System Builder Marathon, September 2010: The Articles
Here are links to each of the four articles in this month’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 check out this Google form, and be sure to read the complete rules before entering!
Day 1: The $2,000 Performance PC
Day 2: The $1,000 Enthusiast PC
Day 3: The $400 Gaming PC
Day 4: Performance And Value, Dissected
Introduction
In the previous System Builder Marathon (SBM), we lowered our mid-range budget from $1500 to $1000. In order to compete with the preceding $1500 build on the graphics front, we opted for a Radeon HD 5830 CrossFire configuration. The $1000 limit forced us to make some compromises in the rest of the system, and we gambled on an OEM Phenom II X3 720—the risk paid off, and the CPU successfully unlocked with four fully-functioning processor cores. The end result performed admirably against the preceding quarter's $1500 PC, especially considering the $500-lower buy-in.

This time around, we put together what we consider a more balanced system. We considered a Phenom II X6, but since Thomas Soderstromchose that platform for his high-end machine, we thought it'd be more interesting to go with an Intel Core i5-750 to compare results.
With that said, here are the components we chose for the new midrange $1000 enthusiast system:
| $1,000 Enthusiast System Components | ||
|---|---|---|
| Motherboard | Asus P7P55D-E LX LGA 1156, Intel P55 chipset | $125 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-750 2.66 GHz, Four Cores, 8 MB L3 Cache | $195 |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master HyperTX 3 | $30 |
| Memory | Crucial 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3-1333 Dual-Channel Desktop Memory Kit | $90 |
| Graphics | MSI GeForce GTX 470 1280 MB GDDR5-3348 | $300 |
| Hard Drives | WD Caviar Black 640 GB 640 GB, 7200 RPM, 32 MB Cache SATA 3Gb/s | $75 |
| Optical | Lite-On iHAS124 OEM 24x DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW, 48x CD ROM | $20 |
| Case | Antec Three Hundred | $60 |
| Power | Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650 W ATX12V, EPS12V , 80 PLUS Certified | $90 |
| Total Cost | $985 | |
With current pricing, this system is actually $15 below our $1000 target, yet we make no significant compromises in any particular area. Let’s examine our hardware choices.
- The Balanced System
- CPU, Motherboard, And Cooler
- Video Cards, Power Supply, And Case
- Memory, Hard Drive, And Optical Drive
- Assembly And Overclocking
- Test System And Benchmarks
- Benchmark Results: Synthetics
- Benchmark Results: Media Encoding
- Benchmark Results: 2D And 3D Graphics
- Benchmark Results: Productivity
- Benchmark Results: Crysis And Call Of Duty
- Benchmark Results: DiRT 2 And S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
- Power And Temperature Benchmarks
- Conclusion
and everyone is going to shoot me after this comment!!
This isn't really an i5 vs. 1055T article, there aren't even any 1055T performance numbers here. It's focused on the current $1000 PC vs the previous $1000 PC.
Having said that, performance between all the builds will be compared in the upcoming conclusion article, and the ~$200 price of both the i5-750 and 1055T more than justifies a comparison. I'm certainly interested in seeing how they stack up against one another.
Enthusiasts run a lot of stuff, heavily threaded and sometimes only using a processor. Enthusiasts play games, too, and those rarely take advantage of more than two or three cores...
I'm guessing that these cards weren't out at the time.
Intel really makes difference , that´s why it been always a little more pricey i guess...
so will have a june 850$(?) vs august 1000$ vs june 1700$(?) comparison.
Good article! I love reading these
Keep up the good work Tom's!
Why spend more than $400? You can buy a computer for that. Why even buy a computer at all, you don't need one. In fact, imagine all the money you could save without having to pay for internet access and upgrading and all.
Get rid of the cell phone too - a land line is all you need. And, why do you need more than the TV you can get that's broadcast through the air for free? Forget cable and all that nonsense.
/end sarcasm
keep it up guys.
Though you where being sarcastic for the lot of us your right, i just bought a brand new prebuild system including a phenom II x6 (1055t) 4 gigs of ram a raid 0 disk setup (2x 1tb 7200rpm 32meg WD10EADS) and and a sad radeon 5450 and though the graphics card is out of style and needs replacement already i don't think i have much to complain about considering this build cost me little under 600 euro including shipping and handling.
I use a land line combined with voip (yes i use it on my mobile to) so i really only pay for my mobile internet and my DSL. And i get my TV from a combination of Free To Air DVB-S and DVB-T wich works well and gets me over 30 channels in full HD at the cost of a setop box two dishes 3 LNB and a DiSEq switch. No cable provider will give me that much HD content specially not for free!
The conclusion could be that i am an enthusiast on a budget and i don't need 2k or even 1k rigs. That is not to say i don't like reading up on them or would not accept one if it was send my way ... just that a lot of us can do with a lot less on a less extreme budget.
Too bad I can only afford the poor-man's (or -enthusiast's) system build which I am looking forward to reading tomorrow.
It seems to me this build will win out over yesterday's $2000 machine later this week when all 3 are compared. I hope the $400 build could actually squeak in an upset.
Thanks, Tom's Hardware! Nice evening reading tonight. I'm very patiently waiting for tomorrow's article... Barely...