Three systems represent our builders' best performance and value hopes for budget, mainstream, and high-end users. Last quarter's marathon demonstrated how each system compared to its predecessor, and today we...
The third and final build in this quarter's System Builder Marathon is a direct answer to your feedback. Paul went as low as he could go in compiling the parts for his $400 Gaming PC. Is gaming still within the...
In this quarter's System Builder Marathon, we balance out our CPU and graphics subsystems, rather than piling on the GPU performance like last time. The results are shocking, to be quite honest. Check out the...
We bolstered our latest high-end build with a six-core CPU from AMD and two super-fast video cards from Nvidia. Is it possible to fit uncompromising performance within a $2000 budget? Remember, you can even...
It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind: benchmarking, writing, editing, and answering what sometimes seems like hundreds of emails. But at the end of the day, all of the work is for you. It's about time...
Sometimes, overclocking is the key to getting budget hardware humming along at enthusiast-class performance levels. But getting there requires extra cooling. Today we're examining the performance of four...
Enthusiasts often say that you can never have too much performance. However, a 500W power supply is perfectly ample for a majority of mid-range PCs. This is one of those cases where a solid ratio of performance...
Case and power supply combos always look like a bargain, but bargain-basement parts have always seemed to chase experienced builders away. Today, we consider three budget-enthusiast models to determine if any...
Smaller budgets were the rule for this quarter’s System Builder Marathon, but better performance was the exception. How will this affect our multi-budget value comparison? Check out the performance results,...
After a few months of higher-priced builds, we're reverting back to a $550 configuration that once again deserves its value designation. Is this less-expensive model able to compete with last quarter's $750...
This quarter, we're dropping the budgets on all of our systems, the enthusiast-class build, specifically, by $500, giving us $1,000 to fight the $1,500 system's performance. Read on to see what value we managed...
The last time we matched up Intel's Pentium G6950 against AMD's Phenom II X2 555, our overzealous overclocking efforts caused a processor meltdown. With a little more experience on Intel's 32 nm process (and...
What does it mean to build a truly-balanced PC? How great would it be to piece together a machine bottlenecked by neither CPU or GPU? We set forth to measure the perfect balance in seven different games and...
We reviewed Nvidia's GeForce GTX 480 one month ago. We're back today with three GTX 480s and two Radeon HD 5870s for SLI/CrossFire scaling analysis, case and motherboard recommendations to help you minimize...
Several vendors market their enclosures specifically toward gamers, but nobody has really defined what makes a gaming case. We take a look at examples from Cooler Master, NZXT, Thermaltake, and Zalman with the...
Budget enhancements to this month’s SBM finally reflect last year’s price increases, allowing the return of liquid cooling at the high-end and Core i7 for the mid-priced systems. With big improvements to...
We loosened the leash on our budgets a little this month in order to pack all of your most requested features into a system that's accessible to more than just affluent enthusiasts. Will this build be complete...
Intel’s latest Core i5 and Core i7 processors for the LGA 1156 interface are great overclockers, but they still have thermal limits. Today we compare nine coolers that can take clock speeds to the next level....
Using your feedback from months past, we’ve built, overclocked, and tested three systems with vastly different budgets. Now it's time to compare our efforts using cost, performance, and power as our...
We increased our high-end budget this month to see how much performance $5,000 could deliver. This move is certain to destroy comparative value, but will the system also shatter benchmark records?
Previews stole the thunder from Nvidia’s GTX 295 launch, but a new driver promises to expand its performance lead. We matched it against the best-performing CrossFireX and 3-way SLI configurations.
We’ve seen how far a moderately priced Core i7 system can take us and now we’re ready to assess the performance advantages of better cooling and a stronger graphics configuration. Will our upgrades be worth...
With Intel's Core i7 920 looking like a solid overclocking play, we wanted to find the right full-tower case for our test benches. ABS, Antec, Cooler Master, and Thermaltake battle it out for chassis supremacy.
Welcome to part four of our Holiday Gift Guide coverage. This time around, the Tom's Hardware staff picks its favorite components for your wish list rounding out 2008.