CyberPower Trinity Restores Some Luster to the Prosaic Desktop PC

By Don Reisinger

Any talk of the CyberPower Trinity must start with the device’s compelling design. The desktop has what CyberPower calls three blades that are shaped in a quasi-pyramid. The computer can sit on any two of the device’s blades or balance on one, and the casings around them weigh 10 pounds each. In other words, the Trinity might have a relatively small footprint, but it’s fairly heavy.

The first blade is all about graphics. In fact, CyberPower said that the first blade is called the “Performance Blade.” In that blade, users can bundle full-size graphics cards, depending on their needs. They can pick from the Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan X graphics card or the AMD Radeon R9 series. Either option would provide ample power for handling just about any video game or heavy video processing.

The Trinity might not look like each blade can easily accommodate big hardware components, but the second blade, called the “Storage Blade,” is actually quite roomy. In fact, CyberPower said that the blade can store up to three solid-state drives, two old-fashioned mechanical hard drives or a slim optical drive. It’s big enough to handle whatever the customer’s needs are.

The third blade is called the “CPU Blade” that supports both Intel and AMD chipsets, depending on the customer’s preference. Standard configurations come with the Intel Core i7 or AMD A Series and the third blade can also accommodate liquid cooling for the chipsets. CPU Blade can be equipped with up to 16GB of memory.

CyberPower Trinity currently runs Windows 8.1, but they will be bundled with Windows 10 when Microsoft’s releases its new OS later this year. A customization option lets customers pay an additional $31 for either Windows 8.1 Pro or Windows 7. Those who want to run another operating system, like Linux, can save $60 and get a blank hard drive.

One of the first things to notice about the CyberPower Website is that it’s heavily focused on gaming. CyberPower is a boutique gaming PC company first and showcases how its devices will perform when they’re put up against popular games, including Tomb Raider, BioShock Infinite and others. The company said that, depending on the customization level, Trinity will hold up well with all higher-end games.

The CyberPower Trinity might have a different footprint than other products, but the design didn’t keep the PC company from adding a bunch of ports to the device. The computer has its power port on one Blade and everything from DVI ports to High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) to USB 3 ports on another. The front of the Trinity has two USB 3 ports.

The Trinity’s design is about more than just good looks. CyberPower said that the computer’s three-blade design provides full “air channeling,” ensuring that warm air doesn’t get trapped and overheat important components. The device also has a hollow, hexagonal steel spine connecting all three blades that, according to CyberPower, is essentially a conduit for cable management that reduces clutter.

One of the nice things about buying a computer from a boutique PC vendor like CyberPower is that the company offers a range of customization features. There are three standard Trinity versions—the 100, the 200 and the Xtreme. Once a user picks one of those, he or she can customize even more, modifying everything from the processor choice to the power supply option, noise-reduction features and even whether the device should ship with video games preinstalled. CyberPower’s customization features are unlike anything one would find on HP’s or Dell’s PC sales sites.

Depending on the person’s point-of-view, Trinity pricing might be a bit of a surprise. For those who are used to cheap desktops these days, buying a computer with a starting price of $955 before a single customization might be a shocker. For those who are used to spending thousands on high-end boutique PCs, that starting price isn’t so bad. And with the Trinity Xtreme costing just $1,795 for everything from a high-end Intel Core i7 to 16GB of RAM and the GeForce GTX 970, that price actually sounds downright reasonable.