System Builder Marathon, August 2012: Alternative $2000 Gaming PC
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Page 1:Opening The Floodgates: 5760x1080 And More Graphics
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Page 2:Budget Stretchers: The Motherboard And Power Supply
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Page 3:Economizers: CPU, CPU Cooler, And RAM
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Page 4:Breaking Point: Graphics Cards And Case
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Page 5:SSD, Hard Drive, And Optical Drive
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Page 6:Building Our Graphics-Oriented Beast
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Page 7:CPU And GPU Overclocking
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Page 8:Overclocked System and Benchmark Configurations
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Page 9:Benchmark Results: 3DMark And PCMark
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Page 10:Benchmark Results: SiSoftware Sandra
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Page 11:Benchmark Results: Battlefield 3
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Page 12:Benchmark Results: DiRT 3
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Page 13:Benchmark Results: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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Page 14:Benchmark Results: Audio And Video Encoding
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Page 15:Benchmark Results: Productivity
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Page 16:Power, Heat, And Efficiency
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Page 17:Which $2000 Machine Is Right For You?
Overclocked System and Benchmark Configurations
Test Hardware Configurations | ||
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Alternative $2000 Gaming PC | Q3 2012 $2000 PC | |
Processor (Overclock) | Intel Core i5-3570K (Ivy Bridge), 3.4 GHz, Four Physical Cores O/C to 4.50 GHz, 1.25 V | Intel Core i7-3930K (Sandy Bridge-E), 3.2 GHz, Six Physical Cores O/C to 4.60 GHz, 1.32 V |
Graphics (Overclock) | EVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR: 980 MHz GPU, GDDR5-6008 O/C to 1215 MHz GDDR5-6610 | EVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR: 980 MHz GPU, GDDR5-6008 O/C to 1301 MHz GDDR5-7048 |
Memory (Overclock) | 8 GB G.Skill DDR3-1600, CAS 8-8-8-24 O/C at 1.65 V to DDR3-2000 CL 10-11-10-24 | 16 GB G.Skill DDR3-1600, CAS 8-8-8-24 O/C at 1.60 V to DDR3-2133 CL 10-11-10-24 |
Motherboard (Overclock) | Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3: LGA 1155, Intel Z77 Express Stock 100 MHz BCLK | ASRock X79 Extreme4: LGA 2011, Intel X79 Express Stock 100 MHz BCLK |
Optical | Lite-On iHAS124 24x DVD±R | Asus BW-12B1ST 16x BD-R |
Case | Antec Eleven Hundred | NZXT Phantom 410 |
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo | Scythe Mugen 3 Rev. B SCMG-3100 |
Hard Drive | Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 240 GB, SATA 6Gb/s SSD | Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 240 GB, SATA 6Gb/s SSD |
Power | Seasonic SS-1050XM: 1050 W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS Gold | Seasonic SS-850HT: 850 W, ATX12V, 80 PLUS Silver |
Software | ||
OS | Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 | |
Graphics | Nvidia GeForce 301.42 | |
Chipset | Intel INF 9.2.3.1020 |
Apart from the overclocking issues we ran into on the alternative gaming PC, which don't particularly reflect well on Ivy Bridge, this looks like a fair match between a big CPU with respectable graphics and a beefy graphics subsystem with a mainstream CPU. Since Ivy Bridge-based processors are expected to reach 4.6 GHz, we’ll make sure to keep the small clock rate deficiency for this particular sample in mind during our final value analysis.
Only three of our games could be made to work properly under Nvidia Surround's 5760x1080 graphics resolution, and Skyrim required a hack to correct its aspect ratio.
Benchmark Configuration | |
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3D Games | |
Battlefield 3 | Campaign Mode, "Going Hunting" 90-Seconds Fraps Test Set 1: Medium Quality Defaults (No AA, 4x AF) Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Defaults (4x AA, 16x AF) |
DiRT 3 | V1.01, Run with -benchmark example_benchmark.xml Test Set 1: High Quality Preset, No AA Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 8x AA |
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Update 1.5.26, Celedon Aethirborn Level 6, 25 Seconds Fraps Test Set 1: DX11, High Details No AA, 8x AF, FXAA enabled Test Set 2: DX11, Ultra Details, 8x AA, 16x AF, FXAA enabled |
Audio/Video Encoding | |
iTunes | Version 10.4.1.10 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) |
HandBrake CLI | Version 0.95: "Big Buck Bunny" (720x480, 23.972 FPS) 5 Minutes, Audio: Dolby Digital, 48 000 Hz, Six-Channel, English, to Video: AVC Audio: AC3 Audio2: AAC (High Profile) |
MainConcept Reference | Version: 2.2.0.5440: MPEG-2 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 |
Productivity | |
Adobe Photoshop CS5 | Version 12.1 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 | Version 14.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
WinZip | Version 15.5 Pro: THG-Workload (650 MB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r" |
WinRAR | Version 4.1: THG-Workload (650 MB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3" |
7-Zip | Version 9.22: THG-Workload (650 MB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" |
ABBYY FineReader | Version 10.0.102.82: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages |
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.1.0, Benchmark Only |
PCMark 7 | Version: 1.0.4 x64, System, Productivity, Hard Disk Drive benchmarks |
SiSoftware Sandra 2011 | Version 2011.10.17.80, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / MultiMedia, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
Summary
- Opening The Floodgates: 5760x1080 And More Graphics
- Budget Stretchers: The Motherboard And Power Supply
- Economizers: CPU, CPU Cooler, And RAM
- Breaking Point: Graphics Cards And Case
- SSD, Hard Drive, And Optical Drive
- Building Our Graphics-Oriented Beast
- CPU And GPU Overclocking
- Overclocked System and Benchmark Configurations
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark And PCMark
- Benchmark Results: SiSoftware Sandra
- Benchmark Results: Battlefield 3
- Benchmark Results: DiRT 3
- Benchmark Results: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Benchmark Results: Audio And Video Encoding
- Benchmark Results: Productivity
- Power, Heat, And Efficiency
- Which $2000 Machine Is Right For You?
That is to say, as much as this one costs, it's still pretty much worthless to the majority of high-end users. Basically it's a $1000 PC with a bunch of extras.
To put it another way, money "wasted" on the other one went towards making it more flexible and practical. Money "wasted" on this one went towards supporting future upgrades to its SLI array. It's nothing more than an expensive toy.
Really? If it were me, I'd pick this one over the original $2000 PC. There are a lot more people gaming at 5760x1080 and 2560x1600 than they used to be so having more GPU performance is much more beneficial. Although that's primarily for the gamers, for other 3D purposes, video editing, etc the 6-cores 3930K and single GPU might be the best choice
At 3x1 1080p money is wasted on the mobo. If you're going to sli or even tri sli look at the gigabyte ud5h it supports 3 gfx at 8x 4x 4x which should be more than enough for a triple monitor set up.
Also, shoulda gone with the 7970's!
I feel like having additional cores and going up to i7 would help if you're the type of gamer that likes to alt tab while running/flying to a destination and play some sort of FPS in the foreground. Or since we're talking about 3 monitors here, playing different games on each monitor.
I ask this because I don't think having an i5 on a $2000 feels right. It's a really nice quad core yes, but most if not all the benchmarks run on a clean windows and whatnot. I know for a fact as a gamer I have a million different things open and most of the times I get lazy in closing one game so I just have different games open.
For those of you who may wonder as to the CPU in my computer, it was the first version of the Duo Core processors. Due to the thermo characteristics of that Duo Core processor, (which also functions in my basement as a space heater, a pretty good one at that) I did not want to replace one space heater with another space heater (i7-3930K).
(you earlier ran another story about how microstutter was caused by having 2 GPU's in SLI, and how it was solved by adding a third card...)
meaning no offense here but you don't need a $400 (or an $800) GPU to snub the 1280 and 1680 resolutions. most gamers use the 1920 resolution (21.5" - 24" is a very popular monitor range) while not bothering to buy expensive toys either (like you labeled your $2k alt build and i agree on the definition).
i haven't read of any statistics or surveys but most people i know play on 1920x1080 and when they build a p.c. or try to upgrade their aim is a good CPU (1st gen i5 was the i750, 2nd gen the 2500k and 3rd the 3570k) and the best GPU the price range of $150-$250 can buy (depending of their budget at the given time). at the same time the only good peripheral most gamers want is a good laser mouse. toys like mechanical keyboards, 2 or 3 screen setups, $150-$200 PSU's, insanely priced cases and headsets are most of the times out of the question. and to be honest that's only sensible since every couple of years any setup is rendered useless so why spend $2k when you can get satisfaction with $800-$1000.
bottomline, it would make much more sense seeing 3 rigs running on the following specs (or similar);
a. i3-2120 & hd6850 (or gtx560) @ 1920x1080
b. i5-3470 (or 3450) & hd7850 (or gtx560ti) @ 1920x1080
c. i5-3570k (or 3770 is the budget allows) & gtx670 (or similar) @ 1920x1080
p.s. i'm not an expert nor do i pretend of being one, just talking out of experience and what i see from my friends (myself included) and internet acquaintances
This series of System builders series has been the best, you have listened to readers and followed the general thoughts and tested them out.
Seems to me everyone on here though thinks they could do better, so what I suggest it creating a forum category for people to post their builds in the budget range with pics and setup specs alongside the full benchmark runs to see if it is actually better. Money where the mouth is and all that!
On this build, its the choice I would have over the previous $2000, simply because gaming is the greatest use of my PC and running some games in 3d on my 50" with all settings maxed still brings my FPS down and I am using Sabertooth Z77 with 3570k @ 4.6Ghz but have only Crossfire 2 X 5850 @ 950 Mhz! (Which bench the same as a stock 670)
Saving time for a couple of 670 cards I guess!
For me I would of swapped the Mobo and Case for a ASRock Z77 Extreme4 and a Corsair 300r, then added 2 120mm intake fans on the side, blowing cool air straight on the 670's that now have 1 slot of space between them, instead of stacked right on top of each other.
Other than that I would have gone with this 2k build over the other.