Vigor seems to be an up-and-comer in the gaming PC market, or maybe they've already arrived and I'm way out of touch.

Today they announced their new Force Recon QXN system, a gaming rig with an Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX6700 system.

The $2,650 base QXN will come with a decent spec sheet:

The Vigor Force Recon QXN base model comes standard with Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX6700 at 2.66GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 2X4M Cache. In addition to swift performance from the four processing cores, users benefit from a quieter computing environment thanks to the CPU's Digital Thermal Sensor, which spins the system fans only as fast as needed in order to minimize noise.

The CPU is mounted to an Asus P5N32-E-SLI motherboard with NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Quad Core ready chipset. Vigor also utilizes the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX video card with 768MB DDR3 575MHz and DVI and TV input.

Standard memory and storage includes 1GB of Corsair DDR2 800 MHz memory (2 X 512MB); a pair of WD Raptor 150GB SATA hard drives at 10,000 RPM; an internal 16X DVD+CD Rewritable Combo Drive with bundled DVD/CDRW software; and 1.44MB 3.5" floppy drive or optional floppy with 8-in-1 Card Reader.

The Vigor Force Recon QXN includes onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000Mbps) PCI Network Card. I/O PORTS for adding peripherals include 1 Parallel, 1 Game/Midi, 1 IEEE 1394 Firewire and 10 USB ports.

The Recon QXN pumps out Digital High Definition 3D sound with its 7.1 8-Channel Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS card.

The components are encased in a Vigor FORCE screwless chassis w/aluminum trim and Tornado Air Ventilation System. The Vigor enclosure is obsidian black and can be custom-painted. Vigor cools the system with is Vigor Monsoon II TEC (thermo electric chip) active CPU cooling and air conditioner system. The system is powered by a Tagan TG900-U96 TurboJet NVIDIA-SLI Certified 900-watt power supply.

All units are loaded with Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition SP2 with $49 Vista Business upgrade. The Vigor Force Recon QXN is backed by a three year limited parts and labor warranty.

Memory seems a little low-end to me and the video card isn't top of the line, but what do you expect for a built computer under $2,800? Brian Crecente

LAS VEGAS —(Business Wire)— Jan. 9, 2007 Vigor Gaming Computer, a developer of custom gaming rigs and high end peripherals, today announced the release of Force Recon QXN system, an Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX6700 system geared toward gaming and multimedia enthusiasts.

The Vigor Force Recon QXN with its Core 2 Extreme QX6700 quad-core processor can easily tackle numerous tasks simultaneously. The Core 2 Extreme QX6700 is made up of four separate processing cores in a single package with 8MB of L2 cache. This increases the multitasking potential for users because the CPU significantly improves system responsiveness when performing tasks such as playing a demanding game, rendering a video, or running application software at the same time. It will be shown at CES 2007 in the Intel Booth "Digital Life" section - LVCC 7153.

"No matter how many applications you run, our Force Recon Core 2 Extreme Quad-based systems will react to user commands quickly," said Aaron Chen, Chief Executive Officer of Vigor. "The future belongs to High-Definition content and multiple CPU threads, which will be the development basis for the majority of future games and mainstream programs."

The Vigor Force Recon QXN base model comes standard with Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX6700 at 2.66GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 2X4M Cache. In addition to swift performance from the four processing cores, users benefit from a quieter computing environment thanks to the CPU's Digital Thermal Sensor, which spins the system fans only as fast as needed in order to minimize noise.

The CPU is mounted to an Asus P5N32-E-SLI motherboard with NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Quad Core ready chipset. Vigor also utilizes the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX video card with 768MB DDR3 575MHz and DVI and TV input.

Standard memory and storage includes 1GB of Corsair DDR2 800 MHz memory (2 X 512MB); a pair of WD Raptor 150GB SATA hard drives at 10,000 RPM; an internal 16X DVD+CD Rewritable Combo Drive with bundled DVD/CDRW software; and 1.44MB 3.5" floppy drive or optional floppy with 8-in-1 Card Reader.

The Vigor Force Recon QXN includes onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000Mbps) PCI Network Card. I/O PORTS for adding peripherals include 1 Parallel, 1 Game/Midi, 1 IEEE 1394 Firewire and 10 USB ports.

The Recon QXN pumps out Digital High Definition 3D sound with its 7.1 8-Channel Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS card.

The components are encased in a Vigor FORCE screwless chassis w/aluminum trim and Tornado Air Ventilation System. The Vigor enclosure is obsidian black and can be custom-painted. Vigor cools the system with is Vigor Monsoon II TEC (thermo electric chip) active CPU cooling and air conditioner system. The system is powered by a Tagan TG900-U96 TurboJet NVIDIA-SLI Certified 900-watt power supply.

All units are loaded with Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition SP2 with $49 Vista Business upgrade. The Vigor Force Recon QXN is backed by a three year limited parts and labor warranty.

Base price is $2,649.00 with many self-build options, and available direct from Vigor Gaming at http://www.vigorgaming.com.

Contact information for this author is not available.