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A few weeks ago, our Editor Loyd Case issued a challenge: For the Bang for the Buck system, build a Core i7-based PC for $1200.

We failed.

Here’s the thing, though. We could have gone much cheaper on some of the parts, but who wants a 320GB hard drive or a weak graphics card? Who wants onboard audio or a tidbit of memory? Who wants el-cheapo Core 2 Duo parts when the Core i7 920 is so affordable?

This isn’t the sub-$800 build, it’s the Bang for the Buck, and we look at every part and scour the industry for the best performance we can get for the price. Our system is built from a set of components, each individually offering the best bang for the buck. A $1200 Core i7 would have been mostly a budget system with a high performance CPU—clearly not fitting our definition of Bang for the Buck.

Even with keyboard, monitor, mouse and speakers, plus, the total price of this BftB is just a bit over $2000 if you shop smartly. If you have peripherals and a transferrable version of Vista Home Premium, the core components only come to $1500 or so. This, folks, is a bargain for a build with current-generation equipment.

Ready for the ride through the parts breakdown and benchmarks? Here we go. Continued…