System Builder Marathon Q2 2015: $1600 Gaming PC

  1. Introduction
  2. $1600 Gaming PC
  3. Component Selection
  4. Hardware Installation
  5. Overclocking
  6. How We Test
  7. Synthetics
  8. Gaming
  9. Media, Productivity And Compression
  10. Power, Heat, Efficiency And Value

For this quarter’s SBM, we built a gaming PC with a GeForce 980 paired with a Core i5. Can it keep up with our i7-based builds from previous SBMs?

System Builder Marathon Q2 2015

Here are links to each of the five articles in this quarter’s System Builder Marathon (we’ll update them as each story is published). And remember, these systems are all being given away at the end of the marathon.

To enter the giveaway, please fill out this SurveyGizmo form, and be sure to read the complete rules before entering!

  1. $1600 Performance PC
  2. $1600 Mini Performance PC
  3. $1600 Gaming PC
  4. $1600 Mini Gaming PC
  5. System Value Compared

$1600 Gaming PC

So this is my first foray in tackling the System Builders Marathon. I’ve built plenty of machines over the years, but my background is mostly IT and my emphasis was usually to build with a good CPU. When I was offered the chance to work on this quarter’s System Builder Marathone, I was told that the SBM would be a totally different experience. They were right, but with a little help from Thomas who answered my questions regarding our System Builder Marathon rules, I was ready to spend some money.

With Paul and Don not available for this quarter’s System Builder Marathon, I knew I had to step into some pretty big shoes. With $3200 at our disposal, Thomas and I were tasked to build two $1600 machines each. One of the two machines was to be ATX-based, while the other would be mini-ITX. To change things up a bit, Thomas would focus on building out a CPU-driven machine and I would focus on a graphics-heavy build.

Oh the fun we had! 

Is $1600 an unrealistic target? I’m pretty sure that’s not an over-the-top price for a great machine, even if some of us would have to collect the pieces over a period of time (or save up a bit longer for the big payoff). Regardless, the budget Thomas and I were given is pretty fair, especially for the level of performance we were aiming for.

By the way, I’m simply dubbing this first machine “Big Build”. It’s a tower-based system running Windows 8 and housing an ATX-sized motherboard, which should leave plenty of room for any future upgrades or expansion.

Here’s what I chose for Big Build:

Case Cooling CPU Graphics Memory Motherboard PSU Storage Storage Optical Accessory Software
Products

DIYPC Adventurer-9601G

Zalman CNPS10X Optima

Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980

Team Xtreme 16GB (2 x 8GB)

ASRock Z97 Extreme6

Corsair CSM 750W

SanDisk Extreme Pro (240GB)

Seagate Barracuda (1TB)

Samsung DVD Writer

Orico AC52535-1S -BL

Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-bit)

Pricing
  • Platform Cost: $1348
  • Total Hardware Cost: $1499
  • Complete System Price: $1599

In order to accomplish the goals I set forth for Big Build, I had to choose a graphics card first, and I went with a brand I’m familiar with. We use Gigabyte’s Windforce-cooled GeForce GTX 970 in our reference systems, so I was pretty cranked to upgrade to the latest/greatest in the Windforce family. Once I got my graphics card settled, I moved on and picked a CPU and motherboard. After all that, I just picked the pieces that made sense and fit into the budget.

Component Selection

In keeping within the spirit of the GPU vs. CPU challenge, I focused a huge chunk of my budget on the platform’s 3D potential. In fact, just over one-third of this first machine’s System Builder Marathon funding went to graphics, followed by the CPU.