System Builder Marathon: $1000 Enthusiast System
System Builder Marathon, March 2011: The Articles
Here are links to each of the five articles in this month’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 Google form, and be sure to read the complete rules before entering!
Day 1: The $2,000 Performance PC
Day 2: The $1,000 Enthusiast PC
Day 3: The $500 Gaming PC
Day 4: Performance And Value, Dissected
Day 5: Tom's Hand-Picked SuperCombo
Introduction
When we spec'ed out this quarter's System Builder Marathon machines, the Intel Cougar Point chipset issue hadn’t yet reared its ugly head, and we ordered Intel's Core i5-2500K. Because of this this, we held off on publication until fixed Sandy Bridge platforms showed up at retail. While the specific ASRock motherboard we chose for this build hasn't yet reappeared, there are comparable options based on the same P67 Express chipset available with identical performance, and we expect this one will pop up shortly, too.
Let’s get straight to it! Here are the components as tested:
| $1000 Enthusiast System Components | ||
|---|---|---|
| Motherboard | ASRock P67 Extreme4 LGA 1155, Intel P67 chipset | $152.99 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2500K3.3 GHz (3.7 GHz Turbo), Quad-Core, 6 MB L3 Cache | $219.99 |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus | $29.99 |
| Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) 240-Pin DDR3-1333 Dual-Channel Desktop Memory Kit | $54.99 |
| Graphics | Gigabyte Radeon HD 6950 2 GB GDDR5 | $274.99 |
| Hard Drives | Samsung Spinpoint 1 TB 1 TB, 7200 RPM, 32 MB Cache SATA 3Gb/s | $64.99 |
| Optical | Asus DRW-24B1ST24x DVD Burner | $18.99 |
| Case | In-Win Android | $69.99 |
| Power | Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650 W ATX12V, EPS12V, 80 PLUS-Certified | $89.99 |
| Row 9 - Cell 0 | Total Cost | $976.91 |