Test System Configuration And Benchmarks
The following tables include the stock and overclocked settings for the current budget build, followed by the less expensive Gaming PC from last quarter, which will serve as a baseline comparison point. Also, we’ll add a costlier one-year-old machine to the mix, which combined Core i3 (Haswell) with beefier GeForce GTX 770 graphics. At the very bottom, you’ll find the programs and games used for benchmarking.
Current Budget Gaming PC System Test Configuration
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| Component | Base Settings | Overclock Setting |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-4150 (Haswell): 3.5GHz, 3MB Shared L3 Cache, Power savings enabled | Unchanged |
| CPU Cooler | Intel Boxed Heat Sink and Fan | Unchanged |
| Motherboard | ASRock H81M-HDS LGA 1150, Intel H81 Express, BIOS: v.1.90 (07-08-2014) | Unchanged |
| RAM | 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws PC3-12800 kit 2x 4048MB at DDR3-1600, CL 11-11-11-28 at 1.5V | DDR3-1600, XMP CL 9-9-9-24 at 1.5V |
| Graphics | Sapphire Dual-X Radeon R9 280 3GB GDDR5 940MHz (Boost) GPU, 1250MHz (5000MT/s) Memory | 1080MHz GPU, 1300MHz (5400MT/s) GDDR5 Memory |
| Hard Drive | WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB, 7200 RPM, 16MB Cache | Unchanged |
| Sound | Integrated Eight-Channel HD Audio | Unchanged |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking | Unchanged |
| Power | EVGA 100-W1-500-KR 500W | Unchanged |
| Optical | Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK SATA 24x DVD Burner | Unchanged |
| Software and Drivers | ||
| Operating System | Windows 8 Professional x64 | Unchanged |
| Graphics Driver | AMD Catalyst 14.4 | Unchanged |
| Platform Driver | Intel Inf. v. 9.4.0.1017 | Unchanged |
Q4 2014 Budget Gaming PC System Test Configuration
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| Component | Base Settings | Overclock Setting |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Pentium G3258 (Haswell): 3.2GHz, 3MB Shared L3 Cache, Power savings enabled | 4GHz (40*100), 1.19V, EIST Enabled |
| CPU Cooler | Intel Boxed Heat Sink and Fan | Custom Fan Setttings |
| Motherboard | MSI H81M-P33 LGA 1150, Intel H81 Express, BIOS: v.1.7 (07-18-2014) | Unchanged |
| RAM | 8GB Team Vulcan PC3-12800 kit 2x 4048MB at DDR3-1333, CL 9-9-9-24 at 1.5V | DDR3-1333, CL 7-8-8-24 at 1.545V |
| Graphics | MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 2GB GDDR5 1080MHz GPU, 1400MHz (5600MT/s) Memory | 1140MHz GPU, 1500MHz (6000MT/s) GDDR5 Memory |
| Hard Drive | WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB, 7200 RPM, 16MB Cache | Unchanged |
| Sound | Integrated Eight-Channel HD Audio | Unchanged |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking | Unchanged |
| Power | EVGA 100-W1-500-KR 500W | Unchanged |
| Optical | LG 24x SATA DVD Burner Model GH24NSB0B | Unchanged |
| Software and Drivers | ||
| Operating System | Windows 8 Professional x64 | Unchanged |
| Graphics Driver | AMD Catalyst 14.4 | Unchanged |
| Platform Driver | Intel Inf. v. 9.4.0.1017 | Unchanged |
Q1 2014 $750 PC System Test Configuration
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| Component | Base Settings | Overclock Setting |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-4130 (Haswell): 3.4GHz, 6MB Shared L3 Cache, Power savings enabled | Unchanged |
| CPU Cooler | Intel Boxed Heat Sink and Fan | Unchanged |
| Motherboard | Asus H81M-K LGA 1150, Intel H81 Express, BIOS: v.0304 (08-23-13) | Unchanged |
| RAM | 8GB Adata PC3-12800 kit 2x 4048MB at DDR3-1600, CL 9-9-9-24 XMP at 1.5V | Unchanged |
| Graphics | Zotac ZT-70301-10P GeForce GTX 770 2GB GDDR5 1059MHz (1150MHz Max Boost) GPU, 1.2V, 1753MHz (7010MT/s) Memory | 1283MHz (Max Boost) GPU, 1903MHz (7610MT/s) GDDR5 Memory (+12mV, 106% Power, Custom Fan Profile) |
| Hard Drive | WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB, 7200 RPM, 16MB Cache | Unchanged |
| Sound | Integrated Eight-Channel HD Audio | Unchanged |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking | Unchanged |
| Power | Rosewill Capstone-450-M 450W ATX | Unchanged |
| Optical | Asys 24x DVD Burner DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM | Unchanged |
| Software and Drivers | ||
| Operating System | Windows 8 Professional x64 | Unchanged |
| Graphics Driver | Nvidia ForceWare 332.21 WHQL | Unchanged |
| Platform Driver | Intel Inf. v. 9.4.0.1017 | Unchanged |
Benchmark Settings
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| 3D Games | |
|---|---|
| Arma 3 | V. 1.34 Current PC, V.1.26 Q3 PC 30-Sec. Fraps "Infantry Showcase" Test Set 1: Standard Preset, No AA, Standard AF Test Set 2: Ultra Preset, 8x FSAA, Ultra AF |
| Battlefield 4 | Version 1.0.0.1, DirectX 11, 100-sec. Fraps "Tashgar" Test Set 1: Medium Quality Preset, No AA, 4x AF, SSAO Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 4x MSAA, 16x AF, HBAO |
| Far Cry 3 | V. 1.05, DirectX 11, 50-sec. Fraps "Amanaki Outpost" Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA, Standard ATC., SSAO Test Set 2: Ultra Quality, 4x MSAA, Enhanced ATC, HDAO AMD/ HBAO NVidia |
| GRID 2 | Version 1.0.85.8679, Direct X 11, Built-in Benchmark Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA Test Set 2: Ultra Quality, 8x MSAA |
| Adobe Creative Suite | |
| Adobe After Effects CC | Version 12.0.0.404: Create Video, Three Streams, 210 Frames, Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously |
| Adobe Photoshop CC | Version 14 x64: Filter 15.7MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
| Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 | Version 6.0.0.0, 6.61GB MXF Project to H.264 to H.264 Blu-ray, Output 1920x1080, Maximum Quality |
| Audio/Video Encoding | |
| HandBrake CLI | Version: 0.99, Video: Video from Canon EOS 7D (1920x1080, 25 frames) 1 Minutes 22 Seconds, Audio: PCM-S16, 48kHz, Two-Channel, to Video: AVC1 Audio: AAC (High Profile) |
| iTunes | Version 11.0.4.4 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 (160Kb/s) |
| TotalCode Studio 2.5 | Version: 2.5.0.10677, MPEG2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG2), Audio:MPEG2 (44.1kHz, Two-Channel, 16-Bit, 224Kb/s) Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV |
| Productivity | |
| ABBYY FineReader | Version 10.0.102.95: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages |
| Adobe Acrobat 11 | Version 11.0.0.379: Print PDF from 115 Page PowerPoint, 128-bit RC4 Encryption |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 | Version 15.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
| Blender | Version: 2.68A, Cycles Engine, Syntax blender -b thg.blend -f 1, 1920x1080, 8x Anti-Aliasing, Render THG.blend frame 1 |
| File Compression | |
| 7-Zip | Version 9.30 alpha, LZMA2, Syntax "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" Benchmark: THG-Workload-2012 (1.3GB) |
| WinRAR | Version 5.0, RAR, Syntax "winrar a -r -m3" Benchmark: THG-Workload-2012 (1.3GB) |
| WinZip | Version 18.0 Pro, Syntax "-a -ez -p -r" Benchmark: THG-Workload-2012 (1.3GB) |
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
| 3DMark Professional | Version: 1.2.250.0 (64-bit), Fire Strike Benchmark |
| PCMark 8 | Version: 1.0.0 x64, Full Test |
| SiSoftware Sandra | Version: 2014.02.20.10, Processor Arithmetic, Cryptography, Memory Bandwidth Benchmarks |
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