System Builder Marathon Bonus: Newegg Customer Choice PC

[Pezcore27]

This is not the first time I've seen this, but I'll mention it here just to stop the rumor. Somewhere this number grew to 2 months, which is not true. We hadn't even started discussions on the individual builds that early, never mind placed orders.

As of right now (day 5 of the live series) it would be 5-6 weeks at the most since any of these were ordered, and likely less for this final rig. Because of scheduling amongst many involved, it's difficult for Tom's to get under a 4 week turnaround from order purchase to a live series, but we sure don't want to push things out "two months". It takes time, but we try to stay as current as possible.

I was under the impression that the parts were ordered at the beginning of the month prior (in this case February) and then assembled, tested, and wrote about at themiddle of the month (typically when we see these builds go live) so I apologize for spreading any misinformation.

 

[Crashman]

I was under the impression that the parts were ordered at the beginning of the month prior (in this case February) and then assembled, tested, and wrote about at themiddle of the month (typically when we see these builds go live) so I apologize for spreading any misinformation.

Nope, we started placing orders for the three primary systems the last week of February and I believe the fourth system was ordered a week after.

 

[zanny]

The Antec 900 case is in dire need of a version with a finished interior and cable management. It is like 6 freaking years old.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]Zanny[/nom]The Antec 900 case is in dire need of a version with a finished interior and cable management. It is like 6 freaking years old.[/citation]Yeh, a silver finish would really show off the guts. Maybe zinc or aluminum electroplate! Oh, wait, that's what it already has.

 

[Reynod]

That Antec 900 is possibly the sweetest case I have seen in the last 10 years ... extremely functional and classy lines.

 

[doron]

Can't really see, but I believe you put the PSU so the fan is down. If so, you really should turn the PSU upside down as there isn't an intake at the bottom of this chassis.

 

[doron]

[citation][nom]Crashman[/nom]Yeh, a silver finish would really show off the guts. Maybe zinc or aluminum electroplate! Oh, wait, that's what it already has.[/citation]

He probably means painted interior, which the v2 has. I have to agree on the cable management though, I bought this chassis 2 years ago purely based on reviewers opinion (which is mostly based on performance). Other than great airflow I have to say that this case is a pain to work with, especially with my non-modular tx750 (modular psus were way more expensive 2 years back), these damm drive cages, a million screws and not even a single dust filter. If you don't open your case and put it on your desk (to avoid dust) this is a great choice, but otherwise there are way better options, especially nowadays.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]doron[/nom]Can't really see, but I believe you put the PSU so the fan is down. If so, you really should turn the PSU upside down as there isn't an intake at the bottom of this chassis.[/citation]Haha, you're right, I should have re-shot the photos.

 

[doron]

[citation][nom]Crashman[/nom]Haha, you're right, I should have re-shot the photos.[/citation]

As I said, I own this chassis. It was just when I really started to get into this DIY territory so I got the store to build this for me (for about 10$), and while I now know some of the tech guys there and consider them to be more-than-average technicians, they installed the PSU with the fan facing down.

After about 2 weeks of use the PSU started to make horrible rippling sounds whenever it was on (it's a Corsair TX750).

When I opened the case I realized they choked my PSU! They tried to kill it! Flipped it and not a single problem until now. Still, pretty traumatizing. I now double-check everyone that touches my, or any of my friends computers.

 

[blazorthon]

the customer is mostly right.

That might make a great quote some day

 

[sempifi99]

It is nice to see a larger, more realistic and usable SSD here when compared to the previous system builder $1250 unit.

I do like this system, accept for the SLI GTX 560ti. I have personally had very bad issues with micro-stuttering in the past with a pair of GTX 580 in SLI. So I vow never to do, or support, a dual graphics solution when there is a single card available at the price point with similar performance. At $500 for the total graphics solution, I would think it better to go with a GTX 680, GTX 580, HD 7970, HD 7950 or even a HD 7870. The other options will be more power efficient, cost equal to or less (accept for the HD 7970) and deliver adequate frame rates at all settings without micro-stuttering.

And perhaps the motherboard, Intel boards have always been a little overpriced for what they put on the table; or at least so in my opinion.

But all in all, less the graphics option, and possibly the motherboard, I would not mind using this computer and it definitely was interesting to see what people like most on newegg.

 

[sempifi99]

“We determined that the number-two rated graphics card…”

How was the top product picked? Was it highest number of 5 star ratings, highest percentage rating, highest number of total reviews?

I would like to know the testing methodology for deciding what had the highest rating. Since obviously a hypothetical motherboard with a single 5 star review has a perfect 5 star rating and should not be considered best based on a single opinion. Nor should a motherboard with 500 reviews simply out qualify newer products that have been around less and simply had less of a chance to be reviewed.

 

[sempifi99]

The only things wrong with Don's PC are its junk case, junk motherboard, locked CPU, too-small SSD, and read-only optical drive. That's over half the system, you'd be better off putting his graphics card into this one.

Note: Written from the perspective of a motherboard, case and optical drive reviewer.

Agreed

 

[g-unit1111]

Now this is a build I definitely approve of. I'm not the biggest fan of the Antec 900 because it didn't have the cable management I'm normally pushing for on my builds but everything else is amazing.

 

[g-unit1111]

Now this is a build I definitely approve of. I'm not the biggest fan of the Antec 900 because it didn't have the cable management I'm normally pushing for on my builds but everything else is amazing.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]sempifi99[/nom]“We determined that the number-two rated graphics card…”How was the top product picked? Was it highest number of 5 star ratings, highest percentage rating, highest number of total reviews? I would like to know the testing methodology for deciding what had the highest rating. Since obviously a hypothetical motherboard with a single 5 star review has a perfect 5 star rating and should not be considered best based on a single opinion. Nor should a motherboard with 500 reviews simply out qualify newer products that have been around less and simply had less of a chance to be reviewed.[/citation]I believe Newegg's "Best Rated" list uses the highest percentage rating...but maybe it is the highest number of 5-star ratings, since older products of similar percentage have higher placement.

 

[Guest]

Build looks great. Newegg's Xmas-New Years Specials are such a great time to build a system, I picked up:

Intel 2500K:$200
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 850W: $109 w/rebate
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600: $40
XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler: $19.99 w/ Rebate
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MKNSSDCR120GB-DX 2.5" 120GB SATA III: $200.00
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case:$89
BIOSTAR TZ68A+RCH LGA 1155 Intel Z68: $99.99
ASUS 24X DVD Burner: $20

Later with a Sapphire 7970: $549.99

Total: $1325

 

[AnUnusedUsername]

[citation][nom]stm1185[/nom]Though hopefully soon Apple is going to push the LCD makers kicking and screaming into the 4k and 8k display era![/citation]

Apple doesn't produce LCD panels. All (or nearly all) LCD panels are produced by Samsung or LG. I'm pretty sure apple uses Samsung panels.

Still, I'd like to see them start selling higher resolution screens at the same sizes we have today, 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 @ 24'' has been the standard for WAY too long when laptop screens with the same resolution have been around for five plus years. Right now if you want a moderately sized screen with beter DPI than that you have to do something outrageous like mount an array of laptop panels. Higher resolution takes a lot more power to drive, but not a whole lot more power than it takes to run antialiasing, and a higher resolution image without AA almost always looks better than a lower resolution one with it.

 

[10tacle]

[citation][nom]AnUnusedUsername[/nom]Apple doesn't produce LCD panels. All (or nearly all) LCD panels are produced by Samsung or LG. I'm pretty sure apple uses Samsung panels.[/citation]

Exactly. Also don't forget about Sharp. Not many people know that. AVS forum has a better link, albeit a few years old now:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-led-lcd-tvs/815307-list-lcd-panel-manufactures-panel-behind-brand.html

 

[10tacle]

Very similar to my first (and only) Sandy Bridge build last year: Antec Nine Hundred, 2500K (o/c to 4.8GHZ), Corsair 750W, ASUS P867 Pro, 2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 1600, Crucial C300 128GB, WD Black 1TB, Samsung BD-R/W, Noctua NH-D14, and carried over GTX 275s in SLI from a previous E8400 build that have since been upgraded to a pair of EVGA superclocked 560Ti 448 core GPUs. It's been an outstanding gaming rig and will last for the rest of this year for any new games thrown at it and hopefully will last as a backup gaming rig and general use PC for years as my previous builds continue to do dating back over a decade.

 

[eddieroolz]

The build seems to be very solid for what it's worth. I just like it because it presents less of a compromise than the $1300 build.

 

[jitpublisher]

Pretty interesting this build almost mirrors my build I did a year ago with the exception of the case and motherboard, I opted for the ASUS P8P67 Pro Rev3 at the time and the Haff 922 case. I also elected to spend the extra and go with the 2600K, as I had the money and after running AMD for years without hyperthreading, I just wanted it on my first Intel build in more than a decade. I have stated many times on the forums that this is probably my most favorite build I have ever done for myself. In fact, a year later, I am still running it without any upgrades or changes. What I have gotten out of this build for what I paid IMHO has been a tremendous value.

 

[Guest]

I have a few OC questions.

if you were to buy the 1,300$ build and OC it to passed the 2600$ build specs for bf3.

how safe is it to run the 1,300 in OC mode. all the parts, cpu, vid and ram seem to be oced. how long can you run it this way? how much damage are you doing to the parts.

what are some best PC use practices for OCed pcs. im only interested in gaming. and pc would be off the rest of the time.

i dont konw if the OC for these tests were MAXED out just for this benchmark or were they stable OC for maximum performance without jeopordizing hardware malfunction.

can someone help? im debating going with the 1,300$ build and OC or the 2,600 non OC. ied like to save money, but not fry my hardware, Thanks.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]gegam[/nom]I have a few OC questions.if you were to buy the 1,300$ build and OC it to passed the 2600$ build specs for bf3. how safe is it to run the 1,300 in OC mode. all the parts, cpu, vid and ram seem to be oced. how long can you run it this way? how much damage are you doing to the parts. what are some best PC use practices for OCed pcs. im only interested in gaming. and pc would be off the rest of the time. i dont konw if the OC for these tests were MAXED out just for this benchmark or were they stable OC for maximum performance without jeopordizing hardware malfunction.can someone help? im debating going with the 1,300$ build and OC or the 2,600 non OC. ied like to save money, but not fry my hardware, Thanks.[/citation]It's all in the voltage and heat. If you keep a 32nm process Intel CPU below 1.40V, it will probably last longer than a year. As for the GPU, its voltage levels weren't changed at all.

The worst thing that often happens with an O/C like this is that it might become less stable over time. Your choices would then be to increase voltage or reduce clock rate. Since increased voltage increases risk, I reduce clock rate when an O/C is unstable.

All SBM builders strive for a relatively safe long-term overclock setting.

 

[dstigue]

[citation][nom]a4mula[/nom]Interesting, still not surprising given recent results in group dynamic studies. Groups will often make better choices than individuals, that's not to say a group can replace or perform on par with an expert individual, just better than the average.[/citation]

This makes sense to because if you think in the wild or in business. The group members who don't know what they are doing will follow the leaders or those that are dominant. So the group is being led by those high performers. So yeah having high performers will skew a group average vs individual.