System Builder Marathon, Q3 2014: The Articles
Here are links to each of the four articles in this quarter’s System Builder Marathon (we’ll update them as each story is published). And remember, these systems are all being given away at the end of the marathon.
To enter the giveaway, please fill out this SurveyGizmo form, and be sure to read the complete rules before entering!
Day 1: The Budget Gaming PC
Day 2: Our Mainstream Enthusiast System
Day 3: The $1600 High-End Build
Day 4: Performance And Value, Dissected

If you are new to our System Builder Marathon series, take a quick look at last quarter's introduction. In it, we give you a refresher course on what we're trying to achieve here, as well as explaining our newly revamped pricing structure. To summarize, we now budget for the performance-oriented parts, giving Thomas, Don, and I a bit more freedom when it comes to the subjective choices like cases and optical drives. Of course, those costs remain transparent also, in addition to a final tally that now includes the Windows operating system.
Once again, I'm getting the same $450 to spend on performance, and the direction I chose for this low-cost gaming box could not have been any simpler. Last quarter’s configuration was built and tested before Intel launched its Pentium G3258. Overclocked dual-core Pentium processors once dominated in value during our System Builder Marathon stories. But as Intel locked its inexpensive parts down at low frequencies, and our workloads became more threading-optimized, performance started falling short. But now I can exploit the G3258’s unlocked multiplier to compete more aggressively against the AMD Trinity-based platform I've used before.
This new CPU sparked talks amongst the team that we should do an overclocking theme this quarter, shooting for maximum clock rates. The idea sounded fun. But what would I have to give up in the process? To compete, I’d need a Z-series motherboard and an aftermarket cooler. And then it'd all come down to luck of the draw, since not all chips have the same amount of headroom. As Chris Angelini demonstrated in The Pentium G3258 Cheap Overclocking Experiment, I could start in the basement with a $45 motherboard and Intel's bundled heat sink, potentially hitting 4.4 GHz or beyond with a decent sample. But even if I could bolster clock rates by 1000 MHz for free, does it really make sense to tack on another $80 just to eke out 200 or 300 MHz more? I’m building a gaming PC on a budget in a series that champions maximum value. So I set my sights elsewhere. AMD's Radeon R9 270 graphics dropped $20 since our last round of purchases. How could I step down to a sub-$100 graphics card? Unless I got far luckier than the other guys, I’d have to bow out of the clock rate race and instead shoot for maximum overclocked system value.
To take a different approach than Chris already highlighted, I wanted to go with ASRock's H81M-HDS. It too supports unofficial, non-Z-series overclocking of Intel's Pentium G3258, but benefits from a slightly beefier power phase and the addition of a USB 3.0 front-panel header. However, outfitting 8 GB of DDR3 memory would set me back $8 more this quarter, and I could only make up $3 with a well-priced power supply. The Pentium G3258 itself saved $10 compared to last quarter’s Athlon X4 750K, so I came up about $12 shy of making this a reality. Instead, the cheap MSI H81M-P33 was just my ticket for augmenting the Pentium's clock rates, while still securing beefier graphics for 1080p gaming.
| Budget System Components | Purchase Price | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Pentium G3258 (Haswell) | $70 |
| CPU Cooler | Intel Boxed Heat Sink and Fan | - |
| Motherboard | MSI H81M-P33, LGA1150, Intel H81 Express | $45 |
| RAM | Team Dark Series 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 TDBD38G1600HC9DC01 | $73 |
| Graphics | Sapphire Dual-X Radeon R9 270 100365L | $170 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB | $60 |
| Power | Antec VP-450 450 W | $37 |
| Price of Performance Hardware | $455 | |
| Case | Rosewill Challenger ATX Mid-Tower | $50 |
| Optical | LG 24x SATA DVD Burner Model GH24NSB0B | $18 |
| Total Hardware Cost | $523 | |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit (OEM) | $100 |
| Price As Tested | $623 | |
My build sat in Newegg's shopping cart just a few cents under the $450 budget. However, like last quarter, I just couldn’t pass up doubling my storage capacity for $5 extra. A 1 TB drive isn’t going to give you a performance boost, and when it's all said and done, we give these systems away at the end of the Marathon to someone who will use them.
I completed the build with a DVD burner and Rosewill’s Challenger gaming case. Its trio of bundled fans could almost be considered an exploit of our new pricing structure, given the current overclocking theme. However, last quarter’s build also came with three fans, and our final build of materials was only $3.50 more. Plus, back when we ordered, bargain hunters could have capitalized on the three $10 rebates accompanying the parts I picked.

Processor: Intel Pentium G3258
In celebrating the twentieth anniversary of its Pentium processor family, Intel is allowing enthusiasts to tinker with an affordable Haswell-based chip. Being a Pentium, its two cores lack Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technology support. But what sets this CPU apart is an unlocked ratio multiplier. As a result, we won’t have to settle for its stock 3.2 GHz operating frequency.
Read Customer Reviews of Intel's Pentium G3258
CPU Cooler: Intel Retail Boxed Heat Sink And Fan
Usually, boxed thermal solutions are barely adequate. Enthusiasts tend to set them aside before beginning an overclocking journey. But Intel doesn't spoil the fun by bundling its typical all-aluminum Pentium cooler. Rather, this heat sink is outfitted with a copper slug. It's identical to what you find included with higher-TDP K-series parts like the Core i7-4790K and Core i5-4670K.

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33
MSI's H81M-P33 is an entry-level H81 Express-based motherboard that represents the starting point when you set out to build an LGA 1150–based platform. Although it lacks in overall connectivity and features compared to pricier options, this mATX board comes with all of the basics, including SATA 6Gb/s, rear USB 3.0 ports, and a pair of PCI Express slots.
Although it relies on a modest three-phase power design, we’re only overclocking a 53 W Pentium at tame voltages anyway. Flashed to a tweaking-friendly UEFI, the H81M-P33 gives us a stable foundation for dabbling in entry-level tuning. It's been a while since we've said that about an Intel board.
Read Customer Reviews of MSI's H81M-P33
Memory: 8 GB Team Dark Series DDR3-1600 Kit
Team Group’s Dark Series modules with blue heat spreaders again arm me with one of the most affordable 8 GB kits. They features XMP settings of DDR3-1600 with CL9-9-9-24 timings at 1.5 V. Unfortunately, our Pentium processor limits me to just 1333 MT/s.
Read Customer Reviews of Team Group's Dark Series TDBD38G1600HC9DC01 Memory Kit

Graphics Card: Sapphire Dual-X Radeon R9 270 2 GB
My budget didn’t allow a jump all the way up to a Radeon R9 270X without adding mail-in rebates, so I had to settle for the lower-clocked Curacao GPU instead.
Read Customer Reviews of Sapphire's Dual-X Radeon R9 270
Although Sapphire's Dual-X card bumps the graphics core up to 945 MHz with Boost, it follows AMD's reference design by only outfitting a single 6-pin power connector and leaving the 2 GB of GDDR5 memory at 1400 MHz (5600 MT/s). Of course, we don’t plan to settle for the puny factory overclock.
Hard Drive: Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB
Western Digital’s Blue-series 1 TB hard drive gives us ample storage capacity and performance at a price we can usually squeeze into our budget. Doubling capacity for just $5 increases our gigabyte per dollar value. Though it doesn't affect performance, all of that space comes in handy if you're installing lots of games and storing your own pictures and videos.
Read Customer Reviews of WD's Blue 1 TB
This SATA 6Gb/s mechanical drive has 64 MB of data cache, a 7200 RPM spindle, and a limited two-year warranty.

Case: Rosewill Challenger Mid-Tower
Although I'm free to pick a case without sacrificing the system's core components, I believe that most gamers building on a budget do not dedicate more than about 10% of their overall funds towards the enclosure. So I kept my sights on products priced $50 and under.
The Rosewill Challenger earned a Recommend Buy award for the value it offered to gamers building with limited funds. It provides plenty of airflow with a trio of bundled cooling fans and a generous volume of interior space for keeping our modest little Pentium cool. It also includes tool-less drive clips, a bottom mount power supply, and ample cable management considerations.
Read Customer Reviews of Rosewill's Challenger
There were two versions of the Challenger available, both priced the same. One offers USB 3.0 connectivity, though to remain compatible with our H81-based motherboard, I picked the older version with front-mounted USB 2.0 ports.
Power Supply: Antec VP-450 450 W
Many builders fall to the temptation of skimping on power supply quality. But clean, reliable power is one area I just won’t compromise.
Read Customer Reviews of Antec's VP-450
Antec’s affordable VP-450 has powered many of my previous gaming PCs. It is Haswell-ready, includes the single 6-pin power lead I'd need, and serves up to 30 A across its +12 V rails. This should give our miserly little build plenty of reserves for tweaking.
Optical Drive: LG 24x DVD Burner Model GH24NSB0B
While an optical drive may no longer be a necessity for many folks, they are so affordable, and we’re inclined to believe you’ll still want access to one occasionally. It’s a subjective call, so we changed our rules to make the inclusion of a drive exempt from our performance budget. This time, LG provided us the most affordable internal SATA-attached DVD burner.

The build itself was rather simple, and almost everything went according to plan.
I prepped the case, noticing Rosewill didn’t skimp on its bundled hardware package. There were five sets of 3.5” drive rails, one of which was already installed and securing a dual-2.5” drive adapter. Four sets of clips were supplied for the three accessible 5.25” bays; the top location is already taken up by front-panel connectivity. And around back, the seven rear slots were all populated with removable mesh slot covers, rather than cheap break-out tabs. The 11 brass standoffs were a welcome sight, as was the 5 mm socket adapter for tightening them down with a Philips head screw driver. Rounding it all off was a short buzzer speaker and a small, but sufficient paper installation manual.
Fair consideration was also given to cooling. The bottom-mount power supply location is outfitted with a removable dust filter, and two of the three installed fans had connections for a three-pin motherboard header and a Molex plug. I used the Molex plugs, only requiring the motherboard to power the one rear 3-pin-only fan.
I installed the processor and bundled cooler, taking note of the heat sink’s copper slug. After installing the system RAM, it was time to start filling the case.
One issue I faced was that the Challenger is not fully compatible with small mATX motherboards. It only includes five of the six standoff locations our board required. And behind the lower-right hole, Rosewill instead locates a pressed-in space for tying down cables and wires. I had to exercise caution attaching the SATA cables, since that corner of the board didn't get any support. Thankfully there are only two expansion slots, and our graphics card fit snugly.
Otherwise, the build came together nicely. The wires and cables were plenty long, and cable management kept the interior tidy.

Overclocking with the H81M-P33 is fairly straightforward. The shipping UEFI, version 1.4, had no problem booting up and recognizing the Pentium G3258. I grabbed the latest BIOS file directly from MSI and used the built-in MFlash utility to update to v.1.7, which also updates the Intel Management Engine. After a couple of reboots, the CPU multiplier was adjustable from 8 to 80 using the number pad’s '+' and '–' keys. For fun, I set the ratio to 40x with automatic voltages and it fired up at 4.0 GHz at 1.200 V. The configuration was stable under Prime95, so if I didn't want to push any further, the overclock would have been that easy.
I already knew some enthusiasts were having a hard time getting the G3258 beyond 4.0 GHz with the stock cooler, while others lucked-out with chips able to reach 4.5 GHz. There are no guarantees in overclocking, but I was quietly hoping for at least 4.2 GHz at 1.2 V. That turned out to be overly optimistic; this CPU needed lots of voltage to pass 4.1 GHz.
Determined to reach 4.2 GHz, I jumped to 1.275 V, which crashed within minutes under load. At 1.29 V, the overclock lasted over 20 minutes in Prime95, but temperatures were peaking at 80 degrees. That's where I quit, knowing I was already above the voltage level I'd use for testing. So, I started looking for the lowest stable voltage at 4.1 GHz.

The highest RAM frequency available with the Pentium installed was 1400 MT/s, but I left it at 1333 MT/s and fought for lower latencies. Increased to 1.545 V, numerous passes of MemTest 86+ ran error-free at 7-7-7-21 1T.

As mentioned, Sapphire’s Dual-X R9 270 has a slightly overclocked core, reaching up to 945 MHz out of the box, while its 2 GB of GDDR5 memory operates at a reference 1400 MHz. To start, I fired up the latest version (4.8.6) of Sapphire’s Trixx tweaking utility.
The core topped out at 1030 MHz using its default voltage. Reaching stability at R9 270X speeds of 1050 MHz required a bump to 1.225 V. I then set the graphics fan to 100%, gauging maximum frequency at a pegged 1.300 V, finally giving up stability when the GPU hit 1070 MHz. Given such modest gains, I dropped back to 1050 MHz.
Next, I started bumping up the GDDR5, eventually reaching a stable 1510 MHz. I dialed this back down to 1500 MHz (6000 MT/s), and put the final overclock through more than an hour of real-world gaming without issues.

Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there. After completing Far Cry 3’s most demanding benchmark runs, I dropped to 1280x720 and the system blue-screened. Minor voltage bumps and clock reductions didn’t solve the issue. I had to individually re-test the CPU, RAM, and graphics overclocks over again, encountering no problem. As soon as I put them back together, the random reboots returned under light gaming loads.
Based on the event ID, I suspected the graphics card wasn’t getting sufficient voltage. But was it the power supply, motherboard, the single 6-pin power lead, dynamic voltage control, or some combination? I wanted to force a constant voltage under 3D loads, but had already discovered that the Trixx utility shut down any time I touched the settings tab. So I tried MSI AfterBurner. But it was unable to adjust or monitor the voltage. While I hate admitting defeat, I was out of time and had to move on. I dropped back to stock graphics clock rates for their guaranteed stability, and counted on Intel's Pentium for the largest gains. Then I ran all of my single-screen tests before calling it a night.
The next morning, I wanted to try one more idea before hooking up my triple-monitor setup. Considering that I reverted back to an older version of CPU-Z to properly read the Pentium’s voltage, how about trying an older version of Trixx? Lo and behold, build 4.8.2 gave me a functioning settings tab, which opened up the option to Force Constant Voltage and Disable ULPS (Ultra-Low Power State). ULPS was already disabled, but forcing a constant voltage solved the problem. I could now happily run lighter-load tests without fail.
The following tables include the stock and overclocked settings for this quarter's budget build, followed by the gaming PC from earlier this year, which is used as a comparison point. At the very bottom you’ll find the programs and games used for benchmarking.
| Current Budget Gaming PC System Test Configuration | ||
|---|---|---|
| Component | Base Settings | Overclock Settings |
| CPU | Intel Pentium G3258 (Haswell): 3.2 GHz, 3 MB shared L3 cache, Power-saving features enabled | 4.1 GHz (41*100), 1.240 V, EIST disabled |
| CPU Cooler | Intel boxed heat sink and fan | 100% duty cycle |
| Motherboard | MSI H81M-P33 LGA 1150, Intel H81 Express, BIOS: v.1.7 (07-18-2014) | Unchanged |
| RAM | 8 GB Team Dark Series PC3-12800 kit 2 x 4 GB, DDR3-1333, CL 9-9-9-24 at 1.500 V | DDR3-1333, CL 7-7-7-21 at 1.545 V |
| Graphics | Sapphire Dual-X Radeon R9 270 2 GB GDDR5 945 MHz GPU, 1400 MHz (5600 MT/s) memory | 1050 MHz GPU @ 1.225 V, 1500 MHz (6000 MT/s) GDDR5 memory |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB 7200 RPM, 16 MB Cache | Unchanged |
| Sound | Integrated eight-channel HD Audio | Unchanged |
| Network | Integrated GbE networking | Unchanged |
| Power | Antec VP 450 450 W | Unchanged |
| Optical | LG 24x SATA DVD burner, GH24NSB0B | Unchanged |
| Software and Drivers | ||
| Operating System | Windows 8 Professional x64 | Unchanged |
| Graphics Driver | AMD Catalyst 14.4 | Unchanged |
| Platform Driver | Intel Inf. v. 9.4.0.1017 | Unchanged |
| Q2 2014 Budget Gaming PC System Test Configuration | ||
|---|---|---|
| Component | Base Settings | Overclock Setting |
| CPU | AMD Athlon X4 750K (Trinity), 3.4 GHz (4 GHz max. Turbo Core), Socket FM2, No L3 Cache, Turbo Core enabled, Power-savings enabled | 4.2 GHz (42*100), 1.272 V (Load), Turbo Core disabled, Power-savings enabled, 2000 MHz CPU-NB frequency |
| CPU Cooler | AMD boxed heat sink and fan | Unchanged |
| Motherboard | ASRock FM2A75M Pro4+ AMD A75, BIOS: P1.30 (10-15-13) | Unchanged |
| RAM | 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) Team Dark Series DDR3-1600, CL 9-9-9-24 XMP at 1.5 V | DDR3-1866, CL 9-9-9-24 at 1.625 V |
| Graphics | MSI R7 265 2GD5 OC 2 GB, 955 MHz GPU, 1400 MHz (5600 MT/s) memory | 1050 MHz GPU, 1450 MHz (5800 MT/s) GDDR5 memory, Custom fan profile |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB 7200 RPM, 16 MB Cache | Unchanged |
| Sound | Integrated eight-channel HD Audio | Unchanged |
| Network | Integrated GbE networking | Unchanged |
| Power | EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430 W | Unchanged |
| Optical | Asus 24x DVD burner DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS | Unchanged |
| Software and Drivers | ||
| Operating System | Windows 8 Professional x64 | Unchanged |
| Graphics Driver | AMD Catalyst 14.4 | Unchanged |
| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
| 3D Games | |
| Arma 3 | V. 1.26 Current PC, V.1.20 Q2 PC 30-Sec. Fraps "Infantry Showcase" Test Set 1: Standard Preset, No AA, Standard AF Test Set 2: Ultra Preset, 8x FSAA, Ultra AF |
| Battlefield 4 | Version 1.0.0.1, DirectX 11, 100-sec. Fraps "Tashgar" Test Set 1: Medium Quality Preset, No AA, 4x AF, SSAO Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 4x MSAA, 16x AF, HBAO |
| Far Cry 3 | V. 1.05, DirectX 11, 50-sec. Fraps "Amanaki Outpost" Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA, Standard ATC, SSAO Test Set 2: Ultra Quality, 4x MSAA, Enhanced ATC, HDAO AMD/ HBAO NVidia |
| Grid 2 | Version 1.0.85.8679, Direct X 11, Built-in Benchmark Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA Test Set 2: Ultra Quality, 8x MSAA |
| Audio/Video Encoding | |
| HandBrake CLI | Version: 0.99, Video: Video from Canon EOS 7D (1920x1080, 25 frames) 1 Minutes 22 Seconds, Audio: PCM-S16, 48,000 Hz, Two-channel, to Video: AVC1 Audio: AAC (High Profile) |
| iTunes | Version 11.0.4.4 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format |
| LAME MP3 | Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s) |
| TotalCode Studio 2.5 | Version: 2.5.0.10677, MPEG2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, Two-channel, 16-bit, 224 Kb/s) Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV |
| Adobe Creative Suite | |
| Adobe After Effects CC | Version 12.0.0.404: Create Video, 3 Streams, 210 Frames, Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously |
| Adobe Photoshop CC | Version 14 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
| Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 | Version 6.0.0.0, 6.61GB MXF Project to H.264 to H.264 Blu-ray, Output 1920x1080, Maximum Quality |
| Adobe Acrobat XI | Version 11.0.0: Print PDF from 115 Page PowerPoint, 128-bit RC4 Encryption |
| Productivity | |
| ABBYY FineReader | Version 10.0.102.95: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 | Version 15.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
| Blender | Version 2.68a, Cycles Engine, Syntax blender -b thg.blend -f 1, 1920x1080, 8x Anti-Aliasing, Render THG.blend frame 1 |
| Visual Studio | Version 10.0, Compile Google Chrome, Scripted |
| Compression | |
| 7-Zip | Version 9.30 alpha, LZMA2, Syntax "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" Benchmark: THG-Workload-2012 (1.3 GB) |
| WinRAR | Version 5.0, RAR, Syntax "winrar a -r -m3" Benchmark: THG-Workload-2012 (1.3 GB) |
| WinZip | Version 18.0 Pro, Syntax "-a -ez -p -r" Benchmark: THG-Workload-2012 (1.3 GB) |
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
| 3DMark Professional | Version: 1.2.250.0, Fire Strike Standard and Extreme |
| PCMark 8 | Version: 1.0.0 x64 Full Test |
| SiSoftware Sandra 2014 | Version: 2014.02.20.10, Processor Arithmetic, Cryptography, Memory Bandwidth Benchmarks |
3DMark
3DMark Fire Strike gives us a first look how these two low-cost gaming PCs stack up to one another. By cutting down platform costs, we were able to step up from Radeon R7 265 to R9 270 graphics. This shifting of funds yields a higher graphics score than last quarter’s overclocked effort. How's that for immediate improvement?

The Physics test, on the other hand, indicates that a pair of Haswell cores needs more than 3.2 GHz to match the dual-module architecture of AMD's Athlon X4 750K.
PCMark 8
Based on PCMark 8 scores, the current machine appears capable in almost any common task, whether at home or in the office. Its victories over last quarter’s machine are further extended once we apply overclocking to them.

SiSoftware Sandra
The current machine’s Pentium processor leads in Sandra’s Dhrystone module, but trails in the Whetstone floating-point arithmetic test.

Cryptographic throughput dropped substantially last quarter when we moved from a Haswell-based Core i3 to a more affordable Trinity-based Athlon. Unlike Intel’s Core processors, value-oriented Pentiums and Celerons do not support AES-NI. As a result, the current machine gets totally spanked in this comparison.

Both builds have the same Team Dark Series memory kit installed. Last quarter, I enabled the XMP DDR3-1600 profile for stock testing, and overclocked to DDR3-1866. The Pentium is limited to DDR3-1333, so the only tweaking performed was lowering from CAS 9 to CAS 7 timings.

Despite this data rate handicap, the Pentium’s memory controller still delivers greater bandwidth.

Armed with a 3.2 GHz dual-core Pentium processor, our newest PC starts off at a raw compute resource disadvantage. Last quarter, Turbo Core bolstered Trinity’s operating frequency up to 3.7 GHz, reaching as high as 4.0 GHz in single-threaded tasks. But overclocking just about evens the playing field, since we came up only 100 MHz shy of matching last quarter’s efforts.


The Pentium’s greater per-clock performance makes quick work of AMD’s pricier Athlon in single-threaded iTunes and LAME MP3 audio encoding workloads.


Juggling only two threads at a time, the little Pentium’s weakness is threading-optimized tasks. Even still, had we lucked out with a more willing chip, this overclocked PC might have been able to catch last quarter’s machine in HandBrake and TotalCode Studio.

Clock for clock, we again see the new machine’s unlocked Pentium holding its own in CPU-intensive parallelized tasks like Adobe Premiere Pro and our threaded Photoshop test.
Granted, last quarter’s rig appears surprisingly slow in the OpenCL-enabled workload, especially considering both machines basically rely on Pitcairn/Curacao-based Radeons and the Catalyst 14.4 driver package.


The new machine regains a clear advantage in the more lightly-threaded After Effects and Acrobat workloads.


These two budget-oriented PCs are purpose-built gaming rigs, leveraging entry-level processors in order to accommodate bigger, more powerful graphics solutions. Needless to say, neither one is well-suited for workstation-class tasks.
At stock clock rates, our newest PC trails across the board in the productivity benchmarks. However, it ultimately comes out on top once we apply overclocking, securing victories in each application (except ABBYY FineReader).





Both builds trade blows throughout our compression utilities. Last quarter's AMD system shines the brightest in 7-Zip and WinZip’s CPU test, while our new budget-oriented Intel build takes victories in WinRAR and the maximum-compression WinZip EZ test. Deploying the slightly more powerful Radeon R9 270 earns my latest effort a victory in the OpenCL-enabled benchmark.


Arma 3
Our Infantry Showcase test is most effective when comparing graphics cards, but doesn’t properly reflect just how taxing Arma 3 can be on the processor. To compensate, I shoot for an average of at least 50 FPS, though I ultimately base my conclusion on time spent playing Altis Map showcases like Fixed Wings and Gunships.

Both rigs survive through 1920x1080 at the standard defaults, though this quarter's PC delivers higher average and minimum frame rates, regardless of the scenario or showcase I loaded.
At 4800x900, last quarter’s AMD-based box suffered frame rate drops down into the teens. Overclocking its graphics card yielded no improvements. Rather, the game needed us to crank Trinity’s frequencies up to help smooth out performance. Intel’s Pentium G3258 proves to be more capable of withstanding the demands of three displays.

Ultra quality was too much for last quarter’s PC, even overclocked. The new machine outpaces it with ease, but leans on overclocking to smooth out the more demanding sequences. Lower resolutions become playable, though 1920x1080 requires a drop to the game’s High quality defaults.
Battlefield 4
Barring any frame pacing or micro-stuttering issues, an average of 40 FPS in this demanding sequence should prove playability through the entire single-player campaign.

Battlefield 4 favors last quarter’s quad-core AMD processor, at least until we raise the resolution enough to shift the bottleneck to our graphics hardware. At medium-quality default settings, both rigs remain fully capable through all tested resolutions.

The demands of DICE's Ultra preset reward my decision to shift funding away from the platform and over to the graphics card. Both processors keep up, but this quarter's Radeon R9 270 survives more definitively at 1920x1080. In order to remain playable, last quarter’s R7 265 needed overclocking and a drop to 2x MSAA.
We did face one issue when running Battlefield’s campaign. Each and every time we entered the game and loaded up the Tashgar level, there was a one- to two-second pause during the loading scene, where the sound hung and stuttered. Thankfully, the issue disappeared once we were in and playing.

Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3 is well-threaded, bringing many entry-level processors to their knees. It also happens to be the most graphically demanding title these machines need to face.
In the past, I found Ultra quality too intense for dual-core processors, whether I was talking about a highly overclocked Core 2 Duo or more recent Ivy Bridge-based Pentiums. Naturally, I was eager to fire up Far Cry 3 on this unlocked G3258 and a capable graphics card.

At high-quality settings without anti aliasing, both machines are CPU-limited at Full HD. Sporting four integer cores, the Athlon is stronger right out of the box. But of course, it benefits from higher Turbo Core frequencies also. The new machine does maintain slightly higher minimum frame rates at each resolution, and both configurations remain smooth though 1920x1080.
I had to overclock last quarter’s machine to stay above 30 FPS at 4800x900, while this quarter’s configuration doesn't drop below 33 in its stock form (and keeps its nose above 37 FPS once overclocked). Keep in mind that our benchmark is about as demanding as this game gets.

At Ultra quality, both stock configurations manage to stay above 30 FPS at 1280x720, though neither feels completely smooth. The new machine is held back by its 3.2 GHz dual-core processor, while last quarter’s Radeon R7 265 was already struggling to cope with the added stress of 4x MSAA.
Overclocked, our new PC survives nicely through 1600x900 with 4x MSAA. However, the minimum frame rate drops by about 10 when we jump to 1920x1080. It feels smooth at 1920x1080 only when we drop to Very High quality with 2x MSAA, averaging almost 40 FPS and keeping above 35.
Grid 2
In Grid 2, both machines breeze through 4800x900 at the system-bound High Quality preset.

As demands shift over to graphics hardware, the new PC distances itself from my prior effort and its Radeon R9 270 is potent enough to survive all the way through 4800x900. The machine even delivers higher sustained frame rates with 8x MSAA than last quarter’s PC at 2x.


Processor power-saving features were enabled on both stock configurations, including last quarter’s overclocked setup. But because the Pentium processor I'm using this time around is already such a low-power component, I didn't try to tune with EIST (Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology) enabled.

It's no surprise that a two-core Haswell-based CPU uses less power than AMD's 100 W Athlon X4. However, I didn't think that this quarter's overclocked configuration would need less power than last quarter's stock setup. Consumption while gaming is also down. Although you won't find this information in the chart, our new overclock peaks at just 197 W during a 10-minute Far Cry 3 sequence. That's 14 W less than last quarter's stock settings.
Other observations to note are the idle impact of disabling EIST, plus how little extra power is consumed under full system load (compared to the GPU-only measurement). 3DMark relies less on the host processor than our games, but still taxes one core (or in this case, half the Pentium’s available resources).

The peak CPU load temperature used for this calculation is the Pentium’s hotter-running core while stability testing in Prime95. Pushed to 1.238 V, a reasonable 72 degrees Celsius was lower than I imagined for the stock cooler. Even better, neither core climbed above 57 Celsius while playing Far Cry 3. Airflow from our enclosure’s three fans must have successfully helped the boxed heat sink do its job.
Last quarter, I had to use the motherboard’s CPU socket temperature readings for the Athlon X4 750K. However, my main focus while overclocking was directed towards Thermal Margins as reported by AMD OverDrive, which under load still indicated we had a reasonable cushion of 25 degrees Celsius.
As long as there is sufficient case airflow, our 10-minute burn test sitting outside Far Cry 3’s Amanki Outpost quickly heats the GPU up as much as an hour of normal gameplay. Although last quarter I ramped up cooling with a custom fan profile while overclocking, this Radeon R9 270 runs plenty cool at Sapphire's automatic fan settings, peaking at 44% duty cycle.
With our temperatures in check on both systems, the current PC's most pleasing feature is its low noise. Although Intel’s bundled thermal solution is the quieter of the two coolers, the largest noise-maker could have been mitigated last quarter by simply replacing or disconnecting the annoying side-panel fan. I only plugged that one in while overclocking to help keep my Athlon CPU cool.
As we draw comparisons between my most recent entry-level System Builder Marathon gaming PCs, we'll use the older machine as the baseline.
Tallying average frame rates throughout all resolutions emphasizes CPU performance. Yet, our new machine, armed with only a lowly 3.2 GHz dual-core Pentium, actually kicks performance up a notch in all four of our test games.

And it simply dominates once we overclock.

Cranking up the eye candy at 1920x1080 obviously shifts demands over towards the graphics hardware. Here, stepping up from a Radeon R7 265 to the R9 270 rewards us with better performance and/or higher playable settings, again, in all four games.

Our new PC is clearly better suited for 4800x900 gaming. Before we even considered overclocking, it had already surpassed last quarter’s tweaked machine in all four games. However, if you intend to game across three panels, consider budgeting for an even more potent graphics solution.

Although these machines were both built to play games, most value-oriented boxes need to be capable elsewhere, too. Our System Builder Marathons generally base value on overall system performance, so it’s reassuring to see that this quarter's config is a step up in other disciplines as well. In fact, overclocked to 4.1 GHz, it trades blows with and eventually bests our Q1 $750 PC, which included a pricier Core i3-4130 fixed at 3.4 GHz. Let's not fool ourselves though; this dual-core processor is still bound to appear slow compared to whatever Don and Thomas put together over the next two days.

Performance
I honestly didn’t expect my new Pentium-based gaming PC to fare as well as it did in stock form. It not only out-works last quarter’s build, but even out-games my previous overclocked efforts by remaining playable at higher settings. Once its Pentium G3258 and Radeon R9 270 graphics card are fully optimized, it stands toe-to-toe in almost every threaded workload, while its victories became far more pronounced.

The real beauty of this rig is easy to gloss over when we summarize average frame rates: think about the best playable settings. In all four games, this quarter’s stock configuration can be tweaked to handle higher resolutions and details than last’s quarter’s overclocked PC. I fully expected that the Pentium would require overclocking to exploit this build’s increased graphics muscle. However, it only failed to cope with the demands of Ultra quality in Far Cry 3. Instead, our new PC allowed 2x MSAA with Very High details in Full HD, and remained playable at 4800x900 at High details. Last quarter’s PC couldn’t survive those settings, even overclocked.
And of course, higher average frame rates mean little if the gaming experience isn’t smooth. I’m happy to report that today's machine exhibits no noticeable lag, micro-stutter, or frame time variance issues in the four games we tested. If anything, it sustains higher minimum frame rates. Marginal benchmark results actually feel smoother in-game than last quarter’s hardware.
Efficiency

There are no surprises; more performance, while consuming less power, equals greater efficiency.
Value
Charting value would be redundant, since only fifty cents separate our two hardware budgets. The system cost, including the case, DVD burner, and Windows 8.1, jumped by only three dollars. Once we factor in the eight-dollar spike we absorbed by securing 8 GB of RAM, it’s fair to just look at the performance charts and forget minor price fluctuations. Apart from a few threaded application workloads, our new PC simply delivers more performance and value in stock and overclocked trim.
This success story can’t be credited to the unlocked Pentium alone. In fact, at 4.1 GHz, we didn’t even get a particularly good sample. Chris was able to squeeze a stable 4.4 GHz from his using the same H81-based motherboard and cooler. We are certainly happy to have more options to consider for budget-oriented gaming. But the biggest prize in this comparison comes from bowing out of the megahertz war and embarking on milder “free overclocking” instead. By leveraging the relatively potent capabilities of a $45 MSI motherboard and bundled Intel cooler, we lowered the platform costs enough to outfit a Radeon R9 270 graphics card. The price drop on this beefier AMD offering was a key factor in making that a reality.















