System Builder Marathon, August 2012: $1000 Enthusiast PC

Features
By Don Woligroski
published

CPU, Motherboard, And Cooler

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K

Intel's Sandy Bridge-based Core i5-2500K served as the brain of our mid-range enthusiast machine more times than I can count, and the Ivy Bridge-based Core i5-3570K is shaping up to be its replacement for right about $230.

Read Customer Reviews of Intel's Core i5-3570K

This is the first time we've had access to an Ivy Bridge-based Core i5 manufactured at 22 nm, and we expect that its strengths will play out well in our tests. Most important of all is an unlocked ratio multiplier, of course.

Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty P67 Performance

Read Customer Reviews of ASRock's Fatal1ty P67 Performance

Squeezing a Core i5-3570K, SSD, and 8 GB of overclockable memory into a $1000 budget is no easy task. So, we try to pick components offering the most performance potential at the lowest price.

ASRock's Fatal1ty P67 Performance motherboard offers us a decent reputation for aggressive overclocks and a very modest $100 price tag. on Newegg.

CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Loki SD963

Read Customer Reviews of Xigmatek's Loki SD963

We’ve had good experiences with Xigmatek’s Loki in the past, and for $25, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to save some money for other parts given our strapped budget. Soon, we'll find out how this aftermarket cooler fares on an Ivy Bridge-based processor.

Don Woligroski
123 Comments Comment from the forums
  • alchemy69
    Bring on the usual motley crew of those who could have done it so much better.
    Reply
  • lighter17
    What's going on with the processor price. The i5-3570k is $230 not $300. Then there's no mention of the CPU cooler in the price list.

    And you're pairing an Ivy Bridge CPU with a P67 motherboard to save a few dollars?

    Does anybody proofread these articles?
    Reply
  • lunyone
    ^^^ Just noticed and was starting to type that same mistake too :)
    +1 for the p67 and not a maybe a B75 based mobo like:

    or

    Z77 based mobo for ~$95 shipped??


    Just a though on the mobo situation....

    Reply
  • lunyone
    ^^^ Links didn't work, trying again below:

    Reply
  • mayankleoboy1
    i love how much difference a few months had on the performance.

    Just want to mention : i dont see the use of including an optical drive in 2012. i cant remember the last time i used an optical drive. And with digital sales outselling physical discs, i dont see why it is included.
    Its not about saving $15. Its about buying a part that you will be using less than a couple of times in an year.probably lesser.
    Reply
  • cangelini
    lighter17What's going on with the processor price. The i5-3570k is $230 not $300. Then there's no mention of the CPU cooler in the price list. And you're pairing an Ivy Bridge CPU with a P67 motherboard to save a few dollars?Does anybody proofread these articles?Good catch. Not sure what was up with Don's pricing, but his CPU was way off, and he forgot to include the cooler in his price list. I've updated it, and it's only $7 bucks off his original quote, so we're still in good shape. Appreciate the sharp eye, guys!
    Chris
    Reply
  • wildkitten
    mayankleoboy1i love how much difference a few months had on the performance.Just want to mention : i dont see the use of including an optical drive in 2012. i cant remember the last time i used an optical drive. And with digital sales outselling physical discs, i dont see why it is included. Its not about saving $15. Its about buying a part that you will be using less than a couple of times in an year.probably lesser.I think there is still a place for optical drives. I just finished a new tower build myself, an i5 3570k myself with the same video card on an Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe. I put in a Blur Ray burner that was only $90. With almost all new phones doing 1080p video, I can burn discs for friends and family of personal videos. People also still have CD players in cars and honestly, on a price per GB bases, it's still the best form of backup.
    Reply
  • 60 gb SSD? why bother?
    Reply
  • blackball3242
    The asrock professional series is shown whereas the actual motherboard being used is the performance series.

    I almost thought the motherboard had 3 pcie slots for only $100- that would have been a steal!
    Reply
  • nathcarter
    Any particular reason for P67 over Z77? Is it purely cost-based, or are there significant performance benefits?
    Reply