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System Builder Marathon, June 2012: $2000 Performance PC

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  • Performance
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June 4, 2012 3:46:03 AM

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.

System Builder Marathon, June 2012: $2000 Performance PC : Read more

More about : system builder marathon june 2012 2000 performance

June 4, 2012 5:18:13 AM

Very nice build, if only I had $1800 to spare
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4
June 4, 2012 5:24:12 AM

Well, is GTX 680 availability good enough now?
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5
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June 4, 2012 5:45:13 AM

i would never buy a green 5400 RPM over a 7200 RPM drive, no matter the cost.
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30
Anonymous
June 4, 2012 5:50:02 AM

Now imagine if two GTX 670 were available!!
Score
14
June 4, 2012 5:55:18 AM

Awesome Build!!

I have the exact same GTX 680 from ASUS, and I love it. Managed to get 1337Mhz out of the core and 6800 out of the memory. I achieved that with only 115% power limit. If I raise the power limit any higher, i start to loose performance and stability. That is a truly awesome memory oveerclock you got out of it! Congrats!

Very much looking foreward to the value comparison.
Would LOVE to see the 1800$ build win the value comparo!
GO GTX 680!!

My vote goes towards keeping a gaming focus as opposed to a more "all-in-one" type build.
Love the System Builder Articles, love Toms!
Score
10
June 4, 2012 5:56:23 AM

So many great cases to choose from with so many great features....
Score
8
June 4, 2012 5:59:23 AM

Unfortunately GTX 680 availability is still pretty spotty.
Had to spend 2 days on newegg, refreshing the page every few mins to get the model i wanted.
However, it IS looking better. They are listing them more often on newegg, and they don't sell-out as quickly as they were a few weeks ago.
Check newegg daily from 5:30pm to 6:30 pm CST, and you should be able to catch one.
The GTX 670's are in stock right now.
Good luck rohitbaran!
Score
5
June 4, 2012 6:26:15 AM

Quote:
should we keep the gaming focus or move back towards higher-cost do-it-all machines?
Personally, I'm happy with the gaming focus. Don't know how others feel but gaming performance is more important than productivity benchmarks for me. I compile a lot of code and do some video encoding but I find gaining fps in games is more important than shaving seconds off my work. Besides, productivity follows gaming performance close enough.

On another note, I dislike value comparisons when things like SSD size and optical drives have made an impact in price. A larger SSD does nothing for a benchmark but is awesome in practice. I'd prefer only comparing the combined price of the gpu, cpu, cooler(s) and mobo in the value chart. That's not a perfect solution but it annoys me that things like high quality PSUs, nice cases, blu-ray burners and large SSDs throw things off so much.
Score
5
June 4, 2012 7:00:07 AM

CrashmanPerhaps the award-winning NZXT Phantom 410 next time?http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 203-5.html


My only dislike about this build is the case, for a $2000 PC I would prefer a case that was tidier and larger than the Antec Nine Hundred (especially with the layout of the HDD bays). The NZXT Phantom 410 would be much better for that budget.
Score
3
June 4, 2012 7:00:27 AM

Quote:
should we keep the gaming focus or move back towards higher-cost do-it-all machines?

do-it-all if it's greater than $2000, otherwise gaming.

CrashmanPerhaps the award-winning NZXT Phantom 410 next time?http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 203-5.html

Or maybe the original Phantom? Even the Corsair Graphite 600T is good...
Score
11
June 4, 2012 7:01:49 AM

CrashmanPerhaps the award-winning NZXT Phantom 410 next time?http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 203-5.html

One of many great choices. If I had a $2000 budget instead of the $900 I'm currently working on, I would go with something a bit nicer like Thermaltake Chaser MK-I, Corsair Obsidian 650, Rosewill THOR V2, or one of many other feature rich cases.
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2
June 4, 2012 7:02:00 AM

mayankleoboy1i would never buy a green 5400 RPM over a 7200 RPM drive, no matter the cost.


It's a data drive.. why wouldn't you?
Score
8
June 4, 2012 7:03:34 AM

Great read! I too enjoy these type of articles. Been a reader at Tom's for many years. Keep it up!!!

Well, I'd be willing to go out on a limb and say most members around here are gamers. I am, but I also do photo/video editing as a hobby on an older, and very sad build. By the way, I expect to be having a funeral for that poor fellow any day, now. :) 

Now, about the reviews - I like seeing how much performance you guys get out of those lower-end builds. I'm sure those lower-end configs have helped a lot of folks around here with their build decisions. Especially those of us who can't afford the higher-end stuff. Today, those higher-cost do-it-all machines would/should run games fine, too. Honestly, the way technology has advanced and keeps rapidly advancing, you can build a pretty sweet do-all-machine for less than a grand these days. And one to last a few years at that! So, I like seeing those "budget" builds.

Also, I'd love to see video reviews on these builds. It'd be nice to see some performance video of the set-up and also be able to hear how loud/quite the machine is. You guys think this would be a possibility for future reviews?

Well, it's very late and I'm going my behind to bed! Too tired to proof read! Sue me if ya find any errors! :p  Good night fellows!
Score
3
June 4, 2012 7:04:44 AM

sam_fisherMy only dislike about this build is the case, for a $2000 PC I would prefer a case that was tidier and larger than the Antec Nine Hundred (especially with the layout of the HDD bays). The NZXT Phantom 410 would be much better for that budget.
Same price for the case, similar quality so this is really just a matter of preference. I like cases that are small enough to look good on my desk :)  I don't like drive doors :(  But I'd still pick the 410 for someone else :) 
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2
June 4, 2012 7:36:18 AM

Personally if I had that much money to spend on a system I would put a bit more money towards the case, like in the $150-$200 range. I would either want to do a themed case, where everything looks the same, a quiet case (maybe water-cooled), or a clean and elegant look (I think that the later would be best but that's just me).

I do think that it should be more towards gaming as that is what most people here do. However it might not be a bad idea to include a workstation build as well that was business first and gaming second for those people who work at home/small business and don't want to spend extra on a separate gaming machine, or maybe just make it business only, it depends on how you want to take it and what your business is. I don't do this so I don't know what the requirements for the build would be but I am sure that there are plenty of people out there who can provide quality input.
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1
June 4, 2012 7:37:27 AM

If you remove 680 and put 2 x 670 $400 each, you'll be at $2001, just at budget.
Score
4
June 4, 2012 7:53:07 AM

"ASRock Z77 Extreme6:
LGA 2011, Intel X79 Express
Stock 100 MHz BCLK"

(Typo in test hardware configurations)
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1
June 4, 2012 9:00:35 AM

Toms Hardware, you have writen i7-3770k(sandy bridge), where it actually is ivy bridge
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2
June 4, 2012 9:14:50 AM

csf60"ASRock Z77 Extreme6:LGA 2011, Intel X79 ExpressStock 100 MHz BCLK"(Typo in test hardware configurations)
Fixed, thanks! (table copy/edit error, my greatest downfall)
simonmoduleToms Hardware, you have writen i7-3770k(sandy bridge), where it actually is ivy bridge
I don't know what happened there, (sleep editing Chris?) but it's now fixed!
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2
June 4, 2012 9:25:16 AM

nice machine forget the 6 cores for now please :D 
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1
June 4, 2012 9:52:26 AM

The power draw of these new CPU/GPUs is really amazing. My old setup with a Q8300 and GTX 280 both stock would draw 100W on active idle, and over 250W during gaming. My upgraded setup with a i5-3570k and 7770 (similar performance to the 280) draws just 44W during idle! Its incredible, almost laptop-like power draw, but with a heck of a lot more horsepower. During a gaming load I do around 130W, which is also amazing.

I am planning on returning my 7770 though for something more powerful like a GTX 660 when it comes out. I have a feeling it will be very efficient, going by the 670/680
Score
3
June 4, 2012 10:08:09 AM

gaming focus is nice, but there is such a thing as too much gaming focus. Next to highest end card in the market, is a bit too much even for the 2000$ system, especially when most purchased monitors are still no higher in resolution than 1080p. Concessions on other pieces of equipment did not justify this GTX680, even for a high end gamer. That gamer would probably upgrade in a year and a half to something much better, so the 680 would have made sense for a 3000$ if you had such budget, but not when other concessions were painful.

Just my personal 2c
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1
Anonymous
June 4, 2012 10:37:26 AM

Nice math. $359 to spare? I think you meant $259. Unless, of course, you were considering a $2100 build. Otherwise, a well-worded article and a joy to read.
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1
Anonymous
June 4, 2012 11:13:41 AM

I am more with the higher-cost do-it-all machines.

The business users do not follow these posts, but the system builders do. So maybe you should let us have a chance to see the performance of such machines when they are built with productivity in mind.
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1
June 4, 2012 11:43:49 AM

not trying to be an arse but i can build a better build for $2k.
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-8
June 4, 2012 12:00:30 PM

Keep the gaming build. It gives us a new perspective, since many here are for the games.
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-2
Anonymous
June 4, 2012 12:13:17 PM

Why not liquid cooling?
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0
June 4, 2012 12:17:06 PM

CaltronWhy not liquid cooling?
At this size, the only advantage would be increased portability. You need a really BIG radiator to beat the cooling of the CNPS12X.
Score
5
June 4, 2012 12:35:15 PM

Personally, I would have gone with the Core i7 3820, and Asus X79 Sabretooth, and a Corsair H100 cooler. It still would have been below $2000 (at $1850)and had much better I/O, memory, and CPU upgrade possibilities, while still being able to overclock as high. The video cards (with a second GTX680 later on) would operate at a full x16 bandwidth, have a slot between them, and still have a x8 slot for a raid controller. On top of that, it would be a MUCH sturdier, more reliable motherboard. This one is clearly a fail at planning.
Score
-5
Anonymous
June 4, 2012 12:37:30 PM

Yeah, a great idea to spend $540 on a GPU and save $58 by getting only 8 GB instead of 16 GB RAM... bah.

Oh, and if you are just building for benchmarks, then get rid of the HDD, DVD, custom cooler and case (just place the MB on a table, it works fine for testing), and add a second GTX 680.

If only building for gaming benchmarks, then fit in 3 GTX 680 by also using the cheapest RAM, Sandy Bridge CPU and disk you can find.

Either way, this build is totally dumb, as usual.
Score
-11
June 4, 2012 12:40:34 PM

Crashman said:
At this size, the only advantage would be increased portability. You need a really BIG radiator to beat the cooling of the CNPS12X.


yeah that's right but CNPS12X is huge as hell :ouch: 
Score
0
June 4, 2012 12:53:36 PM

Definitely Gaming Focussed!
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-2
June 4, 2012 1:04:45 PM

What a difference a couple months make. Pretty amazing how much performance in general has increased that a system $800 less has better performance than one so much more expensive only a few months prior.
Score
1
June 4, 2012 1:09:39 PM

This is by far the best build I've seen by any site. Finaly you throw out the Blueray drive and focus on performance!

I wouldn't trade the Antec 900 for anything except maybe the Rosewill Blackhawk, or, if you want SLI, its big brother Thor V2. I'm also unfamiliar with the Zalman cooler, but that doesn't mean I'd give it a try over the NH-D14. I always thought there's a reason why some PC parts such as the Zalman coolers never make it to reviews.

Since you went for a 120GB SSD, a Seasonic Gold PSU and Asus DCUII card, then the Blackhawk and NH-D14 would have made this build not only the most powerful under $2000 build, but also the quitest! You were so close to perfection!!

You guys must be busy all the time but you have to catch up on 30nm RAM kits from Samsung.

Stop the hating of triple slot VGA coolers! SLI is easy because You don't have to pay more than $350 for a spaced out, PLX-equipped, premium Ivy-bridge motherboard! Take a look at Gigabyte's Z77 Sniper and you'll see it's easy to have a triple slot cooled card in SLI with enough space between the cards.
Score
1
June 4, 2012 1:11:59 PM

I would prefer two different contests, one focused on gaming, the other focused on do-it-all tasks. But that could get expensive sadly.
Score
5
June 4, 2012 1:31:24 PM

Luay said:
This is by far the best build I've seen by any site. Finaly you throw out the Blueray drive and focus on performance!

I wouldn't trade the Antec 900 for anything except maybe the Rosewill Blackhawk, or, if you want SLI, its big brother Thor V2. I'm also unfamiliar with the Zalman cooler, but that doesn't mean I'd give it a try over the NH-D14. I always thought there's a reason why some PC parts such as the Zalman coolers never make it to reviews.

Since you went for a 120GB SSD, a Seasonic Gold PSU and Asus DCUII card, then the Blackhawk and NH-D14 would have made this build not only the most powerful under $2000 build, but also the quitest! You were so close to perfection!!

You guys must be busy all the time but you have to catch up on 30nm RAM kits from Samsung.

Stop the hating of triple slot VGA coolers! SLI is easy because You don't have to pay more than $350 for a spaced out, PLX-equipped, premium Ivy-bridge motherboard! Take a look at Gigabyte's Z77 Sniper and you'll see it's easy to have a triple slot cooled card in SLI with enough space between the cards.


nice speech bro.
Score
0
June 4, 2012 2:33:14 PM

Personally, I don't mind seeing a system geared towards gaming because, that's what I'm going to want to do on my computer.

I am disappointed in seeing such a large remainder for your budget ($259!?). Yes, this is a giming system, and no, that's not enough for another GTX680, but there are still a lot of places you could have used that money. More RAM, a better case, a better SSD, a bigger or faster data drive etc. Agreed on the BD-R, not needed on a gaming build yet.

I figure if you have the $2000 budget, use as much of it as possible!

Cheers,

Dreadteir
Score
0
June 4, 2012 2:57:59 PM

Keep the gaming focus. The lower budget machines are gaming focused.
Dual GTX 670s would have been in budget ($2000) and it would have been nice to see that.
Score
-2
June 4, 2012 3:04:18 PM

I liked the gaming-focused build, but I wouldn't want the SBMs to be only for gaming. Perhaps you could alternate? During the SB reign, the SBMs started to get a little bit repetitive, and then a little bit wacky (e.g. using AMD, etc.) since you were trying to come up with good experiments and/or reasons for new builds. But if you alternate, then that might allow enough time between builds for technology developments and product releases to make the new builds interesting. These past two have seen IB, Kepler, Cayman, and SB-E, which is a large amount of new technology to have in just a 6-month span of time.

Also, for your "do-it-all" builds, could you consider an HTPC-gaming edition focused on silence, features, and performance perhaps in that order? You'd need to include tuner cards, BR drives, and lossless HDMI audio support in that round which changes the focus considerably. It also gives a chance to show off some different components.
Score
4
Anonymous
June 4, 2012 3:15:13 PM

The RAM seems to be not really in line with the rest of the system. While it's cool that it was possible to tweak a 1600 set up to 2000 while playing with settings, why not spend a bit more of the extra budget cash and put in 2400 or 2600 RAM in?
Score
-4
June 4, 2012 3:19:37 PM

Very good configuration and good mix of the components.

I just don't see why you guys left it at 1800 when the budget is 2000... You could have either cheap it out in some components to make it a dual card config...or get some beter ram + hard drive + ssd + better quality case.

But overall it's a very good build, i just whish i had the money...Really love the zalman 12x best looking cooler out there.
Score
0
June 4, 2012 3:21:27 PM

I am happy I got my 2 GTX 690's from EVGA :) 


Lets say they are very sweet cards:) 
Score
-3
June 4, 2012 4:03:45 PM

I sugest Toms to stop talking about AMD and RADEONS, if Nvidia and Intel always wins ,way put others brands in the reviews? Make it a TomsNvidiaIntelHardware.com. When i dont like something ,i dont test it and talk about it, i ignore it.
Score
-8
June 4, 2012 4:08:40 PM

$2K system and you're still using an Antec 900? I'd personally go for an Azza Hurrican 2000 or an NZXT Switch 810 on that kind of budget - there's plenty of room for it.
Score
2
June 4, 2012 4:45:53 PM

g-unit1111 said:
$2K system and you're still using an Antec 900? I'd personally go for an Azza Hurrican 2000 or an NZXT Switch 810 on that kind of budget - there's plenty of room for it.


that's what i said but i got thumbs down :sweat: 
Score
-3
June 4, 2012 5:04:44 PM

This was an excellent gaming build, that also handles productivity well. It also looks the part, without being garish. While it exceeds my personal needs, that's only a matter of scale, which could be addressed easily enough.
I was not going to be critical, until reading the other comments so far, so I'll add this:
1. Last quarter's $2.6K PC was the quintessential Professional's PC, with a classy, quiet case. I might have kept it for this build, or used something equally classy from Lian Li.
2. Please keep the professional, all-around focus at this price point. Particularly considering today's economy, the typical gamer doesn't have $2K to spend on a strictly gaming PC. I like these articles when they represent what someone might actually build. As such, this is a very nice machine (I'd love to win it!), but who exactly would build it? See next point, as it may pertain to the professional users who would have the money.
3. This is more a question that a criticism, but is Kepler's reduced Compute performance a possible issue in an all-around and/or professional's PC?
4. Kudos for not believing you had to spend the whole budget. For an all-around PC, there's enough left for the BD drive.
Score
6
June 4, 2012 5:06:07 PM

Despite the HDD, This is one amazing setup.
Score
-1
June 4, 2012 5:15:37 PM

Awesome review i was afraid that every quarter the Marathon was going up and up with their prices, that is somthing hurts budget based gamers, not everybody can get a $3000ish machine but theres's people that have at hand 2k and wants to get more for less... This is a win article, thanks Toms !
Score
1
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