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System Builder Marathon, March 2011: $2000 Bonus Build

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March 30, 2011 4:00:04 AM

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?

System Builder Marathon, March 2011: $2000 Bonus Build : Read more

More about : system builder marathon march 2011 2000 bonus build

March 30, 2011 4:09:04 AM

More opportunities to win a free giveaway!
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March 30, 2011 4:10:29 AM

Yay! 1 more chance to win!
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March 30, 2011 4:13:26 AM

Great build! Can't wait to see what is in store for next quarter!
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Anonymous
March 30, 2011 4:16:39 AM

Great SBM series. What about an AMD quad core vs. an AMD triple core (unlocked 4th core) vs. Core i3 value comparison?
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March 30, 2011 4:28:11 AM

Now this is pretty interesting. I wouldn't have suspected that the memory bandwidth reduction in the alternate build would have been as big of deal as it is. I think both builds are fantastic, but the NF200-equiped Asus board was one I myself was trying to obtain. It has been deactivated on the Egg, and the winner of the original $2000 build will be extra lucky indeed. Hopefully, it's me.
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March 30, 2011 4:37:22 AM

comptonNow this is pretty interesting. I wouldn't have suspected that the memory bandwidth reduction in the alternate build would have been as big of deal as it is. I think both builds are fantastic, but the NF200-equiped Asus board was one I myself was trying to obtain. It has been deactivated on the Egg, and the winner of the original $2000 build will be extra lucky indeed. Hopefully, it's me.
It was deactivated, but has since been reactivated:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Now when you win the second PC, there will be no need for sadness: You can upgrade it with the motherboard from the first!
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March 30, 2011 5:01:14 AM

I'd love to see more info on 16x/16x vs 8x/8x. I just looked at the last time you guys reviewed it, but it was only with a GTX480. Being one of many with a P55 8x/8x mobo, I really need to know what my best upgrade path would be... single top end card at 16x? Or CF/SLI again? Is the resolution going to be the deciding factor? Seems like high res sees less of a PCIe bottleneck at 8x, but maybe it's just due to framerates being lower? Need info! lol.
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March 30, 2011 5:09:53 AM

Wolfram23I'd love to see more info on 16x/16x vs 8x/8x. I just looked at the last time you guys reviewed it, but it was only with a GTX480.
Look for something in a week or two. And you're right to NOT bother with the GTX480 stuff, Nvidia cards need less bandwidth than AMD cards.
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March 30, 2011 5:09:57 AM

Quote:
It was deactivated, but has since been reactivated:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131714
Now when you win the second PC, there will be no need for sadness: You can upgrade it with the motherboard from the first!


This is why the SBM is the best thing going. A few other sites do similar articles, but Tom's is far and away the champion. Another well respected site doesn't even build the systems, but Tom's builds three (or four!) and gives 'em away like sweet delicious candy. Every build has its's own quirks, issues, and performance wins (losses too) that can't always be understood until the gear arrives and goes together. If system building was entirely predictable, no one would build their own. It's just more fun this way.
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March 30, 2011 5:32:47 AM

antec 300 again... im really not liking that case. you have any experience with the haf 912? it seems like a very nice case.

Anyway, i never understood why intel went with just 16 lanes on SB yet all the mobo makers market their ultra high end cross fire boards. :pt1cable: 
Thing I'm wondering is, if intel switched to 24 lanes, could the graphics cards work at 12x each for 2 way, and 8x for 3 way? i know a full 32 lanes is unlikely, that's why I'm asking.
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March 30, 2011 6:02:02 AM

i think i'll wait until the the Z67 is out.. will be interesting to see if quicksync will add anything performance wise.... and while i'm at it, will probably wait to see what AMD have in store with bulldozer.. i mean, i've waited 2 years, i think i can handle a few more months! but it's starting to get AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
yeah..
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March 30, 2011 6:58:07 AM

I liked this build too, its quite upto the mark.
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March 30, 2011 9:01:26 AM

Wolfram23I'd love to see more info on 16x/16x vs 8x/8x.


Over at HardOCP they did a good review on just that. Both bandwidths perform the same for current cards. However they only tested up to 4xAA at 2560x1440. Might be different at higher AA.
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March 30, 2011 9:10:20 AM

I can't help but wonder how things would've changed had those 6950s been unlocked. It might have negated the use for a follow-up article, I suppose.
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March 30, 2011 9:39:50 AM

Question for the guys at Toms, have you ever noticed "microstuttering" in your recent crossfire builds and reviews? Maybe you should do an article on this and how to overcome it. Maybe a "Crossfire guide" or something showing settings to change and how to get things to work properly. microstuttering, incompatability, instability and poor performance with some games are always reasons people do not choose crossfire. Can the experienced people at Toms shed some light on this subject?
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March 30, 2011 10:28:11 AM

"we doubt anyone building with these cards would choose anything less than 2560x1600"
I am running two GTX 570s in SLI at 1080p on a 120hz monitor. Its overkill for most older games, but some newer ones push it a bit. Using this setup gives nice high minimum framerates at max settings+4xAA in games like STALKER:COP complete, metro 2033(sans ADOF) and just cause 2. Keeps things noticeably smoother than one 570.
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March 30, 2011 12:39:43 PM

Thomas S., can you add a "1920x1080 resolution High End gaming Value performance/relative price" graph/illustration at the conclusion page in the future? I understand that these are enthusiast systems and part of the point of benchmarking the higher card 6970 system is to point out the performance increase at higher resolutions, but 2560x1600 monitors can go from $1000/2000+ on Newegg.com. Some people who splurge and build a $2000+ system may not have deep enough pockets to get anything higher than 1920x1080 and it would be great to have the informative percentage graphs for the suggested resolution.
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March 30, 2011 1:17:28 PM

If i won either of the 2000 pc's i would put them in a NZXT Phantom, because hey, if you've got almost 2k worth of parts in it you might as well have a sexy case, amirite?
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March 30, 2011 1:51:50 PM

Six of one, a half dozen of the other...with a $2K budget, it is much more difficult to build a "bad" system, than it is with a $500 budget to build a "good" one. The tradeoffs, while having measurable effect, are small and pretty meaningless to the user experience. I am absolutely not implying this was a waste of time; this comparison I hope served as a very good example that will assist others to not waste time.
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March 30, 2011 2:00:23 PM

Awesome addition to the set. I would love to win any of these machines.
I would have thought the 70's would have made a bigger difference in lower resolutions, but apparently not. Wish i had a 2560x1600 setup.
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March 30, 2011 2:12:46 PM

OK, I am not usually provoked into posting a comment after reading only the first page of a TH article.

But IMHO your choice of case is inexplicable as your budget still has $41 left and that allows the choice of a much superior chassis. At least you would avoid the length problem you had with your $2000 PC. Here is alist of possible replacements:

CM HAF 922:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Antec 900:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Antec 902 V3:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
XCLIO Windtunnel:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
RaidMax Quantum:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
IN WIN Ironclad:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
IN WIN Maelstrom:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Antec Dark Fleet DF-30:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
XCLIO A380PLUS-BK :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Sentey Burton Extreme Division
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Thermaltake Element G:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

After reading the whole article. I wonder where have the Eyefinity numbers gone?
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March 30, 2011 2:19:14 PM

For future article, in addition to the 16x16 vs 8x8, would be really nice to see 4x4 or 16x4 also used in comparison for those with cheaper p67 boards interested in crossfire, hard to find solid info on this out there for some reason.
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March 30, 2011 2:28:20 PM

After due consideration, I found that the Antec cases on my list have approximately the same dimension as the 300 so scratch them off.
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March 30, 2011 2:30:30 PM

CrashmanLook for something in a week or two. And you're right to NOT bother with the GTX480 stuff, Nvidia cards need less bandwidth than AMD cards.


what?
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March 30, 2011 2:30:49 PM

krinkles619If i won either of the 2000 pc's i would put them in a NZXT Phantom, because hey, if you've got almost 2k worth of parts in it you might as well have a sexy case, amirite?


Nah go with the Silverstone Raven-02!!
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March 30, 2011 2:33:22 PM

@youssef
While I agree they could've gone with a better case, you should realize a lot of people (myself, for example) don't like the gaudy, plasticky designs a lot of cases use. Most of the time, a slightly more expensive case isn't any better than a cheaper one but just has more LEDs, molded plastic, etc. It's entirely possible that it would require more than the ~$50 left over to actually get a better case than the 300, rather than just an equivalent or worse case with a different look.
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March 30, 2011 2:39:04 PM

AnUnusedUsername@youssefWhile I agree they could've gone with a better case, you should realize a lot of people (myself, for example) don't like the gaudy, plasticky designs a lot of cases use. Most of the time, a slightly more expensive case isn't any better than a cheaper one but just has more LEDs, molded plastic, etc. It's entirely possible that it would require more than the ~$50 left over to actually get a better case than the 300, rather than just an equivalent or worse case with a different look.


I suggested replacements to cure the graphics cards that were sticking to the drive cage which will prevent any further upgrades with taller cards. I don't have any issues with their choice beyond that
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March 30, 2011 2:44:59 PM

silverblueI can't help but wonder how things would've changed had those 6950s been unlocked. It might have negated the use for a follow-up article, I suppose.


Shhhh, let us have another opportunity to win one of these bad boys :)  :) 
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March 30, 2011 2:57:53 PM

dcompartThomas S., can you add a "1920x1080 resolution High End gaming Value performance/relative price" graph/illustration at the conclusion page in the future? I understand that these are enthusiast systems and part of the point of benchmarking the higher card 6970 system is to point out the performance increase at higher resolutions, but 2560x1600 monitors can go from $1000/2000+ on Newegg.com. Some people who splurge and build a $2000+ system may not have deep enough pockets to get anything higher than 1920x1080 and it would be great to have the informative percentage graphs for the suggested resolution.


that's why they said "or three 1280*1024 monitors in eyefinity"
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March 30, 2011 3:45:00 PM

Sweet. Send this system my way! Oh wait, I'm on the wrong side of the border :( 
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March 30, 2011 4:35:34 PM

I can't wait to upgrade from my q9400 based system. my gtx 470s are being held back :/ .I get jealous every time I read these articles
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March 30, 2011 5:52:10 PM

do I fill out the form once and I'm entered for all of the computers or do I have to fill out the form for each of the computers?
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Anonymous
March 30, 2011 7:59:03 PM

@James296:
"do I fill out the form once and I'm entered for all of the computers or do I have to fill out the form for each of the computers?"

One time only--more will DQ you.
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March 30, 2011 9:08:20 PM

This rig demands to be tested on Crysis 2. I expected more from the 6970s and there might be more of a difference on the next gen of FPS games.
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March 30, 2011 10:57:03 PM

I've noticed when I turn pages in FF4, the page scrolls left slightly and I have to move it back in order to read the left edge of text... not sure if it's a Firefox issue or an HTML issue, but it is getting annoying...
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March 31, 2011 12:02:28 AM

I would drop the i7 2600K for the i5 2500K, in gaming it doesn't make a difference and with saved cash you could put money into SSDs
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March 31, 2011 12:21:28 AM

hangfirew8I've noticed when I turn pages in FF4, the page scrolls left slightly and I have to move it back in order to read the left edge of text... not sure if it's a Firefox issue or an HTML issue, but it is getting annoying...
Using FF 3.6.12 here, and I get the same thing. I suspect Tom's has changed their HTML somewhere. Was fine yesterday.
joelmartinezI would drop the i7 2600K for the i5 2500K, in gaming it doesn't make a difference and with saved cash you could put money into SSDs
What he said ^^
Unless you need the HyperThreading (eg video processing), i5 2500K is identical to the i7 for gaming.
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March 31, 2011 12:52:50 AM

joelmartinezI would drop the i7 2600K for the i5 2500K, in gaming it doesn't make a difference and with saved cash you could put money into SSDs

In the end the possibilities are endless. There are some skilled builders here that would pick different hardware for focusing priorities differently. You have your point and since the PC is in essence a gaming machine it makes a lot of sense. Would it be oriented to multimedia I'd say including a sound card is a must; would it be a rig to be placed in a living room a better case makes more sense than anything else; would it handle work having a pair of HDD mirrored is necessary to prevent data losses.
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March 31, 2011 1:19:12 AM

mayankleoboy1i prefer the newer build. better performance where i need

Agreed. This was a successful tweak since it primarily is supposed to be a gaming PC after all.
Good job THG.
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March 31, 2011 1:33:28 AM

Pixel13@James296:"do I fill out the form once and I'm entered for all of the computers or do I have to fill out the form for each of the computers?"One time only--more will DQ you.
Yes, that's what everyone ELSE is hoping for ;) 
Dyers EveThis rig demands to be tested on Crysis 2. I expected more from the 6970s and there might be more of a difference on the next gen of FPS games.
You do know that the original Crysis, a DX10 game, is far more demanding on hardware than Crysis 2, a DX9 game, right?
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March 31, 2011 7:17:59 AM

Pretty decent results, although I was expecting it to beat out the original by a bit more
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March 31, 2011 5:02:49 PM

spammitPretty decent results, although I was expecting it to beat out the original by a bit more


yep. Because Crysis 2 was wriiten for PS3 and XBox 360. Nothing is really made for PC first anymore.
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March 31, 2011 5:52:29 PM

i love how this build focuses on the gaming ability +1 for me
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April 1, 2011 11:15:43 AM

I think I prefer the original build better. Higher quality motherboard and more balanced graphics.
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Anonymous
April 1, 2011 7:12:59 PM

I would like to see the original build with the 6950's flashed with the 6970's bios to compete with the new build. While it might void warranties some people (myself) might not care so much about whether or not my warranty is voided and if 5 minutes of effort can take the original build and improve it to be better than the new build (since it gets all the performance of the 6970s and retains the 16x16 crossfire of the original board) and still remains under 2k.
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April 2, 2011 3:43:59 AM

Send it my way! Lol!
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April 3, 2011 7:43:42 AM

Seems pretty funny that dual 6950's performed just about equal to dual 6970's. I mean sure you flashed the 50's but seems like a pretty bad blunder by ATI for the time being.

What's really funny is that the hardware is obviously on the card still but you're paying more for the 6970 than the 6950... why ship it with disabled anything instead of just sell it all at the same price point? I mean if the components are still there on the card why drop the price? Good for us i suppose :D  crossed fingers to win any of the systems... looking to replace this 775 pentium D system haha.
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April 3, 2011 5:37:51 PM

When are people going to stop building PCs with ridiculous glowing fans?
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April 4, 2011 4:15:28 PM

give me some freaking specs on minimum fps and tell us the truth about the flickering and microstuttering with these x fire setups
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