PC Mag Reviews FragBox 8500 (Verdict: “Here To Kick Ass”)

PC Mag has gotten their hands on Falcon Northwest’s latest FragBox, a turn-key, budget gaming PC (if there ever was such a thing). Loaded with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 processor (as opposed to more expensive quad core offerings) and an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS graphics card, the semi-portable (it has a handle) 20-lb. box runs $US1,895, competing well in price with Dell’s XPS offerings. And PC Mag loved the machine.

The FragBox is the first gaming system I can recommend without reservations for playing Crysis at 1,280-by-1,024 resolution. Previous “DX10-ready” systems couldn’t hit this level of performance, even at this less-taxing setting.

It’s not a system made for expansion or upgrades, on PCIe x16 slot means no SLI or CrossFire support. But if you’re just looking for a reasonably priced system that’s ready to play PC games at reasonable resolutions for some time to come, the FragBox 8500 seems like a solid choice. [pcmag via ubergizmo]