My Review Of The iBUYPOWER S915i Computer

FINAL Update 02/26/2010)

My iBUYPOWER S915i continues to run flawlessly but, sadly, Costco has removed this particular model from the website. There are six iBUYPOWER systems on the Costco site, but the S915i is not among them. Since this particular model is no longer sold, there is no reason for further updates to this site.

Update #3 (02/12/2010)

My iBUYPOWER S915i just passed the Prime95 24-hour "Torture Test"! I've had the computer for one month and, although it's my primary production system, I decided to give the CPU, RAM, and PSU one more stability test. I downloaded Prime95, backed up the system, turned the fans up to 100%, and let the "Torture Test" run for 24 hours. My computer is "Prime-stable."

When I first looked at the S915i in December there were only two iBUYPOWER systems on the Costco site; now there are five. The S915i still looks like the best system for my needs. I'm very happy with my purchase, and I tried to add an updated review to the Costco site but Costco allows only one review per user.

Update #2 (01/31/2010)

The computer continues to operate without any problems and it is now my primary production system. I recently read a user review complaining about the Windows Experience Index subscore for the hard drive. It is true that the hard drive index is 5.9 and, although all the other subscores range from 6.9 to 7.5, the computer's base score of 5.9 is determined by the lowest subscore. To satisfy my curiosity, I compared the hard drive transfer rate of the 1TB Hitachi drive in the iBUYPOWER S915i with a 750GB Seagate drive in an HP Pavilion a6750f quad core computer. A typical 7200rpm desktop hard drive has an average transfer rate of about 70 megabytes per second. The 750GB HP Seagate drive had an average transfer rate of 73.7 megabytes per second while the iBUYPOWER Hiatchi drive had an average transfer rate of 102.5 megabytes per second. Although the IBP drive has an average transfer rate that is almost 29 megabytes per second faster than the HP Seagate drive, both drives have a Windows Experience subscore of 5.9. 'tis a mystery.

Update #1 (01/26/2010)

I ran the OCCT Stress Test for two hours and the system passed with flying colors. OCCT (OverClock Checking Tool) is one of the better stress tests. It is freeware and can be downloaded from TechSpot.

Overall, I am very pleased with the system. It's an excellent system at a reasonable price. I've learned over the years that any computer component can fail, but it will usually fail early in its life span, so I've been "burning in" the computer. So far, no problems. The following is my experience from delivery to setup, followed by a few suggestions for improving performance or correcting problems.

Packaging

The computer I ordered online from Costco.com arrived seven business days after I placed the order. It was packaged in a sturdy corrugated container with a layer of foam rubber on the top and bottom. There was a carton inside with the computer itself. The keyboard, mouse, power cord, CD-ROMs, and manuals were packaged and inserted around the sides of the inner carton. The CD-ROMs included a reinstallation DVD (Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit), nvidia GeForce drivers and utilities, and msi drivers and utilities, There were nvidia and msi manuals. There was no manual for the NZXT Lexa S case, but that was easy to download from the web.

 

Interior

I opened the case to make sure that everything that was supposed to be there was there and properly connected. As you can see from the photo above, the wiring could have been a bit more professional, but everything appeared to be connected properly. Actually, the wiring isn't quite as bad as it looks. The pair of red and yellow wires that spiral from the center to the top left of the photo are stretched that way because they're attached to a fan on the side of the case that I removed for the photo. I plugged in the keyboard, the mouse, a monitor (my own), and a wireless USB adapter (my own) and turned on the computer. It booted up and I had no problem with Windows 7 validation. The only software on the 1TB hard drive, other than Windows 7, is a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office Professional 2007, so I immediately installed an anti-virus program.

Next I checked the computer's performance and it was even better than I expected. The Windows Experience Index is as follows:

  • Processor: 7.5
  • Memory: 7.5
  • Graphics: 6.9
  • Gaming Graphics: 6.9
  • Hard Disk Transfer Rate: 5.9

In my opinion, the computer is an excellent value. All the system components that I could identify are name brand components. The wired USB keyboard and mouse are both labeled "iBUYPOWER" so I'm not sure who makes them, but they both seem to be of good quality. The computer's performance has been outstanding and that is due, in part, to the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium which is included. I think I have used every version of Windows, with the exception of Windows ME, since the OS was first released. I have had the Release Candidate of Windows 7 for almost a year and, when it was released for sale last October, I installed the commercial version of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit on my production system. In my opinion, Windows 7 is the best version of Windows yet.

The following are a few suggestions for improving performance or correcting problems. Some of the suggestions involve BIOS modifications. If you are not comfortable modifying the BIOS, ask for help from a family member or friend who is more knowledgeable about computers. To enter the BIOS, start or restart the computer and keep tapping the Del key.

How to adjust fan speed. When all the fans are running at 100%, they may be a little loud, depending on the computer's location and the room environment. The fans don't need to run at full speed all the time, and speeds can be adjusted in the BIOS, but you could also try SpeedFan (http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php), a free utility. I have checked temperatures and for normal usage (not gaming) the fans can be set to 75% power. To make the change in the BIOS, go to H/W Monitor and change the SYSFAN Controls from 100% to 75%.

The computer won't sleep and/or the mouse or keyboard won't wake up the computer. This requires a BIOS adjustment. Once in the BIOS setup, go to Power Management Setup and make sure the ACPI function is enabled, then change the ACPI Standby State from S1 to S3. Finally, select Wake Up Event Setup, press Enter, and select Wake Up Event By BIOS, if not already selected. Next, enable Resume From S3 BY USB Device. That will allow either the keyboard or the mouse to wake up the computer from sleep mode.

Use grill covers to help keep system clean. A user noted, "...the top of the case is built for mounting additional fans. While that's a nice--if unnecessary--option, the lack of fans by default mean a dust trap... I'd suggest you buy a couple of inexpensive 140mm grill covers to help you keep the system clean."

e-SATA ports don't work. I don't have an external e-SATA device to test the ports, but I've seen this complaint on several forums so the problem is not limited to iBUYPOWER computers.