Full-Sized ATX For Enthusiasts: Bigger Can Be Better

System Builder Marathon, Q3 2013: The Articles

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!

Day 1: The $650 Gaming PC

Day 2: The $1300 Enthusiast PC

Day 3: The $2550 Performance PC

Day 4: Performance And Value, Dissected

Day 5: The $350 Bonus Entry-Level PC

Introduction

Last quarter I was given $1300 to build my mid-range enthusiast-oriented system, but I also had to create a capable configuration in a mini-ITX form factor. Since smaller components tend to be more expensive than their standard-sized counterparts, our dollars didn't go as far as they could have. This time around, we're expecting more in an ATX mid-tower chassis.

You're also going to see us go with a larger and more expensive 120 GB SSD, though there's still a conventional disk drive in there for user data. We think the investment is a good one; 128 GB is about right for your operating system and applications, even if it isn't going to score me any bonus points when Thomas tallies up performance at the end of our series.

In the three months since our previous System Builder Marathon, Intel introduced its Haswell architecture, while Nvidia added a number of GeForce GTX 700-series graphics cards. So, the previous build's Core i5-3570K and GeForce GTX 680 are going up against the new Core i5-4670K and GeForce GTX 770 today. In fact, here's the complete list of components you'll find in the third quarter's $1300 enthusiast-oriented machine:

$1300 Enthusiast System Components Motherboard Gigabyte Z87X-OC, LGA 1150, Intel Z87 Express $200 Processor Intel Core i5-4670K: 3.4 GHz Base Clock Rate, 3.8 GHz Maximum Turbo Boost, 6 MB Shared L3 Cache $240 Heat Sink Corsair H50 Liquid Cooling System $55 Memory Corsair Vengeance 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1866 Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R $70 Graphics Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2 GB 256-bit GDDR5 $400 System Drive Samsung 840 MZ-7TD120BW 2.5" 120 GB SATA 6Gb/s (SSD) $100 Storage Drive WD Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB, 7200 RPM, 64 MB Cache, SATA 6Gb/s $70 Optical Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD Burner $22 Case Antec GX 700 ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $55 Power Corsair 650TX 650 W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Bronze Modular PSU $90 Total Cost $1302

Good news! This capable collection of components lands very close to the $1300 I was allotted (I'll toss in the extra $2 if I really need to). And prices haven't changed all that much since we placed our order for these parts a month ago.