System Builder Marathon Q3 2014: Mainstream Enthusiast PC
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Page 1:Changing Focus For A Look At Processor Performance
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Page 2:CPU, Motherboard And Cooler
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Page 3:Graphics Card, Power Supply And Case
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Page 4:Memory, Hard Drives And Optical Storage
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Page 5:Building And Overclocking
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Page 6:How We Tested
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Page 7:Results: Synthetics
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Page 8:Results: Media Transcoding
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Page 9:Results: Rendering And Productivity
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Page 10:Results: Adobe Creative Cloud
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Page 11:Results: Compression Tools
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Page 12:Results: Battlefield 4 And Arma 3
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Page 13:Results: Grid 2 And Far Cry 3
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Page 14:Power And Temperature
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Page 15:Q3 2014 Mainstream Enthusiast PC Under $1300 Verdict
Graphics Card, Power Supply And Case
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Graphics Card: Zotac AMP! Superclocked GeForce GTX 770
The GeForce GTX 970 launched last week wasn't available (or even public information) back when we ordered the pieces for this build. So, I needed something cheaper than the Radeon R9 290 that wouldn't sacrifice gaming performance. Under $300, the best option was Nvidia's GeForce GTX 770.
I went with Zotac's factory-overclocked model due to its low price, respectable clock rates rated for 1150 base and a typical 1202 MHz GPU Boost frequency, plus 1800 MHz memory, and the hope for additional headroom.
Selling for $280, Zotac's card serves up impressive frame rates at its price, even though GK104 gets humbled by the GeForce GTX 970 overshadowing it today. Still, Nvidia's Kepler architecture remains quite capable, and I expect this implementation to power through our benchmark suite. At least until I start running the three-screen resolutions, that is.
Power Supply: In Win GreenMe 650 W
In Win combines solid power delivery with attractive value, enabled by manufacturing its own products. I've seen recommendations to try the GreenMe 650 W and, given the need to fit more output into my budget this quarter, I decided to try my luck with a $60 supply.
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM
Cooler Master's HAF series is synonymous with airflow, making it an ideal choice for my overclocking-oriented build. I've worked previously with the excellent HAF X. But that monstrous case costs almost $200 and I needed something more budget-friendly.
With that in mind, I decided to give the smaller HAF XM a try to see what compromises are made in shrinking this lauded line-up down to the $120 range.
- Changing Focus For A Look At Processor Performance
- CPU, Motherboard And Cooler
- Graphics Card, Power Supply And Case
- Memory, Hard Drives And Optical Storage
- Building And Overclocking
- How We Tested
- Results: Synthetics
- Results: Media Transcoding
- Results: Rendering And Productivity
- Results: Adobe Creative Cloud
- Results: Compression Tools
- Results: Battlefield 4 And Arma 3
- Results: Grid 2 And Far Cry 3
- Power And Temperature
- Q3 2014 Mainstream Enthusiast PC Under $1300 Verdict
While I'd agree on the cheaper case, the 970 wasn't an option since they hadn't been released when they were buying parts for this quarter's SBM.
From Page 3 of the article: "The GeForce GTX 970 launched last week wasn't available (or even public information) back when we ordered the pieces for this build. So, I needed something cheaper than the Radeon R9 290 that wouldn't sacrifice gaming performance. Under $300, the best option was Nvidia's GeForce GTX 770."
Obviously, today the 970 would be a much better choice, but that option didn't exist when this build was purchased.
Good job. There is always that guy who does not read the article when it explains why the brand new card was not used, because it was not an option at the time of the review.
So congrats on being that guy this time. It only took 3 posts to get there.
on the last page:
may be you meant the Q2 enthusiast system. imo, yea, the q3 build doesn't seem as attractive as the q2 one. i think that one could add the ssd from this build and still be the better pc.
i wonder if you guys would build an fx8350/8320 pc as an alternative build at this price range for the ongoing overclocking theme.
I'd like to know more about the thickness / flexibility of the ASRock mobo. Otherwise, I don't think I have any niggles over performance-related parts.
I've never had any problems with Asrock and I'm on my second Asrock board.
Can I haz your 3GB 770 plz ?
Don't think the Q2 rig was properly setup if you are losing to the 770 in every test...
in page 5, GTX 770 overclocking used AMD OverDrive utility?
is there some kind of mistake or what?
Not sure why you wouldnt go with AsRock, i havnt seen a failed board from them....hmm we seem to have 2 different opinions here...... Maybe your friend has another problem that is killing his boards....a crapped out PSU maybe? it would be very unlikely to get 4 bad boards in a row from ANY manufacturer.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Burney21/saved/qsxxFT
better coolers only get you a couple more MHz in the end and the added cost will not offset that since the more expensive coolers push you into the i7 category of chips which is better than an overclocked i5.