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Test System And Benchmarks

System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $1250 Enthusiast PC
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It will be interesting to see how AMD’s FX-6100 will fare compared to Intel’s Core i5-2400, especially when overclocked since the FX chip has an unlocked multiplier and two extra execution cores. Plus, the FX-6100 system’s dual Radeon HD 6950 CrossFire setup has a theoretical advantage over the Radeon HD 7970 when it comes to raw frame rates, although the single card is a more elegant solution.

Current $1250 Enthusiast PC Test Settings
 Standard SpeedOverclocked
MotherboardASRock P67 Pro3 SE
LGA 1155, Intel P67 chipset
Unchanged
ProcessorIntel Core i5-2400
3.1 GHz (3.4 GHz Turbo Boost), Quad-Core, 6 MB L3 Cache
3.6 to 3.7 GHz
@ +0.1 V
MemoryMushkin Enhanced Redline 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) 240-Pin DDR3-1600 Kit
Dual-Channel Desktop Memory Kit, CAS 7-9-8-24-2T
(run in single channel mode due to motherboard issue)
Unchanged
GraphicsPowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3 GB
  3 GB GDDR5 @ 5500 MT/s
GPU @ 925 MHz
GDDR5 @ 6300 MT/s
GPU @ 1125 MHz
Power @ +20%
Hard DriveCrucial m4 64 GB SATA III SSD
64 GB, SATA 6 Gb/s
Unchanged
Hard DriveHitachi Deskstar 750 GB
750 GB, 7200 RPM, 32 MB Cache SATA 3Gb/s
Unchanged
OpticalSamsung TS-H353C OEM
DVD Burner
Unchanged
CaseApevia X-Trooper JuniorUnchanged
PowerCorsair TX650 V2 650 W
ATX12V, EPS12V, 80 PLUS-Certified
Unchanged
December $1250 Enthusiast PC Test Settings
 Standard SpeedOverclocked
MotherboardBiostar TA990FXE
AM3+, AMD 990FX chipset
Unchanged
ProcessorAMD FX-6100
3.3 GHz (3.9 GHz Max Turbo Core), Hexa-Core, 8 MB L3 Cache
4450 MHz at 1.476 V,
207 MHz bus
MemoryMushkin Enhanced Redline 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) 240-Pin DDR3-1600 Kit
Dual-Channel Desktop Memory Kit, CAS 9-9-9-24-1T
7-8-8-24 1T
@ 690 MHz
Graphics2 x Gigabyte Radeon HD 6950 1 GB
  1 GB GDDR5 @ 5000 MT/s
GPU @ 870 MHz
GDDR5 @ 5040 MT/s
GPU @ 880 MHz
Hard DriveOCZ Vertex Plus 60 GB SATA II SSD
60 GB, SATA 3 Gb/s
Unchanged
Hard DriveWestern Digital Caviar Black 750 GB
750 GB, 7200 RPM, 32 MB cache SATA 3Gb/s
Unchanged
OpticalSony Optiarc DVD Burner
24x DVD Burner
Unchanged
CaseRosewill Challenger-U3Unchanged
PowerCorsair TX650 V2 650 W
ATX12V, EPS12V, 80 PLUS-Certified
Unchanged


And here's the list of benchmarks:

Benchmark Configuration
3D Games
Battlefield 3Campaign Mode, "Going Hunting" 90-Seconds Fraps
Test Set 1: Medium Quality Defaults (No AA, 4x AF)
Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Defaults (4x AA, 16x AF)
DiRT 3V1.01, Run with -benchmark example_benchmark.xml
Test Set 1: High Quality Preset, No AA
Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 8x AA
Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimUpdate 1.4.27, Celedon Aethirborn Level 6, 25 Seconds Fraps
Test Set 1: DX11, High Details No AA, 8x AF, FXAA enabled
Test Set 2: DX11, Ultra Details, 8x AA, 16x AF, FXAA enabled
StarCraft IICustom map "Tom's Hardware Guide V2", 60 seconds Fraps
Test Set 1: High Details, High Quality
Test Set 2: Ultra Details, Extreme Quality
Audio/Video Encoding
iTunesVersion 10.4.1.10 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format 
Lame MP3Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s)
HandBrake CLIVersion 0.95: "Big Buck Bunny" (720x480, 23.972 FPS) 5 Minutes, Audio: Dolby Digital, 48 000 Hz, Six-Channel, English, to Video: AVC Audio: AC3 Audio2: AAC (High Profile)
MainConcept ReferenceVersion: 2.2.0.5440: MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, 2 Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV
Productivity
Adobe Photoshop CS5Version 12.1 x64: Filter 15.7MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates
Autodesk 3ds Max 2012Version 12.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080
WinZipVersion 15.5 Pro: THG-Workload (650 MB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r"
WinRARVersion 4.1: THG-Workload (650 MB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3"
7-ZipVersion 9.22: THG-Workload (650 MB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5"
ABBYY FineReaderVersion 10.0.102.82: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings
3DMark 11Version: 1.0.1.0, Benchmark Only
PCMark 7Version: 1.0.4 x64, System, Productivity, Hard Disk Drive benchmarks
SiSoftware Sandra 2011Version 2011.10.17.80, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / MultiMedia, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark
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Top Comments
  • 20 Hide
    confish21 , March 27, 2012 6:32 AM
    I'm totally down for a cheap case but damn! There are better looking case's for 40 bucks.

    I like how the 2400 is used but would it be okay dropping the cooler?

    Read only optical drive? This makes no sense and is probably the worst skimp Ive ever seen. Spend the 5 bucks for a burner. Iso image anyone? This is an enthusiast level build... no mud flaps, no sale.
  • 19 Hide
    ringzero , March 27, 2012 5:22 AM
    "Whoa. The Radeon HD 6950s in CrossFire from last quarter's System Builder Marathon beat the Radeon HD 7970 at every combination of resolutions and settings, except 1280x1600 at Ultra details."

    I desperately want a monitor at that resolution.
  • 11 Hide
    ojas , March 27, 2012 4:25 AM
    typo in the table on the first page, a 6970 isn't for $560! :p 
Other Comments
  • 2 Hide
    zanny , March 27, 2012 4:21 AM
    Sad thing is dollar for dollar the 7970 is maddeningly inefficient. It only says good things for this summer, when hopefully AMD drops the prices on their cards in response to Kepler kicking their collective butts in performance per dollar.
  • 11 Hide
    ojas , March 27, 2012 4:25 AM
    typo in the table on the first page, a 6970 isn't for $560! :p 
  • 7 Hide
    stm1185 , March 27, 2012 4:41 AM
    7970 guess you wrote this before the GTX 680 review. No way you'd make that recommendation after.
  • 5 Hide
    sempifi99 , March 27, 2012 4:52 AM
    Quote:
    7970 guess you wrote this before the GTX 680 review. No way you'd make that recommendation after.


    When you compare their overclocking potentials, they have about the same performance. And then there is the availability of the GTX 680, which is not. So it makes since why the 7970 was chosen.

    The 7970 has better compute potential too. But I don't think that is relevant for a gaming box.
  • 9 Hide
    killabanks , March 27, 2012 4:58 AM
    i would say wait for the price to come down
  • 2 Hide
    ksampanna , March 27, 2012 5:15 AM
    stm11857970 guess you wrote this before the GTX 680 review. No way you'd make that recommendation after.


    My thoughts exactly. This story was probably done before Kepler, but now with the 680 launched, the editor sure must be feeling a bit shortchanged.
    Of course, the fact that the 680 has disappeared off the shelves is a different story entirely. In any case, within the next few weeks, we should see significant price cuts on the 7970, potentially making this build relevant once again.
  • 19 Hide
    ringzero , March 27, 2012 5:22 AM
    "Whoa. The Radeon HD 6950s in CrossFire from last quarter's System Builder Marathon beat the Radeon HD 7970 at every combination of resolutions and settings, except 1280x1600 at Ultra details."

    I desperately want a monitor at that resolution.
  • 8 Hide
    General M00n , March 27, 2012 5:28 AM
    That is the ugliest case I've seen in a long time. No rotated hd bays or bottom mounted psu. Expansion slots at the back are snap off instead of reusable, and screw in on the outside. No CPU access at the back and only one 120mm space at the rear, none on the top. But you do get one tacky red fan that will be louder than your whole system combined.

    Seriously folks, the NZXT GAMMA Classic Case is the best ATX case for under $50.

    Also I agree, 64GB SSD is tiny for gamers. Its fine in an office enviroment, where you only have just the production programs that you use on a daily basis installed, with the actual data stored on a server/database. But for gamers whose Steam folder alone is in the 100s of GBs, its pointless.

    Also, why bother with an aftermarket heatsink if you don't plan to overclock? I can understand if your after a low/noiseless pc (like me), but considering your running a 7970 and noisy stock case fan, it's a waste of money.

    On a positive note, the $650 build was OK.

  • 9 Hide
    Darkerson , March 27, 2012 5:53 AM
    Yes, the 680 is nice, but if you cant find one in stock to buy, it really doesnt help that much, now does it?

    General M00n64GB SSD is tiny for gamers. Its fine in an office enviroment, where you only have just the production programs that you use on a daily basis installed, with the actual data stored on a server/database. But for gamers whose Steam folder alone is in the 100s of GBs, its pointless.


    Not all of us need to run our games off an SSD. I use a 64GB SSD to boot from, and use my 7200rpm HDD to run my games, and it works just fine. I think people are being a little too picky. Especially about a build that will eventually be given away for free.
  • 7 Hide
    ojas , March 27, 2012 5:56 AM
    Quote:
    Whoa. The Radeon HD 6950s in CrossFire from last quarter's System Builder Marathon beat the Radeon HD 7970 at every combination of resolutions and settings, except 1280x1600 at Ultra details.

    i think you meant 2560x1600!
  • 0 Hide
    hmp_goose , March 27, 2012 6:01 AM
    Feel free to laugh, but do you think you could have fallen back to that one Cooler Master PSU from the $400 build, or something else in the 450 watt range?
  • -6 Hide
    esrever , March 27, 2012 6:05 AM
    could get a 680 and 2500k instead for better performance.
  • 8 Hide
    Pezcore27 , March 27, 2012 6:05 AM
    It would definitely be interesting to see the results had the MB not had the memory issue. Overall I like the build, minus the case. That thing's hideous!

    Also interesting to note that the FX-6100 seemed to perform better in this comparison, then against the i5-2400 configuration used in the $600 December SBM which wiped the floor with it.
  • 5 Hide
    superflykicks03 , March 27, 2012 6:12 AM
    I've never understood spending money on a SSD for a where the objective of the article generally seems to be maximizing FPS per dollar spent. There have been numerous articles on Tom's that show the gains in gaming with an SSD are minimal. Why not go with a standardized storage device, say, the best HDD money can buy @ $100 each time you do a mid range SBM? That way the results across builds are more comparable at the given price point. Same goes for the comparison between builds at the end of this SBM. The extra spent on SSD could artificially inflate the performance of the 650$ build relative to this one, because extra money was not spent on a non-game-enhancing part.

    I understand that SSD is a no-brainer for a well rounded system. Heck, I myself would never spend north of a grand on a pc and not throw in an SSD. But the FPS per dollar is hurt by adding such an expensive storage subsystem.
  • 9 Hide
    Darkerson , March 27, 2012 6:15 AM
    esrevercould get a 680 and 2500k instead for better performance.


    Im pretty sure they stated in the $650 build that they had this stuff picked out a couple months ago, so pretty much just as the AMD 7xxx series came out, long before the Nvidia 6xx series was released. They also stated they are sick and tired of using the 2500k in their builds. I like it when they experiment. Otherwise we wouldnt have seen how horribly bad the bulldozer build was last time.
  • 10 Hide
    Crashman , March 27, 2012 6:30 AM
    pharoahhalfdeadMushkin, Mushkin, Mushkin... How about trying something along the lines of Corsair XMS3 or another brand? We've seen Mushkin so much, and you sometimes say you want to build different configs, but I never see Corsair in the builds.
    Ahem:
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclock-core-i7-sli-liquid-cooling,3096-2.html
    That was in the previous SBM so you really haven't been looking very long. I gave you a thumbs down just to cancel out some of those thumbs up you received
  • 20 Hide
    confish21 , March 27, 2012 6:32 AM
    I'm totally down for a cheap case but damn! There are better looking case's for 40 bucks.

    I like how the 2400 is used but would it be okay dropping the cooler?

    Read only optical drive? This makes no sense and is probably the worst skimp Ive ever seen. Spend the 5 bucks for a burner. Iso image anyone? This is an enthusiast level build... no mud flaps, no sale.
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