System Builder Marathon, Sept. '09: $2,500 Performance PC

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tortnotes

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[citation][nom]bitterman0[/nom]With all due respect, this explanation sounds a bit... misleading. According to MSI HD 4890 Cyclone SOC 1 GB GDDR5 - Fan Noise, 38.4 dbA is the figure obtained for the MSI HD 4890 Cyclone SOC (should closely resemble what was used for the SBM) under load.[/citation]

Not necessarily--the cards here use the reference design blower cooler while the MSI Cyclone card has a totally different setup.
 
Crashman

Crashman

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[citation][nom]tortnotes[/nom]Not necessarily--the cards here use the reference design blower cooler while the MSI Cyclone card has a totally different setup.[/citation]

Well, I never said silent either, more like tolerable. We're talking mid 30's non-overclocked in 2D mode, high 40's gaming, and...here's where it gets annoying...50's OC'd and gaming.
 
liquidsnake718

liquidsnake718

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Great build! The only thing I was wonderng about after reading your review and gaming benchmarks, why didnt you place Crysis with AA enabled. You usually do with all your other system benches and cards. It would be nice and rewarding after all your work to see how capable this overclocked pc would fare with core i7 and i5s.

I would still think 3X 4890s would be better than 2 5870's. But then I guess the (4000)technology does not FULLY support DX11.


Now I am sure we will get a new SBM with Core 15,i7, and maybe the Qextreme for Nvidia and Intel boards. Then we can compare ATI/AMD SBM vs Nvidia/Intel SBM!!!!!! Looking forward to your expertise Toms team!
 
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malnute

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A lot of the prices on components were hard to find, me thinks they know when thg is calling and hooks it up.
 
Crashman

Crashman

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[citation][nom]malnute[/nom]A lot of the prices on components were hard to find, me thinks they know when thg is calling and hooks it up.[/citation]

There's currently a shortage on Intel's Gen1 SSD's while the Gen2s are slowly being re-introduced
 
Onus

Onus

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Impressive build, but as others have said, one can see the bang/buck doesn't look so good. A latest-titles gamer would probably want to remove the 4890s for a pair of 5870s (or even just one of them). Strange as it may seem, if I won this one I'd happily switch with either of the other two system winners. This monster is overkill for my needs, and letting this much power go to waste on my mostly older titles would be a shame. It's a very nice system, don't get me wrong; just honestly not for me.
 
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awaken688

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Great build. I enjoyed reading it. I think most of us realize you probably could have built a higher performing system that maximized the value, but we all know what that would consist of from other reviews. Thanks for mixing it up. My vote for next build is the "older/professional enthusiast" system. Sleek looks, no annoying LEDs, and quiet (relatively).
 
Onus

Onus

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[citation][nom]awaken688[/nom]...My vote for next build is the "older/professional enthusiast" system. Sleek looks, no annoying LEDs, and quiet (relatively).[/citation]

Agreed. If we accept that a minimum level of gaming performance will be appreciated (for off-hours), for which even a 48xx is likely enough, how about a system that can crunch through some big Access reports, month-end reconciliations, OCR scans, or CAD drawings? Then we can see where SSDs might really shine, and how nice a screaming fast CPU can be.

 
Crashman

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[citation][nom]Shadow703793[/nom]If you get a good case, you can use the Swiftech Radbox with that kit I linked to.[/citation]

What, external garbage hanging off the case? I wouldn't ruin even the NZXT Panzerbox on that idea. The kit would fit internally, but would be a PITA to install.
 
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ghoulsrulefools

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I would have liked to see a pair of 5870's instead of a second ssd, it would be interesting to see what kind of numbers they put out in a build like this. A full tower like a 1200 or a 932 HAF would have also been my preference.
 
liquidsnake718

liquidsnake718

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ghoulsrulefools 09/30/2009 2:17 AM HideInsert quote.
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--1+ .I would have liked to see a pair of 5870's instead of a second ssd, it would be interesting to see what kind of numbers they put out in a build like this. A full tower like a 1200 or a 932 HAF would have also been my preference.
Click to expand...

It would have been nice to see the 5870 but the problem is that the drivers are not optimized and completed yet anf DX11 is not fully utilized yet. So this would give ATi a disadvantage for now. Once drivers are completed as well as patched with at least 1 or 2 updates then we can see the full potential of 5870 in SLI for DX11.
 
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kalliman

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Why did you waste money for these expensive SSDs. Just by a vRaptor an you will achieve a similar IO speed. Why you use 8 GB instead of 4? This is a gamer machine and even on Vista Ultimate it is very difficult to reach 4 GB of RAM. Why don't you try with only 4 GB, but with smaller timings or higher speed? Also why don't you try with the 965 instead of 955? You can do that if you save some money from the storage drives or from Optical. I'm sure that you can build more powerful machine for less money.
 
neiroatopelcc

neiroatopelcc

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[citation][nom]jkhanlar[/nom]wtf? why do all three computers have AMD processors? Isn't Intel Core i7 vastly superior?[/citation]
It's faster in most situations, costs vastly more, but that's it.
Anyhow, if you'd bothered reading any of the articles, you'll know why they all have amd cpu's.

 
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geok1ng

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There is a solution for the PSU dilemma on multi GPUs configs: take a simple and cheap sub 650w PSU and add a dedicated graphics PSU like the models from Thermaltake. This works wonders for a budget 4x Croffire-X like the US$1250 system, but also helps higher systems, since there is a gaining in space also, since 850w+ PSUs are big and ugly beasts.
 
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galahad1313

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these articles are difficult to pin down. 1st you get the kudos which is fine, then the detractors start and everything gets very convoluted. i used to have a friend in calif(i'm canadian) who provided me with all the advice i needed since there's serious lack of computer stores in the city i currently live in, but with job and state changes i've lost touch.
i'm also canadian so the prices are way off for me. i love that $2500 build too bad the contest is no doubt long gone or i'd enter it. i have maybe 2grand can. for a new puter and that does not include installation. i've never tried installing everything myself and with my luck, i'd be leery to try. so what kind of build could i try for $2K canadian that would finally allow me to play games at more than just 1/2 quality video. so lost it ain't funny
 
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michael775

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Well in my experience power and speed come from RAM & high speed storage drives or SSD.

If you put solid state disks especially in raid 0 in any computer it will fly no matter the type of CPU it has.
 
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