Upgraders' Utopia: Maingear Shift now available with Super Stock options
The Maingear Shift performance desktop is already a beefy machine with a starting price tag of over $1,500, but for some with deep enough pockets, you can never upgrade your system enough. So the company is now offering what's it's calling a "Super Stock" option, in the form of both performance-boosting components and aesthetic customizations.
If you're going all out, Maingear starts by overclocking the Intel Core™ i7-980X Extreme Edition processor to 4.5GHz. Then it drops in three Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 graphics cards for 3-way SLI capabilities. To keep those top parts cooler and quieter, it provides a liquid-cooling system featuring a Koolance CPU-360 waterblock and acoustic dampening via AcousticPack soundproofing materials.
In the looks department, Super Stock options include a choice of professional car paint colors for both the interior and exterior (six selections for each) of the Shift's case. You can also add blue, red, or white LED-strip lighting to the inside of the chassis. Finally, the company throws in some Maingear-branded accessories, like a t-shirt, mouse pad, toolkit, and the all-important beanie hat.
The Shift's Super Stock base configuration starts at $2,299, but it will go up quickly after you make some upgrade selections. Interior and exterior paint will add about $900, about $100 less than the i7-980X processor choice. That 3-way SLI option will set you back nearly another $1,500. But if you're pinching pennies, then you're not the market to which Maingear is catering with Super Stock. Those who treat their PCs like they're performance autos, however, will appreciate the fine-tuning for which you can pay handsomely.