System Builder Marathon, May '09: $600 Gaming PC
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Anonymous
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Gaming
May 27, 2009 6:00:16 AM
You've already seen our $2,500 and $1,300 Core i7-based builds. Now we're going to try to put together a miniaturized gaming system on a $600 budget (which is no easy feat). Remember that this system, like the other two, will be given away.
System Builder Marathon, May '09: $600 Gaming PC : Read more
System Builder Marathon, May '09: $600 Gaming PC : Read more
More about : system builder marathon 600 gaming
doomtomb
May 27, 2009 6:07:46 AM
IzzyCraft
May 27, 2009 6:15:16 AM
Yeah while you generally can find a 4890 10 dollars cheaper then a GTX275 the reverse is true when it comes to a 4870 and GTX260.
Interesting i would have thought you would have went with a kuma due to limited oc ability in a cramped "gaming box", although you did make the oc worth while.
I understand the rest of the build; though the case looks more like a media box then a gaming box those cramped boxes amaze and worry me as even my htpc is very well cooled and silent due to being very low heat as in not a oced cpu and a power hungry gpu.
Interesting i would have thought you would have went with a kuma due to limited oc ability in a cramped "gaming box", although you did make the oc worth while.
I understand the rest of the build; though the case looks more like a media box then a gaming box those cramped boxes amaze and worry me as even my htpc is very well cooled and silent due to being very low heat as in not a oced cpu and a power hungry gpu.
Score
3
Related resources
- System Builder Marathon, May '09: $1,300 Enthusiast PC - Forum
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- Help! System Builder Marathon, Q2 2014: Our Budget Gaming PC - Forum
- WEIGH IN: Jan.09 System Builder Marathon ~$1250 system components - Forum
- Looking at System Builder Marathon (or any other PC) for New Build - Forum
IronRyan21
May 27, 2009 6:16:04 AM
IzzyCraft
May 27, 2009 6:25:21 AM
dirtmountain
May 27, 2009 6:25:36 AM
cinergy
May 27, 2009 6:29:16 AM
erdinger
May 27, 2009 7:20:33 AM
dirtmountain
May 27, 2009 7:27:05 AM
It is a lovely build, but the all around performance would be better with a Phenom2 x3 720, something that was achievable at the typical $625- $650 budget build price tag. If you look at the last 4 budget builds you get a E5200, E5300, E7300 and now yet another E5200. Give us a break, is the next one going to feature the E6300, then another E5200? As for the enthusiast, we get an i7, then a core2 duo, then a core2 quad, now another i7. Is it all around performance? or gaming performance? or just Intel performance? How can any reader know how the AMDs will stand up in these marathons if they never get the chance? With the new quarterly offering of the SBM it will be 3 months before another series comes out, just in time to see yet another i7, i5 and the E6300 builds. It's not as if the people waiting and wanting to see an AMD build are any surprise to Toms SBM or that they're disappointed to see AMD excluded once again. I'm disappointed myself even though Pauls build is a really nice one.
Score
28
sandoness
May 27, 2009 7:37:59 AM
justjc
May 27, 2009 7:53:46 AM
The explanation we have heard earlier, for he use of only Intel CPUs, is that Tom's Hardware base their builds on what hardware they have available. Why they don't have the money for a single Phenom II in their budget I don't know.
The reason could offcause be that Intel gives a hefty rebate/will only deliver free chips, if AMD is left out of the builds, after all they have a history of such dealings
(see rulings from the EU, Japan and South Korea)
Perhaps we should start a collection and buy Tom's Hardware a couple of Phenom IIs, at least that would show if availability, of AMD CPUs, is the issue.
The reason could offcause be that Intel gives a hefty rebate/will only deliver free chips, if AMD is left out of the builds, after all they have a history of such dealings
(see rulings from the EU, Japan and South Korea)Perhaps we should start a collection and buy Tom's Hardware a couple of Phenom IIs, at least that would show if availability, of AMD CPUs, is the issue.
Score
1
presidenteody
May 27, 2009 7:55:59 AM
manitoublack
May 27, 2009 7:58:56 AM
Next SBM all the same price points, but 2 systems at each price-point. 1 AMD the other Intel. Settle it once and for all
I know Tom's has spare cash. I'd guess you'd need to use the same graphics cards at each price-point, for a fair comparison.
Another odd point is that after giving major props to the R770 in X-Fire for it's great value, to see that solution missing in a value shootout. That said space and X-fire compatibility was obviously an issue.
Another great build, and look forward to seeing Junes take on value.
I know Tom's has spare cash. I'd guess you'd need to use the same graphics cards at each price-point, for a fair comparison. Another odd point is that after giving major props to the R770 in X-Fire for it's great value, to see that solution missing in a value shootout. That said space and X-fire compatibility was obviously an issue.
Another great build, and look forward to seeing Junes take on value.
Score
4
justjcThe explanation we have heard earlier, for he use of only Intel CPUs, is that Tom's Hardware base their builds on what hardware they have available. Why they don't have the money for a single Phenom II in their budget I don't know. The reason could offcause be that Intel gives a hefty rebate/will only deliver free chips, if AMD is left out of the builds, after all they have a history of such dealings (see rulings from the EU, Japan and South Korea)Perhaps we should start a collection and buy Tom's Hardware a couple of Phenom IIs, at least that would show if availability, of AMD CPUs, is the issue.
The way this works is simple. We cooperate with Newegg to make each System Builder Marathon happen. We have a budget and buy all of the hardware in each of these straight from Newegg. Most of the time, the configurations are selected based on feedback from the forums. We have something coming up next week for the folks who'd like to see some more AMD overclocking. But for this series, the Intel processors and Nvidia cards made the most sense given our respective price points.
Score
5
anamaniac
May 27, 2009 8:17:05 AM
Nice build.
Micro-ATX for the win!
A full size tower just wouldn't work for me. I have my cramped micro in a situation were it's already too big.
Though I may go for a full-atx, and get a 10 foot mouse/keyboard/DVI/speaker cables, and throw it in my closet.
I'd like to see the cheapest gaming computer you cuold do and the performance though.
Say, a AMD 5050e (for lower power consumption than kuma), micro atx, 4770 (over 4830 for power consumption), 250GB hdd etc.
See how much muscle it has, how much power it uses, and how quiet you can make it. (extreme budget water cooling guide maybe?)
I know I'd be interested in the results of that build, because rent is just too much.
Thanks Toms.
Micro-ATX for the win!
A full size tower just wouldn't work for me. I have my cramped micro in a situation were it's already too big.
Though I may go for a full-atx, and get a 10 foot mouse/keyboard/DVI/speaker cables, and throw it in my closet.
I'd like to see the cheapest gaming computer you cuold do and the performance though.
Say, a AMD 5050e (for lower power consumption than kuma), micro atx, 4770 (over 4830 for power consumption), 250GB hdd etc.
See how much muscle it has, how much power it uses, and how quiet you can make it. (extreme budget water cooling guide maybe?)
I know I'd be interested in the results of that build, because rent is just too much.
Thanks Toms.
Score
1
kelfen
May 27, 2009 8:38:11 AM
Because these systems come from actual retail orders, we rely on hardware being available in order for it to appear here. The 4770 is not a good candidate.
Score
0
The best build of the bunch. That's a whole lot of value for 600 bucks.
The only nit I have to pick is that the OCZ 550W is untested and possibly an inferior PSU, even for OCZ. It's larger sibling is decent, but it's clearly built by a different OEM. I doubt it's a BAD PSU though. Not like the junk a certain other site allows in their builds.
The only nit I have to pick is that the OCZ 550W is untested and possibly an inferior PSU, even for OCZ. It's larger sibling is decent, but it's clearly built by a different OEM. I doubt it's a BAD PSU though. Not like the junk a certain other site allows in their builds.
Score
3
obarthelemy
May 27, 2009 9:19:43 AM
Sihastru
May 27, 2009 10:13:13 AM
I know it's not in the budget, but for a build like this, I would go with the Silverstone SG-05 (with the bundled SFX PSU, very few choices there), Zotac 9300 mini-ITX WiFi, and keep the rest of the components with maybe the exception of the HDD where I only have eyes for the 640GB Western Digitals (Blue or Black, no green nonsense for me)...
Now that would be impressively small and yet powerful.
Now that would be impressively small and yet powerful.
Score
-1
JohnMD1022
May 27, 2009 10:51:39 AM
Another piece of junk Seagate drive. At one point last year I had 9 dead Seagates in my shop at the same time.
I just sent 2 back for warranty replacement and one of the 'new' ones was DOA.
I swore off Seagate when a brand new drive was DOA and they tried to replace it with a refurb of different capacity.
What good is a 5 year warranty when the replacement is the same junk as the one that failed?
I just sent 2 back for warranty replacement and one of the 'new' ones was DOA.
I swore off Seagate when a brand new drive was DOA and they tried to replace it with a refurb of different capacity.
What good is a 5 year warranty when the replacement is the same junk as the one that failed?
Score
0
zehpavora
May 27, 2009 11:29:15 AM
DjEaZy
May 27, 2009 11:38:25 AM
... in this part of the world AsRock is a swearword, because of the poor quality...
... and pchip too... and... where is Radeons??? Common!!! ...some Phenom's??? Common!!! WTF!?!?! Ok... intel is now desperate... they need the cash to pay the 'EU bill'... and even when AMD/ATI is not so good at price/performance point, than show it to us... please?!
... and pchip too... and... where is Radeons??? Common!!! ...some Phenom's??? Common!!! WTF!?!?! Ok... intel is now desperate... they need the cash to pay the 'EU bill'... and even when AMD/ATI is not so good at price/performance point, than show it to us... please?! Score
-1
Anonymous
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Gaming
May 27, 2009 12:04:43 PM
sychodelix
May 27, 2009 12:13:31 PM
Crashman
May 27, 2009 12:27:55 PM
sychodelixAll MicroATX for 3 builds and all are mainstream, not media centers. How...idiotic. Not to mention you totally ignore any AMD offerings even when it could turn out giving you more for your money. This is about the last one of these builder marathons I think I'll be reading.
You're suggesting media centers for portability? How...lame.
Then you say AMD was ignored when...well, look at some processor reviews, including overclocking, then check prices.
You don't need to read any more articles, anywhere. It appears you already have your mind made up.
Score
2
ahslan
May 27, 2009 12:54:10 PM
Crashman
May 27, 2009 1:09:35 PM
Ahslanhow the heck did they get that Silverstone Sugo SG01 case for $70?!?!?!? cuz the list price of it on newegg is $110 (not including a $15 mail-in rebate)...I also expected to see an AMD platform here...*le sigh*
Here's the problem: Show me an AMD CPU and motherboard, together for $132 total, that can do 3.5 GHz with a low-profile cooler.
Yeh, these are overclocked PC's, overclocking will be used in the competition, and nobody wants to lose.
Score
0
KT_WASP
May 27, 2009 1:15:32 PM
AMD gets the shaft again....
Why cant IntelsHarwareGuide... er I mean NividiasHardwareGuide er I mean TomsHardwareGuide ever use AMD/ATI as a base for one of these builds?
Toms build based off of Intel/Nividia:
Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 2.5GHz = $70
XFX GX260XADJF GeForce GTX 260 Core Edition Core 216 896 MB = $170
Total = $240
Why not work with this?
AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition Kuma 2.8GHz Socket AM2+ = $74
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100273L Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 = $155
Total = $229
Your telling me thats not a good starting point??
pffftt
Why cant IntelsHarwareGuide... er I mean NividiasHardwareGuide er I mean TomsHardwareGuide ever use AMD/ATI as a base for one of these builds?
Toms build based off of Intel/Nividia:
Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 2.5GHz = $70
XFX GX260XADJF GeForce GTX 260 Core Edition Core 216 896 MB = $170
Total = $240
Why not work with this?
AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition Kuma 2.8GHz Socket AM2+ = $74
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100273L Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 = $155
Total = $229
Your telling me thats not a good starting point??
pffftt
Score
-4
Crashman
May 27, 2009 1:23:44 PM
KT_WaspAMD gets the shaft again....Why cant IntelsHarwareGuide... er I mean NividiasHardwareGuide er I mean TomsHardwareGuide ever use AMD/ATI as a base for one of these builds?Toms build based off of Intel/Nividia:Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 2.5GHz = $70XFX GX260XADJF GeForce GTX 260 Core Edition Core 216 896 MB = $170Total = $240Why not work with this?AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition Kuma 2.8GHz Socket AM2+ = $74SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100273L Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 = $155Total = $229Your telling me thats not a good starting point??pffftt
Shafted eh? Show me a sub-$70 motherboard that can push the 7850 to at least 3.5 GHz in a thermally-restricted case....
Whoops! You'd better make that 3.8 GHz since it's an AMD processor.
Score
2
bill gates is your daddy
May 27, 2009 1:26:02 PM
bill gates is your daddy
May 27, 2009 1:43:08 PM
http://feedbacks.tomshardware.com/pages/16334-article-i...
I have made the suggestion before and will continue to suggest it. Make a real world comparison against an Intel/Nvidia vs AMD/ATI machine. Create a spending cap that you cannot go over but going under is welcome and adds points to the end value of the build. See which one really comes out ahead.
That is if Intel/Nvidia will allow you to do such a comparison.
I have made the suggestion before and will continue to suggest it. Make a real world comparison against an Intel/Nvidia vs AMD/ATI machine. Create a spending cap that you cannot go over but going under is welcome and adds points to the end value of the build. See which one really comes out ahead.
That is if Intel/Nvidia will allow you to do such a comparison.
Score
6
I'm a little disappointed in this one. On a performance scale of 1-10, stock/overclocked, at this level I'd much rather see 5/6 than 3/7. By way of comparison, at the high end I'd expect 9/10, and mid-range 7/9. For $2.5K, the high-end system should not have to be overclocked to get decent performance, and for $1.3K I would expect a system that is specifically intended to be overclocked, but at $600 I want to see better stock performance. The e5200 is a mutt at stock. Overclocking results are so highly variable, and a high one can shorten component life, so I'd like to see the low-end machine perform better at stock. This is not an AMD vs. Intel whinge, but a 720BE or 7850X2 would have been much better here, or perhaps an Intel e7400. The person looking to build at this price point may not yet be comfortable with [high] overclocking, or have the budget to replace overstressed parts.
I'm not thrilled about the PSU choice, especially when an adequate PC Power & Cooling or Antec Earthwatts would have been cheaper and better. Still, that one could yet test well, modular cabling is a big plus in cramped systems, and total power draw is apparently safely low.
I did like the video card selected. Although I've been buying ATI lately, the text that went along with this one explained very nicely how it turned out to be a great choice.
If I were to win this system, I'd likely put my Q9450 in it and possibly replace the PSU, then I'd be very happy with it. The case is nice.
I'm not thrilled about the PSU choice, especially when an adequate PC Power & Cooling or Antec Earthwatts would have been cheaper and better. Still, that one could yet test well, modular cabling is a big plus in cramped systems, and total power draw is apparently safely low.
I did like the video card selected. Although I've been buying ATI lately, the text that went along with this one explained very nicely how it turned out to be a great choice.
If I were to win this system, I'd likely put my Q9450 in it and possibly replace the PSU, then I'd be very happy with it. The case is nice.
Score
5
radiowars
May 27, 2009 1:45:16 PM
KT_WaspAMD gets the shaft again....Why cant IntelsHarwareGuide... er I mean NividiasHardwareGuide er I mean TomsHardwareGuide ever use AMD/ATI as a base for one of these builds?Toms build based off of Intel/Nividia:Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 2.5GHz = $70XFX GX260XADJF GeForce GTX 260 Core Edition Core 216 896 MB = $170Total = $240Why not work with this?AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition Kuma 2.8GHz Socket AM2+ = $74SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100273L Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 = $155Total = $229Your telling me thats not a good starting point??pffftt
Lol, a 4850 compared to a GTX 260? Right....
Also, the E5200 uses 30W less power, meaning it can OC higher, and can actually work in the mini-tower.
Score
0
Crashman
May 27, 2009 1:48:11 PM
MAD4AMD
May 27, 2009 1:52:51 PM
I agree with Crashman, that Intel would be much better choice for overclocker here, but...
It's so called gaming pc, you can't ignore the fact, that 7850 (not even talking about 720) would preform !much! better @ stock in games on any AM2+ board.
So here's a thing - if I'm common user who doesn't overclock or simply I don't want to do it, is it really THE RIGHT BUILD for me? As it is System Builder not Overclocker marathon... Well that's just a thing for a thought. I personally like to see overclocking, so I respect this choice!
It's so called gaming pc, you can't ignore the fact, that 7850 (not even talking about 720) would preform !much! better @ stock in games on any AM2+ board.
So here's a thing - if I'm common user who doesn't overclock or simply I don't want to do it, is it really THE RIGHT BUILD for me? As it is System Builder not Overclocker marathon... Well that's just a thing for a thought. I personally like to see overclocking, so I respect this choice!
Score
6
fausto
May 27, 2009 1:53:00 PM
gabitu
May 27, 2009 1:54:50 PM
2500$ system, 1250 $ system and now even 625 $ system are all based on the intel cpus and nvidia graphics........SHAME on u Tom's hardware for this.
As this guy "Jon Bach, Puget Systems" said a few days ago in one of tom's articles: " Our AMD rep does send us the occasional sample product, and we appreciate that. But while Intel is visiting us in person once a quarter,AMD has yet to send anyone out to us, ever. "
So that means that AMD has to KISS SOME ASS to get one of their products in an article like this. And it is clear that INTEL is LICKING not kissing tom's ass........
I'm not an AMD fan , i'm an costumer, i want to know my choises........
As this guy "Jon Bach, Puget Systems" said a few days ago in one of tom's articles: " Our AMD rep does send us the occasional sample product, and we appreciate that. But while Intel is visiting us in person once a quarter,AMD has yet to send anyone out to us, ever. "
So that means that AMD has to KISS SOME ASS to get one of their products in an article like this. And it is clear that INTEL is LICKING not kissing tom's ass........
I'm not an AMD fan , i'm an costumer, i want to know my choises........
Score
-3
Crashman
May 27, 2009 2:01:44 PM
gabitu2500$ system, 1250 $ system and now even 625 $ system are all based on the intel cpus and nvidia graphics........SHAME on u Tom's hardware for this.As this guy "Jon Bach, Puget Systems" said a few days ago in one of tom's articles: " Our AMD rep does send us the occasional sample product, and we appreciate that. But while Intel is visiting us in person once a quarter,AMD has yet to send anyone out to us, ever. "So that means that AMD has to KISS SOME ASS to get one of their products in an article like this. And it is clear that INTEL is LICKING not kissing tom's ass........I'm not an AMD fan , i'm an costumer, i want to know my choises........
It's about putting together a parts list for the single best PC the builder can think of within his budget. He can only build on PC. That doesn't leave much room for choices.
Score
0
wamsi9634
May 27, 2009 2:15:17 PM
scryer_360
May 27, 2009 2:35:28 PM
Micro-ATX on $600? Win.
Not using a X3 710? Hmmm the X3 710 on an AM2+ or AM2 motherboard, use DDR2 ram, and give it two 4770s, what would the price on that be? There are motherboards that support such a configuration, many below $100. $100 mobo + $120 cpu+ $200 in two 4770s = $420. The rest is memory, psu, case, DVD drive and PSU. All that to find on $180-$200 (breaking the budget some)? And staying Micro-ATX?
That is why Toms used the E5200. There are AMD dual cores available, but none will match a C2D of equivalent price.
Not using a X3 710? Hmmm the X3 710 on an AM2+ or AM2 motherboard, use DDR2 ram, and give it two 4770s, what would the price on that be? There are motherboards that support such a configuration, many below $100. $100 mobo + $120 cpu+ $200 in two 4770s = $420. The rest is memory, psu, case, DVD drive and PSU. All that to find on $180-$200 (breaking the budget some)? And staying Micro-ATX?
That is why Toms used the E5200. There are AMD dual cores available, but none will match a C2D of equivalent price.
Score
3
KT_WASP
May 27, 2009 3:19:35 PM
Well... for all of you bashing the 7850 Kuma... do some research first! At stock speeds it beats the E5200 easily.. and there are reviews out there that compared them overclocked as well. One particular review (@bit-tech) shows the E5200 OC'ed to 4.0GHz and it only beat out the stock 7850 Kuma by an average of 6 frame rates in games.....Then they overclocked the Kuma to only 3.1GHz ,air cooled, and that gap closed to about 4 frame rates......
Toms overclocked theirs to 3.6GHz.. so if a 4GHz E5200 only beats a STOCK Kuma by 6 frame rates average, how many frame rates does that reduce to with the E5200 at 3.6GHz???
WOW... amazing performance over the lowly AMD!! Give me a break already! The majority of computer owners don't even overclock.. and these finding make me wonder why I would choose a E5200 and have to overclock it that much, just to gain a very few frames in a game??
I've owned Intel and AMD respectively.. but when it comes to the lower end budget builds, AMD can not be beat for price performance
Toms overclocked theirs to 3.6GHz.. so if a 4GHz E5200 only beats a STOCK Kuma by 6 frame rates average, how many frame rates does that reduce to with the E5200 at 3.6GHz???
WOW... amazing performance over the lowly AMD!! Give me a break already! The majority of computer owners don't even overclock.. and these finding make me wonder why I would choose a E5200 and have to overclock it that much, just to gain a very few frames in a game??
I've owned Intel and AMD respectively.. but when it comes to the lower end budget builds, AMD can not be beat for price performance
Score
3
roynaldi
May 27, 2009 3:33:32 PM
Perhaps its just me never noticing that the Vista Ultimate 64bit is NOT included in the price... at $175 (NewEgg) this would greatly skew the hardware you can purchase, especially on this budget build.
Pls correct me if I missed it somewhere, in this article or in the past, but unless you are going to use a Linux based OS, or Win 7(temporary soln), I would think the price of the OS should be included.
If they included the price of the OS in this build, there would only be $425 left for hardware!!!! MUCH different build.
Pls correct me if I missed it somewhere, in this article or in the past, but unless you are going to use a Linux based OS, or Win 7(temporary soln), I would think the price of the OS should be included.
If they included the price of the OS in this build, there would only be $425 left for hardware!!!! MUCH different build.
Score
1
Sihastru
May 27, 2009 3:41:28 PM
roynaldiPerhaps its just me never noticing that the Vista Ultimate 64bit is NOT included in the price... at $175 (NewEgg) this would greatly skew the hardware you can purchase, especially on this budget build. Pls correct me if I missed it somewhere, in this article or in the past, but unless you are going to use a Linux based OS, or Win 7(temporary soln), I would think the price of the OS should be included. If they included the price of the OS in this build, there would only be $425 left for hardware!!!! MUCH different build.
Since they'll use the same OS for all systems, it makes no difference if the price for it is included or not. Do you think they include the price for all the 3dMark versions, for all other testing tools, for all the tested games?
Don't tell me they use timedemos, I won't build a $2500 PC to "play" 3dMark and timedemos...
The idea is the software part is the same, it's the hardware that's different.
Score
2
Anonymous
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Gaming
May 27, 2009 3:43:46 PM
Mach5Motorsport
May 27, 2009 3:48:46 PM
dirtmountain
May 27, 2009 3:51:35 PM
Simple - Here's a $625 micro build for $624 (the usual price for the SBM budget build) Features a LAN friendly case, Phenom2 x3 720 and a 4870GPU.
CPU - $140 P2 x3 720
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Mobo - $72 Asrock 780G 710SB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
RAM - $50 same as SBM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
GPU - $155 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Case - $33 Apex TX-381
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
PSU - $70 Antec 500w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Cooler - $25 HDT S963
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
HD - WD SE16 320GB $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Burner - $26 Sony
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Now tell me that this system wouldn't outperform the E5200 SBM build.
CPU - $140 P2 x3 720
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Mobo - $72 Asrock 780G 710SB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
RAM - $50 same as SBM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
GPU - $155 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Case - $33 Apex TX-381
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
PSU - $70 Antec 500w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Cooler - $25 HDT S963
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
HD - WD SE16 320GB $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Burner - $26 Sony
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Now tell me that this system wouldn't outperform the E5200 SBM build.
Score
4
ahslan
May 27, 2009 3:52:00 PM
erdinger
May 27, 2009 4:01:10 PM
obarthelemyOn the $600 system, do you feel the performance is limited by the CPU, or by the vidcard ? I'm looking into getting a new PC, for around $800-900, and I was wondering if I should put a bit more money in the vidcard or the cpu (I'm getting bigger HD's for sure).
I would upgrade the Cpu and leave the gpu
Score
-1
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