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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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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, Q1 2013: $1,600 Alternative PCMar 6, 2013 - in Reviews
Informed buyers are always looking for more information, and we were fortunate enough to plan for some of those requests. Today’s build adds quietness, storage capacity, and extra gaming finesse to the parts found in our “high-end-on-a budget” PC.
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System Builder Marathon, Q1 2013: System Value ComparedFeb 28, 2013 - in Reviews
We've long claimed that the sweet spot for value was somewhere around $800. So, we narrowed this quarter's System Builder Marathon from $600 to $1,000. Which one of our three configurations gives us the most performance for our budget?
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System Builder Marathon, Q1 2013: $1,000 Performance PCFeb 27, 2013 - in Reviews
With his budget cut in half, Thomas is trying to take the value crown by building the highest-end PC in this quarter's System Builder Marathon for $1,000. Can he out-do the value of Paul's $600 config or Don's $800 effort using solid-state storage?
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System Builder Marathon, Q1 2013: $800 Enthusiast PCFeb 26, 2013 - in Reviews
Last quarter, Don had $1,000 to spend on a mid-range enthusiast-oriented PC. This time around, we challenged him to build something better with $800. Is that even possible? Our System Builder Marathon continues, as we benchmark three hand-picked setups.
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System Builder Marathon, Q1 2013: $600 Gaming PCFeb 25, 2013 - in Reviews
After one quarter after another of Pentium-based budget-oriented gaming builds, Paul Henningsen is ready to put together something a little more potent. We gave him an extra $100 and asked him to show us how to spend that money. He obliged, gladly.
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2012: $2,000 Performance PCDec 5, 2012 - in Reviews
Last quarter, our highest-end build put an emphasis on host processing. This time around, we're setting our sights on gaming performance. That's not to say any part of this $2000 build suffers. It sports Radeon HD 7970s in CrossFire and a Core i7-3770K.
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2012: $1,000 Enthusiast PCDec 4, 2012 - in Reviews
Tired of seeing Intel CPUs dominate our System Builder Marathon? Finally, we have a processor from AMD able to go up against the fastest Core i5. We give its new FX-8350 a chance to distinguish itself in our final System Builder Marathon of 2012.
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2012: $500 Gaming PCDec 3, 2012 - in Reviews
We were hoping to kick this quarter's System Builder Marathon off with AMD's new Athlon X4 750K. But a lack of availability compels us back into the arms of Intel's dual-core Pentium. Happily, an affordable Radeon HD 7850 promises great performance.
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Build the Best PC With Us in Tom's Hardware Best ConfigsNov 27, 2012 - in News
Much time has passed since our last Best Configs update. We’re bringing the feature back, and need to get your feedback on the right components to use. Feel free to contribute ideas for the parts you’d recommend for each of these builds!
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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: $500 Gaming PCJun 6, 2012 - in Reviews
After stripping $150 from his already frugal budget, Paul is forced to make a tough gamble in order to hit his build goals. Will the decision to spend big on graphics bite him in the rear when he has to cut back on everything else, or is the choice sound?
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System Builder Marathon, June 2012: $2000 Performance PCJun 3, 2012 - in Reviews
After a little inflation over the past few quarters, we chop $600 off of the most recent build. Is there such a thing as more performance from a smaller budget? Thanks to Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture and GeForce GTX 680, the answer is: sometimes.
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System Builder Marathon Bonus: Newegg Customer Choice PCMar 29, 2012 - in Reviews
We've shown you our three System Builder Marathon picks. Now it's time for something new. Using Newegg's user ratings as a guide, we picked the site's most celebrated components, built a PC, and overclocked it. Can this "Customer Choice" setup compete?
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System Builder Marathon, March 2012: System Value ComparedMar 28, 2012 - in Reviews
Three different builders took two different approaches this quarter. Paul and Don struck out in search of more graphics performance, while Thomas gave up some GPU horsepower in favor of a stronger CPU. Whose strategy paid off? It's time to compare!
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System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $2600 Performance PCMar 27, 2012 - in Reviews
At four times the budget of our cheapest PC, today's build minimizes compromise in the name of delivering unparalleled quality, performance, and features. Thomas takes the opposite approach as Paul and Don, beefing up on his CPU. Was it the right call?
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System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $1250 Enthusiast PCMar 26, 2012 - in Reviews
Using the same sort of approach as Paul did yesterday, Don picks the parts for his System Builder Marathon machine with a bias toward gaming. How much performance can you expect from a mid-range PC sporting a $550 Radeon HD 7970? It's time to find out!
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System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $650 Gaming PCMar 25, 2012 - in Reviews
This quarter, we're starting our System Builder Marathon with a little experiment. Paul wanted to build a gaming PC for $650 that'd target smooth performance at 1920x1080. He had to make a couple of sacrifices in the process, but the result is compelling!
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System Builder Marathon, Dec. 2011: System Value ComparedDec 22, 2011 - in Reviews
A 20% budget boost for this quarter’s machines gave every builder room to fix former foibles, yet only the cheapest system showed big performance gains. What effect will those big and small changes have on price-per-performance proficiency?