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Your Top Picks: Tom's Hardware Forums' Q1 2013 BestConfigsMar 10, 2013 - in Reviews
So you like our System Builder Marathon? Ever come up with your own idea for a killer rig? Don't forget to tell us about it on the Tom's Hardware forums. The following ten setups were configured by forum members and chosen in Q1 2013 BestConfigs Poll.
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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: $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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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: $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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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, Dec. 2011: $600 Gaming PCDec 20, 2011 - in Reviews
You've already seen our first two System Builder Marathon configurations, both of which are more expensive than last quarter's. Our entry-level build costs a bit more too, but we think it's a much more capable collection of parts.
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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: $2000 Performance PCSep 19, 2011 - in Reviews
Falling memory prices make it easier to spend our $2000 budget on the fastest available components. How much faster is a pair of GeForce GTX 580s than two Radeon HD 6970 cards? Noticeably. But is the value any more compelling? You're about to find out.
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System Builder Marathon, June 2011: Value ComparedJun 23, 2011 - in Reviews
With so little happening in the hardware world since the beginning of this year, our second-quarter System Builder Marathon sees only minor hardware changes. But each builder unquestionably comes closer to dialing in ideal setups at each price point.
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System Builder Marathon, June 2011: $500 Gaming PCJun 22, 2011 - in Reviews
This quarter's $500 PC is sure to be a little controversial. We've built plenty of AMD-powered budget boxes in the past, but now we're testing the mettle of Intel's (multiplier-locked) Core i3-2100 in a gaming system priced right around $500.
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System Builder Marathon, March 2011: $2000 Bonus BuildMar 29, 2011 - in Reviews
We used our second chance opportunity to hand-pick a $2000 PC with even more graphics power, at a lower cost. Getting more powerful GPUs means compromising elsewhere to maintain the same budget, though. Will that decision affect this config's value?
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System Builder Marathon, March 2011: Value ComparedMar 28, 2011 - in Reviews
Day 4 of our System Builder Marathon compares performance achieved to money spent. With outright speed the top priority, can either of our high-end systems beat the low-cost build when it comes to value? Or will the middle machine strike the best balance?
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System Builder Marathon, March 2011: $2000 Performance PCMar 21, 2011 - in Reviews
Nick-of-time availability on revision B3-based P67 motherboards makes it possible for us to explore Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture in the fastest configuration competing in this quarter's System Builder Marathon. Is the result an overwhelming victory?
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System Builder Marathon, December 2010: Value, ComparedDec 19, 2010 - in Reviews
New benchmarks, new test methods, and new hardware mark exciting updates to this month’s System Builder Marathon. Today, we cover the most exciting part of all: the value competition. Remember, we're giving all three systems away, so enter to win them!
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System Builder Marathon: TH's $2000 Hand-Picked BuildSep 30, 2010 - in Reviews
Each quarter, our System Builder Marathons include parts picked by three Tom's Hardware editors aided by comments from our readers. This quarter, we're adding an Editor's Choice PC with parts hand-picked by Thomas to go up against the top SBM config.
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System Builder Marathon, Sept. 2010: $1000 Enthusiast PCSep 7, 2010 - in Reviews
In this quarter's System Builder Marathon, we balance out our CPU and graphics subsystems, rather than piling on the GPU performance like last time. The results are shocking, to be quite honest. Check out the performance of our $1000 enthusiast system.
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System Builder Marathon, June 2010: System Value ComparedJun 18, 2010 - in Reviews
Smaller budgets were the rule for this quarter’s System Builder Marathon, but better performance was the exception. How will this affect our multi-budget value comparison? Check out the performance results, and don't forget to register to win these boxes!
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System Builder Marathon, June 2010: $2,000 Performance PCJun 15, 2010 - in Reviews
Tom’s Hardware takes a more frugal approach this month, with a high-end PC that fits within the budget of most folks who call themselves power users. Will recent advances in hardware allow this $2,000 build to beat our $3,000 system from March?
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System Builder Marathon, March 2010: System Value ComparedMar 19, 2010 - in Reviews
Budget enhancements to this month’s SBM finally reflect last year’s price increases, allowing the return of liquid cooling at the high-end and Core i7 for the mid-priced systems. With big improvements to its bigger brothers, can the low-cost PC still win?
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System Builder Marathon, Dec. 2009: System Value ComparedDec 25, 2009 - in Reviews
Our mid-priced and high-end systems are ready to challenge the notion of value supremacy for low-cost parts. Will Intel’s latest architecture provide enough performance to break the $700 machine’s value winning monopoly? How do ATI's new GPUs factor in?
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System Builder Marathon, Dec. 2009: $700 Gaming PCDec 24, 2009 - in Reviews
Higher prices and out-of-stock parts caused us to rethink how we could pack more gaming power in our budget build. With cheaper DDR2-800 memory, we bet on the overclocking-friendly Intel Pentium E5x00 with two Radeon HD 4870s in CrossFire.