Conclusion
This month we wanted to really illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of a Core 2 Quad-based system compared to Core 2 Duo and Core i7 systems at a $1,250 price point.
I think we've achieved that goal, now let's have a look at the final analysis:
In the last SBM, we saw the Core i7 sport a notable lead over the E8500, but we weren't sure how much of this lead was due to quad-core optimizations and how much of this lead was due to the superior architecture of the new Core i7.
Well, this chart says it all. All three of these overclocked systems are being compared to the stock Q9550. While the gaming numbers are skewed by different video cards and driver versions and we removed the anomalous AVG results from the application score, we're still seeing a clear winner in the final combined score: the Core i7 is the best CPU for the money when purchasing a system at this price point.
The only Achilles' heel of the i7 at the $1,250 price point was its inability to be paired with a $500 video card. With X58 motherboard prices dropping, this limitation won't exist for long. In fact, we anticipate that the next SBM will allow us to pair an i7 920 with a single GTX 295 for $1,250. That should make for a powerful combination that would also be readily affordable for PC enthusiasts with moderate means.
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Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the RAM be running at 850MHz as opposed to 800?
Looking at the Crysis scors - This systems are 13ish frames faster than the $625 system. Its a lot of extra cash to make the game playable.
Spelling and the grammars to be added in later!
For UK:
CPU: £235
Graphics: £350
RAM: £75
Motherboard: £90
HDD: £45
CPU cooler: £18
Case: £25
PSU: £65
Optical drive: £22
Total: £925
all this looks very good, but how do you play games on this with "NO MONITOR". A system comprises of a pc and a monitor surely?..
£925 @ exchange rate = $1320 approx..yet again tailored to US prices..
i give up on thw.uk..
Rephy, it's not as simple as an exchange rate comparison, you must also take into account our thieving government which has VAT @ 15% (if your lucky) and import duty costs. Again the government likes to gets it's cut and so you pay import duty on the VAT and also the shipping!
1)First and foremost; this article proves that the E8500 is the winner when it comes to games. How?! It achieved better FPS in crysis where every frame counts, while producing -though lower than the Q9550 and i7 920-perfectly playable FPS in the other games and it is cheaper and produces far less heat. Perhaps I will be wronged if THW showed us the minimum FPS alongside the average FPS, I know the charts will be more complicated but it will add more value to the games benchmarks at no added testing effort..Don Woligroski, please consider this! You know, after years of gaming I saw it's not the average FPS that matters most, it's the steadiness of the frame rate that makes the playing experience smooth and I remember games (like oblivion) that had -on my machine-high FPS coupled with a choppy gameplay!
2)Although the case is said to have a good finish and silent fans, it does look ugly, but I can't complain about that at 30$!
3)A sillier complaint: why picturing the case's interior with a careless cable routing ?!!
i hope that 32bit OS was a typo, that would just be plain stupid
I really don't understand these kinds of articles. If anyone is going to the trouble of building a custom PC, surely they will tailor it to the user's specific needs? Anyone who isn't interested in doing the research will surely just buy a Dell etc. If this is your target audience wouldn't you be better off doing a controlled comparison of a few Dells at different price points? (Which would be pretty useful when recommending something for friends and family.) If your audience is the sort of person who will go to the hassle of a custom build then you would serve them better by reviewing individual components thoroughly and consistently.
I really don't understand these kinds of articles. If anyone is going to the trouble of building a custom PC, surely they will tailor it to the user's specific needs? Anyone who isn't interested in doing the research will surely just buy a Dell etc. If this is your target audience wouldn't you be better off doing a controlled comparison of a few Dells at different price points? (Which would be pretty useful when recommending something for friends and family.) If your audience is the sort of person who will go to the hassle of a custom build then you would serve them better by reviewing individual components thoroughly and consistently.
I think you are missing the whole point of SBMs..they "suggest" compnents that match each other in performance and test what the whole system is capable of. Of course any one is free to finetune the choices to his/her needs butI have to say building 3 systems monthly at different price points and comparing them is no small task and I know many peaple would like to copy these systems completely or partially. Besides, pre-assembled systems are often overpriced and no enthusiast would miss the joy of a DIY assembly and would apppreciate someone who gives general dirctions to him/her.
In the UK Mesh Computers systems compare favourably with buying the kit from Microdirect and DIY. No warranty with DIY.