System Builder Marathon, May '09: $600 Gaming PC

Features
By Paul Henningsen
published

CPU And Cooler

Processor: Intel Pentium E5200

This dual-core 45 nm Wolfdale is clocked at 2.5 GHz with 2 MB L2 cache and runs on an 800 MHz front side bus (FSB). While not very impressive at stock speeds, the E5200’s real value comes from the overclocked performance hidden within.

Read Customer Reviews of Intel's Pentium E5200

While we would surely fall far short of 4.0 GHz this month, the E5200 still offers the benefits of a high multiplier, low-power consumption, and low heat output, all at a price that fits well within our budget. 

CPU Cooler: Intel Boxed Cooler

There isn’t much to say about the low-profile all-aluminum boxed cooler except we knew right off the bat that it would probably cap useable CPU voltages to around 1.25 V. Its biggest benefit in our build, besides price, was that its low-profile design kept plenty of clearance between it and the power supply's exhaust fan, which probably prevented it from competing for the same intake air.   

Paul Henningsen
149 Comments Comment from the forums
  • doomtomb
    You still manage to fit this PC with a GTX series at such a low price point. Props for that.
    Reply
  • IzzyCraft
    Yeah while you generally can find a 4890 10 dollars cheaper then a GTX275 the reverse is true when it comes to a 4870 and GTX260.

    Interesting i would have thought you would have went with a kuma due to limited oc ability in a cramped "gaming box", although you did make the oc worth while.

    I understand the rest of the build; though the case looks more like a media box then a gaming box those cramped boxes amaze and worry me as even my htpc is very well cooled and silent due to being very low heat as in not a oced cpu and a power hungry gpu.
    Reply
  • IronRyan21
    Im sad, I was hoping for at least one AMD cpu in the May SBM series. :(
    Reply
  • IzzyCraft
    62 dollar mobo hard to argue with that cpu+mobo coming out to be 62+70=$132 and, getting that much oc off the stock cooler.
    Reply
  • dirtmountain
    What a shame.
    Reply
  • cinergy
    IronRyan21Im sad, I was hoping for at least one AMD cpu in the May SBM series.
    Green eyed Tom gives no mercy for DAAMIT.
    Reply
  • cangelini
    Wow, no love for a solid build. Nicely done, Paul.
    Reply
  • erdinger
    dissapointed also just needed to see an Amd system.
    Reply
  • dirtmountain
    It is a lovely build, but the all around performance would be better with a Phenom2 x3 720, something that was achievable at the typical $625- $650 budget build price tag. If you look at the last 4 budget builds you get a E5200, E5300, E7300 and now yet another E5200. Give us a break, is the next one going to feature the E6300, then another E5200? As for the enthusiast, we get an i7, then a core2 duo, then a core2 quad, now another i7. Is it all around performance? or gaming performance? or just Intel performance? How can any reader know how the AMDs will stand up in these marathons if they never get the chance? With the new quarterly offering of the SBM it will be 3 months before another series comes out, just in time to see yet another i7, i5 and the E6300 builds. It's not as if the people waiting and wanting to see an AMD build are any surprise to Toms SBM or that they're disappointed to see AMD excluded once again. I'm disappointed myself even though Pauls build is a really nice one.
    Reply
  • sandoness
    Gah.. wouldn't it be smart to get a more powerful cpu?

    even with the overclocking power of this one?

    I was originally gonna get a q9550 !?

    :/

    Reply