The iBuyPower Trace Mesh is a midrange gaming PC that prioritizes performance over everything else. Its core is a stylish 16-color RGB lighting case with ample interior views and lots of connectivity ports.
Our review unit—the iBuyPower TMI7N46T01—packs an Intel Core i7-14700F processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (8GB), 32GB RAM, and 1TB NVMe SSD storage. The competition includes the Alienware Aurora R16 and Asus ROG G16CH, which boast the same hardware but cost almost $200 more.
The iBuyPower Trace Mesh, reviewed here, is one of the best-prebuilt gaming PCs for running even the latest games at medium to high settings at a 1080p resolution. Its form factor makes it perfect for future upgrades, and it won’t strain your bank account at all. Though it only sets itself apart from the competition with its price and plethora of ports, it’s a nice rig for budget-minded gamers.
About the iBuyPower Trace Mesh
- Processor: Intel Core i7-14700F
- Graphics Card: Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home
- Memory: 32GB DDR4 RAM
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
- Weight: 35 pounds
- Dimensions: ‎‎ 18.9 x 8.66 x 19.3 inches
Design & Features
The iBuyPower Trace Mesh is a no-nonsense PC. Its exterior is beautiful with a mesh front panel and has a delicious ARGB showcase across the chassis. It gets a tempered glass side panel that shows you the intricate interior, with LED cooling fans spread across the interior. To finish is a matte black color with an iBuyPower logo printed in black and topped with mesh.
The front of the case has three FrostBlade fans in raised mesh casing with glass on either side; most of the glass is the same shadowy glass as the side panel and part of the top panel is grated for seamless airflow and cooling, with easy access I/O ports.
While it’s gorgeously designed, the Trace Mesh is huge – it wasn’t meant to be small, after all. At 18.9 x 8.66 x 19.3 inches and starting at 35 pounds in weight, it’s not easy to carry and needs some sizeable space on a desk. Still, that’s perfect for a gaming machine that’s meant to stay on your desk and offers room for future upgrades as needed.
The desktop’s front access ports are located on the top panel; they include two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, a 3.5 mm universal audio jack, and a white LED power button. Other ports are located around the back of the motherboard, with HDMI and DisplayPort on the RTX 4060 Ti graphics card. Wireless connectivity comes from a built-in Wi-Fi card with Bluetooth and an Ethernet port on the motherboard.
iBuyPower includes its Chimera KM7 gaming keyboard and mouse combo with the Trace Mesh desktop. It usually retails for $35, which isn’t a lot for a gaming peripheral, but the quality and features of this setup are still superior to the knockoffs often included with desktops. The monitor is bought separately for 1080p gaming, something like the 240Hz Sceptre C255B-FWT240 is decent enough for immersive gameplay.
Gaming and Graphics Performance
Our iBuyPower Trace Mesh has an Intel Core i7-14700F processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (8GB), 32GB RAM, and 1TB NVMe SSD storage. It’s solidly packed for mainstream gaming, productivity, and content creation.
With the RTX 4060, the Trace Mesh can play Call of Duty: Warzone at 3840 x 2160 with the Quality preset. The game runs smooth and sharp; you’ll get a nearly constant 60 frames per second indoors and outside.
This iBuyPower’s competition includes the Asus ROG G16CH which we reviewed with an Intel Core i7-14700F and RTX 4060 Ti GPU, and the CyberPowerPC Gamer Extreme with an Intel Core i-14900KF (24-cores) and Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU – a little prier than the Trace Mesh, but one of the best 1440p gaming PC you can get for under $2000. The loadouts of this machine translate to decent gameplay, but the CyberPowerPC Gamer remains a top contender.
And while the iBuyPower Trace Mesh won’t run heavy titles like Cyberpunk 2077 at the highest framerates, even more, expensive machines struggle to hit higher fps on such titles, it nonetheless does a fine job at 1080p. In real-world gaming, you’re assured of over 60 fps at high settings, which should be enough for casual gaming.
Played at 1080p high settings, Forza Horizon 5 reaches 128 fps, Far Cry 6 averages 114 fps, while Cyberpunk 2077 hits 77 fps – quite acceptable for an entry-level gaming machine.
It also makes a great productivity machine, as the 14th Gen CPU can handle lots of work-related tasks with ease and some creativity tasks as well. But I wouldn’t bank on it handling heavy creative or editing projects, and it will not look great at the office.
If you need something for gaming and productivity, there are lots of alternatives out there, including the Dell XPS 8960, which comes with a capable Intel Core i7-14700 CPU and a whopping 1TB of SSD storage.
Again, the Trace Mesh’s 1TB solid-state drive is speedy enough, meaning you can transfer your large files in a few minutes. The solid-state drive and RAM are upgradeable should you need more space and speed to store your documents, game files, photos, and videos.
Productivity & Everyday Use
With the Intel Core i7-14700F, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD storage, the Trace Mesh is a powerful PC and, is more than usable for content creation and can handle some light video editing. Plus, the small case design makes for a good productivity machine that will fit on a small desk, provided you can look beyond the RGB lighting on the case.
Overall, the iBuyPower Trace Mesh is an undeniably powerful machine, and the fact that it comes in a compact design makes it a great choice for most users, and it will not have you pay a premium for the privilege. If you need something nice looking and great at both gaming and productivity, then this is the ideal system.
iBuyPower Trace Mesh Review: Verdict
The iBuyPower Trace Mesh is excellent value for gamers seeking a budget-friendly desktop. Equipped with a Core i7-14700F and a GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, it delivers great 1080p performance. We are also impressed by its case design, quiet RGB fans, seamless aftermarket upgradability, and robust lighting controls.
Next to the competition, the Trace Mesh provides better value than the more expensive Alienware Aurora R16 and features standardized parts for superior upgradeability, it looks more ‘gamer’ than the Asus ROG G16CH and is less expensive than most competitors with similar components. That makes the iBuyPower Trace Mesh a more appealing choice for the price, especially if you’re looking to buy your budget gaming PC pre-built.
If your budget can stretch a little more, the CyberPowerPC Gamer GXiVR8080A38 is an even better choice with a Core i9-14900KF processor, RTX 4070 Super graphics card, 32GB RAM and 2TB NVMe SSD storage. It remains our Editor’s Choice for midrange prebuilt gaming desktop PCs.
Recommended Configuration
iBUYPOWER Trace Mesh Gaming PC Computer Desktop TMI7N46T01, Intel Core i7 14700F, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB, 32GB DDR5 5600 RGB, 1 TB NVMe SSD, WiFi Ready, Windows 11 Home
$1,099.99 in stock
The Review
iBuyPower Trace Mesh
The iBuyPower Trace Mesh is a good value that delivers affordable 1080p gaming performance, thanks to its Intel Core i7-14700F processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (8GB) graphics card. It’s upgradable with an easy-to-open case, making this a good starter PC for new PC gamers.
PROS
- Good 1080p performance for the price
- Striking, easy-to-access case
- Includes a decent keyboard and mouse
CONS
- Large for a mid-tower
Review Breakdown
-
ARS SCORE
