CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA3100A Review – Does It Perform Well?

In this review we take a look at the CyberpowerPC GUA3100A – a prebuilt offering of a gaming computer that seems pretty popular. We noticed this PC on Amazon and it’s interesting because there’s a few different offerings in terms of hardware (read on to find out more).

In this CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA3100A Review, we’ll take a good look at the hardware, performance and upgradeability, as well as the different options available if purchasing through Amazon.

Overview: CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA3100A

CyberpowerPC’s GUA3100A is a prebuilt computer package which comes with a keyboard and mouse, marketed as a gaming machine. It certainly looks the part with it’s case viewing window and backlit case fan in red. The mouse and keyboard also have red highlights to match the color theme.

This is certainly an entry level machine, and you can get better performance value for money if you build your own computer (because you can choose newer parts). However, for those looking for a pre-built gaming package without the hassle of DIY assembly, this entry level PC will suit those looking to start gaming and it has potential for future hardware upgrades.

If you like the GUA3100A but aren’t completely sold on the look of the case, or just want a different color – check out the GUA882 which is made by CyberpowerPC as well.  It’s essentially the same hardware but comes in a different case with a blue / RGB lighting color scheme.

If you are purchasing through Amazon there is one particular seller who offers this computer with a graphics card and power supply upgrade already done for you – we’ll take a look at the details on this as well.

Pros

• Matching keyboard/mouse/case package
• Prebuilt system, complete with Windows 10 preinstalled
• Great looking case with viewing window and red case lighting
• Plenty of room inside the case for future hardware upgrades
• 1 year warranty

Cons

• No wireless adapter
• Keyboard and mouse lights powered directly from PSU, so they run even when PC is turned off
• No USB 3.0 ports (though there are plenty of USB 2.0 ports)
• Not the best graphics card

Performance

As usual, the first thing we want to look at is the performance of this computer. In terms of value for money, you could get better performance from the hardware we’ve listed in our $500 gaming PC build, but if you prefer not to bother with assembling your own computer then a prebuilt option is your only other choice.

The processor in this computer is a AMD FX-4300 quad-core with a clock speed of 3.80GHz and up to 4.0GHz on Turbo boost. Performance wise, it’s okay, but is certainly outperformed by the latest Skylake Intel i3 and i5 CPUs as shown in the benchmark test results below.

 

The graphics card on the CyberpowerPC GUA3100A is the AMD Radeon R7 240 GPU, which to be honest doesn’t seem to perform that well. Bear in mind that this is an older card (released in October 2013), so it’s not going to give the best performance.

The R7 240 graphics card scores about the same as the integrated graphics which come with the latest Intel CPUs when we look at the synthetic benchmark test scores (see below). Theoretically this means that you may be better off buying a prebuilt computer like the ASUS M32CD with the 6th gen i5 CPU and onboard graphics (and it comes in a little cheaper than the GUA3100A too), based on our look at the graphics card and CPU so far.

One advantage of having a dedicated graphics card though is that the video card has it’s own dedicated memory. In this case the R7 240 has 2GB of on-card RAM. This can offer advantages over on-board graphics which need to use up your system’s RAM. Keep in mind that this advantage of the R7 240 may not be be adequately captured in the synthetic benchmark (simulated only) data below.

As you can see from the benchmark data below, our DIY $500 gaming build has given us the flexibility to select a high performing graphics card within our budget, which gives a significant performance advantage over the Radeon R7 240 in the GUA3100A prebuilt PC.

Speaking of memory, the CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA3100A comes with 8GB of DDR3 RAM 1600MHz, as does both our $500 gaming build and the ASUS M32CD. In the GUA3100A, the maximum memory supported by the motherboard is  up to 16GB.

In terms of storage, the computer has a 1TB 7200rpm hard drive. It’s a good amount of storage space and will be a bit faster than a standard 5400rpm drive, which is a bonus.

The case seems like the biggest selling point on this computer, as it definitely looks like a gamer’s PC. The read/write DVD optical drive is a must for physical CD game installs, but it’s a shame that this computer doesn’t come with any inbuilt or on-board wireless card – meaning you’ll need to plug in via LAN port with an ethernet cable for internet connectivity or otherwise spend a little bit of money on a wireless adapter.

Here’s a good look at the CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA3100A in the below video:

Check out the user reviews on Amazon >>

Usage

The quad core processor, graphics card with 2GB of dedicated DDR3 RAM, and system RAM of 8GB on this PC means it can comfortably handle everyday use as well as a variety of games (though don’t expect to be able to play more intensive games on high settings without introducing lag).

Aesthetically, it looks like a mean gaming PC, with the viewing window providing a nice visual of the internal computer hardware and red case lighting for accents.

For both entry-level gaming and general tasks like internet browsing, running applications and watching videos, this PC will meet your needs.

Gaming Performance

Given that the CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA3100A is marketed as a gaming computer (heck, it even has it in the name of the PC!), let’s take a closer look at how it performs in some common games. Unfortunately as we covered earlier, the R7 240 is not a great graphics card in our opinion, but this computer reportedly can play the following games:

DayZ, Minecraft, Battlefield 4, Dying Light, H1Z1, Star Wars The Old Republic, Counter-Strike: GO, Crysis, League of Legends, DOTA2, GTA, Arma 3, World Of Warcraft, Starcraft, Warframe, Runescape.

Here are a few youtube videos of the GUA3100A in a few different games:

1. Runescape

2. Battlefield 4

3. Minecraft

4. Counterstrike: GO

Don’t expect to be able to have settings on high for all of these. The R7 240 is not the best card, so you may chug a bit on more demanding games.

One Amazon seller (G-System) offers a graphics card and power supply upgrade on this PC, though you need to be aware that this will void any manufacturer warranty (however G-system may offer their own warranty instead). We believe the upgraded card is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 740 which does perform better than the stock R7 240.

However, you could also do your own graphics card upgrade and go for a more recent card than the GT 740 (a 2013 release) for even better performance. You’d probably need to upgrade the power supply as well to ensure the new card has sufficient power available to it.

Screens/Video

The GUA3100A can support up to two displays from the graphics card. It has three output ports: one Single-Link DVI-D, one HDMI port, and one VGA port. According to the R7 specifications, it can support 4K resolution.

It may be possible to connect up a third monitor to the CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA3100A by supplying one screen from the on-board motherboard integrated graphics – in this case it looks like the motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2PT with a VGA port for connecting up a monitor display.

Upgrading the Gamer Ultra GUA3100A

If you’re a serious gamer, the GUA3100A should definitely be upgraded as the Radeon R7 240 card is just not that great.

The most common upgrades to this computer are a new graphics card, new power supply and wireless adapter. If you need more guidance on this, leave us a comment below and we’ll be happy to offer some advice.

If you’re thinking of upgrading this PC, we’ve included a list of the full specifications as a reference at the end of this review.

Keep in mind that when considering future upgrades you may want to pay particular attention to motherboard slots and I/O.

Another thing to be wary of when buying prebuilt gaming PCs is to check out the power supply that they come with. Many people overlook power supply specifications (apart from the wattage), which means that manufacturers can tend to ‘cheap out’ on this component.

However, having a low-quality power supply can damage your other components and lead to shorter lifespan, so you should never skimp out on this component – be sure to buy a reputable brand and spend a few more dollars, as it will save you in the long run.

There is limited information available on what power supply the GUA3100A (stock) ships with, so if you are planning on keeping this PC for a while and upgrading it, one of the things we would recommend to upgrade would be the power supply so that you can ensure your other components are being powered safely and within their limits. We found quite a few bad reports of CyberpowerPC using poor quality power supplies in their builds, so it’s something to be wary of.

CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA3100A Specifications

CyberpowerPC don’t have an official specification page for their GUA3100A build, which appears to be an Amazon offering (not listed on the official CyberpowerPC website).

It does appear that the actual hardware that you get could potentially vary from what is listed below since CyberpowerPC basically assemble these computers themselves. Based on what we’ve seen through various Amazon reviews and questions, there is some variation in the parts used by CyberpowerPC. The specifications below are based on the best information available on this product that we could find.

Model Number:

GUA3100A

Operating System:

Windows 10

CPU:

AMD FX-4300 quad core 3.8 GHz with 4.0GHz turbo boost. AMD 760G Chipset

Graphics:

Graphics Card: AMD Radeon R7 240 with 2GB DDR3 or GDDR5 dedicated memory

Outputs supported: 1x HDMI, 1x VGA, 1x DVI-D

Clock speed: Up to 780MHz

4K Resolution support: 4K60 SST or MST

API Support: DirectX® 12, Mantle, OpenGL® 4.3, OpenCL™

Full graphics card specifications can be found here.

Motherboard:

*Note that CyberpowerPC appear to assemble their computers from individual parts, and it appears as though they may use a different motherboard model in their build depending on the market. We believe the below specifications for the motherboard used in CyberpowerPC’s GUA3100A are correct as of the time of writing.

Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2PT

CPU: AM3+ Socket

Chipset: North Bridge: AMD 760G, South Bridge: AMD SB710

Form Factor: Micro ATX –  24.4cm x 20.6cm

Memory: 2 x 1.5V DIMM, max. 16GB DDR3, 1333+/1066/800MHz

Expansion Slots: 1 x PCIe x16,  1 x PCIe x1, 1 x PCI  (All PCIe ports conform to PCI express 2.0 standard)

Output Support: VGA (from onboard graphics)

Audio: Realtek HD codec high definition audio. 2/4/5.1/7.1 channel

Gigabit LAN: Atheros GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)

SATA: 6 x SATA 3Gbit/s

IDE: 1 x IDE connector supporting ATA-133/100/66/33 and up to 2 IDE devices

USB: 4 x USB2.0 on back panel, 2 x USB2.0 on front side (can expand front panel USB outputs to 4 through the internal USB headers – this would give a total of 8 USB2.0 ports)

Internal I/O connectors:

• 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
• 1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector
• 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors
• 1 x IDE connector
• 1 x CPU fan header
• 1 x system fan header
• 1 x front panel header
• 1 x front panel audio header
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
• 1 x Clear CMOS jumper

 

Details above were taken from here.

Back I/O ports:

1 x PS/2 keyboard port
1 x PS/2 mouse port
1 x serial port
1 x parallel port
1 x VGA (D-Sub) port
4 x USB2.0/1.1 ports
1 x RJ-45 port
1 x Line in
1 x Line out
1 x Microphone

Front I/O Ports:

2 x USB 2.0/1.1
1 x Headphone
1 x Microphone

Memory:

Internal memory: 1 x  8 GB DDR3L-SDRAM  1600MHz

Maximum internal memory: 16 GB

Storage:

Total storage capacity: 1000 GB, Storage media: HDD, Hard drive interface: Serial ATA III. 7200rpm

Power Supply:

350W

Wireless:

Nil

Optical Drive:

LG 24X DVD±RW Dual-Layer Drive

Dimensions/Weight:

7.9 (W) x 17.5 (H) x 17 (D) inches

25.1 pounds

Summary

Most entry-level or casual gamers seem to enjoy the Gamer Ultra GUA3100A PC, however after looking in more detail at its hardware, we think you can certainly get better performance value for money. The graphics card in the GUA3100A is not the best and there is no onboard wireless connectivity.

A better option may be to look at the M32CD desktop computer and fit it out with a dedicated graphics card for a similar price to the GUA3100A. (Or for even better performance you could always build your own from scratch following our $500 gaming PC build).

However, for those who are just looking for a pre-built computer complete with keyboard and mouse that looks the part and gives decent all-round performance, this offering may be for you. The GUA3100A should meet your needs for most games – provided you keep the settings on low to medium.

If you are after a gaming PC that you can play nearly any recent game on high settings though, you’re talking about a different league of gaming PC. If this sounds like you, be sure to check out our Cyberpower PC Gamer Xtreme VR GXiVR8020A review – this PC costs a little more than the GUA3100A but absolutely blows it out of the water when it comes to gaming performance!

Click here to check out the GUA3100A on Amazon