Maingear introduces 'world's greenest gaming PC' for $799

Claiming a title not unlike the "world's most fuel-efficient sports car," high-performance computer manufacturer Maingear has introduced its Pulse, a small form factor gaming PC based on NVIDIA ION graphics.

Maingear says the Pulse is the world's first "ION-based" PC that can be upgraded with a GeForce GPU, allowing for a low-power quotidian ION solution punctuated by moments of high performance GeForce power.

How this is achieved with a platform designed for nettops and netbooks is anybody's guess, as one reader points out in the comments. As it turns out, "ION" hasn't been decisively defined as only for Intel Atom processors. For the moment, ION is 9300/9400 graphics with up to 65 watt processors, but Nvidia hasn't offered a clear-cut definition of what ION is and isn't. Expect to see more power with this platform as time progresses -- but note the implied boundary in the phrase "GeForce-upgradeable ION PC" below.

In Maingear's own words:

"Based on NVIDIA ION-graphics, the Pulse is also the world's first GeForce-upgradeable ION PC. By offering special edition GeForce 9600 GT and 9800 GT graphics that consume 40% less power, a fully loaded Pulse consumes less than 145 watts under load while gaming."

The Pulse is available with Intel Core 2 45nm processors and a 80+ Certified 300 watt power supply that Maingear says is 80 percent efficient and "the smallest, most energy efficient gaming PC on the market today."

Serious gamers have the option of adding a GeForce 9800 GT ECO discrete graphics card that consumes 40 percent less power than a standard GeForce 9800 GT (available in 512MB and 1GB configurations). The Pulse is configured with high performance 65-watt Intel Core 2 Quad CPUs, and also includes 802.11b/g wireless and eSata support with an optional Blu-ray and TV Tuner to round out the feature list.

Full specs, below:

• OS: Windows Vista Home Premium (32-Bit, 64-Bit),  Windows Vista Ultimate (32-Bit, 64-Bit),  Windows XP Professional Edition (32-Bit) SP3
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 (2.93GHz x 2) 45nm 3MB L2 Cache,  Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 (3.33GHz x 2) 45nm 6MB L2 Cache,  Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200s (2.33GHz x 4) 45nm 4MB L2 Cache,  Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400s( 2.64GHz x 4) 45nm 6MB L2 Cache
• Chipset: NVIDIA ION-based GeForce 9300 Motherboard by Zotac
• Memory:  Up to 8GB Dual Channel DDR2 Memory (2 Dedicated DIMM Slots)
• Standard Single GPU Graphics Cards: NVIDIA GeForce 9300, NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT 512MB ECO, NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB ECO, NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT 1GB ECO
• HDD: 7200 RPM up to 16MB cache and 500GB storage; or
• SSD: up to 160GB storage
• Connectivity: Integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45, Integrated 802.11b/g Wireless
• High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound
• 1x Auto-sensing headphone jack, 1x Auto-sensing microphone jack
• 8 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports, 1 HDMI Port, 1 SPDIF, 1 E-SATA port
• Case: Lian Li PC-Q07, Standard 80+ Certified 300-watt Micro ATX power supply, Tool-less side panels
• Dimensions: 11'' x 7.62'' x 8.25'' (h x w x d)
• Weight: 8lbs

Maingear's Pulse desktop eco-gaming PC starts at $799.