This…. Is the IBUYPOWER - SlateHako2120i, and while the name is rather unremarkable - the PC IBuyPower is selling is a great mix of all the right parts at a great deal. From a 240 AIO, a great case, brand name everything and all prebuilt, with a warranty and cheaper than you could build it yourself for I was left wondering… Why wouldn't you buy it? With that being said… Lets cut into it!
Before we get started, I know PC’s can be rather confusing and that's why some people just go with prebuilt - if that is why you are here, you are in the right place! This is a great PC and a great place to buy a PC from, and everything bought from BestBuy can be returned haggle free. Should you have any further questions you can always go in store and have someone at BestBuy help you out making a more accurate selection should you still be confused.
CPU- Intel I7-12700, a solid pick for this price range.
GPU- Intel Arc A750 (ASRock) comes with 2 4th gen m.2 slots and supports 13th gen intel processors as well as four dim slots for up to 128gb.
Motherboard - ASRock B660M Phantom - plenty of expandability for storage, peripherals and looks quite sleek!
Ram- 16gb PNY 3000Mhz While it might seem like off brand ram, PNY is a great reliable choice for ram here. Nothing flashy but it gets the job done.
Storage- 500gb Samsung M.2 (possibly 980) and a WD Blue 1TB 7200rpm drive
Case/Build Quality - The case was extremely well built and presumably a rebranded NZXT case as it was a VERY well made case and to be honest looked amazing in person - way better than in the stock photos. Tempered glass side and front with plenty of storage under for your drives, extra cable routing and whatever you should desire. The PC comes with a 240 rad AIO cooler but this case can fit a 360 on the top easily should you choose to expand in the future. My younger brother (12) was in love with this case as well and was upset he didn’t get this PC after having just been in the market for a PC and picking something else (now we know to be the wrong choice).
AIO (all in one liquid cooler)- This PC is equipped with a liquid cooler, meaning it has a all in one system with a radiator and pump used to quietly and effectively cool this CPU. The AIO is a rebranded NZXT Kraken 240mm that is more than enough, this is actually almost overkill for this CPU but I love it. Very quiet and sleek looking.
Power Supply- No name 600W power supply, biggest letdown of the build here.
Peripheral included - The keyboard and mouse included with this PC actually shocked me with how good they were. Gone are the days of the e-waste peripheral's included with prebuilt because I could (and did while I was testing this PC) use the mouse and keyboard easily every day.
Price for the performance - This PC, as it stands, removed from the cost of shipping and peripherals included cost about $1213 if you were to go and buy these parts off the shelf. This is a great deal on parts, the build and throw in the peripherals and it is almost a no brainer. On top of all that, you get great customer support from both BestBuy and IBuyPower.
Intel GPU- It should be noted that this is a first generation intel GPU so there could be some hurdles. The drivers are new and so is the platform - so if Intel decides to axe the GPU program, it brings into question the support of future drivers release.
Gripes - I have two main gripes for this PC, the first being that the power supply is some black box 600w with no name or branding on it. I am not sure if it is even bronze certified but it is also not modular. This is a hassle because when you go to upgrade this PC in any way I would immediately recommend a larger, certified PSU that is modular. When you replace this PSU you will have to re-run all the power wiring which isn’t the worst but is a headache. The second gripe I have is that this uses the 12700 - Non K variant and they are now all around the same price now, which means we are loosing some performance here for $10-20 max. I am sure IBuyPower probably got a great wholesale deal on the 12700’s but a 12700K would have made me slightly happier.
Conclusion- If you are in the market for a gaming PC and in that 1000-1200 price range I would really put the choices between this and IBuyPowers Slate mesh 3060 variant of this PC that does come with the 12700f (an almost identical CPU) but looses the 240mm AIO. The case offers plenty of room to grow and the biggest pinch here is the power supply as everything else offers expandability and wiggle room to grow and upgrade. As always, BestBuy has excellent customer service and a great return policy, so you never have to worry about buying a product that you don’t like.