If a monstrous fire-breathing beast adorned on the side of an overclocked X79 system isn't the very definition of awesome, then we'll punch Merriam-Webster right in the suck hole until it is. It's also part of iBuyPower's Chimera 4, the fourth generation of the boutique system builder's signature gaming line. Each Chimera 4 system ships with a 10 percent overclock, and some configurations come with the option to up the ante to a 20 percent boost.

"The vibrant Chimera 4 is the best looking system we have ever designed and one of the most powerful." said Darren Su, Executive Vice President of iBuyPower. "“It combines performance and style in a unique offering sure turn heads and leave scorched earth in its wake."


No argument here. There are four baseline configurations to choose from, including the Chimera 4-FX ($799), Chimera 4-E1 ($869), Chimera 4-E2 ($1,219), and the flagship Chimera 4-V1 ($1,659). It's that last one that comes built around Intel's new X79 platform, and a baseline build includes:

• Chimera Inferno 4 gaming case
• Intel Core i7 3930K processor
• Liquid cooling system
• Gigabyte X79-UD3 motherboard
• 8GB of DDR3-1600 memory
• AMD Radeon HD 6950 graphics card
• 64GB ADATA S596 Turbo Solid State Drive
• 24X DVD burner
• 800W power supply
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Keyboard and mouse
• 3-year warrany

That's not a bad collection of parts, and of course it's fully customizable. It also comes with some free goodies, depending on the final configuration. The above build, for example, has the option to add Battlefield 3 (free with purchase of Intel Core i7 3960X or 3930K processor) and Deus Ex (free with purchase of AMD Phenom II X6 processor or Radeon HD 6850 or higher videocard), so long as you remember to check the bolded boxes.

You can learn more about the Chimera 4 line here.