Building A Well-Balanced Enthusiast PC
System Builder Marathon Q1 2015: The Articles
Here are links to each of the five articles in this quarter’s System Builder Marathon (we’ll update them as each story is published). And remember, these systems are all being given away at the end of the marathon.
To enter the giveaway, please fill out this SurveyGizmo form, and be sure to read the complete rules before entering!
Day 1: The Budget Gaming PC
Day 2: The Mainstream Enthusiast PC
Day 3: Our $1750 Performance PC
Day 4: System Value Compared
Day 5: Alternative $1750 PC
My Q4 2014 System Builder Marathon build was the victim of a faulty motherboard that kept me from generating overclocked results. So, this time, I'll draw comparisons to a system I put together the quarter prior. That PC sported a Core i5-4690K and GeForce GTX 770.
This also gives me an opportunity to see what the GeForce GTX 970 can do pushed beyond its factory clock rates.
As for the CPU, an increased performance budget of $950 let me step up to a powerful Core i7-4790K instead of the Core i5-class processors I usually use in my mid-range builds. I was also able to squeeze in a 240GB SSD, rather than the 120GB drives I typically select.
| Enthusiast System Components | ||
|---|---|---|
| Motherboard | MSI Z97 PC Mate, LGA 1150 Intel Z97 | $90 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-4790K: 4GHz Base Clock Rate, 8MB Shared L3 Cache | $320 |
| Heat Sink | Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B | $50 |
| Memory | 8GB G.Skill Ares (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133, F3-2133C9D-8GAB | $74 |
| Graphics | Asus Strix GeForce GTX 970 4GB | $340 |
| Storage Drive | Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB | $55 |
| Boot Disk | PNY Optima 240GB Solid State Drive (SSD) | $90 |
| Power | EVGA 600B 80 PLUS Bronze PSU | $55 |
| Price of Performance Hardware | $925 | |
| Case | Cooler Master HAF XB Evo Computer Case | $95 |
| Optical | Pioneer Black Blu-ray BDC-207DBK OEM | $45 |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit, OEM | $100 |
| Price As Tested | $1314 |
Even with a quality enclosure, Blu-ray Drive and Windows x64 operating system, the total price of my PC falls under $1350. On paper, it's one of the most balanced enthusiast-oriented builds I've ever put together, with no glaring weaknesses. Let's cover the component choices in detail.
