Intel System Giveaway Part 2: High Performance Core i5
by Anand Lal Shimpi, Jarred Walton & Ian Cutress on January 17, 2014 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Giveaways
Late last year Intel came to us with an interesting proposition: using Haswell CPUs and Intel SSDs, we had to come up with four of our best system builds. Each build would be targeted at a slightly different type of user and budget, but all are aimed at folks looking to overclock. With the component list assembled, Intel went out, got all of the parts we selected and agreed to give away the bundles to AnandTech readers.
With the hectic holidays and CES our giveaway schedule was interrupted but we're back and have 3 more builds to give away. These systems are purely parts bundles, you'll have to assemble them yourself. Literally everything here was picked by Jarred and Ian as what they'd build if given these budgets.
For the second post Intel wanted us to come up with the another Core i5 build, but this one aimed at a slightly higher budget than our gaming system build from last time. Our previous build was around $1200, while this one goes for just under $1600.
While there are more CPU choices for an i5, the top of the line, and the one selected for this build, is the unlocked i5-4670K.
To pair with the overclocking CPU we have gone with another overclocking motherboard, this time the ASRock Z87M OC Formula, which showcases ASRock’s latest updates to their BIOS and software to aid in overclocking, especially the automatic OC options in the BIOS.
For the graphics card in this build we went AMD, this time with the R9 290, which depending on the game battles it out with the GTX 780 and Titan at 4K. Here's where things are a little wonky. We settled on the system configuration at the end of last year, when R9 290 prices were around $400. The mining rush has driven high-end AMD GPU prices up considerably, with the R9 290 now around $500. If you can manage to find a R9 290 at its intended price, it's absolutely the right buy for this type of a system. If you can't however, then NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 780 may be a better option. You'll get good performance and a quieter overall card. We're sticking with the R9 290 for this build since that's the card Intel already sourced for it, but keep the GTX 780 in mind if you're looking to build a system like this and R9 prices are still crazy.
The SSD is the 240GB 530 series model from Intel. The rest of the system is sourced from Corsair – the H80i closed-loop liquid cooler should aid some overclocking, the Obsidian 350D case received an Editors’ Choice Bronze Award from Dustin for aesthetics, performance, ease of use and price, and the HX650 80 PLUS Gold should support the system at any loading. Throw in 16GB of DDR3-1866 C9 memory, and we have a build under $1600 which should have some overclocking headroom and perform within an inch of an i7 build.
Compared to our $1200 gaming build (although keep in mind that the mining rush has put even more pressure on driving R9 280X prices up) this system comes with a much faster video card, twice the memory (not to mention it's faster memory) and a more stylish case.
Core i5 Performance System | ||||||
Component | Description | Price | ||||
CPU |
Core i5-4670K Quad-core, 3.4-3.8GHz, 6MB L3, 84W |
|||||
Motherboard | ASRock Z87M OC Formula | |||||
GPU | XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB (R9290AENFC) | |||||
Memory | Corsair 2x8 GB 1866 C9 Silver | |||||
Primary Storage | Intel 530 Series 240GB SSD | |||||
PSU | Corsair HX650 80 PLUS Gold | |||||
Case | Corsair Obsidian 350D | |||||
CPU Cooler | Corsair H80i | |||||
Total |
$1,578 |
If you're as excited about what's in the table above as we are, go ahead and enter the sweeps. We've got one of these bundles to give away!
To enter the giveaway please leave a comment below (please only post one). As with all of our giveaways, this is only open to US residents with US mailing addresses. Unfortunately this is a legal requirement as each country/territory requires its own set of rules in order to be in compliance. Good luck!
Entries will be accepted from 12:01 AM ET on 1/17/2014 through 12:01 AM ET on 1/21/2014. We will draw 1 winner(s) who will be selected by 1/22/2014.
Official Rules and Regulations for AnandTech Sweepstakes
No Purchase Required to Enter or Win
Upon entering any contest, sweepstakes, or promotion (a “Promotion”) offered by anandtech.com (the “Site”), a website owned and operated by AnandTech, Inc. (“AnandTech”), you must agree to the following Official Rules and Regulations (the “Rules”) as well as any additional rules governing a specific Promotion that AnandTech publishes on the Site.
BEFORE ENTERING A PROMOTION, READ THESE RULES AND THE SITE’S TERMS, CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY INFORMATION. BY ENTERING THE PROMOTION, YOU AGREE TO COMPLY WITH THE RULES AND THE SITE’S TERMS, CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY INFORMATION.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING.
- Eligibility. Promotions are open to entrants who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry, and a legal resident of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico). Entries are limited to individuals only who are not presently banned from AnandTech’s website or comments section; commercial enterprises and business entities are not eligible. Directors, officers, employees, contractors, and agents of AnandTech (excluding volunteer AnandTech forum moderators) and members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings, and children) are not eligible. Subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Rules and AnandTech’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters relating to a Promotion.
- Entry Period. Each Promotion will contain a specific time period within which entries will be accepted (a “Promotion Period”). The Promotion Period for this Promotion shall run from 12:01 AM ET on 1/17/2014 through 12:01 AM ET on 1/21/2014. Only entries received during the Promotion Period will be accepted.
- How to Enter. Each Promotion will describe an entry procedure. AnandTech is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, technically corrupted or garbled entries, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic. Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by AnandTech. All entries must be in English. Individuals are automatically entered in this Promotion by signing up for AnandTech’s Comments at http://anandtech.com/Account/Register and posting a reply to this post. If randomly selected as a winner individuals must provide full name, complete mailing address, telephone number, AnandTech user name and birth date within 3 days of being contacted.
- Limits on Entry. An individual may enter a Promotion once only. The use of any automated launching or entry software or any other means that permits an entrant to automatically enter repeatedly or in excess of the entry limitations is prohibited.
- Prizes. Winning a gift, prize, or other promotional item (a “Prize”) in a Promotion is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements in these Rules. Winners will be selected in a random drawing of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. AnandTech will notify Prize winners using the contact information provided in the winning entry. Failure to claim a Prize by the time or in the manner specified in the particular Promotion will invalidate any claim to the Prize. Prizes are not transferable. The odds of winning a Prize or the Grand Prize depend on the number of entries received by AnandTech. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ARE NOT EXCHANGEABLE FOR FAIR MARKET VALUE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANANDTECH DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIZES, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. For this Promotion, 1 winner(s) will be selected by 1/22/2014 and will each receive a Intel Core i5 System Bundle described above (“Grand Prize”). The Total U.S. Retail Value of the Grand Prize is $1600. The Grand Prize may not be substituted for cash. The Grand Prize winner will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes, fees, and surcharges associated with receipt and/or use of the Grand Prize. After the Grand Prize winner has been notified and has complied with all applicable Rules, AnandTech will post the Grand Prize winner’s name on this website.
- Publicity. The winner of a Promotion agrees to allow AnandTech to use his or her name, photograph, likeness, voice, prize information, and biographical information for publicity and promotional purposes without further compensation where permitted by law.
- Governing Law. These Rules and all Promotions are governed by and controlled by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without reference to the applicable choice of law provisions. All actions, proceedings or litigation relating hereto will be instituted and prosecuted solely within Wake County, North Carolina. By entering a Promotion, entrants consent to the jurisdiction of the state courts of North Carolina and the federal courts located within North Carolina with respect to any action, dispute or other matter pertaining to or arising out of that Promotion.
- General Terms. Any failure by an entrant, including any prize winner, to comply with any of the Rules or the Site’s Terms, Conditions and Privacy Information may result in disqualification from the Promotion. All entries, whether they are eligible entries or ineligible entries, are the exclusive property of AnandTech. AnandTech is not responsible for any typographical errors in the Rules or in any other communication surrounding a Promotion or for any technical malfunction or error relating to the Promotion. AnandTech reserves the right to amend or interpret the Rules at any time, upon published notice to participants on its website. Promotion participants agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless AnandTech and its directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability regarding the Promotion, including any injuries, losses, or damages (compensatory, direct, incidental, consequential, or otherwise) regarding the use or misuse of any Prize, any event beyond AnandTech’s control resulting in the disruption, cancellation, or postponement of the receipt of the Prize, or any typographical errors or technical malfunctions associated with the Promotion. AnandTech reserves the right to disqualify any entry that it, in its sole discretion, determines (i) to be in violation of the Rules, (ii) submitted by fraud or by tampering with the entry process, or (iii) contains inaccurate or fraudulent information. ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE PROMOTION IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. IN THE EVENT SUCH AN ATTEMPT OCCURS, ANANDTECH RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
4911 Comments
View All Comments
Jovec - Sunday, January 19, 2014 - link
Contest entry post.dmarzio - Sunday, January 19, 2014 - link
I wouldn't mind winning this beast one bit!General_ Eclectic - Sunday, January 19, 2014 - link
I am interested in the best of any group, which I believe this computer is the best in its class. Would you kindly sign me up for the contest? Thank you!Geforce man - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
Nice system !!highlnder69 - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
I could really use a new PC!!AeroJoe - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
Some assembly required? No Problem! Thanks.timcrna - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
Nice rig. I'm in.ElFenix - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
i would like a free computer yessquid413 - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
yes please!cpw - Monday, January 20, 2014 - link
Free is good. Sign me up. 8)