Review: Maingear Shift Gaming System

Setup and First Boot

Upon actually placing the computer on our desk we realized something. Because of the inherent design of the computer... even though it was taller and a bit wider than our Lian-Li case, it did not exhaust heat in the back which allowed us to orient the computer in such a way that we gained quite a bit more desktop space which allowed us to more comfortably place our keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

Also, immediately upon hooking everything up and powering the computer on all of our devices immediately worked and only one driver update was needed for our Logitech Orbit Cam. Otherwise, our keyboard (G15), mouse (G500), dual monitors (24”), and other devices connected flawlessly.

Upon boot, the computer booted effortlessly on first boot regardless of the devices connected and our dual monitor setup automatically configured itself without issue. After that, we immediately jumped to the BluRay drive that this computer had pre-installed and worked after an update had been applied to the Cyberlink BluRay DVD software. This did take a bit of time and would have been nice to possibly already have updated, but nevertheless but it took but only a few seconds.

We also thought that that a link to a program like Ninite would be pretty nice. It would help users quickly customize their computers with the software that they like without actually installing anything before they get the computer meanwhile still making it extremely quick and easy.

While using the computer we noticed that it was quiet enough that we could comfortably leave it on at night and barely even hear it. It is nearly inaudible outside five feet. One interesting fact that seemed to be a little unique that most builders don’t even consider is Bluetooth. This system has built in Bluetooth which enables the easy connection of Bluetooth mouses, keyboards, and headsets allowing for even more seamless and wireless enjoyment.

Technical Support and Customer Service

When it comes to technical support and customer service, a system manufacturer must surpass expectations and do everything they can do make the customer feel taken care of. Maingear is no different; during the course of our review we experienced some issues with a Solid State Drive. We promptly called their support on a Saturday and ended up talking to Gus (we believe the same guy that built our system). Yes, Maingear is a relatively small system builder… but they’ve been around for a while and they put a very personal touch to every system they build. This is why they offer the lifetime technical support and do extensive burning on all systems for 24 to 48hrs before they go out.

The wait time for our technical support calls was nearly instantaneous almost every single time we called and they actually knew their technical support procedures and were good at explaining what they wanted done. Furthermore, they didn’t treat me like an idiot and frankly, I don’t think he realized that I was a reviewer calling about a review system until towards the end of the call.

Eventually it was determined that the SSD was bad and needed to be replaced. Instead of making me send the system in, they overnighted out a replacement SSD already formatted and OS installed with necessary drivers. All that one would need to do would be to swap the hotswap bays and reboot. That simplicity and shortness of downtime is clearly one of the reasons that Maingear’s technical support is above all others. These were indicated to be standard procedure for a system that has a hardware failure. Of course, for more major failures like a motherboard or CPU they would likely take shipment of the whole system rather than have the customer re-build the system entirely.