Earlier this 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.

We'll be doing between 1 and 2 of these giveaways per week until we're out of system bundles 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 first post Intel wanted us to come up with the best Core i5 gaming system we could, without breaking the bank. What we came up with rests around $1200, providing a concrete platform for any gamer tackling single monitor resolutions.

At the core of this build is MSI, featuring the Z87M Gaming motherboard and R9-280X Gaming graphics card combination with their red styling and dragon motifs.  The motherboard is MSI’s recently released micro-ATX gaming platform, giving a Killer E2200 NIC to prioritize game traffic by bypassing the Windows Network Stack as well as Audio Boost via an optimized Realtek ALC1150 codec.  Due to using an MSI Gaming motherboard and GPU, MSI have a feature called VGA Boost, designed to increase the power limitations of the graphics card and increase performance automatically with little user intervention: this should help push out some more frames in the demanding titles.  As our recent Gaming CPU article showed, the i5-4670K for this build is more than adequate for any single GPU setup, and should also be great if another GPU was added at a later date.

For storage, we're using an Intel 530 Series SSD (remember the Intel SSD requirement), and for the case/power supply combination in this first system we have aimed at Rosewill.  The Rosewill Blackhawk is a smaller variation of their Blackhawk Ultra that Ian currently use as a powerhouse home system rammed full of graphics cards.  The power supply is Rosewill’s Capstone 550W, one of Rosewill’s large range of high 80 PLUS units.  

Finally the CPU cooler is a large air cooler – the Noctua NH-U12P: an old hand in CPU cooling but high performing for a gaming build.

Core i5 Gaming System
Component Description Price
CPU Core i5-4670K $240
Motherboard MSI Z87M Gaming $160
GPU MSI R9 280X 3GB $310
Memory ADATA XPG V2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 C9 $68
Primary Storage Intel SSD 530 240GB $179
PSU Rosewill Capstone 550W 80 PLUS Gold $75
Case Rosewill Blackhawk $90
CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12P $80
Total   $1202

The result is a fast system that doesn't break the bank and should deliver excellent gaming performance for the money. We're pretty much an SSD-only house at AnandTech these days, so the SSD 530 should keep the system feeling nice and snappy - there are faster SSDs now, but unless you're really doing some storage-intensive work even SF-2281 drives run well. Using the unlocked Core i5-4670K should pave the way for effortless overclocking, just adjust the CPU multiplier and you're done.

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 9:00 AM ET on 12/13/2013 through 9:00 AM ET on 12/16/2013. We will draw 1 winner(s) who will be selected by 12/20/2013.

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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.

  1. 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.
     
  2. 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 9:00 AM ET on 12/13/2013 through 9:00 AM ET on 12/16/2013.  Only entries received during the Promotion Period will be accepted. 
     
  3. 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.
     
  4. 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. 
     
  5. 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 12/20/2013 and will each receive a Intel Core i5 Bundle described above (“Grand Prize”).  The Total U.S. Retail Value of the Grand Prize is $1200.  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.
     
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  8. 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.

 

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  • Cullinaire - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    I will relish my 1 in 154,000 chance at winning!
  • TechnoProdigy - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    Looks like a very nice giveaway! Whoever wins it will be quite lucky!
  • Boogaleeboo - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    That is a nice system that will give someone a very merry Christmas.
  • gigantor21 - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE
  • vcvrfus - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    I hope I win!
  • grannanj - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    Please enter me!
  • lockejn - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    Sign me up
  • looniam - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    what if i was already registered?
    i tried to re-register but my user name was taken so i just logged in.
    does that work?
  • apockoffork - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    I'll take one!
  • dark4181 - Friday, December 13, 2013 - link

    Wow, Anand, you guys are really going all out this year. Just another reason to love this website.

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