Graphics Card, Power Supply And Case
Now that the GeForce GTX 970 is on the market, it's an obvious choice for a midrange cost-effective build. We expect it to trump our previous system's GeForce GTX 770 by a significant margin when it comes to game performance, at the same time lowering power consumption, too.
With 1076/1216 MHz nominal/boost core clocks, Zotac's model is only slightly increased over the reference 1050/1178 MHz specification. But the way we see it, that just leaves us with more room to improve when it comes to overclocking.
Read Customer Reviews of Zotac's GeForce GTX 970
It's surprising to see this card in person as it's a lot smaller than you'd expect from hardware capable of this level of performance. At $330, there's little doubt that this GeForce will impress us considering the amount of investment required.
Power Supply: EVGA 500B
Read Customer Reviews of EVGA's 500B
One of the other advantages of the GeForce GTX 970 is it's low power usage. This gives us the opportunity to save a few more dollars on the power supply front, with a 500 Watt model instead of our usual 650 Watt choice. EVGA's 500B has a good reputation, and for $35 it is very easy on our wallet.
Case: DIYPC Adventurer 9601R
Read Customer Reviews of DIYPC's Adventurer 9601R
It's no secret that I like to try a variety of different case options, and DIYPC's Adventurer struck my eye as a low-cost enclosure with a lot to offer for the buck. With five 120mm fans included in the price and an attractive design, we hope it's as functional as it appears to be for the $80 discounted sticker.