Infusion of Cash into MAINGEAR Means More Options for Gaming PC Customers
MAINGEAR, the Kenilworth-based PC system integrator of custom gaming desktops and notebooks, announced its latest creation last Wednesday ― the VYBE Enthusiast Platform, which offers gamers an easier way to buy its PCs and enthusiasts an option to build their own.
The new VYBE is easier for consumers to order. It has a lower starting price, $699, which is $200 less than the previous version, and is fully customizable. It also allows do-it-yourselfers to get their hands on a stand-alone chassis and an APEX liquid cooling system.
It’s arriving six months after MAINGEAR sold stock in the company for the first time, raising $340,435 after it partnered with Netcapital (Boston) to launch the equity offering.
“It was very successful for us. We had great feedback from the community. It marked the first time the company raised money publicly and enabled us to expand our current offerings,” said Wallace Santos, the CEO of MAINGEAR.
Founded by Santos in 2002, the company has 30 employees and hand-assembles all its PCs in New Jersey.
After raising the funds, the company hired a general manager, Jason Chandler, and a community manager, Brent Fisher. It unveiled the MAINGEAR FORMA, an ergonomically enhanced gaming chair that sells for $349 and is available at all Micro Center stores.
With the launch of the new VYBE, customers no longer have wait to get their hands a MAINGEAR PC after ordering it from the company website. Starting last Wednesday, gamers could order one online and have it shipped within 24 to 48 hours. Micro Center store locations will start selling them in mid-to-late April, said Ron Reed, MAINGEAR’s marketing director and product manager.
The VYBE comes in pre-configured, fully customizable and do-it-yourself versions. Santos said that updating the computer’s coolant system paved the way for reducing the price. Originally designed for the F131, the liquid coolant system has been redesigned to maximize hardware performance in the new VYBE.
The system merges a quiet pump, pressure-regulated cooling, flow-rate sensing, and a high-capacity reservoir originating from solid blocks of crystal-clear acrylic, Santos said.
The older system depended on two pumps to maintain a steady flow and increase the processing speed. The new version has been further optimized, and gets the job done with one pump, according to both Reed and Santos.
For the first time, the company is allowing do-it-yourselfers to purchase MAINGEAR components ― the chassis and the coolant system – to build their own gaming computers.
Santos said high customer demand for the chassis and liquid cooling systems prompted the decision. “We are taking a different approach and we hope they will embrace this. We welcome everyone into the MAINGEAR family no matter if they want to by a t-shirt, hat, full computer system or just a chassis so they can build their own computer,” he said.
Meanwhile, the pre-configured VYBE eliminated the guesswork with builds for esports, 1080p, 1440p, and 4k gaming.
MAINGEAR users can customize and upgrade every part, every color, and every detail of their VYBE. Full customization comes with graphic options from NVIDIA, to Intel and AMD’s full line of desktop processors available.
All told, the company wants the gaming community to feel empowered and connected. Santos noted that the new platform includes a community website and a message to gamers to “Be Next.”
“Think of it as a family,” he said. “You are joining our family and we will share whatever resources we can to help you Be Next.”
“There are great gamers that no one has discovered yet. If you’ve got what it takes, we are going to take you on and empower you. We are going to help you become great,” he said.
“From an aspiring esports athlete to a content creator, we want to give you the tools to be great in whatever you do.”
