Build, Noise, Heat, and Power Consumption

As far as build quality goes, the iBUYPOWER LAN Warrior II's claim to fame is being a "portable" gaming machine. The MicroATX case actually comes with a handle (not included in our review unit), and iBUYPOWER's engineers have gone to great lengths to keeping this machine cool by custom sourcing a 92mm water-cooling kit for the processor. While the LAN Warrior II is certainly the lightest desktop I've tested short of AVADirect's diminutive Nano Gaming Cube, it's still heavy enough to be a pain to move. This isn't iBUYPOWER's fault so much as it's the nature of the beast: desktop PCs are heavy, period, and this much high-end hardware merely exacerbates the problem.

With that said, the assembly is excellent (especially given how fast the unit was sent to us), but I can't help but split hairs with the NZXT Vulcan case. At $69 retail it's not the cheapest case in the world but it's not exactly what you expect to find on a two-thousand dollar desktop machine either--this is a cut corner I've harped on CyberPowerPC for, too. It's not that the Vulcan is a bad case--cooling is actually very efficient and effective (as we'll see in a bit), the 200mm side intake fan does wonders for keeping the GTX 590 cool, and the integrated fan controls are much appreciated. At the same time, there are swankier cases being used by other manufacturers that could do the job and do it better; in house I have a machine built in an Antec Mini P180 that's been modified to include an intake fan in the side panel, and that system produces comparable performance with much lower noise. It also didn't require me to bring to bear the full strength of my robust 5'8", 130-pound frame to remove one of the side panels.

The LAN Warrior II's big victories do stem from the excellent thermal and acoustic qualities of the NZXT Vulcan, though. While it's not the quietest case in the world, turning the fans all the way down produces reasonably low noise levels while still keeping the internal components nice and frosty. That's good, because the rushed overclock shows with the telltale gripe I've had with most of these boutique systems: lack of fine tuning. The BCLK was raised to 105, and the voltages were all left at auto. At least the motherboard is defaulting to using an offset instead of just running at a constant high voltage the way the DigitalStorm BlackOps did, but a more efficient overclock can do away with even needing a water-cooling loop in the first place. And what about those temperatures, anyhow?

They're pretty good, actually. Of particular note is the GTX 590 that's cruising along at under 80C under load, which is downright impressive. Meanwhile the i7-2600K never breaks 60C under load, a testament to both the water-cooling loop and the fact that a loaded Sandy Bridge processor warms up a room about as much as a hot fart.

Acoustically the system does run quietly given what's inside, but the GTX 590 will not be beaten. While running the STALKER benchmark, I could actually sit on the other side of the room, watch "Video Dead," and know the benchmark was finished running by the sudden silence in the room. This still isn't comparable to the whine of a screaming Radeon HD 6990, but it does speak to both the noise required to cool 375 watts worth of GPU power alongside the relative lack of attention paid to the acoustics of the case.

Idle Power Consumption

Load Power Consumption

Idle power is pretty reasonable considering the high performance on tap, and naturally the GTX 590 isn't going to do you many favors under load. Overall, the power draw is about what you'd expect for the components, so other than noting that you'll use substantially more power for the GTX 590 than you would for GTX 570, there's not much to say.

Gaming Performance Conclusion: No Small Potatoes
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  • warisz00r - Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - link

    lol nice
  • overzealot - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

    Looks like it might be a sealed unit, in that case:
    Very, depending on the kit.
    Never.
    Not if manufactured correctly.
    Not if manufactured correctly.
    No.
    If it dies or any of the above occurs, you replace the unit. Preferable under warranty.
  • Penti - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

    Just to add, water pumps are impeller based, theres no mechanics that's dry and needs lubrication, they don't need lubrication and there's no bearings that need it too, the o-rings can dry out after many years but that's it.
  • IdBuRnS - Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - link

    Everyone I know who has bought an ibuypower computer has eventually returned it due to complete system instability, constant BSODs and piss-poor technical support.

    I literally do not know a single person who has bought one of their computers and has been happy. I've also browsed through their forums and they are full of unanswered support requests.

    It's too bad you guys don't rate the actual customer experience.
  • Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

    Unfortunately that's not something we can really review. Stuff like this can be tough to gauge, too, but this particular build seemed to use largely reliable parts from name brands. That's about the best we can hope for, although seeing the overclock on the BCLK instead of the multiplier alarmed me a little.
  • IdBuRnS - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

    I can't comment on components for every bad build that I've heard of but the few that I know the specific component breakdowns the customers chose name-brand parts. I know the one that I built for my dad was composed of "good" parts from the major component manufacturers (ASUS, EVGA, etc) and the computer was completely unusable. Constant BSODs, they sent replacement RAM, no fix, he sent the computer back and the tech on the phone said they would replace the complete computer. After 3 weeks the computer showed backup and it was the exact same one, down the same serial numbers on parts. The computer was still BSOD'ing constantly and the next tech claimed that they never say they will replace computers...

    My dad finally had to force them to give him a refund and got a Dell XPS instead. What a headache.
  • kevenc - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

    ldBuRnS you say that the ibuypower computers pretty much suck; do you have any recommendations for other builders of watercooled overclocked PCs? Is Cyberpower any good?
  • IdBuRnS - Friday, April 1, 2011 - link

    I have my own suspicions that ibuypower and cyberpower are actually owned by the same people...

    To be honest I really don't have any other first-hand experience with other OEMs- it's really hard for me personally to justify buying a pre-built system from a Digital Storm or Falcon or others when I can literally build the same computer for less. Don't get me wrong, I've certainly wanted to and there are times when it would be a lot more convenient to be able to just pick up a phone and get some tech support, but my wallet has kept me from doing it so far.

    I wish I could be more help- maybe someone else will see your question and have some good recommendations.
  • high5me - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

    Not a bad review, only reason why Digital Storm pulls ahead, is because of the x2 580 sli.. I've bought two systems from them (digital storm) and both have failed prematurely before their 30 day window. They're way too overpriced.

    Other than that, i enjoyed the review.
  • wwswimming - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

    I won't charge you anything to store it at my place.

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