System Builder Marathon, June 2011: The Articles
Here are links to each of the five 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 fill out this Google form, and be sure to read the complete rules before entering!
Day 1: The $2000 Performance PC
Day 2: The $1000 Enthusiast PC
Day 3: The $500 Gaming PC
Day 4: Performance And Value, Dissected
Day 5: Tom's Hand-Picked SuperCombo
Introduction
In the first quarter of this year, we went a bit over budget on our $500 Gaming PC, squeezing in both a quad-core AMD Phenom II processor and Radeon HD 6850 graphics. The resulting build, which did leave some room for improvements, still packed serious punch for the money we spent.
Additional price drops over the past three months mean we could have taken that same configuration and jumped up to an even more attractive Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (BE). The 955 BE would have not only given us a nice frequency increase across its four physical cores, but also the flexibility of a fully unlocked CPU multiplier, and even a better cooling solution for overclocking. Of course, overclockability plays heavily into component selection for our System Builder Marathons (SBMs), typically providing the benchmark data set we value the most.
And here's the point where some folks are going to be disappointed, because this lead-up depicts what we need to compete against, and not what we actually built. This month’s $500 gaming rig departs from the norm by centering on a budget-oriented Intel Sandy Bridge-based platform that cannot be overclocked at all, really. It'll either stand or fall based on its out-of-box performance.
| Component | Model | Price (in dollars) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-2100 | $125 |
| CPU Cooler | Intel boxed heatsink/fan | $0 |
| Motherboard | ASRock H61M-VS | $60 |
| RAM | Crucial 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) DDR3-1333 CT2KIT25664BA1339 | $40 |
| Graphics | Sapphire 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1 GB | $170 |
| Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500 GB, SATA 6Gb/s | $40 |
| Case | Xigmatek Asgard II B/S CPC-T45UE-U01 | $30 |
| Power | Antec EarthWatts Green EA380D 380 W | $40 |
| Optical | Asus 24X DVD Burner SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS | $21 |
| Total Price | $526 |
Attempting a Sandy Bridge-based gaming PC was contingent on two self-set stipulations. First, I already broke the bank last round, and had to draw a line somewhere on spending. So, it was imperative to avoid outspending last quarter's PC. Second, an even more demanding suite of 3D titles meant that graphics horsepower couldn't be sacrificed.
The only way to achieve both goals was starting with the cheapest available platform possible, a feature-stripped ASRock H61M-VS microATX motherboard and Core i3-2100 processor. Apart from a couple of insignificant difference, we ended with component prices almost exactly the same as this machine's predecessor. Higher-capacity storage was three dollars cheaper than our previous 320 GB drive, but securing a DVD burner ate up a couple of those bills.
Now, we already know from stories like Don Woligroski’s Who's Got Game? Twelve Sub-$200 CPUs compared that the stock Core i3-2100 is a capable gaming processor. In fact, by avoiding some low-resolution CPU limitations, we should easily be able to set a new bar for the $500 SBM build in terms of frame rates at stock settings. But with 70% of the overall performance evaluation weighted outside of games, will a lack of overclocking become a deal-breaker for this machine, preventing us from reusing Intel's severely-limited entry-level parts in future Marathons?
- Entry-Level Sandy Bridge
- CPU And Cooler
- Motherboard And Memory
- Graphics Card And Hard Drive
- Case, Power Supply, And Optical Drive
- Assembly And Overclocking
- Test System Configuration And Benchmarks
- Benchmark Results: Crysis And Just Cause 2
- Benchmark Results: F1 2010 And Metro 2033
- Benchmark Results: Audio And Video
- Benchmark Results: Productivity
- Benchmark Results: Synthetics
- Power Consumption And Temperatures
- Performance Summary, Efficiency, And Conclusion

Because HDD's cannot saturate even the Sata 3.0Gb/s line. They run at around 120MB/s, but sata II can handle up to 280MB/s or so. It's a cash grab. Means nothing for HDD's.
The X4 955 costs $15 less like you said, and allows overclocking even with stock, and $60 would buy a much better equipped AMD board. Also, $185 gets you a HD6870 these days.
Result? Better FPS per $ for the same price. TBH, that's what I was expecting. I am disappoint.
The X4 955 costs $15 less like you said, and allows overclocking even with stock, and $60 would buy a much better equipped AMD board. Also, $185 gets you a HD6870 these days.
Result? Better FPS per $ for the same price. TBH, that's what I was expecting. I am disappoint.
yet the motherboard has only 4 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s connectors.
How would you utilize the maximum potential of the hard disk then?
Because HDD's cannot saturate even the Sata 3.0Gb/s line. They run at around 120MB/s, but sata II can handle up to 280MB/s or so. It's a cash grab. Means nothing for HDD's.
I see thanks.
As far as the June budget build goes, it's really just an alternated Intel flavored version of the March build. As such, some hopeful budget builders may find reasons to go either route. Maybe the best argument against going AMD for the $500 build is the impending release of Llano and Bulldozer. It doesn't make much sense to put together an AMD system at this time -- even if you're looking at the budget area. The Phenom II will continue to be a good value especially if you're updating an older AMD system. It's not that the Phenom/Athlon is so slow as much as Intel's SB is just plain fast and efficient.
I want an unlocked i3 Intel... please make it happen.
What software can utilize hyper threaded cores.
Not on any gamers PC'S much less on MS 64 bit at an entry level.
Granted at high end, they do make a great deal of difference but not at entry level.
And since when is power conservation a consideration for a gamer.
Um lets see, unreal 3 can use hyperthreading, battlefield bad company 2 and battlefield 3 take advantage of hyperthreading, many games such as wow now take advantage of it. Need i go on.
I still think the i3-2100 was the right choice...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i3-2100-phenom-ii-x6-1075t,2859-10.html
For a gaming oriented build at this price point, these lower end Sandy Bridge processors can't be beat. Even when you factor in the overclocking potential of similarly priced AMD processors (Phenom II X4 955 or 965) I don't think it's enough to defeat the i3-2100 in the games where it matters most. Even when it comes to multitasking and and multithreaded workloads, the dual-core Sandy Bridge is still very performance competitive, which is kind of sad from an architectural standpoint (quad-thread i3 vs quad-core Phenom II).
If this build were targeted at workstation applications however, I think you could definitely make the argument that AMD offers a viable alternative with the additional cores. But again, this is a gaming oriented build.
It'd be worth it for me, at least, to spend the $100 or so difference and get something with a bit extra oomph. I'm prepared for the standard "It's more than that 11!!1!!!" and "Intel doesn't have a chip for less than $999!11!1oneone!!!" whining that will follow, but cost-wise it's not that bad anymore. Bulldozer, AMD, or I'm not impressed. Give me something that won't choke my GPU to death.
Can we have this article updated with both rigs graphics cards set at the same clocks ? That would be a telling comparison .
This post is so full of fail...
The article has proved conclusively that sb isnt the phenom killer at this price point. Once you take in to account the relative prices of a 955 and the 2100 , and the 955 being clocked so much higher than the 925 they used then AMD looks better than it did in March .
Im sure a few intel fanboys just had a very bad day
Every once in a while one of the builders does use Nvidia and get this, about a dozen guys cry that it's anti-AMD bias and that THG is a group of Nvidia fanboys.