System Buyer’s Guide: $1700 Performance Midrange
by Mike Jones and Jarred Walton on May 12, 2010 4:52 AM ESTAMD Performance Midrange System
AMD recently launched their new six-core Thuban processors, the Phenom II X6 1055T and 1090T. With the same power requirements as previous Phenom II X4 processors, plus Turbo Core for boosting performance in situations where some of the cores are idle, the Thuban processors are generally better than the previous X4 series. In fact, our power tests show that despite having two additional cores, the new CPUs actually draw slightly less power than quad-core Phenom II thanks to process refinements. In something of a shocking break with tradition, our AMD Performance Midrange system actually ends up costing as much as the Intel setup, mainly because of the motherboard and CPU choices. We could certainly build a quad-core AMD system and save a lot of money, but the features offered by the newer CPU and motherboard are compelling.
At $205, the six-core Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban is a great bargain in its own right. While the 1055T is superior to the i5-750 in multithreaded applications, the i5 holds an advantage in gaming, so the decision as to which platform to adopt may boil down to your intended use. The 1055T also utilizes a turbo mode (AMD Turbo Core), and its 2.8GHz clock speed can increase to 3.3GHz on lightly threaded workloads (when half the cores are idle). Additionally, the 1055T is a fine overclocker out of the box, with sizeable increases in clock speed being attainable with the retail cooler. All in all, AMD’s 1055T deserves a serious look for those shopping around at the performance midrange level, especially for those users who do a great deal of video encoding.
Alternately, if you’re looking to save a few bucks, you might want to (re)consider the 965BE, an outstanding processor for $185. Though it gives up a couple of cores to the 1055T, it performs slightly better in gaming, and its unlocked multiplier will appeal to those who are looking for maximum flexibility in overclocking their AMD machine.
Like the Gigabyte board chosen for the Intel system, the ASUS M4A89GTD Pro offers a lot in the way of features and capabilities without breaking the bank. This board includes Realtek’s 8111E LAN (PCIe), six SATA 6.0 Gbps ports (as well as an eSATA 3.0 GB/s port), two USB 3.0 ports, 12 USB 2.0 ports, and Realtek’s ALC 892S – 7.1 Channel Audio – with DTS Surround Sensation Package. The board also features support for CrossFireX (not to mention an integrated ATI Radeon HD 4290 GPU, just in case). All in all, the M4A89 GTD Pro is worth a long look in the performance midrange segment.
We debated a bit about moving to an 890FX board, but the fact is the added $25 to $50 doesn't get you much beyond better overclocking support. If you're dead set on some serious overclocking, we'd recommend moving to the ASUS M4A89TD PRO, but for the vast majority of users it's not necessary. As another potentially interesting option, instead of our above recommended system, Newegg currently has a massive combo package that includes just about everything you need. You get the same 1055T CPU, Rifle cooler, a more expensive case, a 1.5TB HDD, value RAM, and a Cooler Master 700W 80Plus PSU. You lose the 5850 and drop to an ASUS overclocked 5830, and you also lose the Blu-ray reader and get a standard DVD-RW, but the total price of $1054 (with $40 in main-in rebates) is a pretty good chunk of change if you don't mind the slower GPU.
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Makaveli - Thursday, May 13, 2010 - link
This article was fine the rest of you guy should stick to buying Best buy PC'sI also found this hilarious
"$1000~$1800 = top end, dual video card systems for uber gamers."
A top end gaming PC is $2000-$5000 range!
thanks for the write up Mike and Jarred!
ereavis - Friday, May 14, 2010 - link
Why would you not go with the more modern WD1002FAEX with twice the cache? If you had to spend $10 more at all, it's on sale at $100 every other weekgeokilla - Saturday, May 15, 2010 - link
$1700 is not midrange... And with $1700 I can get a Core i7 build instead. Come on guys.P.S. I'm Canadian so things are more expensive up here.
Navitron - Sunday, May 16, 2010 - link
I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that writer of this article is mainly a mac user.Heres a system I specced out in 10 min on newegg, Core i7 with an SSD for $1,700.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail...
(Prices on newegg as of 5/16 9:14 PM PST $1,723.84)
7Enigma - Monday, May 17, 2010 - link
I'm sick of reading through all of these comments complaining about what $1700 means. Here's a recommendation to avoid this in the future: just drop the name.System Buyer's Guide: $1700
Done. No more whiners with nothing better to do than complain that this is/isn't midrange, and instead focus on the actual part recommendations themselves. That's the point of the article!
Highlander944 - Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - link
Ok..I tend to agree with others who've posted that $1700 is NOT midrange. This is certainly upper mid range since performance increases from here are marginal at best and $1700 bucks is a good deal of money.
Next, what's with the benchmarks? I mean seriously. Your recommending a "system" why in the world would you bench the graphics at anything but native resolution of the LCD? The gaming benchmarks are utterly useless! Who is gonna lay out that kind of money for the 'system' and not game at 1900x1200? The only reason to not game there is if you can't... which we don't know because you didn't bench that!
shamans33 - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - link
1) Articles needs a title change: Something like "Mid-High End Gaming Machine"2) The system isn't $1700...it's $1182.
3) 5850 is high end. Seriously, a $300 graphics card is high end.
4) PSU is overkill.
5) CPU is borderline high end.
This machine seems a tad expensive for a midrange gaming machine.
People who take your advice literally might think that a mid-end gaming machine is expensive @ nearly $1200. You can practically play any game and/or do anything with this machine....the only limitations are 4 GB of ram and non-SSD storage.
shamans33 - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - link
Might be nice to start seeing a mini itx buyer's guide.MEH - Wednesday, May 26, 2010 - link
I used to have time (and enjoy) putting together my own system, but now with 3 kids it's not likely to happen. I also don't like the more generic alternatives at the big PC companies. Are there other companies who will build a system with components I select, maybe similar to what's here in the guide or with other things I choose?MIDIman - Thursday, May 27, 2010 - link
I'm looking at the difference between the i5-750 and the i7-930 routes, and maybe its just me, but doesn't the i7 route make more sense?In both cases the motherboards are almost precisely $200. I'm comparing MSI's USB3-supported motherboards at newegg.
In both cases, the CPUs actually cost the same. I can get the i7-930 from microcenter for $200.
RAM appears to be the only difference, but the difference is much more negligible - $50 maybe?