System Builder Marathon, June 2011: $1000 Enthusiast PC
Test System And Benchmarks
Since the current and previous $1000 System Builder Marathon PCs use the same CPU and clock rates, we don’t expect to see much difference in many of the processor-bound tests in our suite. The newer system does have a slightly-faster hard drive, but last quarter's system included lower-latency memory.
We will, however, see some differences between the firmware-unlocked Radeon HD 6950 and this quarter's pair of Radeon HD 6850 cards in CrossFire. Will the dual-card configuration rule the roost, or can the Radeon HD 6950’s 2 GB of memory even the odds at high resolutions with anti-aliasing applied?
Current $1000 Enthusiast PC Test Settings | ||
---|---|---|
Row 0 - Cell 0 | Standard Speed | Overclocked |
Motherboard | MSI P67A-G43 LGA 1155, Intel P67 chipset | Unchanged |
Processor | Intel Core i5-2500K3.3 GHz (3.7 GHz Turbo Boost), Quad-Core, 6 MB L3 Cache | 4500 MHz at 1.4 V |
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) DDR3-1333 Dual-Channel Desktop Memory Kit, CAS 9-9-9-22-1T | Unchanged |
Graphics | 2 x Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 1 GB GDDR5 @ 1050 MHzGPU @ 820 MHz | GDDR5 @ 1100 MHz GPU @ 875 MHz |
Hard Drives | Western Digital Caviar Black 750 GB 750 GB, 7200 RPM, 32 MB cache SATA 3Gb/s | Unchanged |
Optical | LG GH22MS7022x DVD Burner | Unchanged |
Case | Xclio Nighthawk | Unchanged |
Power | Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650 W ATX12V, EPS12V, 80 PLUS-Certified | Unchanged |
March 2011 $1000 Enthusiast PC Test Settings | ||
---|---|---|
Row 0 - Cell 0 | Standard Speed | Overclocked |
Motherboard | ASRock P67 Extreme4 LGA 1155, Intel P67 chipset | Unchanged |
Processor | Intel Core i5-2500K3.3 GHz (3.7 GHz Turbo Boost), Quad-Core, 6 MB L3 Cache | 4400 MHz at 1.4 V |
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) DDR3-1333 Dual-Channel Desktop Memory Kit, CAS 7-7-7-20-1T | Unchanged |
Graphics | Gigabyte Radeon HD 6950 2 GB GDDR5 @ 1250 MHz1408-shader Cayman GPU @ 800 MHz | GDDR5 @ 1300 MHz GPU modded to 1536 shaders @ 880 MHz |
Hard Drives | Samsung Spinpoint 1 TB 1 TB, 7200 RPM, 32 MB cache SATA 3Gb/s | Unchanged |
Optical | Asus DRW-24B1ST24x DVD Burner | Unchanged |
Case | In-Win Android | Unchanged |
Power | Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650 W ATX12V, EPS12V, 80 PLUS-Certified | Unchanged |
And here's the list of benchmarks:
Benchmark Configuration | |
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3D Games | |
Crysis | Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit executable, benchmark tool Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA Test Set 2: Very High Quality, No AA |
Metro 2033 | Full Game, Built-In Benchmark, "Frontline" Scene Test Set 1: DX11, High, AAA, 4x AF, No PhysX, No DoF Test Set 2: DX11, Very High, 4x AA, 16x AF, No PhysX, DoF On |
Just Cause 2 | In-game benchmark: Concrete JungleTest Set 1: Medium Details, No AA, 8x AFTest Set 2: Highest Details, 8x AA, 16x AF |
F1 2010 | V1.01, Run with -benchmark example_benchmark.xml Test Set 1: High Quality Preset, No AA Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 8x AA |
Audio/Video Encoding | |
iTunes | Version 9.0.3.15 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format |
Lame MP3 | Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s) |
HandBrake CLI | Version 0.94: "Big Buck Bunny" (720x480, 23.972 FPS) 5 Minutes, Audio: Dolby Digital, 48 000 Hz, Six-Channel, English, to Video: AVC Audio: AC3 Audio2: AAC (High Profile) |
MainConcept Reference | Version: 2.0.0.1555: MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, 2 Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV |
Productivity | |
Adobe Photoshop CS5 | Version 12.0 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 | Version 12.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
WinZIP | Version 14.0 Pro: THG-Workload (464 MB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r" |
WinRAR | Version 4.0 Beta 4: THG-Workload (464 MB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3" |
7-Zip | Version 9.2: THG-Workload (464 MB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" |
ABBYY Finereader | Version 10.0.102.82: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages |
Synthetic Benchmarks | |
3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.1.0, Benchmark Only |
PCMark Vantage | Version: 1.0.1.0 x64, System, Productivity, Hard Disk Drive benchmarks |
SiSoftware Sandra 2011 | Version 2011.1.17.15, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / MultiMedia, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
Current page: Test System And Benchmarks
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whysobluepandabear What? 6850 x 2 = $340? Um, I could get TWO 6870's for $350~ EASY. Sure, they have mail in rebates, but who cares.Reply
Two 6870's would stomp the 6850's, and you would literally spend the same, if not a measly $10 more. -
quixilver1 Why change the cooler from the $200 pc. It is only $5 more and still within the budget.Reply -
whysobluepandabear seller417650W is enough power for this rig?Well, looking into my tarot cards and crystal ball, I see It peaks at 400W at full load. So yeah, I think 650W may be a bit of an overkill.Reply -
quixilver1 quixilver1Why change the cooler from the $200 pc. It is only $5 more and still within the budget.Should read $2000 pc.Reply -
iam2thecrowe whysobluepandabearWell, looking into my tarot cards and crystal ball, I see It peaks at 400W at full load. So yeah, I think 650W may be a bit of an overkill.Why would it be overkill? Its the kind of headroom you should have so your not straining the psu. Sure you could get away with less, but for a few dollars more than a 500w unit you can get a 650w. Its perfectly balanced and leaves room for upgrade. Its good to see what 2 6850's can do but i think if I were building this PC i would chose a faster single card and upgrade to dual cards later.Reply -
akorzan seller417650W is enough power for this rig?Yes. There is a misconception that rigs need over-sized power supplies. I have a Core i7 875k and a Radeon HD5850 running on a 400 Watt power-supply. Is it pushing it? Yes, if I clock it to 4.2 GHz and run Furmark and Prime95 none stop...Reply
No if I run Furmark and Prime95 at 3.33 GHz, and definitely no for any realistic workloads.
Why did I get a 400 watt power-supply? Because it is darn silent and was recommended on Silent PC Review for "budget" power-supplies. (Bare in mind that "normal" are gold SeaSonics) -
whysobluepandabear iam2thecroweWhy would it be overkill? Its the kind of headroom you should have so your not straining the psu. Sure you could get away with less, but for a few dollars more than a 500w unit you can get a 650w. Its perfectly balanced and leaves room for upgrade. Its good to see what 2 6850's can do but i think if I were building this PC i would chose a faster single card and upgrade to dual cards later.Reply
Because he was asking if 650W was enough, when all he had to do was look at the chart and clearly see the 399W max system (CPU+GPU) load.
So essentially, for that system, the 650W is more than enough, and ...effectively an "Overkill".