CyberPowerPC’s ‘Gamer Master’ gaming line is expanding in a big way this year with assorted gaming desktops for all prosumer niches. The all-out racked gaming PCs boast newer components and features reminiscent of better performance, though, the designs remain unchanged. The CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Master GMA1394A, is one of those more peppy options, a flashy tower that falls somewhere between the desktop midrange and high-end in terms of cost and power.
The Gamer Master GMA1394A is among the first systems we’re reviewing with the latest releases of Nvidia’s Turing graphics card. It features the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 (8GB) graphics and a snappy AMD Ryzen 7 2700 (8-core) CPU, making it a reliable 4K gaming machine with few real drawbacks (if any). As with all CyberPowerPC designs, the look may not be for everyone, but the system is cleanly assembled and incredibly powerful.
As specced, this machine has potential to fundamentally change what we expect from graphics cards. The new line of graphics cards released in 2018, spanning GeForce RTX 2070-2080 Ti use Nvidia’s Turing architecture, which boasts more cores than the previous generation Pascal architecture, along with significant updates that promise more performance per core. On a feature-price basis, the Gamer Master GMA1394A represents remarkable value for those seeking to maximize speed as much as tote-around convenience.
Design
The new Gamer Master GMA1394A uses the same standard tower case as its siblings from this year (of course with a few tweaks), and I’m a big fan. It stands at 18.7 by 8.2 by 18.5 inches (HWD), all black brushed aluminum. The front panel is solid black cover with a CyberPowerPC logo on the lower flank, a move away from the three concentric circles in its predecessor from last year.
The upper panel host a couple of quick-access ports recessed to the right-front side, and the rest of the panel is made of parallel lines, save for grilled vent that lets you view the interior components and lighting from the top. On the left side is a near-full window made of tampered glass, and gives you a perfect view of the interior components. Looking at the case you’ll realize that it isn’t a small-form-factor, but it happens to be on the smaller side for traditional towers.
For size comparison, the iBUYPOWER AM852oi Gaming Desktop PC stands 25 inches tall, 12.5 inches wide, and 21.38 inches deep, taking up much more space. CyberpowerPC, just like other boutique manufacturers, sometimes go overboard on the bling, but here the design is rather restrained, and I can say –elegant.
Connectivity
The system doesn’t have an optical drive, which is fine given that these days you occasionally need to play from DVDs, as most PC games can be downloaded from digital services like Steam and Origin. Plus, having one on the front would be a scratch on the case’s stylish austerity. As it is, there are easy-access ports on the top panel (towards the front): two USB 3.1, microphone and headphone, and a Reset button.
On the back, it’s a completely different story, it’s there you find the rear panel ports: two USB 2.0, four USB 3.1, one RJ-45 Network Ethernet, and Audio 7.1 channel. The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card also includes one HDMI 2.0b and two DisplayPort 1.4, alongside a VirtualLink connector the latest versions of the ubiquitous technologies you’d need to power most G-Sync HDR monitors.
Also bundled into the package is a RGB 7 Colors gaming keyboard and mouse, alongside 802.11AC Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity.
Performance
As for the components packed inside, it’s very easy to see why this gaming desktop is taking competition to the next level. The hallmark component here is the 8-core 3.8GHz AMD Ryzen 7 2700 CPU, AMD’s flagship processor designed for pro users who needs more muscle than anything in a desktop PC. The Ryzen 2 2700 is based on the AMD B450 Chipset, effectively rivaling Intel’s hexa-core Core-i7-8700K processors, backed by snappy performance per core that’s sure to turn some heads. It is an eight-core, 16-thread CPU capable of boosting to up to 4.1Ghz, a feature AMD bills to be the ‘best thing’ to happen in gaming.
In fact, it is not only beneficial for gaming, but also for professional creatives and multi-taskers who sometimes need to stream content side-by-side with CPU-intensive applications. To keep it running, the Gamer GMA1394A is fitted with a closed-loop liquid cooler that can be seen as a nifty clear cover over the CPU heat sink.
Alongside the chip is the still-fresh Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card. While these new pieces of hardware may offer moderate upgrades for those already rocking systems with GeForce ‘Pascal’ and GTX 1080, they are downright powerful in their own right. CyberPowerPC also packed 16GB of DDR4 memory in this build, alongside a 256GB SSD plus 2TB 7200RPM hard drive.
Graphics Performance
The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 is no slouch, leveraging new technologies to enable real-time ray tracing on your favorite games and deep learning Tensor cores. From the onset, the next-generation GeForce RTX 20-series graphics cards (starting with GeForce RTX 2070 and GeForce RTX 2080 Ti) look like the most significant generational upgrade to the gaming cards. The GeForce RTX 2070 system included in this system uses new Nvidia Turing architecture that boasts more cores than existing GTX GPUs.
We mentioned earlier that the Gamer Master GMA1394A’s design isn’t entirely different from its predecessor, and for that the graphics must be the culprit for the price hike. Thus, we expected that performance needs to be impressive to justify the added bucks, and right now it seems to be the case. Nvidia claimed that the GeForce RTX 2070 would be, on average, 50 percent faster than the GTX 1070.
That’s true but on tests the overclocked GeForce RTX 2070 Founders edition basically tied with the GTX 1080, which somehow adds to the typical aspect of diminishing returns, while the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders edition remains unrivaled, so far. And, there is some difficulty assessing the RTX 2080 Ti’s performance as it gets tons of new features, including 68 RT Cores for ray tracing and 544 Tensor Cores for deep learning.
Currently, games that can leverage such potential and features aren’t available. In future, the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti may end up being an even better performer than the 1080 and 1080 Ti with newer games, but in the present the benefits are far more marginal. We have seen popular overclocking apps like EVGA Precision X1 and MSI Afterburner release beta builds of their apps, and we are hoping for the same in gaming in the near future.
As far as comparisons to more expensive systems go, gaming still is, a different story, as many pricier desktops boasts two graphics cards. Compared to the rest with just one, though, the Gamer Master GMA1394A holds its own, again as a less-expensive option.
Nvidia RTX 2070 (Turing – Founders Edition) GPU
The RTX 2070 boasts 2,304 CUDA cores, 8GB memory and 1,620MHz boost clock, which is far better than the GTX 1070’s 1,920 CUDA cores and a 1,683 maximum frequency. As a result, the new graphics card gets a 20 percent jump in performance, with better frame rates per second over the Pascal GTX 1070 card. Meanwhile, 288 Tensor Cores now bring artificial intelligence (AI) to consumer graphics cards, and Nvidia intends on using these to effect even better anti-aliasing.
Some real-world game scores, the RTX 2070 manages to achieve 33fps on the recently released Shadow of the Tomb raider at 4K, 99fps at 1080p, at very high preset; while Far Cry Primal yielded 32fps, once again at 4K, and 88fps at 1080p, all in Ultra preset his is pretty impressive for a single card GPU, and for the price it can’t get any better. Plus, short of the Nvidia RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti, you won’t find another more capable graphics card than what you have on this system.
The Bottom Line
The CyberPowerPC Gamer Master GMA1394A is an efficient, ready-to-go gaming PC with a distinct (yet common) style. Whether you personally like the aesthetic is a question for another day, but at least it has some personality with a distinct-tempered front glass panel and a transparent LED-lit side panel that make it stand out. The design, love it or leave it, is just a part of development that houses a unique array of components that are of more interest.
Of interest is that, the Gamer Master GMA1394A offers decent performance and racks up well against expensive gaming PCs in both productivity and high-end gaming, thanks to the fresh Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 (Turing) graphics cards and a capable AMD Ryzen 7 2700 CPU. With this combination, you don’t have any reason for DIY endeavors, since this high-end system has it all for much less than the competition.
If you’re looking for gaming desktop that moonlights as a productivity PC for media creation but boasts of the latest components and tons of features, the Gamer Master GMA1394A represents unbeatable value. It is among our Top Picks for midrange gaming desktop PCs.
While at it, you can check out our Top Picks for pre-built gaming PCs.
Recommended Configuration
CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC, Intel Core i5-9400F 2.9GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB, 8GB DDR4, 240GB SSD, 1TB HDD, WiFi Ready & Win 10 Home (GXiVR8060A8, Black)
3 used from $899.90
The Review
CyberPowerPC Gamer Master GMA1394A
The CyberPowerPC Gamer Master GMA1394A represents a new class of powerful, high-end gaming PCs with the latest components including the frshly-released Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card and AMD'S Ryzen 7 2700 processor, all at very reasonable pricing.
PROS
- Strong gaming performance
- Latest GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card
- Plenty of storage, plus speedy SSD
CONS
- Niche target audience
Review Breakdown
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EDITORS RATING
