaper desktops with related parts for beneath $3,000, like a specced-out model of the Cyberpower PC Gamer Supreme. Will the great thing about your case final that lengthy? Depends on whether or not you’re keen to defend your case from any blunt devices or cats who would use your PC as a launchpad on your windowsill.

Don’t go scratching at your case

Just have a look at this factor. The Grand Theft Auto: Vice City vibes are virtually sufficient to get me within the gaming temper by themselves. The fishbowl sides on the entrance and left of the tower are coated with a vinyl paintings and ringed with RGB LED strips. There are three completely different artworks to selected from, together with a cyberpunk-esque “Machina” model and a pan-Asian “Good Fortune” version, although I discovered the “Night Drive” model I bought to evaluate match the inner glow of the RGB followers, RGB RAM sticks, and RGB liquid cooling CPU unit a lot even higher. The solely factor marring the visage is the overt “gamer” neon signage on the entrance. Its additionally bears an enormous “Maingear” brand that’s extra distracting than enjoyable.

Maingear is so assured about its construct high quality, it ships its items with out foam inserts contained in the case itself. The GPU is held tight with a printed bracket screwed into the case. The Apex Rush is a heavy unit, as you might count on from a mid-sized desktop tower filled with high-end PCs. It’s in all probability a great factor you’re not dragging the unit from room to room, for the reason that paintings painted on the glass is liable to get chewed up in the event you graze it throughout transit. I’ve hung onto the Apex Rush for lengthy sufficient; I’ve needed to transfer it from desk to desk, and in that point, I’ve managed to scratch the paint on the highest a part of the glass and on the lip of the desktop’s prime panel. The case’s steel elements fare significantly better. Still, you’re higher off treating the Apex Rush with extra care than your regular black aluminum towers.

Too many PC towers stick their entrance ports on prime of the unit. This not solely seems to be ugly with the tumors of a number of peripheral dongles protruding, it means it is advisable to plug wired connections up and over the PC if, for example, it is advisable to join a headset or mouse. The Apex Rush units its entrance I/O proper subsequent to the right-hand tower foot. You’ll have entry to only one USB-C, two USB-A, and a headphone jack. I might have most popular extra USB-C and maybe inserting it on the facet nearer to the person.

As for the rear, there’s the same lack of USB-C, one thing I appreciated about Alienware’s totally huge Area-51 desktop tower. There’s an HDMI port, 4 USB-A 2.0 ports, plus the 2 USB-C 10G sockets. With the variety of peripherals I’m commonly plugging into my desktop, I shortly ran out of USB.

Maingear is aware of put a PC collectively

Inside, the Apex Rush’s motherboard isn’t capped with any covers to make the parts look “clean.” I’m within the camp that may somewhat a PC seem like a PC. There’s a novel magnificence to soldered silicon on a mainboard surrounded by heatsinks and wires. Maingear’s variations look extra elegant than different PCs I’ve used due to their knowledgeable eye with element choice and cable administration. All the motherboard, CPU, and GPU wiring exits stage proper by a number of hatchways simply behind the mainboard. If you take away the Apex Rush’s again panel, you’ll discover all of the cabling working in neat packs right down to the side-mounted PSU, or energy provide unit. Behind a steel panel set on a hinge, you’ll discover all of the wires are bundled up with velcro strips that make it simple to seek out the suitable element linked to the facility provide. You gained’t should do any finger gymnastics to achieve every port.

My evaluate case got here with the 850W MSI MAG A850GL, which is sufficient juice for the RTX 5080 GPU however is barely sufficient wattage in the event you ever wished to plug in an RTX 5090. It’s not an excessively giant unit that can supply extra improve paths, however there’s one 16 PIN PCIe connection for the Nvidia GPU and sufficient connection choices in the event you ever wish to flip to an AMD in some apocalyptic future the place the RTX 5080 doesn’t minimize it anymore.

With these specs, in fact, the Apex Rush runs effectively

If Alienware’s completely ginormous Area-51 desktop PC was all about girth whereas providing anticipated efficiency, the Apex Rush pre-built lineup gives a extra refined magnificence with out the promise of getting probably the most out of each potential recreation.

AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D is taken into account one of many top-end CPUs for a motive. In benchmarks in opposition to an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, AMD’s chip is solely higher for gaming functions. Intel’s Arrow Lake CPUs bought a foul rap on launch with poor efficiency even in comparison with the top-end 14th-gen shopper chips. Intel dropped quite a few fixes over the months to push gaming efficiency again to anticipated ranges, but it surely wasn’t sufficient to make a case in opposition to Intel’s top-end chip. AMD’s X3D chips use a particular layered cache for prolonged reminiscence inside the CPU. This primarily advantages gaming situations, and it’s why players hunt down these chips firstly whereas Intel’s Arrow Lake fell by the wayside.

It’s been lengthy sufficient for the reason that RTX 50-series launch that Nvidia’s drivers have cleared the way in which to eke a number of extra frames from most video games in comparison with months earlier than. I first examined the RTX 5080 Founders Edition on an Origin PC Neuron 3500X construct, and after many moons I can say the platform is comparatively bug-free and steady sufficient to get pleasure from your video games with out the trouble of reinstalling drivers or messing along with your BIOS. With AMD’s prime gaming CPU, I can blow previous older methods in 3DMark Speedway checks by a little bit greater than 200 factors. In 3DMark Steel Nomad, the distinction is nearer to 500 factors. Gaming situations can seem like I can get round 5 extra common frames in Cyberpunk 2077 benchmarks working with ray tracing on and DLSS balanced settings on Maingear’s construct than I might on the Neuron 3500X’s Core Ultra 9 285K with the identical GPU. CPU-heavy video games like Total War: Warhammer III profit much more.

You actually can’t count on the world from a PC like this, regardless of its worth. If you have got any hope of topping out video games with none AI upscaling like Nvidia’s deep studying tremendous sampling (DLSS), you’ll have to go for a RTX 5090 and spend much more. Even then, you’ll come away disillusioned. I’m nonetheless of the opinion that the RTX 5080 is what a demanding participant will want for 4K gaming. If you need an Apex Rush with the highest-end GPU, you might find yourself spending greater than $7,000.

The premium worth on prime of an already costly PC is tough to swallow. Again, constructing a PC your self may be inexpensive and extra enjoyable. However, Maingear guarantees lifetime product help and free repairs. The firm doesn’t funnel the PC filled with bloatware it is advisable to delete. The construct high quality on the Apex Rush is, per common, on level.