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System Builder Marathon, Q1 2014: The $750 Gaming PCMar 26, 2014 - in Reviews
After building two successful gaming-oriented configurations under $1000, rising prices force Paul to switch up the composition of his $750 machine. But can a compromise in processor performance be made up for by a faster GeForce GTX 770 graphics card?
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System Builder Marathon, Q1 2014: Our New Enthusiast PCMar 25, 2014 - in Reviews
I wanted to see how a GeForce GTX 780 Ti and Core i7-4770K compare to last quarter's GeForce GTX 770 cards in SLI and Core i5-4670K. In addition, we updated our price/performance evaluation. So, this System Builder Marathon should be full of surprises!
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System Builder Marathon, Q1 2014: The $2400 People’s Choice PCMar 24, 2014 - in Reviews
I built a sweet system last quarter with Radeon R9 290s. But based on your feedback, the highest-priced build for Q1 2014 integrates several alternative components. Can this new system do more things right than the configuration I parted out myself?
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System Builder Marathon Q4 2013: System Value ComparedDec 31, 2013 - in Reviews
This quarter's System Builder Marathon was downright chaotic. We reallocated our budgets to boost gaming performance, and watched as the prices on AMD's highest-end cards shot through the roof. When the dust settles, whose system offers the most value?
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2013: A $2400 PC That Costs $2700Dec 30, 2013 - in Reviews
Thomas also suffers the impact of a run on AMD's graphics cards. His performance-oriented build purchased for $2400 now costs $2700 to replicate. Is it worth the extra cash, or are you better off stepping back to the parts he picked last quarter?
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2013: $1600 Enthusiast PCDec 27, 2013 - in Reviews
Don gets a slightly expanded budget and the command to target gaming performance. Based on his choices, he's the only one who doesn't get bit in the rear by AMD's pricing issues. Can he use this advantage to outmaneuver Paul's entry-level powerhouse?
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2013: $800 Gaming PCDec 26, 2013 - in Reviews
This quarter, Paul Henningsen asks for (and gets) a higher budget for better gaming performance. What he didn't expect was that AMD's graphics cards would shoot up in price, shattering the upper limit of his $800 ceiling. Can his system still compete?
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ASRock M8 Mini-ITX Barebones Gaming PC ReviewOct 24, 2013 - in Reviews
Some of us love compact gaming builds, but the best of these have always been pre-configured into custom enclosures. Is ASRock’s M8 the perfect open-architecture alternative? We load this $550 barebones up with hardware and test its mettle.
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System Builder Marathon, Q3 2013: $350 Bonus Entry-Level PCSep 26, 2013 - in Reviews
Last quarter's bonus build was a $400 mini-ITX-based gaming rig, designed to be about the same size as a new console. This time around, we're slashing the budget even more to see if we can build a viable general-purpose PC for about $350 using an APU.
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System Builder Marathon: Performance And Value ComparedSep 25, 2013 - in Reviews
Can a PC that costs twice as much offer two times the performance? We compare our $650, $1300, and $2600 machines across the Tom's Hardware benchmark suite in order to find out. There's even a new test introduced to better-reflect our storage results.
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System Builder Marathon, Q3 2013: $2550 Performance PCSep 24, 2013 - in Reviews
Last quarter, we managed to squeeze amazing performance from a $2500 box based on mini-ITX. How much more performance can we get for similar money if we get back to the world of ATX enclosures? How about a little Sandy Bridge-E and three-way SLI?
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System Builder Marathon, Q3 2013: $1300 Enthusiast PCSep 23, 2013 - in Reviews
With access to new components like the Haswell-based Core i5-4670K and Nvidia's GeForce GTX 770, we're confident that we can build a $1300 enthusiast-class system that beats last quarter's. How does the previous mini-ITX PC stand up to this new hardware?
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System Builder Marathon, Q3 2013: $650 Gaming PCSep 22, 2013 - in Reviews
This quarter, Paul Henningsen gives AMD's FX-6300 its chance to shine in our least-expensive configuration. He manages to fit in a GeForce GTX 760 graphics card and 8 GB of memory. The result is quite capable, as you'll see from our benchmark results.
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System Builder Marathon, Q2 2013: System Value ComparedJun 25, 2013 - in Reviews
Our top three builders struggled to fit big performance into three tiny ITX-based platforms at three budget levels. Will the more expensive machines once again justify their higher prices through dramatically-improved performance? Read on for more.
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System Builder Marathon, Q2 2013: $650 Gaming PCJun 16, 2013 - in Reviews
This quarter, we're upping our budgets a bit in a quest to bring you a mini-ITX-themed System Builder Marathon. Paul Henningsen takes the first crack at a compact gaming box with $650 in his pocket and the ambitious goal of smooth 1920x1080 performance.
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Quick Look: Hands-On With LG's 22AM33NB All-In-One ChassisDec 18, 2012 - in Reviews
We just finished building our second all-in-one using the Thin Mini-ITX form factor and a box of off-the-shelf components. Although we still don't have the graphics performance we crave, LG's 22AM33NB chassis is a clean example of a productivity machine.
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2012: System Value ComparedDec 6, 2012 - in Reviews
This quarter is full of surprises, from a value-oriented $500 build that includes a Radeon HD 7850 to a $1,000 machine based on AMD's FX-8350 and a $2,000 box armed with a pair of Radeon HD 7970s. We mix it up by adding new benchmarks. It's anyone's game!
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System Builder Marathon, August 2012: Alternative $2000 Gaming PCAug 23, 2012 - in Reviews
Starved by the limits of our System Builder Marathon benchmark suite, Thomas decides to explore what happens when he really uncorks the graphics system. A helping of 5760x1080 across three monitors is being added to the complete four-course test set.
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System Builder Marathon, August 2012: System Value ComparedAug 22, 2012 - in Reviews
Paul, Don, and Thomas each took a stab at building the best value-oriented performance machine within their budget limits (some more successfully than others). Which of these machines will stand out for delivering the most bang for your enthusiast buck?
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System Builder Marathon, August 2012: $2000 Performance PCAug 21, 2012 - in Reviews
We took our highest-priced build back to the drawing board to focus on features, rather than price. Can I compete with the less expensive configurations without spending all of my time worrying about benchmark results? Tomorrow's analysis will be telling.
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System Builder Marathon, August 2012: $1000 Enthusiast PCAug 20, 2012 - in Reviews
This quarter, we construct our most powerful $1000 enthusiast build ever, complete with a Core i5-3570K, GeForce GTX 670, and solid-state storage. Can it beat the value of Paul's $500 machine or come close to the performance of Thomas' $2000 system?
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System Builder Marathon, August 2012: $500 Gaming PCAug 19, 2012 - in Reviews
Paul went all-out last quarter, cramming massive graphics performance into his $500 gaming PC. This time around, he pulls back a little bit on his GPU in order to use a better-balanced processor. Can he maintain playable frame rates in our gaming suite?
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Build It: Picking Parts For Your Kid's Entry-Level Gaming PCJul 10, 2012 - in Reviews
Does your child always want to use your PC? Is it time to build him his own? If you don't trust the tier-one vendors to sell you a well-balanced machine, you'll be happy to know that you can piece together your own entry-level box for less than $450.
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System Builder Marathon, June 2012: System Value ComparedJun 7, 2012 - in Reviews
Frugality returned in this quarter's System Builder Marathon, tipping the balance towards less-elaborate gaming rigs. Does cutting deep into the budgets end up hurting our lower-cost build too much for it to compete, or is its value enhanced instead?
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System Builder Marathon, June 2012: $1000 Enthusiast PCJun 5, 2012 - in Reviews
With a $250-smaller budget this quarter, Don re-creates the previous build as faithfully as possible just to see how much of a difference two memory channels make. With no room left for an SSD or extra RAM, we think you'll be surprised by the results.
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Power Supply 101: A Reference Of SpecificationsDec 13, 2011 - in Reviews
Today's article contains everything you've ever wanted to know about PC power supply specifications. Form factor dimensions, cable end pinouts, voltage/amp/watt specifications, and even compatibility issues are covered in this comprehensive reference!
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Building A Liquid-Cooled MicroATX Gaming MonsterOct 4, 2011 - in Reviews
You don't need a massive case to cram in tons of computing muscle. With a little help from a few manufacturers, our excessively-overclocked GeForce GTX 580 SLI build is small enough to sit atop most desks (and smoke our $2000 SBM machine).
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System Builder Marathon, Sept. 2011: System Value ComparedSep 25, 2011 - in Reviews
Big changes to a few components radically alter the performance profile of every machine in this quarter's competition. We’ve already seen how these changes affect the value of each machine, but how will they compare to each other?
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System Builder Marathon, Sept. 2011: $500 Gaming PCSep 21, 2011 - in Reviews
A few months ago, we built our $500 gaming PC using Intel's Sandy Bridge-based Core i3 processor, and it was a real screamer. This time around we're switching back to an overclockable Phenom II X4 and hoping threaded performance helps our case.
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System Builder Marathon, Sept. 2011: $1000 Enthusiast PCSep 20, 2011 - in Reviews
This quarter's $1000 enthusiast-oriented PC gets a new lease on life with a 30 GB solid-state drive and a couple of GeForce GTX 460s. Does that make a difference over the last build and its conventional hard disk and Radeon HD 6850 CrossFire setup?