System Builder Marathon, Q1 2013: The Articles
Here are links to each of the four articles in this quarter’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 SurveyGizmo form, and be sure to read the complete rules before entering!
Day 1: The $600 Gaming PC
Day 2: The $800 Enthusiast PC
Day 3: The $1,000 Performance PC
Day 4: Performance And Value, Dissected
Day 5: The $1,600 Alternative PC
Introduction
We ended 2012 with the best $500 System Builder Marathon gaming PC this series has ever seen, an accomplishment credited mostly to the impressive performance of AMD's Radeon HD 7850 graphics card. Also, the efficient and affordable Intel Pentium G850 ate up just $70 of our budget, allowing us to include 8 GB of RAM, a higher-end motherboard, and a nicer case.
That was our third $500 rig in a row built specifically to enable fluid gaming at 1920x1080 though, and our continued reliance on a dual-core CPU pretty much assured it'd trail far behind Don's $1,000 enthusiast-oriented build when we tabulated overall value. After all, 60% of our performance weighting comes from applications, and most of the tests in our suite are heavily threaded.
This quarter, we're trying something different and grouping our budgets more closely together. The idea is to see just how much value we can extract from our hardware at $600, $800, and $1,000 price points. Through a tighter competition that any system builder can win with a slight edge on the others, we're looking for that sweet spot where the performance you get from every dollar you spend can be considered optimal.
Given the stellar performance and massive overclocking potential of our last Pitcairn-based GPU, there was simply no need to sink more than $165 into graphics. So, we're again sticking with AMD's 1 GB Radeon HD 7850.
We also know that, in order to generate the best performance possible at $600, we need a more potent processor. Priced at $180, Intel's Core i5-3350P is the highest-end CPU we can afford, and it gives me my best shot at a gold medal in overall system value.
| $600 Gaming PC System Components | ||
|---|---|---|
| Component | Model | Price |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-3350P (Ivy Bridge): 3.1 GHz Base Clock Rate, 3.3 GHz Turbo Boost, 6 MB Shared L3 Cache | $180 |
| CPU Cooler | Intel Boxed Heat Sink and Fan | - |
| Motherboard | ASRock Z75 Pro3: LGA 1155, Intel Z75 Express | $85 |
| RAM | G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) DDR3-1600 F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL | $30 |
| Graphics | HIS H785F1G2M: Radeon HD 7850 1 GB | $165 |
| Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002: 500 GB, 7,200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive | $60 |
| Case | Xigmatek Asgard II B/B CPC-T45UC-U01 ATX Mid-Tower | $34 |
| Power Supply | Antec Neo Eco 400C 400 W | $30 |
| Optical | Samsung DVD Burner 24x SATA Model SH-224BB/RSBS | $16 |
| Total Price | $600 | |
Unfortunately, memory prices are back up after last quarter's System Builder Marathon, forcing us back down to 4 GB of capacity. The savings allows us to grab a faster dual-channel kit, though, and a more enthusiast-oriented platform. We're hoping the tradeoff lets us tap into more of the Core i5's performance potential.
Just before we ordered our parts, the memory kit went up $3, putting us right at $600. However, there's also a $10 promo code on the hard drive that we aren't factoring into our pricing table. Through a few minor fluctuations between then and now, this machine's overall cost is up an additional $5.
- Gunning For Gold At $600
- CPU And Cooler
- Motherboard And Memory
- Graphics Card And Hard Drive
- Case, Power Supply, And Optical Drive
- Assembling Our Budget-Oriented Box
- Overclocking
- Test System Configuration And Benchmarks
- Results: Synthetics
- Results: Battlefield 3 And The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Results: F1 2012 And Far Cry 3
- Results: Audio And Video
- Results: Adobe Creative Suite
- Results: Productivity
- Results: Compression
- Power Consumption And Temperatures
- Gaming Performance Summary
- Did We Accomplish Our Mission?

~54%(216W) capacity when under CPU + GPU load. There shouldn't be any concern with the PSU failing under these loads.
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.
Have no fear there. Our power measurements are what is pulled from the wall. Factoring the efficeincy (loss) of the PSU, this 400W unit was outputting under 190W at peak load. It was in fact overkill, as built, and could handle a bump in graphics if your willing to use a Molex power adaptor. I'd feel comfortable running the far more power hungry Tahiti LE based 7870 on this PSU, especially paired with a Core i3.
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.
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.
~54%(216W) capacity when under CPU + GPU load. There shouldn't be any concern with the PSU failing under these loads.
/ /
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
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)
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.
AFAIK there are no restrictions to contest stuff in Canada
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.
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)
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)
Btw, it is my understanding that these builds are sponsored by Newegg. This makes any pricing from any other store, no matter how nice, irrelevant in discussion of the build. Alternate vendors may be great suggestions in the forums, but not here.