Don and I both faced the same crisis as parts we requested disappeared as our main office finished up some related paperwork. Don paid $25 more to get a troublesome motherboard, and I paid $40 more to get an identical graphics card with extended warranty (upon registration, which doesn't make sense with our giveaway). Though I paid the bigger penalty in dollars, Don paid a far higher price in a system that quit working the instant he attempted to overclock.
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Test Hardware Configurations
Row 0 - Cell 0
Q4 $600 Performance PC
Q4 $1200 Performance PC
Q4 $1600 Performance PC
Processor (Overclock)
Intel Pentium G3258: 3.2GHz, Dual-Core, O/C to 4GHz, 1.19V
Kingston V300 SV300S37A/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA 6Gb/s (SSD)
Plextor M6S PX-256M6S 256GB SATA 6Gb/s SSD
Power
EVGA 100-W1-500-KR: 500W, 80 PLUS Standard
EVGA 100-W1-500-KR: 500W, 80 PLUS Standard
Rosewill Capstone-750-M: 750W, 80 PLUS Gold
Software
OS
Microsoft Windows 8 Pro x64
Microsoft Windows 8 Pro x64
Microsoft Windows 8 Pro x64
Graphics
AMD Catalyst 14.4
Nvidia GeForce 344.75
Nvidia GeForce 344.75
Chipset
Intel INF 9.4.0.1017
Intel INF 9.4.0.1026
Intel INF 9.4.0.1026
How much will the lack of overclocking cost Don Woligroski in his machine’s overall performance? Can either of these $1000+ systems beat the performance value of Paul’s low-budget dual-core $588 build?
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Benchmark Settings
3D Games
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
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
Arma 3
Version 1.08.113494, 30-sec. Fraps "Infantry Showcase" Test Set 1: Standard Preset, No AA, Standard AF Test Set 2: Ultra Preset, 8x FSAA, Ultra AF
Far Cry 3
Version 1.04, 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
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe After Effects CC
Version 12.0.0.404: Create Video which includes 3 Streams, 210 Frames, Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously
I was personally not a fan of the drab, bueraucrat approved case choices but overall these are some sweet rigs. I actually bought the MSI H81 / Pentium G3258 combo for my HTPC based off the recommendations here and have been really pleased with the results so far.
A couple questions: I've heard that there are some new games that don't work at all on dual core processors including the famed Pentium G3258. Have you encountered this issue and would it effect your recommendations if it's true?
Tough break for Don ... too bad this one couldn't be solved with a hacksaw xD
If overclocking wasn't part of the competition, the $1100 rig would have been the closest to beating the value of the budget entry that I've seen in a while.
I'm really glad to see that efficiency and value are coming to the higher-performance market (even without overclocking savy).
If you're looking for value performance you can't use a card over $250, you have to SLI/XF 2 - 200-250 cards. But people aren't looking for that as frequently as it adds the cost of a much bigger power draw.
I'm still hoping for a build that dual-sockets to get rid of the CPU bottleneck.
A couple questions: I've heard that there are some new games that don't work at all on dual core processors including the famed Pentium G3258. Have you encountered this issue and would it effect your recommendations if it's true?
The Pentium G3258 is a good processor, and people like it because it's a cheap overclock friendly solution where the low end Intel i3s are not. But as an owner of one, for gaming it really has no practical usage. The system that I use mine in is mainly a media playback machine.