System Builder Marathon: Performance & Value

[afrobacon]

I have to agree with micles5 to an extent, if you can't play a game with mainstream PC it's more useful as a benchmark than as a game.
On that note, didn't Doom 3 have this same problem when it was initially released?

 

[V3NOM]

[citation][nom]Tindytim[/nom]It wi be extremely interesting to see how much "bang for the buck' a Core i7 system will have.this stupid text field glitch. Is it going to be fixed?[/citation]
what, apart from none? :lol:

 

[dirtmountain]

I posted in the $625 build comments, but i'll post a build here too. a $625 9550BE, 790GX, 4850 can work
CPU/mobo - 9950/790GX combo at $234
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.140358
RAM - G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 1066 $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166
Case - Xclio coolbox $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103021
PSU - Antec earthwatts 430w $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006
GPU - Sapphire HD4850 $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770
Cooler - Sunbeam CR-SW-92 ? $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207002
HD - WD 320 $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074
Burner - Liteon $21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106263

Total - $624.21 (as of now)
I'd have liked to have had a bigger PSU to support crossfire as an eventual upgrade, better cooler, HD, but it's a workable build that uses a quad core AMD CPU with a SB750 mobo. It would be an interesting test.

 

[Onus]

I'd choose a beefier PSU, but I'm contemplating a similar AMD build just to mess with it. The 4850 would go in my primary rig though; this one, as a backup, would get my 3850.

 

[philosofool]

This was a pretty interesting set of comparisons. I wish that there had been a bench of some of the games at less-than-highest settings. Crysis is pretty stunning at medium details. My rule for games is "highest settings with playable fps" (30fps usually, no dips below 24); I'll always be a a ~$150-200 graphics card guy.

Also, I wish Tom's would choose some benches that show the limitations or lack thereof in the small L2 cache of the e5200. L2 cache really only comes out in multitasking and CPU bottlenecked games. None of these marks really looked at those situations.

 

[blackened144]

I posted in the $625 build comments, but i'll post a build here too. a $625 9550BE, 790GX, 4850 can work
CPU/mobo - 9950/790GX combo at $234

The problem with that suggestion is that the 9550BE cant hold a candle to the 8500 when overclocked to the max, thus making it not an option for these builds. Even the Q6600 from last months build would be better suited than the 9550BE. Maybe when the PhenomII is out we can see some AMD cpus in these builds.

 

[micles5]

why do not use 4870 instead 4850. $50 more and its worth it.

 

[cjdavis7]

I really appreciate the focus on your readers you've shown by adjusting the price points. I am more interested in the best build for gaming like a lot of other readers here. Thanks!

 

[mediv42]

it would be great to see the $1250 system (about $1500 with monitor)compared to say...

$1500 20 inch baseline imac
2.66 C2D
2gb ram
320 gb hd
radeon hd 2600

and say the baseline $1500 studio xps with 24" monitor
2.66 i7-920
6gb ram
750 gb hd
radeon 4850

you know, just to get some idea of how much you loose with different brands.
I know, you cant really make these systems materialize out of thin air... I'm kidding mostly.. although if anyone over there still wants to stand up for mac pricing then i'm only half kidding.

 

[wh3resmycar]

you wont see amd cpu stuff in the sbm series. amd defeats the statement "bang for the buck"

people who waste money on phenom systems are just plain fanboys. argue this argue that, its a reality that they suck ass right now.

on a side note. IS IT REALLY HARD FOR TOMS TO FIND A COPY OF CRYSIS WARHEAD??

 

[Guest]

Wow those are some damn fast hard drives 72000 = 72,000 & I thought Raptor 10,000 were fast.

 

[sparky2010]

wow! 72000 rpm hdd.. sexy! where can i get that?

 

[dave+1]

Great comparison. I would like to see what performance could have been banged out with 4870/260gtx(core216) and spend the difference from the x2 for Watercooling. Some may say that WC isn't "mainstream" enough, but to get the most of of your system(especially with the know-how) is a great option.

 

[sublifer]

How about a reminder or at least a link so we can see what was in last months systems so we can get an idea of what hardware has changed as we see the effects of the change?

 

[cleeve]

[citation][nom]philosofool[/nom]L2 cache really only comes out in multitasking and CPU bottlenecked games. None of these marks really looked at those situations.[/citation]

I find that Supreme Commander, World at War, and UT3 are often CPU bottlenecked titles...

 

[SSBrando]

You know, I'm glad they tested Intel CPU's and ATi/AMD Radeons because that's the same stuff my computers made of. But my friend Jean likes AMD CPU's and Nvidia Geforce cards which you would think is opposite just like a Intel/ATi setup. I'd like to know which is better. An AMD with a SLI setup or an Intel with a Crossfire setup? With fairly equal standing cards that's is.

 

[Lurker87]

Very nice article. I'm still sad that the high end build couldn't be made on time, but still an informative article. I'm definitely looking forward to some i7 rigs, most likely next month. I am wondering what configurations you guys will end up with?

 

[count_rugen]

This is going to seem like a very silly question buuuut...is the $650 build "mainstream"? Meaning, were I to buy a comparable Dell or HP, how much money would I have to spend to achieve the results of the $650? The technical benchmarks are helpful, but they don't give me a common sense mental benchmark to evaluate the builds against...

 

[Onus]

The fact that the $650 build has a true gaming graphics card, and quality components throughout, means that if something equivalent is available at all, it will likely cost $2000-$2500. For the extra money, you'd probably get more disk space, and maybe a fancy keyboard and mouse.

 

[sighQ2]

Ambiguous fud and pro-spintel propaganda. i7 has the bug/tlb

 

[nerrawg]

Nice value comparison as usual

It always gives an added perspective that is otherwise difficult to see from simply reading the previous articles and trying to memorize and compare frame rates. It was very interesting for me to see (interested primarily in gaming) that is possible to spend $1250 and get an almost EQUAL BANG for the BUCK increase in game performance from a $500!

At least if one is only looking at the newest and most demanding games on the market. As far as I can remember none of the previous system builder marathons have been able maintain this amount of value in a $1000 + system.

Just one question that I hope isn't too pesky or ignorant:

Would simply adding a beefier gpu like the 4850X2 or 4870X2 to the $625 system increase the gaming performance to levels similar to the $1250 system, example in terms of playable crysis on high settings - or is a beefier cpu like the E8500 also needed to ensure proper scaling and performance at that level?

 

[ccintron]

Is there a reason Tom's hasn't migrated the test builds to Vista Ultimate SP1 64bit? If you purchased Ultimate you do have the option to install 32 or 64. Plus Tom's keeps pushing the idea of more RAM always being better. Also considering that I've seen more sub-$800 Dell's, Gateways, HP's, etc in stores all running Vista Home Premium 64bit its clear that the 64bit build is becoming the norm.

 

[jjd]

Is this site messed up or is it me? Slow loading and bad text?

 

[jjd]

Maybe this is off the $$ topic but building a puter for me and my 15yr grandson. Yes this 58er is an up till 4AM gamer LOL is there anything wrong with this config. Appreciate your critique. Should one go to these i7 proccessors and would a double core intel suffice as well as quad? It seems like this Crysis game is the benchmark for graphics/puter upgades?? Thanks JJD


CASE: ($25 off Mail-in Rebate) New! Apevia X-Jupiter Full Tower Gaming Server w/ Temp Display and Fan Control 420 Watt Power (G Type Black Color with Side-Window)
Neon Light Upgrade: NONE
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Extra Case Cooling Fan (2 x Fans)
POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: 800 Watts Power Supplies (NZXT PP800 Performance Power ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)
CPU: (Quad-Core)Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83GHz 1333FSB 12MB L2 Cache 64-bit
COOLING FAN : Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling System (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
MOTHERBOARD: EVGA 750 SLI NVIDIA 750i SLI Chipset LGA775 Supports LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN, USB2.0, &7.1Audio
MEMORY: 4GB (2x2GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
FREEBIES: None
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ 1GB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO CARD 2: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ 1GB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO CARD 3: NONE
LCD Monitor: 26& quot; TFT Active Matrix LCD Display (ViewSonic VA2626WM Flat 26& quot; (25.5& quot; Viewable) TFT Active Matrix XGA LCD Display 1920x1200)
2nd Monitor: NONE
HARD DRIVE: Extreme Performance (RAID-0) with 4 Identical Hard Drives (1.28TB (320GBx4) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: NONE
USB PORTABLE DRIVE: NONE
Optical Drive: LG GGW-H20L 6X INTERNAL SUPER MULTI BLUE BLU-RAY DISC REWRITER & HD DVD-ROM DRIVE (Black Color)
Optical Drive 2: 16X DVD ROM (BLACK COLOR)
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
NETWORK: ADDITIONAL PCI 32 BIT 10/100 NETWORK CARD
MODEM: PCI 56K V.92 FAX MODEM W/ VOICE
KEYBOARD: Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard
MOUSE: Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Extra Thermal Display : NONE
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card
Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
Cable Wiring: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU
Rounded Cable: Round Cable Upgrade for Optical Drive
VIDEO CAMERA: NONE
PRINTER: None
PRINTER CABLE: None
IEEE CARD: NONE
USB PORT: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
FLOPPY: NONE
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
FREEBIES: FREE! (Halo 2) Game
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
RUSH SERVICE: RUSH!!! READY TO SHIP IN 3 BUSINESS DAYS

$2600 from Cyberpower 3 day delivery??? Thanks again Pop and Max

 

[jjd]

Got 14 tabs up for 3 days trying to figure this out. Bought my first Com64 then win95 in 95. I can't seem to stay ahead of the updating curve. You all seem to know exactly what the score is automatically. I just don't want to be out of date within a year of buying this one! Is Crysis the benchmark and can this $1250 play it and be upgraded if needed? And the LCD monitor choices. "Variety is the spice of life?" Me I say BS Sure could use your help. Thanks again. JD