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System Builder Marathon, March 2011: $2000 Performance PC

12:00 AM - March 22, 2011 by Thomas Soderstrom

System Builder Marathon, March 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 $2,000 Performance PC
Day 2: The $1,000 Enthusiast PC
Day 3: The $500 Gaming PC
Day 4: Performance And Value, Dissected
Day 5: Tom's Hand-Picked SuperCombo

Introduction

Few times has Intel’s old “Leap Ahead” slogan been more appropriate than with its Sandy Bridge launch, its new processor offering moderate performance gains simultaneous to huge power reduction. Yet, CPU competitor AMD hasn’t been lying motionless, its old “Leap Beyond” campaign similarly suited to new graphics cards that, thanks to superior multi-GPU scaling, speed past Nvidia’s competing parts while consuming far less power and selling for a far lower price. With all these advancements only a few easy mouse clicks away, all we needed was a real-world complete build to compare today’s advanced parts to the pathetic antiques of last year.

Here’s what our $2000 budget was able to purchase, using Newegg’s prices.

$2000 Performance PC Component Prices
Motherboard	Asus P8P67 WS Revolution: LGA 1155, Intel P67 Express	$ 270
Processor	Intel Core i7-2600K: 3.4 GHz-3.8 GHz, 8 MB Cache	$330
Memory	G.Skill F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM: DDR3-1600 C8, 2 x 4 GB (8 GB)	$130
Graphics	2 x XFX HD-695A-CNFC: Radeon HD 6950 2 GB, CrossFire	$600
System Drive	2 x A-Data S599 64 GB, SATA 3Gb/s SSD	$230
Storage Drive	Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1 TB, 7200 RPM HDD	$70
Optical	Lite-On iHBS212 BD-RE: 12x BD-R, 16x DVD±R, 48x CD-R	$110
Case	Antec Three Hundred Illusion	$65
Power	Seasonic SS-850HT: 850W, ATX12V v2.31, 80-Plus Silver	$130
CPU Cooler	Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B (SCMG-2100)	$40
	Total Cost	$1975

Extra value in the power supply and CPU cooler allowed us to go overkill on these items without breaking the bank.

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wribbs 03/22/2011 6:31 AM

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Was wondering when the SBM would return. Now if I just had an extra $2K. Now lets see how the lower price models hold up.

Sure is a good time to be building a new PC.

duk3 03/22/2011 6:32 AM

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I'd love to win one of these.
Especially this one

dragonsqrrl 03/22/2011 6:34 AM

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Wow, nice system this time around. Excellent performance and efficiency, although I personally would've chosen a nicer case for a $2000 system. I know you guys have your reasons, and for the purposes of a purely price/performance oriented build it makes sense to skimp on the aesthetic qualities of a case, but for me personally, it's still nice to see a high-end case complement some high-end hardware.

toxxel 03/22/2011 6:35 AM

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Nice system for 2k, wondering what the other systems will offer for their respective tier.

sparky2010 03/22/2011 7:02 AM

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-2

since the 6990 is out, wouldn't getting that one card be a legitimate choice too? isn't it also at around $600?

illuminatuz 03/22/2011 7:04 AM

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oh wow!!! you know what if you can really think you can make a performance pc.. i mean same performance.. but lesser cost..
i am not saying OC and AMD thing.. same hardware..

dertechie 03/22/2011 7:09 AM

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-1

That system looks familiar. Very familiar. Almost. . . have you been spying on me?

I built a system exactly like that, except with an 2500K, P8P67 Pro, single 6950 2GB, single SSD, DVD rather than BD, H50 and a cheaper PSU. Tears through Metro 2033 maxed at 1920x1200 like butter. When prices on 6950s fall some more I'll add a card and see if they can handle Eyefinity.

illuminatuz 03/22/2011 7:14 AM

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-3

and its possible.. just take a nice gtx 560ti rather two amd sli and take 8 gig ram.. since anything above 8 gig will give diminishing returns and 500 gb hdd is more than enough i think.. buy a cheaper case, (punch holes to make it cooler ) thats it.. same cpu same mobo and everything else same. you can also opt for cheaper 1155 mobo. i think gigabyte's got some.. or asus maybe.. no need for some two pcie and crap.. you can take a higher gpu.. say like gtx 580 or 6990.. well sli will give value if you are going for long term.. and you can install server's power.. they are cheap and of higher quality (thats what i heard from my pc vendor). i think there better be another marathon where there are the best pc at lowest cost.. that would make more sense rather giving budget.. so that people can know what they can make with the money they got.. since not all have exactly 1000$ or 2000$ there are people from other countries as well following www.tomshardware.com so keep up the good work fellas ^_^/~~

tapher 03/22/2011 7:36 AM

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Ten-ies!

Props on the build, dawgs. Daddy likes!

Breath is bated for the bevy of builds to come!

andy5174 03/22/2011 7:44 AM

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Quote :Contest is limited to residents of the USA

not again.....

lunyone 03/22/2011 7:46 AM

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Not what I'd buy for a build around this price, but not too shabby. I wouldn't complain if I were to get this build for free, or nearly free

Zeh 03/22/2011 7:54 AM

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Can't say CPU and GPU were hard choices. Well built overall, but I'd try to use the 2nd SSD money into upgrading to 2x6970s instead. Might have given (even) better scores at 2560*1600!

joshyboy82 03/22/2011 8:00 AM

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-1

Bought my current PC on Black Friday and it seems that I'm already a current Generation behind. All I can do is add the 990X, another GTX 580, and a new power supply, then wait for obsolete-ness.

bombat1994 03/22/2011 8:12 AM

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this test really should have been done with bios flashes. that what enthusiasts generally use with 6950's. but still nice to see just how powerfull the 2600k is.

how would a system like this perform if watercooled. i presume it will kill most of the gpu heat problems and the cpu should stay bout the same

dertechie 03/22/2011 8:16 AM

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Everyone suggesting the 6990, why?

Crossfired 6970s give the same performance, OC about as well, cost the same $700, and you can be in the same room as them without ear plugs. My old Pentium D's fan was annoying, the 6990 is apparently even worse.

Now, water cooled 6990s (yes, plural), now you're talking, but then we're into $3,000+ territory, and 5 DisplayPort monitors with good vertical viewing angles on top of that (read: 5x 24" IPS, $2500, minimum).

bombat1994 :
this test really should have been done with bios flashes. that what enthusiasts generally use with 6950's. but still nice to see just how powerfull the 2600k is.how would a system like this perform if watercooled. i presume it will kill most of the gpu heat problems and the cpu should stay bout the same

These are 1GB 6950s. Without a BIOS for a 1GB 6970, you can't flash those, and AMD has not released a 1GB 6970. We also never know when/if they'll start fusing off extra shaders now that specs are finalized.

Proximon 03/22/2011 8:20 AM

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-1

Your PSU also lacks the full 5 year warranty of most Seasonic PSUs. Not a criticism, just wanted to make sure folks understood all the differences.
I like the build, though I think you overspent on the Blu-ray drive and could have used the savings on a better case.

Rizlla 03/22/2011 9:15 AM

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Dam would I love to have that PC. You can clearly see that the PC world is going forward.

legacy-za 03/22/2011 9:22 AM

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WTB: International Competition

Hell, I would even pay any import tax and shipping costs :S

silverblue 03/22/2011 9:41 AM

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Good to see the HD103SJ in there. Just bought one of these myself, though astonishingly, the UK price is even cheaper - £38 ($61) - though I haven't found one without shipping costs of at least £5 ($8).

Excellent build, definitely worth it over the previous $2,000 system. I can't help but wonder how well those 6950s will perform once AMD's drivers really make use of the VLIW4 architecture, so there's another potential bonus. Now if only this was available in the UK...

I did my own comparison for the UK, using various matches thrown up by Google. Unfortunately, I can't find the Illusion variant of the Three Hundred, plus the SeaSonic PSU seems a bit too expensive/difficult to find. I opted for an Antec 850W PSU at £104 ($166, assuming conversion £1 = $1.60). The cooler was £40 at the cheapest ($64). My prices came to £1,490 approx. including all shipping. That'd come out at about $2,400, so it's not a massive hike over US prices.