Name: How We Tested Our Mainstream Enthusiast System
Author: Don Woligroski

System Builder Marathon Q3 2014: Mainstream Enthusiast PC

by Don Woligroski September 24, 2014 at 12:00 PM

How We Tested

The following tables include the stock and overclocked settings for this quarter's mainstream enthusiast system, followed by the configuration we put together earlier this year, which serves as our comparison point.

At the very bottom, you’ll find the programs and games used for benchmarking.

Q3 2014 Enthusiast PC Test Settings: $1006 of Performance Hardware
	Default Configuration	Overclocked
Motherboard	ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer, LGA 1150, Intel Z97 Express	Unchanged
Processor	Intel Core i5-4690K (Haswell): 3.5 GHz (3.9 GHz max. Turbo Boost), 6 MB Shared L3 Cache	4.6 GHz (46 * 100 MHz), 1.335 V (Load)
Memory	8 GB G.Skill Trident (2 x 4 GB) F3-2400C10D-8GTD, 1600 MT/s, CAS 11-11-11-28 1T	2400 MT/s, 10-12-12-31 2T, 1.65 V
Graphics	Zotac AMP! Superclocked GeForce GTX 770 2 GB, 1150/1202 MHz base/typical GPU Boost, GDDR5-7200	+30 MHz GPU, GDDR5-7800
System Drive	Adata Premier Pro SP920 128 GB SATA 6Gb/s SSD	Unchanged
Storage Drive	WD Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB, 7200 RPM, 64 MB Cache, SATA 6Gb/s	Unchanged
Optical	Asus DRW-24B1ST OEM DVD Burner	Unchanged
Case	Cooler Master HAF XM Computer Case	Unchanged
Power	In Win GreenMe 650 W 80 PLUS Bronze PSU	Unchanged

Q2 2014 Enthusiast PC Test Settings: $986 of Performance Hardware
	Default Configuration	Overclocked
Motherboard	ASRock Z97 Pro3 LGA 1150, Intel Z97 Express	Unchanged
Processor	Intel Core i5-4670K (Haswell): 3.4 GHz (3.8 GHz max. Turbo Boost), 6 MB Shared L3 Cache	4.3 GHz (43 * 100 MHz), 1.285 V (Load)
Memory	8 GB Team Group Vulcan (2 x 4 GB) TLYD38G1600HC9DC01, 1333 MT/s, CAS 9-9-9-24-1T	1600 MT/s, 9-9-9-24-2T, 1.5 V
Graphics	PowerColor TurboDuo Radeon R9 290 4 GB, 975 MHz max. core clock rate, GDDR5-5000	1100 MHz max. core clock rate, GDDR5-5600
HardDrive	WD Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB, 7200 RPM, 64 MB Cache, SATA 6Gb/s	Unchanged
Optical	LG GH24NSB0: DVD Burner	Unchanged
Case	Apevia X-Hermes Computer Case	Unchanged
Power	Corsair CX750 750 W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Bronze-Certified PSU	Unchanged

And here are the benchmark details:

Benchmark Configuration
3D Games
Arma 3	V. 1.20 Current PC, V.1.08 Q1 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
Audio/Video Encoding
HandBrake CLI	Version: 0.99, Video: Video from Canon EOS 7D (1920x1080, 25 frames) 1 Minutes 22 Seconds, Audio: PCM-S16, 48,000 Hz, 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 (160 Kb/s)
TotalCode Studio 2.5	Version: 2.5.0.10677, MPEG2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, Two-channel, 16-bit, 224 Kb/s) Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe After Effects CC	Version 12.0.0.404: Create Video, 3 Streams, 210 Frames, Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously
Adobe Photoshop CC	Version 14 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates
Adobe Premiere Pro CS6	Version 6.0.0.0, 6.61 GB MXF Project to H.264 to H.264 Blu-ray, Output 1920x1080, Maximum Quality
Adobe Acrobat XI	Version 11.0.0: Print PDF from 115 Page PowerPoint, 128-bit RC4 Encyption
Productivity
ABBYY FineReader	Version 10.0.102.95: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages
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
Visual Studio	Version 10.0, Compile Google Chrome, Scripted
Compression
7-Zip	Version 9.30 alpha, LZMA2, Syntax "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" Benchmark: THG-Workload-2012 (1.3 GB)
WinRAR	Version 5.0, RAR, Syntax "winrar a -r -m3" Benchmark: THG-Workload-2012 (1.3 GB)
WinZip	Version 18.0 Pro, Syntax "-a -ez -p -r" Benchmark: THG-Workload-2012 (1.3 GB)
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings
3DMark Professional	Version: 1.2.250.0, Fire Strike Standard and Extreme
PCMark 8	Version: 1.0.0 x64 Full Test
SiSoftware Sandra 2014	Version: 2014.02.20.10, Processor Arithmetic, Cryptography, Memory Bandwidth Benchmarks

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63 comments

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gamebrigada

Not sure why you would go with AsRock... I've seen so many failed motherboards from them after a few months of use... Friend of mine is on his 4th swap from them, and is beyond tired of swapping with them, the current one at least has issues that he can work around... with a usb to ethernet adapter....
mlga91

Personally, i'd get a cheaper case and put a 970 on there, looks for the cost of performance doesn't seems too wise for me.
DynamoNED

1707503 said:

Personally, i'd get a cheaper case and put a 970 on there, looks for the cost of performance doesn't seems too wise for me.

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.
realibrad

@ mlga91

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.
de5_Roy

an ssd and a cm haf case in this build. that should prevent the rages, gasps and disapproving gazes from the last quarter. really though, a o.c. oriented pc should have parts built for speed and this pc has them.

on the last page:

Quote:

When price vs. performance is compared, the new build doesn't look as attractive as the Q3 enthusiast system.

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.
Onus

The PSU received a Golden Award at HardwareSecrets, and it did mostly well on other sites as well, although at least three noted the presence of Samxon capacitors. They don't appear to be "GF" series though, which supposedly are the really bad ones.
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.
g-unit1111

330381 said:

Not sure why you would go with AsRock... I've seen so many failed motherboards from them after a few months of use... Friend of mine is on his 4th swap from them, and is beyond tired of swapping with them, the current one at least has issues that he can work around... with a usb to ethernet adapter....

I've never had any problems with Asrock and I'm on my second Asrock board.
Onus

Although some of them are thin and uncomfortably flexible, I've also not had any ASRock mobos die on me, except one likely killed by heat. I have read mixed comments on them, although most reviews tend to be positive.
Formata

Yes!!! The hacksaw came out on the RAM! Now your building old skool!
CaptainTom

770 stand up to a 290?! You can overclock all you want buddy.
anthony8989

Quote:

Zotac AMP! Superclocked GeForce GTX 770 3 GB

Can I haz your 3GB 770 plz ?
biohazard918

pretty sure the NH-D14 has a 140 mm and a 120 mm fan instead of dual 120 mm
vagrantsoul

not sure what the draw of this case over something like the enthoo pro, or even something cheaper like a corsair 400r, 300, etc
elbert

Nice review but the 770 is already obsolete and with AMD's blog states something is coming tomorrow the 25. It could be that both are obsolete. We already seen the leaked 390 cover. Then again it could be AMD's expected price cut.
lp231

The money saved on the case as well as the CPU cooler can be put towards R9-290.
kylerjobe

On the first page, it is a 2gb GTX 770, not a 3gb. 3gb would be nice though...
envy14tpe

I'm quite surprised. (side note: this build is $100 more than Q2) Nonetheless, the Q2 has a higher end GPU and same CPU yet the Q3 build scores higher in gaming. ??
jkteddy77

What in the HELL did you do to the Q2 rig with a full on R9 290 to make it lose to a 770... you sure you didn't slip in another 770 in some of these test...

Don't think the Q2 rig was properly setup if you are losing to the 770 in every test...
chaosmassive

correct me if i wrong
in page 5, GTX 770 overclocking used AMD OverDrive utility?
is there some kind of mistake or what?
iam2thecrowe

330381 said:

Not sure why you would go with AsRock... I've seen so many failed motherboards from them after a few months of use... Friend of mine is on his 4th swap from them, and is beyond tired of swapping with them, the current one at least has issues that he can work around... with a usb to ethernet adapter....

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.
Burney21

IMO, this is how i would have done it. I understand that the 970 was not out at the time, but all things considered, i would use liquid cooling to OC the CPU even further.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Burney21/saved/qsxxFT
fkr

nice experiment and you guys summed it up perfectly at the end. get a hyper 212, buy the value ram and maybe go for a $50 case and pump everything else into a GPU if you really want performance.

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.
SessouXFX

Thinking the budget build is gonna be hard to beat this year....
Sig2525

i want this