Synthetics
Out of the gate, we see that Mini Build’s competition is tough. Keep in mind that the $1750 rig built in Q1 has two graphic cards in it, giving it the expected boost over Mini Build. We see this in the 3DMark graph. I'm not worried though; we‘re just getting started.
Now, when you look at the PCMark results, you may not see a complete win. However, Mini Build’s Creative score isn’t too far behind the rest.
Also, keep in mind that we’re comparing an i5 to a couple of Core i7-based PCs. The i7 may have more horsepower than Mini Build’s i5, but we're trying to look at the whole package.