Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question

System Builder Marathon, December 2010: $2000 PC

Tags:
  • System Builder
  • Performance
  • New Build
  • Product
Last response: in Reviews comments
Share
December 13, 2010 4:00:03 AM

With all of your feedback from last quarter's System Builder Marathon under our belts, this time around, we attempt to fit a no-sacrifice, luxury and performance build into our moderately-high $2000 budget. Will this new build succeed on all fronts?

System Builder Marathon, December 2010: $2000 PC : Read more

More about : system builder marathon december 2010 2000

December 13, 2010 4:13:13 AM

The link to enter the giveaway doesn't work!

I would love to be first to enter :) 
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 4:18:58 AM

i think im gona get a revo 2 drive ssd to upgrade my current build.... all thanks to santa !!
m
2
l
Related resources
December 13, 2010 4:31:51 AM

Its good to know that choosing the wrong memory can affect performance in such a way.
m
7
l
December 13, 2010 4:49:01 AM

I'm pretty surprised we didn't see Geforce GTX 570s in this build, I guess they got released too late to make it here.
m
7
l
December 13, 2010 4:57:52 AM

>> First time in recent memory
"Cough Cough" Lame Pun
m
2
l
December 13, 2010 5:01:23 AM

Wow that Mushkin memory really jacked up this benchmark.
m
2
l
December 13, 2010 5:10:13 AM

Most perfect build ever ? Just read the configs yet, and I think that's a possibility.

Now don't skin me if the config proves to be a flop in the coming pages. Just read the first page and couldn't resist a comment.
m
-1
l
December 13, 2010 5:16:28 AM

Why not replace the two ssd's with a single intel 120gb... same price and now on 35nm
m
-5
l
December 13, 2010 5:17:07 AM

I think this one can be trimmed to a very good $1500 build as well. Change the CPU to i5 760, remove one of the cards, one of the SSDs, and you'll need lower capacity PSU for that, let's slash $30-$50 there, you get a very good PC for $1500.
m
-1
l
December 13, 2010 5:23:35 AM

And oh, cheapen the case as well. There's no free lunch. You gotta sacrifice some silence to gains some frame rates.
m
-1
l
December 13, 2010 5:44:58 AM

Get rid of MW2 in benchmarks for Battlefield Bad Company 2 and add in Starcraft 2 in my opinion. Nice computer, that's too bad about the memory.
m
6
l
December 13, 2010 6:12:40 AM

Having $2000, I would take i5 760 + 2 x gtx580
m
7
l
December 13, 2010 6:15:48 AM

I agree with the people above who mentioned i5 760 and GTX 570. I was thinking the same thing when I saw the config. IMO, $2000 would give you far better performance in games, especially with high resolution and quality:

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 - $125
Intel i5 760 - $205
Scythe Mugen 2 - 47
Cooler Master HAF 932 - $140
GTX 570 2x SLI $700
Samsung F3 1TB - $70
Crucial 128GB C300 - $275
CORSAIR XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 - $125
Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1000 1000W - $170
Lite-On iHBS112 Blu-ray Drive: 12x BD-R, 16x DVD±R - $120
Total: $1977

All prices without rebates included. The $23 left over can be used to pay for the shipping where applicable. Also, an SSD can be replaced for a cheaper one to save a little money, if that's your thing.
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 6:19:50 AM

But isn't this worse than the previous $2000 PC?
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 6:34:40 AM

why is single intel 120GB better than 2x 64GB RAID 0? I thought the later twice the speed than a single SSD?
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 6:44:36 AM

$2000 config with TWO gtx 580:
ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA 1156 - $179
Core i5-760 - $205
Noctua NH-U12P - $75
Kingston DDR3 4gb - $56
ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ 920W - $200
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 2Tb - $100
COOLER MASTER CM690 II Advanced Black Steel - $80
GTX580 x2 (SLI) - $1100

Total price: $2005
m
2
l
December 13, 2010 6:52:55 AM

This build with 2 GTX 580 is nice. The only thing is that a lot people would have a problem paying $2000 and not getting blue ray and SSD. Not that it affects gaming in a big way as much as a good graphics card does, but it still counts.
m
-1
l
December 13, 2010 7:08:52 AM

gti88$2000 config with TWO gtx 580:ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA 1156 - $179Core i5-760 - $205Noctua NH-U12P - $75Kingston DDR3 4gb - $56ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ 920W - $200SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 2Tb - $100COOLER MASTER CM690 II Advanced Black Steel - $80GTX580 x2 (SLI) - $1100Total price: $2005

Good for gaming and nothing else.
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 7:10:41 AM

Probably one of the most balanced (and i mean that in a good way) build i've seen in a while. (though i do miss the exotic 4x4850 from Don a while back, and i do hope u bring that back some day)
Tamz_mscIts good to know that choosing the wrong memory can affect performance in such a way.

And yes +1 for that and for Thomas, i'm looking forward to a follow-up article on that specific issue.
m
3
l
December 13, 2010 7:55:11 AM

Why there is no 3D Mark 11 benchmark?
The basic is free, isn't it
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 7:58:28 AM

fstrthnuI'm pretty surprised we didn't see Geforce GTX 570s in this build, I guess they got released too late to make it here.
Actually, even the Radeon 6850 and 6870 was released too late for this one...it was ordered in October. We've got to do something about the time table!
hemburgerWhy not replace the two ssd's with a single intel 120gb... same price and now on 35nm
Two against one, these Sandforce based drives are far faster in "RAID 0" even if the R in RAID is misused
kkidduI think this one can be trimmed to a very good $1500 build as well. Change the CPU to i5 760, remove one of the cards, one of the SSDs, and you'll need lower capacity PSU for that, let's slash $30-$50 there, you get a very good PC for $1500.
Drive performance will be part of the benchmark going forward and represents "Program Launch Time". All of the programs wouldn't have fit on half the capacity.
Tamz_msc@barmaleyEverything is fine except the motherboard and here's why:http://www.hardware-revolution.com [...] e-problem/
One of Tom's Hardware's articles even mentions why the P55-UD3R is a superior gaming platform compared to the P55A-UD3R. Kill two birds with one stone on the X58!
gti88$2000 config with TWO gtx 580:ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA 1156 - $179Core i5-760 - $205Noctua NH-U12P - $75Kingston DDR3 4gb - $56ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ 920W - $200SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 2Tb - $100COOLER MASTER CM690 II Advanced Black Steel - $80GTX580 x2 (SLI) - $1100Total price: $2005
That looks like a great gaming configuration, sans ODD but then again I guess you could get all your games through STEAM...how would you load Windows?
edwinjrWhy there is no 3D Mark 11 benchmark?The basic is free, isn't it
Sorry that this "new" article is five weeks old...
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 9:15:35 AM

Beautiful! I love this build. Too bad I don't live in the US.
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 9:25:50 AM

amk09The link to enter the giveaway doesn't work! I would love to be first to enter


Sorry about that--the contest page isn't quite ready. It'll be going live in the morning and the story will be updated with the link (and the next several days of SBM pieces will include it, too). Thanks!!
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 9:36:37 AM

Haven't we been "warned" about RAIDing SSDs?
m
-2
l
December 13, 2010 9:57:29 AM

hmp_gooseHaven't we been "warned" about RAIDing SSDs?
Warned how? The best explanation I've heard was that "since RAID doesn't support TRIM (true), the cells wear out faster (false?)". Nobody has explained to me how preemptively erasing the cells (TRIM) adds longevity compared to over erasing on-the-fly (No TRIM). The same erase takes place either way, and I've never seen any evidence that wear-leveling algorithms, which are internal on the drive, are negated by RAID.

The only "warning" that makes sense to me is that the drives will slow down after all the cells have been used, making writes somewhat slower...but still faster than we'd see on a single drive (with TRIM).

m
1
l
December 13, 2010 10:09:16 AM

This was an entertaining read. I just wish that proper memory could have been used.

And where is the Crysis 8x AA that was referenced during the hardware installation? No Metro either? :/ 

Would a Core I7 x3 OC'd to 4.3 ghz really create a bottle neck for better gpus than two GTX 470's in SLI?
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 10:11:02 AM

One of the articles here few days back suggested that 8gb ram is good for 64 bit OS, than why not have that.
m
-1
l
December 13, 2010 11:33:46 AM

TheCapuletAgreed. MW2 is an awful game built on a ancient engine hobbled along to keep making activision $$$. Replacing it with ANYTHING current gen would be better.And honestly... I never realized memory could make that much of a difference. And here I was thinking I knew everything in the known world.
It was rather stunning, but had the expected memory shown up with the order...the system would have performed better from the outset, no questions would have been asked about memory bottlenecks, and we wouldn't have discovered the issue.
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 11:57:32 AM

The memory issue is an odd one. Could you slap some higher performing memory in there and rerun one of the tests that seem like they were most impacted? Just curious if it really is the memeory that has that profound of an impact or if its multiple issues that are additive like GPU scaling on this platform + memory performance.
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 12:08:51 PM

And to what display will you hook up your 2 GTX 580s to? Add another grand for a 1440 or 1600 display or three 1080 displays. Otherwise GTX 570 will output whatever the GTX 580 is outputting on a 1080 display, even though the 580 is processing more FPS.

Really, isn't it time Tom's should target a certain price point and a certain monitor resolution for your building marathons instead of price alone?

Crosair AX series PSUs and GTX 570 just came out and they are better options, but an Asus Sabertooth X58 review is overdue. These parts have no equal in their categories, for now.
m
2
l
December 13, 2010 12:27:24 PM

JamesSneedThe memory issue is an odd one. Could you slap some higher performing memory in there and rerun one of the tests that seem like they were most impacted? Just curious if it really is the memeory that has that profound of an impact or if its multiple issues that are additive like GPU scaling on this platform + memory performance.
The tests were used but the numbers weren't reported: It's about a 4% loss in 3 of the games with the 3780 Uncore clock, and 8% loss in one of the games with Uncore at 2x DRAM.
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 12:59:45 PM

Great Article & a Great System, although you can buy it now for $1824 from Newegg. Unfortunately, The fan has been deactivated and the optical drive is out of stock so.
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 1:09:42 PM

If I spent that much on a computer my wife might devorce me.
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 1:24:33 PM

Sound card?... facepalm
m
-4
l
December 13, 2010 1:24:45 PM

First time I've seen hard evidence of a memory bottleneck.
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 1:48:03 PM

Who spends more on the case than they do on SSDs??
m
0
l
Anonymous
December 13, 2010 1:51:51 PM

It is funny. I would choose the Sabertooth _exactly_ because the UD3R has lane sharing. That way I could use the third slot for e.g. a revodrive and not limit my crossfire/sli setup.
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 1:58:07 PM

Cheap RAM is cheap...
m
-2
l
December 13, 2010 2:00:34 PM

I too would like to see the difference in the AMD 6850/6870 crossfired. I am no means an AMD fanboy but several sites have been raging about how good a pair of 6850's in CF have been a tremendous value lately. The 6870s also would put some power savings back giving a higher efficiency rating. The 6870s would give the Eyefinity mentioned near the end. Maybe the $1500 build will be based on the i5-760 to see the CPU difference.
m
-1
l
December 13, 2010 2:19:08 PM

If by any chance I win this rig I am going to fix that memory bottleneck.
I'll even do a few benchmarks and see how it fairs after-wards and post the results.
m
1
l
December 13, 2010 2:46:50 PM

I'm so confused, the June 2010 computer is performing better with lower processor clocks? What is going on (on stock speeds), did someone leave the frame sync on or something?
Same Motherboard
Same Graphics (spec-wise)
Different RAM
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 2:48:32 PM

You mention changing the CPU fan for a lower speed model, and you mention memory bottlenecks in games. I would suggest that you spend the extra money to buy a replacement fan and replacement ram and rerun a few of your tests with the replacement components. I realize that a reader on a fixed budget might not be able to return components and buy new ones, but some enthusiasts would do this, even if they had to sell the almost new components at a slight loss. Even though it doesn't fit completely into the spirit of your build within a certain budget, it would be of value to your readers to see how the optimized components might work better.

Secondly, you are starting to use SSD's in the storage system. You should provide some tests to indicate to the readers how an SSD system performs. I've read your SSD test articles and while interesting, it is hard for me to understand how the various test results would impact real world performance. Maybe you need a few new tests- how long it takes a machine to boot, how long it takes to install a program, how long it takes a program to load, etc., things that the average user could relate to.
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 2:58:40 PM

hmmm, I wonder how the $1,000 and $500/$400builds are going to come out, hopefully better, considering prices have drop since last time
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 2:59:10 PM

If you bought that RAM from Newegg based on their photograph of it, I'd hope you'd be able to get them to send you the "real" stuff...

This system is nice, even though I know it would be wasted on me. My apps and games are sufficiently undemanding that I prefer to focus on low power and low noise. The case is fantastic, but I suspect if I win it I'd prefer to see if Tom's and the winner of one of the other two are willing to switch. If not, I'd only use one GPU, a much quieter CPU fan, and probably use the X-560 I already got for my next build for the PSU.
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 2:59:14 PM

Great system, but it's a shame about the RAM. I'm looking forward to the rest of the systems from this marathon, but I can't wait until the next round when we should see some new hardware making an appearance. Not that I would turn this system down if I were to win the giveaway or anything.
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 3:10:53 PM

TommySchCheap RAM is cheap...


Expensive Ram is stupid...

There's absolutely no noticeable performance benefit to high end RAM, not even to overclockers.
m
-1
l
December 13, 2010 3:23:05 PM

cadderYou mention changing the CPU fan for a lower speed model, and you mention memory bottlenecks in games. I would suggest that you spend the extra money to buy a replacement fan and replacement ram and rerun a few of your tests with the replacement components. I realize that a reader on a fixed budget might not be able to return components and buy new ones, but some enthusiasts would do this, even if they had to sell the almost new components at a slight loss. Even though it doesn't fit completely into the spirit of your build within a certain budget, it would be of value to your readers to see how the optimized components might work better.Secondly, you are starting to use SSD's in the storage system. You should provide some tests to indicate to the readers how an SSD system performs. I've read your SSD test articles and while interesting, it is hard for me to understand how the various test results would impact real world performance. Maybe you need a few new tests- how long it takes a machine to boot, how long it takes to install a program, how long it takes a program to load, etc., things that the average user could relate to.
Extended file system performance was not recorded for the previous system, so nothing was there to compare this to. The new data will be available in the Day 4 system comparison.
m
0
l
December 13, 2010 3:25:41 PM

coldmastI'm so confused, the June 2010 computer is performing better with lower processor clocks? What is going on (on stock speeds), did someone leave the frame sync on or something?Same MotherboardSame Graphics (spec-wise)Different RAM
Read the part at the end of the COD:MW2 test page, and keep these numbers in mind: 4% and 8%.
m
1
l
      • 1 / 3
      • 2
      • 3
      • Newest
!