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In iTunes and Lame, both of which are single-threaded, Turbo Boost propels the Core i5 even further ahead of last quarter's fixed 2.9 GHz frequency. Because we used a Sandy Bridge-based Pentium, we weren't afforded any overclocking.
HandBrake and TotalCode Studio enjoy an even larger lead thanks to the Core i5's higher clock rate and quad-core architecture.
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Sounds about right. Not quite the sweet spot for a budget rig, but then we don't get too many requests for $600 firm. A higher clocked i3 would have been the way to go.
I think you can fit the 7870 LE in there if you choose a cheaper mobo and went with an i3 or an AMD build.
As usual, love the system builder article.
This $600 build seems nice. Personally, I would drop the optical drive, replace the Z75 board with a cheaper H77 motherboard, get a cheap 8GB (2x4GB) memory kit and a 2GB version of the Radeon HD7850. I think it's possible that it'll be between $600-610.
That's just what I would change. This build is still nice to be honest.
Why isn't noise a benchmark? Every build you showcase you ignore acoustics. A very noisy build should affect it's overall performance negatively, while a quiet one should affect it positively. Noise is a very important factor in Case Reviews so why isn't it a factor here?
noise isnt a factor in a gaming rig...thats for htcp stuff
Sounds about right. Not quite the sweet spot for a budget rig, but then we don't get too many requests for $600 firm. A higher clocked i3 would have been the way to go.
That 3350P is a pretty nice CPU though. It performs at near FX-8320 levels while consuming 1/2 the power. I'd definitely use it in a low budget rig over anything else.
i question the longevity of a 400w psu in a build like this though
The CPU budget is higher than the GPU budget for this gaming machine? I understand the desire for a 4 core processor but you could definitely have a better gaming rig by investing more in the GPU and trimming the CPU budget.
i question the longevity of a 400w psu in a build like this though
~54%(216W) capacity when under CPU + GPU load. There shouldn't be any concern with the PSU failing under these loads.
It would have been interesting with a 7870 GPU, like below:
/ /
CPU: ($123.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: ($25.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $564.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-26 02:52 EST-0500)
But the 3350P makes things interesting when an app can benefit from more cores! I had to get a better PSU to fit the 7870 into the budget. There is also $50 in MIR's equated into the final price, so the actual price paid would be $614 out the door. I'm not sure the i3 would have been a better overall CPU, but it would have made things interesting in the gaming department
Links didn't work above, so I'll put out the Plain Text version, so you can see the parts details.
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/G55N
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/G55N/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/G55N/benchmarks/
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($123.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($25.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $564.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-26 02:56 EST-0500)
Nice.
going with a core i3 and 7870xt woulda allowed for better gpu-bound gaming experience, but imo a core i5 will likely offer better online multiplayer gaming experience than dual cores and amd counterparts.
core i5's overclocked power consumption looks impressive, nearly same as sb pentium's with prime 95... i guess.
It seems to me that the GPU was more of a bottleneck than the CPU in this build. I'd go with a cheaper H77 mobo, an i3, and a 7870 LE. I think you would have got more impressive numbers in games.
Why is Canada not included in the draw? I want my rights you hear me! QQ
AFAIK there are no restrictions to contest stuff in Canada
i question the longevity of a 400w psu in a build like this though
Do not question. Falcon northwest (a reliable company) builds the Tiki PC with a 450w psu.
Uses an OC i7 3770k with the new GTX Titan.
No really surprise here, an i5 beats a Pentium, all other parts the same, an extra $100. I'd say keep the optical drive, if anything replace it with a Blu-Ray burner. If anything do a series of cpu/mobo/ram only, these are the true "system" upgrades, and show the true difference in AMD/Intel builds. Just as the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and OS are excluded (even though they are essential, the same OS & apps are used in each one) the case, psu, and hard drives either would be reused or be similar enough to be irrelevent or simply cover up the real differences. A $200, $400, $600 cpu/mobo/ram would be perfect.
Sounds about right. Not quite the sweet spot for a budget rig, but then we don't get too many requests for $600 firm. A higher clocked i3 would have been the way to go.
Yeah it didn't make sense to me that they jumped from a Pentium to an i5 and kept the same graphics card. I would've gone with an i3 and got at least a 7850 (maybe I'm biased because that's what I have in my PC)
I would've done something like this for a gaming PC.
If it *must* strictly be <=$600, then at least a 2gb 7850 or a GTX660.
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/G6db
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/G6db/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/G6db/benchmarks/
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($122.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.73 @ Compuvest)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($38.24 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $607.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-26 07:17 EST-0500)
nice work again guys!