Build Your Own

Now that we’ve built four PCs with matching budgets, which builder, and which machine, owns the title of best performance for $1600?

Because you asked for it, we put an Intel Core i5 and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 into a mini-ITX case. But how does it perform compared to its larger twin?

For this quarter’s SBM, we built a gaming PC with a GeForce 980 paired with a Core i5. Can it keep up with our i7-based builds from previous SBMs?

We’ve seen how far I can push a six-core Haswell-E in our full-sized performance build, but can the same performance level fit into a mini cube?

This month’s high-end build looks lighter than its predecessor, yet includes a six-core Haswell-E CPU. Will the shift away from graphics kill its gaming cred?

Can an extra $150 eliminate the compromises of last quarter’s high-end build? We attempt to answer that while following your most-requested recipe for performance supremacy!

Our first mid-range enthusiast System Builder Marathon configuration of 2015 turns out to be a solid, capable and powerful system with no obvious weak spots.