System Builder Marathon Q4 2014: Value Compared

[Crashman]

Our three builders are given three different budget levels and a single mandate: construct the ultimate performance machine for the money. Today we compare each of these systems for overall performance, suitability to their intended user and value.

System Builder Marathon Q4 2014: Value Compared : Read more

 

[SinxarKnights]

Too bad Don didn't get his rig working properly. Oh well I guess.

 

[g-unit1111]

I was personally not a fan of the drab, bueraucrat approved case choices but overall these are some sweet rigs. I actually bought the MSI H81 / Pentium G3258 combo for my HTPC based off the recommendations here and have been really pleased with the results so far.

 

[the1kingbob]

I have little desire to read when no AMD CPU is involved

 

[Crashman]

I have little desire to read when no AMD CPU is involved

AMD is over-represented in SBMs, with over 2/3 of prior graphics cards being Radeons and even one of the cards in this one being an R9 270X.

You should print that statement on foil before making your next hat

 

[Onus]

I hope Don is able to figure out what went wrong, then update his results with some kind of overclocking results. He did say he would try...

 

[rayden54]

@Crashman GPU =/= CPU

 

[rayden54]

A couple questions: I've heard that there are some new games that don't work at all on dual core processors including the famed Pentium G3258. Have you encountered this issue and would it effect your recommendations if it's true?

 

[Bannereus]

Tough break for Don ... too bad this one couldn't be solved with a hacksaw xD

If overclocking wasn't part of the competition, the $1100 rig would have been the closest to beating the value of the budget entry that I've seen in a while.
I'm really glad to see that efficiency and value are coming to the higher-performance market (even without overclocking savy).

 

[MasterMace]

If you're looking for value performance you can't use a card over $250, you have to SLI/XF 2 - 200-250 cards. But people aren't looking for that as frequently as it adds the cost of a much bigger power draw.

I'm still hoping for a build that dual-sockets to get rid of the CPU bottleneck.

 

[g-unit1111]

A couple questions: I've heard that there are some new games that don't work at all on dual core processors including the famed Pentium G3258. Have you encountered this issue and would it effect your recommendations if it's true?

The Pentium G3258 is a good processor, and people like it because it's a cheap overclock friendly solution where the low end Intel i3s are not. But as an owner of one, for gaming it really has no practical usage. The system that I use mine in is mainly a media playback machine.

 

[ykki]

""As usual, Paul wins every value metric except the one that he didn’t compete for: gaming at 5760x1080""
lol this happens so many times it not even funny.

 

[Calculatron]

Haswell - DOMINATION HAS ARRIVED.

Hopefully, in some other review, the Athlon x4 860K will get some lovin'.

 

[Onus]

I would love to win any of these, if only for the platform upgrade over AM3+/S1155/older. The $600 PC would go to my sister's family, likely to her husband, who is running a S775 machine now. Either of the other two I'd keep myself, as substantial upgrades (although I might use my own case and drives). While not a big overclocker, I might look into an alternate motherboard if that's where the problem lies on the $1200 machine.

Question: when you guys box up the parts to send to winners, do you leave the CPUs on the motherboards to protect the pins, or do you remove them and put the covers back on? It seems to me that placing the CPU is one of the few "dangerous" steps of building due to the potential for bent LGA pins. Your thoughts?

 

[Crashman]

I would love to win any of these, if only for the platform upgrade over AM3+/S1155/older. The $600 PC would go to my sister's family, likely to her husband, who is running a S775 machine now. Either of the other two I'd keep myself, as substantial upgrades (although I might use my own case and drives). While not a big overclocker, I might look into an alternate motherboard if that's where the problem lies on the $1200 machine.

Question: when you guys box up the parts to send to winners, do you leave the CPUs on the motherboards to protect the pins, or do you remove them and put the covers back on? It seems to me that placing the CPU is one of the few "dangerous" steps of building due to the potential for bent LGA pins. Your thoughts?

I leave the CPU in the socket to protect the pins, but I don't know how the other guys do it. We don't have a packing supervisor

 

[tsnor]

"...Don’s GeForce GTX 970 beats my 980 at Grid 2’s Ultra quality preset ..." I missed why this was true.

 

[Crashman]

"...Don’s GeForce GTX 970 beats my 980 at Grid 2’s Ultra quality preset ..." I missed why this was true.

Nobody knows. The article also comments on a couple other mysterious results.