System Builder Marathon, June 2011: $500 Gaming PC

[gm0n3y]

I agree with the Sandy Bridge choice this round. If they had stuck with the Phenom from the last build, then this entire article would have been a waste of time. Sure the SB processor ended up being inferior, but at least we know that now. The power consumption chart was the most interesting part IMO. To the authors: please keep taking chances and making mistakes, its how we all learn.

 

[LORD_ORION]

Stop cheating in the builds... you went over by $26, that is one level of video card.

I put this together on Newegg.ca in 30 seconds. So really, try harder.

-Intel i3-2100
-GIGABYTE GA-H61M-D2P-B3
-Thermaltake VL84301W2Z V3 Black Edition with 430W Power Supply ATX Mid
-G.SKILL NS 4GB
-Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5
-LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH24NS70 - OEM
-ZOTAC ZT-40408-10P GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB

Grand Total: $502.48 CDN

 

[striker410]

Powe supply can't support the 460. And the GTX 460 was probably an SE

 

[dalethepcman]

Im going to hop in line with the complaints department. My only complaint is that I haven't won one of these yet =D

Hopefully the next SMB will have lots of new toys in it, as Llano, bulldozer, and SLI on 990's will either have been released or some crazy fan's will burn down amd's headquarters while waiting.

 

[LORD_ORION]

[citation][nom]striker410[/nom]Powe supply can't support the 460. And the GTX 460 was probably an SE[/citation]

It can, it's not... and this is less ridiculous than supporting a 6850 with a 380W

 

[striker410]

[citation][nom]LORD_ORION[/nom]It can, it's not... and this is less ridiculous than supporting a 6850 with a 380W[/citation]
Actually, it can't support it. Look at the connectors. A GTX 460 requires 2x6pin PCI cables, that PSU only has 1.

 

[littleleo]

Just looking at the motherboard features it's a no brainier. Both motherboards cost the same, so it's like comparing a toy to the real thing.

i3 version ASRock H61M-VS:
2 DDR3 1333/1066 memory sockets
1 PCI-E x16, and 1 PCI-E x1
10/100Mbps LAN
6 Channel Audio
Intel i3-2100 Processor 3.1GHz 3MB LGA1155 $114

AMD version ASRock M3A770DE
4 DDR3 1600 memory sockets
2 x PCI-E x16 slots, 1 PCI-E x1, 3 PCI slots
10/100/1000Mbps LAN
8 Channels Audio
2 x Powered eSATAII/USB Connectors on back panel
S/PDIF Out: 1 x Optical, 1 x Coaxial
1 x ATA133 Device controller
SATA Raid support: 0/1/10/JBOD
AMD Phenom II X4 Processor 955 3.2GHz Black Edition $112

Which you buy?

 

[striker410]

Lol, listing the USB ports, IDE ports, and raid support doesn't make it any more appealing to me....

 

[LORD_ORION]

[citation][nom]striker410[/nom]Actually, it can't support it. Look at the connectors. A GTX 460 requires 2x6pin PCI cables, that PSU only has 1.[/citation]

[citation][nom]striker410[/nom]Actually, it can't support it. Look at the connectors. A GTX 460 requires 2x6pin PCI cables, that PSU only has 1.[/citation]

Oh come on man, it's not like there is not a 12V connector in the box of every 460 to solve that problem.

Really, they went over by $20, but the 460 is the only card with a real $150 price range that performs nearly the same. Clearly I'd rather not have a Zotac brand, but it is what it is. The card that puts the build near $500, not $525.

Also, I'd only be concerned about the wattage (roughly 131 on the 6850 vs 139 on the 460) if it was hooked up to a Phenom II.

Though clearly you are cutting it closer with a 380W power supply.

 

[striker410]

It's never a good idea to run a graphics card off molex connectors, especially when overclocking. I'd gladly pay the extra $20 for assurance that I won't burn out my PSU, and for some extra performance.

And considering the Thermaltake isn't even 80+, I would rather go with the Earthwatts myself. Both setups cost the same, $70.

And the 6850 uses less power than the 460.

 

[decembermouse]

[citation][nom]striker410[/nom]Well I'd love to see your perfect build that includes a 955 CPU, a 6850 GPU, a case, a PSU a dvd burner, and HDD, AND A motherboard capable of CrossfireX, USB3 and SataIII. Oh, and keep it around $500. This is a BUDGET build. If someone can only afford $500, they aren't going to be expanding. This is all about the FPS for the money, which people like you will never understand. yes they could get a better mobo, but that would mean taking a hit to the FPS. this is a GAMING system, the fps is all that matters.I hope this opens up your mind a little and helps you understand what this build is actually about.[/citation]
To help you understand that this can be done, I did it. Maybe next time you can try for yourself before you start pissing on other peoples' ideas. Go to the link: http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/Decembermouse/cart.jpg

It's all there, just like you said in your taunt. 955BE, 6850, case, PSU, DVD burner, HDD, and mobo capable of CF-X, USB3, and SataIII.

And for Pete's sake, don't start whining about "but you have to do mail-in rebates"

 

[JohnMD1022]

I just bought a Corsair CX430 PSU from Newegg... $45 and comes with a $20 rebate making the effective price $25...

I think that knocks the socks off the Antec 380.

 

[striker410]

I'm not trying to start a flame war, I'm entitled to my opinion. And yes you built it, but if mail in rebates were included in the Tom's article they would have done much better.
Besides, mail in rebates are rarely cash. They are usually gift cards to newegg or something similar. Speaking from experience.
And you also used combo's, which the Tom's build didn't. This is because combo's dont last. You build could be completely irrelevant in a week.

If you are to crap on the Tom's build, do so correctly.

 

[decembermouse]

[citation][nom]striker410[/nom]Powe supply can't support the 460. And the GTX 460 was probably an SE[/citation]
This build used a 380W PSU for $500, and in no way supports CF-X. I'm finding it really funny that you're still talking down to people who suggest other things, when your challenge to prove you wrong includes CF-X, a quad-core, and a PSU powerful enough to support multiple, or more powerful, video cards... when this article didn't even include any of those things for $500. When dishing out, make sure you're reasonable and fair in your expectations or nobody will take you seriously. Let's compare apples to apples.

... in the meantime, as you've noticed in my previous post, I've met your ridiculous challenge, not only equaling the build posed by Tom's in this article but actually exceeding it for $500. Next time you want to throw out a challenge though, please make sure it's actually analogous to what's been done in the article. As in, one PCIe slot, 380W PSU, that kind of thing. Don't demand CF-X, bigger PSU, quad-core CPU, etc for the same price range. It's just not a fair challenge.

It's like you're saying "I can do 20 pushups, but I won't believe you're as good as me unless you can do 30 pushups" when in reality you should feel satisfied that someone can challenge you if they can do only 20.

 

[striker410]

Might wanna read my post above.

Like I said, I'm not trying to start a flame war. I'm simply defending a well written article from needless criticism. I'm not the kind of person who runs around challenging people to do better than me. I didn't write the article, I simply agree with it.

As I also said above, this is a GAMING computer. Not a general use one, a GAMING one. That means the highest FPS for the money. I think that Tom's did an excellent job outlining that philosophy. While it is certainly feature stripped, it's a hell of a lot more than you get with a prebuilt and can game like a pro.

I see no reason for people to continually hate on this article. If you don't like it, that's fine. No reason to hate on the editors who put the time into this. It's not like they are saying this is the ONLY way to build a $500 gaming PC. It's just an option.

If you want to disagree with me, that's fine. I'm not trying to beat anyone down, I'm simply pointing out the faults in their needless accusations.

 

[Outlander_04]

Striker I have watched you in the forums , and in every thread you have posted in your one answer can be summarized as " buy a sandybridge , cos they're awesome "
They are good . Core for core and clock for clock theyre the best available [ for now ] but a processor is not a computer , and the roles a processor performs in a computer are not the things that limit performance in the vast majority of situations . TODAY the best value $500 gaming pc will be based on an AMD Phenom
People come and ask questions to get help .To add value , and for reassurance . I'd rather they didnt have to read fanboy rants

 

[Onus]

The crappy Thermaltake PSU in that case cannot support a GTX460; not for long anyway.
I stand by my earlier remarks. Sure, it's a gaming build, and if you want it to remain relevant past the next wave of releases, you suffer with lowered settings for a little while if you have to, maybe even using a card like a HD5670, so you can afford an expandable mobo. Then you add a more powerful GPU later, when you can afford it. In the meantime, you get a mobo that can handle any needed upgrades, and has the connectors and other features to allow the machine to be used as other than merely an expensive toy.

 

[decembermouse]

Striker I appreciate your politeness here, many people would've started throwing out insults or curses by this point and I respect that you seem to be above that.

I wasn't commenting on this article to criticize it, I simply saw your post, was bored, and wanted to see if I could come up with such a computer for $500! They don't factor in rebates, which I understand, but... they should at least put a comment on the first and/or last page(s) of the article saying "don't just add these items to your cart; see if there are combo deals, you could save hundreds. In fact, if we'd selected some of our items using combos, we would have saved $XX. Results may vary."

I understand that tomorrow it's likely that no, you won't be able to go to Newegg, add all these pieces from the article to your cart, and see the same Total in your Basket, and that if the price they report in the article took Combos into account, then those would skew things even more.

I really think that this can throw off the uninitiated viewer's opinion of how much computers cost to buy, if they don't know how to search. These builds are great in every aspect but that, I think. There should be a blurb in every article saying something like I said above in quotes.

Cause clearly if you're restricted to a budget and you buy individual parts like they do here, you are missing out on a lot of deals, which means you could be getting better hardware for $500!!

This is more of a comment on the article's ambiance than anything you've said Striker410, just my feelings on the matter. It is difficult to give an accurate, up-to-date representation of prices and such, which is why I think they should make more of a point of ways of buying.

Maybe an article where 2 authors each get $1,000 and are asked to use the same CPU and GPU (same die, but not necessarily same brand... ASUS, MSI, etc.) but let one author use Combo deals, MIR's, and maybe even refurb/open-box items, while the other author has to use single items not in Combos, no MIR's, no refurb/open-box. Let them build the machines, take pictures, benchmark, power/temps/noise, etc. What do you think? It would give readers a good dose of outside-the-box thinking, and if we all took the results of suck an article to heart, we would all probably remember to purchase more wisely!

 

[decembermouse]

[citation][nom]jtt283[/nom]A crappy Thermaltake PSU cannot support a GTX460; not for long anyway.I stand by my earlier remarks. Sure, it's a gaming build, and if you want it to remain relevant past the next wave of releases, you suffer with lowered settings for a little while if you have to, maybe even using a card like a HD5670, so you can afford an expandable mobo. Then you add a more powerful GPU later, when you can afford it. In the meantime, you get a mobo that can handle any needed upgrades, and has the connectors and other features to allow the machine to be used as other than merely an expensive toy.[/citation]

jtt283, I definitely agree. In my own dream build, realistically I'd probably have to limit myself somewhere, but there aren't many parts I'm willing to compromise on. Especially not case, mobo, PSU. I get a cheap tri- or quad-core now, sell it later and upgrade to a 'Dozer (if I go AMD), and maybe use a cheaper GPU until the new generation pushes down prices of current-gen stuff enough that I can get something top-of-the-line. Don't limit yourself with a crappy mobo, PSU, or case when starting off!

 

[Onus]

^which nicely illustrates the point that nitpicking over a few dollars here and there misses the point entirely. Besides, prices "today" will not be what they were when the parts for the build were ordered.

 

[dingo_d]

No way would I use that PSU with these components! 450W minimum imo...

 

[cobra5000]

All I am doing is pointing out the facts. SBM is supposed to be about building the best rigs at certain price points. The Sandy Bridge linup is obviously amazing. Im not asking Toms to throw AMD 6 core chips into the other SBM builds. Intel's lead is pretty dominant right now, the only Ace AMD has up their sleeve right now is in the budget catagory. The Intel chips take easy wins with i5 & i7, but they cheaped out on the i3 and still get rewarded by Toms, getting the budget build, yet winning nothing. Bad service to competition and your readers.

 

[f-14]

[citation][nom]Nnymrod[/nom]Meh, this build almost seems to be a wash with the March build. and with the price drops on the 955BE, AMD still seems to make more sense than Intel at this price point. Another thing I don't understand is why he chooses to pay more for his parts than is necessary.[/citation]
it is pretty much a wash, but it's exactly what i wanted to see tested except for minor case and cooling solution choices but met minimum expectations and requirements. that's what you get when your only source of purchase is newegg and is a realistic choice we can all make and a fair deal since they get promo advertising for giving away FREE systems 4 times a year! i don't see microcenter or compusa or tigerdirect or best buy doing that.
how ever in the end if $500 is the limit it does pay to shop around wal-mart/newegg doesn't always have the best prices or solutions on everything all the time, but they sure do try!
this is more of a guideline of "what if i do this and change that"
something i would like to see a survey on is how many gamers are playing on a 21" screen or bigger if they're only spending $500 on the rig. while the benchies on the 1600x1200 would be great to see on the charts i can't see anybody who spends only $500 on the rig spending more then $250-$300 for a 27" or bigger monitor (don't hate i haven't checked recent prices since march for cheapest 27"+ monitors capable of those resolutions that would require a 6850 or 570 video card a $100-$150 video card yes. seriously i figure these people are playing on 19"-23" screens for the vast majority either for space constraints or price.

all this article really proves is that time is up for AMD and their excuses for not having a new chip out and that's why Llano is out now, but too late for this SBM issue. my hope is that by this times fall SBM Llano will force i5-2400 down to $100 and really make this $500 build segment a battle royale.

 

[Guest]

so when is the witcher 2 gonna make it into the test suite?

 

[Guest]

I think they left off the $100 for Windows which makes that a $650 rig