Maingear, a well-known maker of advanced personal computers, on Thursday unveiled a new relatively low-cost “Pulse” system that the company calls “the world’s greenest” gaming PC. The system is powered by Nvidia GeForce 9300/9400 core-logic set and is equipped with energy-efficient central processing units (CPUs) and graphics cards.

Maingear Pulse is based on Intel Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad processors with 65W thermal design power (TDP) and Nvidia GeForce 9300/9400 chipset (also known as Ion platform) with built-in graphics core. The system may be equipped with Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT ECO graphics card, which is claimed to be 40% more energy efficient compared to typical model 9800 GT. Maingear offers to install up to 8GB DDR2 memory, up to 500GB 7200rpm 2.5” Serial ATA hard drive (currently there are no 500GB 7200rpm 2.5” HDDs on the market, there are either 320GB/7200rpm or 500GB/5400rpm – Editor) or up to 160GB solid-state drive. The Pulse features 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 7.1 audio-over-HDMI with LPCM, 5.1 analog audio and may be equipped with Blu-ray disc optical drive and TV-Tuner. Since Maingear uses relatively low-power components, the system utilizes 300W 80+ power supply unit, which limits system upgrade with high-end processors or graphics cards.

“Nvidia’s Ion platform has opened up a new realm of possibility for small form factor PCs. By delivering a GeForce-upgradeable product, we are maximizing Ion’s potential with high performance, energy efficient CPUs and GPUs to deliver a powerful and balanced computing solution in a sleek, inconspicuous design. It’s a tremendous option for the living room, a dorm, or for the kids, said Wallace Santos, founder and chief executive officer of Maingear.

Even though Maingear advertises Pulse as the “world’s greenest” gaming PC, the claim may be questioned. For example, the company could use DDR3 memory that consumes less energy compared to DDR2 and also could utilize ATI Radeon HD 4770 graphics card that delivers higher performance than Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT ECO despite lower power consumption. Additionally, computer case made of stainless steel is not exactly good for recycling, furthermore, its manufacturing caused a lot of hazardous emissions. Nevertheless, Maingear’s Pulse is definitely among the first systems in the world with reduced power consumption positioned for gamers. In fact, when fully loaded, the system consumes just 145W, according to Maingear.

The base price for the Pulse is $799 and the system comes with Maingear’s standard lifetime labor and phone support with 14-month hardware warranty.

Tags: Maingear, Pulse, Nvidia, Geforce, Ion, Intel, Core, G92b