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Pre-built desktop gaming desktops have lately become better alternatives to building your gaming rigs. While many enthusiasts with the time and patience to source individual parts and assemble them at home swear by the process, machines like the iBuyPower Slate Mesh (SMI7N5701) offer better value in both performance and price.
For much less money than you’d spend on individual parts or even a mainstream gaming PC from, let’s say, HP or Lenovo, you get the latest hardware in the market, a solid design, plenty of storage, and seamless customization should you need to do an upgrade later. This mid-size tower features a glass side panel, ample RGB lighting, and decent mid-range hardware, making it an ideal choice for a starting or upgrading gaming PC.
Under the hood, it packs an Intel Core i7-14700F processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 (12GB), 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 1TB NVMe SSD storage. The competition includes the MSI Codex Z2 and CyberPowerPC GXiVR8080A39, with the same graphics card, but different processor options.
The iBuyPower Trace Mesh, reviewed here, is one of the best pre-built gaming PCs for running even the latest games at medium to high settings at a 1440p 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.
iBuyPower Slate Mesh Specs
- Processor: Intel Core i7-14700F
- Graphics Card: Nvidia RTX 5070
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home
- Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
- Weight: 36 pounds
- Dimensions: ‎‎ 19.4 x 8.66 x 20.1 inches
Design & Features
The iBuyPower Slate Mesh is a no-nonsense PC. Its exterior is beautiful, with a mesh front panel and a delicious ARGB showcase across the chassis. It has 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 19.4 x 8.66 x 20.1 inches and starting at 36 pounds in weight, it’s not easy to carry and needs some sizable 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 slate mesh is built for those with a library of games that look great in 1440p.
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 5070 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 5070 (12GB), 32GB RAM, and 1TB NVMe SSD storage. It’s solidly packed for mainstream gaming, productivity, and content creation.
Playing Cyberpunk 2077 at 3840 x 2160 at the Ray Tracing preset with DLSS frame generation, the Slate Mesh averages 78-89 fps indoors and low-90 fps outdoors. The game is highly playable, and it’s free of any noticeable lagging or performance spikes.
Cyberpunk 2077 presents the biggest challenge to gaming PCs due to its extensive use of high-res textures, long draw distances, and extreme ray tracing effects in the Ultra RT mode. Still, the iBuyPower Slate Mesh can exceed 60 fps at 1080p for both its average and minimum frame rates, even without utilizing DLSS. Bumping to 1440p at the same settings, the system remains steady, which is not possible with most midrange gaming PC on the market.
The Slate Mesh can take advantage of its upscaling technology to improve frame rates, and it supports DLSS 3.0, too. With the latter enabled, the SMI7N5701 Mesh can exceed an average of 100fps at 1080p Ultra and 71fps at 1440p, which are both fantastic results.
With excellent performance in Cyberpunk 2077, there’s no doubt that the Slate Mesh holds up well in other games as well. Whether you’re gaming at 1080p or 1440p, the system performs well in Total War: Warhammer 3, maintaining 60fps and above at 1440p.
Productivity Performance
It also makes a great productivity machine, as the 14th Gen CPU can handle lots of work-related tasks with ease and some creative tasks as well. It can certainly handle heavy creative or editing projects, but it may not be the best machine to use at the office. If you need a gaming PC that’s powerful enough to run modern AAA titles but with a professional look to use at the office, the Alienware Aurora R16 is a great choice.
That said, the Slate 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.
iBuyPower Trace Mesh Review: Verdict
The iBuyPower Slate Mesh SMI7N5701 is an excellent value for gamers seeking a midrange gaming machine that plays fine and is super-upgradeable. Rocking an Intel Core i7-14700F and a GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, it delivers great 1440p gaming performance. We are also impressed by its case design, quiet RGB fans, seamless aftermarket upgradability, and robust lighting controls.
Next to the competition, the Slate 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 Slate Mesh a more appealing choice for the price, especially if you’re looking to buy your next gaming PC pre-built.
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