With
any new computer product, my first
objective is to push it to a point
of fatigue, consequently testing any
weaknesses that may arise while
running multiple applications
simultaneously. This strategy has
proven to serve me well over the
years, as technology sometimes has a
mind of its own, reveling at your
response to a failure during
production or, even worse, during a
client demonstration. As such,
knowing what your chosen system is
capable of, and standing by the
advantages gained from using it,
assures that your work and
performance will be at the optimal
level.
The sheer size of the computer I
recently received for this review
was intimidating, but after firing
it up, I immediately recognized that
it stood out as a quality and
powerful workstation. This of course
cured my fear of the size and I
began to delight over the great user
experience I was having with
Xi’s MTower PCIe workstation.
It appeared that Xi had delivered a
high-performing, competitively
priced workstation with enough power
to satisfy anyone craving
computational power and reliability
without compromise.
Figure 1. The
MTower PCIe workstation.
Computational
Performance and Stability
As a
multitasking millennial or, as some
may call us, the information-hungry,
high-speed, enhanced-gaming
generation, computer performance is
everything. Sure, I’ll go ahead and
put high speed at the top of the
list, since computer booting stalls
and rendering crashes are cause for
reevaluation of product worthiness.
Fortunately, this was not an issue
when using the
Xi MTower PCIe
workstation. Design and assembly
tasks with modeling software were
met with the computational power of
a firm sixth generation quad-core
Intel Core i7-6700K processor with a
sealed water-cooled dual fan
radiator. This is combined with 16
GB of memory and a Windows 7
Professional operating system. It’s
also integrated with a 256 GB
Samsung SM951 series solid-state
drive that is ideal for
multi-tasking, high-performance and
even gaming. The combination of
these premium components, in
conjunction with an NVIDIA Quadro
M4000 video card, definitely
enhanced the user experience and
pushed the 3D visualization far
beyond my expectation. For example,
the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 is capable
of supporting four monitors. So of
course I tested it with one of my
standard 21-inch monitors and a
55-inch flat screen television,
leveraging a DVI to HDMI adapter.
Yes! Another win for the millennial.
It’s a win for any designer or gamer
willing to embrace the unfaltering
power of this computer system.
The
Xi MTower PCIe is by
far the most stable workstation that
I have ever operated. I had expected
it to roar like a jet engine and
overheat from overuse, but it was
surprisingly quiet and remained cool
over time. I saw no signs of fatigue
or overheating. This is due in part
to the MTower’s “silent quiet fans”
and “sound dampening panels” case
option.
Moreover, additional inputs are
housed in the rear and on the top
sections of the computer, giving the
user options to connect several
devices, such as USB keyboards, dual
monitors, or external storage
drives. The additional USB 3.0 and
2.0 ports came in handy when I
needed to access content from an
external drive (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. The
MTower PCIe rear and top inputs.
The base configuration for the
Xi MTower PCIe is set
at a competitive price of $1,079,
but the as-tested premium model was
priced around $3,646. See the
as-tested options in Figure 3.
PART# |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
00013 |
Xi MTower PCIe workstation (base configuration) |
$1,079.00 |
01037 |
Intel Core i7-6700K at 4.5GHz top core frequency high-performance; sealed water cooling dual fan radiator 8MB shared L3 cache DMI 2.0 quad-core 6th generation; 14nm w/Artic Silver 5 thermal compound |
$899.00 |
02342 |
16GB DDR4 at 3000MHz high performance aluminum heat spreader |
$199.00 |
04576 |
NVIDIA Quadro M4000* 8GB DDR5 Maxwell Architecture PCIe 16x 2.0-4xDP 1.2-1x stereo-3D pro support-DX11-OGL 4.3- Shad.M 5.0-supports four monitors |
$819.00 |
05015 |
No monitor (credit) |
($100.00) |
03199 |
256GB Samsung solid state drive SM951 M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 2150/1200MB/s Seq.R/W 512MB cache buffer <.3ms seek shock resistant 1500G (UEFI boot, not to be used as boot drive on XEON-based systems) |
$199.00 |
32129 |
Optional 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6GB/s Seagate Barracuda 64MB cache NCQ ST1000DM003 |
$99.00 |
17012 |
HDD std ctrl. according to motherboard and HDD type selected |
Incl. w/ base |
06061 |
DVD+RW/DL/+R-R/CD-RW Double Media 4.7/8.5GB 18x |
$29.00 |
09007 |
On-board sound or according to motherboard specifications |
Incl. w/ base |
10001 |
No external speakers option |
Incl. w/ base |
12001 |
On-board network port(s) according to motherboard specifications |
Incl. w/ base |
13058 |
Logitech wireless combo MK520 keyboard, hand-friendly laser mouse, programmable |
$49.00 |
14001 |
No mouse |
($8.00) |
16084 |
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Professional edition SP1 64-bit (32-bit available on request), fully installed, configured and updated, includes original DVD media and COA |
$79.00 |
22332 |
ASUS Z170-A Intel Z170 Chipset-2xPCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (Single at x16-dual at x8/x8)-1xPCIe 16x at x4- 3xPCIe 1x-1x PCI-dual ch.-DDR4 to 64GB 3400(OC)/2133-1xGB LAN-1xSATA Express-1xM.2 Socket3(SATA and PCIe mode)-4xSATA 6GB/s RAID 0/1/5/10-HD audio-8CH-1x 5GB/s USB type C-1x10Gb/s USB 3.1-8xUSB 3.0/2.0-DVI-HDMI-DP1.2-Asus 5x protection |
$95.00 |
44054 |
1200W Rosewill 80 plus Gold Certified 140mm silent fan ATX12V/EPS12V 87-92% efficiency active PFC |
$149.00 |
27262 |
Xi MTower silent 652S -3x12cm quiet fans and sound dampening panels-4xfront USB 3.0/2.0-HD audio-SD card-3x5.25 in. ext. bays- 7x3.5 in. int. bays-(supports dual fan radiator for O.C. to 4.5GHz)-DIM(DxWxH): 20 in. x 8.7 in. x 20 in. |
$59.00 |
18001 |
Standard Xi warranty w/ express advance parts replacement, lifetime tech support, three year labor FOB Xi, one year on system parts, manufacturer warranty on software, monitors and external accessories, freight both ways, paid for parts only inside U.S. and Canada) |
Incl. w/ base |
47002 |
NEMA 5-15P to C13 wall plug, 125 Volt, 16AWG, 5 ft. standard computer AC U.S. power cord or other major countries standard power cord (AU/CH/DE/FR/IT/NZ/UK) *later upgraded to an M5000 for an additional $980.00 |
Incl. w/ base |
Figure 3. The
MTower PCIe workstation pricing
options.
Now, try not to jump out of your
seat over the price of the as-tested
model options. It is definitely
powerful enough to handle the rigors
of personal and high-production
office tasks and is worth the cost.
Therefore, I give no apologies for
sharing the capabilities and cost of
this computer. It is priced well for
the ambitious designer or
competitive gamer looking for a
premium, high-performance
workstation.
The User Experience
The
Xi MTower PCIe workstation
configuration was very useful during
object creation with SOLIDWORKS CAD
software. It enabled the seamless
creation of part extrusions, feature
cuts and assembly without any system
interruptions. No one enjoys
diminished creativity due to
inefficiency of a lackluster
computer, especially when designing
with deadlines, or when performing
CAD demonstrations for a client. The
MTower PCIe
configuration made designing even
with a robust software program a
breeze. Editing was boosted by the
NVIDIA Quadro M4000 video card and
16GB DDR4 3000MHz memory, which are
both built for high-performance. To
this end, a later upgrade to the
Quadro M5000 video card added
additional capacity for design
control.
Figure 4. Assembly model
drawn with SOLIDWORKS software.
Figure 5. Part model
created with SOLIDWORKS software.
Benchmarking the MTower PCIe
Workstation
Below is a list of performance
testing and comparisons that I
generated using the
Xi MTower PCIe workstation.
Windows Experience w/Quadro M4000 video card |
|
Windows Experience w/Quadro M5000 video card |
|
Figure 6. Windows
Experience Index score for system
components.
The Windows Experience Index for
this Xi model returned a base score
of 7.8 in two instances using a
different video card. Since the
maximum score for this testing is
7.9, we can see that all of the
other components from the
performance test are performing at a
high level. The systems base score
of 7.8 was attributed to the
processor.
PassMark w/Quadro M4000 video card |
|
PassMark w/Quadro M5000 video card |
|
Figure 7. PassMark
comparison with other systems.
Figure 7 illustrates the PassMark
testing, which measures the speed of
this
MTower PCIe workstation,
as well as component comparisons.
The test was performed twice to
compare both a Quadro M4000 and
Quadro M5000 video card, which I
added as an upgrade on the system.
This computer definitely held its
own in all categories, regardless of
which card was installed. The first
run returned a PassMark score of
7091 with the M4000 installed. Then,
a second run with the M5000 returned
a PassMark score of 7151, increasing
the overall score by 60. While this
increase may seem small from an
all-inclusive view, upgrading to the
M5000 card did increase the 3D
graphics significantly.
SPECviewperf Benchmark w/Quadro M4000 video card |
|
SPECviewperf Benchmark w/Quadro M5000 video card |
|
Figure 8a.
SPECviewperf benchmarking for
Xi MTower PCIe workstation.
Figure 8b. SPECviewperf
online reported benchmark scores.
Figures 8a and 8b display comparable
system performance results using the
SPECviewperf version 12.0.2. The
generated results are a measure of
computing performance from varying
systems. The higher scores are an
indication of greater system speed.
I pulled a sample of scores from the
SPECviewperf website that only lists
reported 2015 performance results
for computers with varying
configurations and that are using
the same NVIDIA Quadro M4000 or
M5000 graphics card that was tested
in the Xi model.
The system performance metrics were
generated on the
Xi MTower PCIe workstation
and compared with the existing
SPECviewperf system data. Rendering
modes from design applications such
as SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, NX, and Maya
are compared during the benchmark
test and reported. The
MTower PCIe workstation
returned a score of 127.98 with the
M4000 graphics card and 158.47 with
the upgraded M5000 graphics card for
the SOLIDWORKS viewset (column
heading “SW mean” in Figure 8b). In
reviewing the scores in figures 8a
and 8b, the Xi model running
SOLIDWORKS wins hands-down when
compared with workstations operating
with the same graphics card model.
In fact, the only workstations from
the sample that outperformed the Xi
model were those that incorporated a
graphics card that cost
significantly more than the Quadro
M5000. Of course, an upgrade to a
Quadro M6000 would drive the Xi PCIe
cost through the roof, which
probably isn’t necessary. The Xi
performs at a high level without
having to upgrade to the next
graphics card level. When reviewing
the seven reported scores from
workstations that are running the
pricier graphics card (NVIDIA Quadro
M6000), only one surpasses the Xi
model and not by much. In this case,
I would stick with the competitively
priced PCIe workstation with all of
the as-reviewed options and
upgrades. Trust me, it is more than
enough power and you won’t break the
bank.
Cinebench |
|
|
Cinebench |
|
|
Figure 9. Cinebench
benchmarking.
A Cinebench test was performed on
the
Xi MTower PCIe to test
the performance of both the CPU and
graphics. The test pushes the
computer systems processing power to
examine how well the hardware
interacts with 3D scenes. The final
results will measure frames per
second (fps) and points (pts), which
reveal graphics card and processor
speeds respectively. I was able to
generate a Cinebench benchmark score
from both video cards shown in
Figure 9. Results from the system
were higher when upgrading to the
M5000 card, but the M4000 still
returned great results. Especially
when comparing it to a design
station in my home office.
Conclusion
The muscle, speed and flexibility
integrated into the
Xi MTower PCIe yielded
a truly superlative performance,
regardless of the software
applications I used. Not only have I
run multiple design applications
simultaneously, but I have done so
while streaming music and video
content from the Internet. Also,
while upgrading to the Quadro M5000
does improve the user experience and
graphical design performance of the
computer, the Quadro M4000 video
card can hold its own. I never
expected this much power to come
from this workstation, but I must
say that any designer, engineer, or
anyone engaging in complex computer
computations will find this system
more than suitable for their needs.
For more information, see Xi MTower PCIe product page on the Xi site.