With Intel fleshing out their 9th-generation range, now comes the i5-9400. So we take a look at what it takes to build a balanced PC with this $185 CPU!
Building a PC with the i5-9400
- Chris Cunningham
- 8th May 2019
- PC Builds
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Building a PC with the AMD Threadripper 2950X
- Chris Cunningham
- 31st Aug 2018
- PC Builds
With the launch of the 2nd-generation Threadripper 2950X, we of course had to look at what would make a balanced PC with this 16-core beast!
Building a PC with the AMD Threadripper 2990WX
- Chris Cunningham
- 20th Aug 2018
- PC Builds
AMD are coming out swinging, and they’re out for Intel’s blood with the flagship Threadripper 2990WX! With a bonkers 32 cores and 64 threads, this is not a CPU for the casual gamer; it’s a workstation powerhouse, designed for when multi-core performance is king.
Data Transfer Rates Compared (RAM vs PCIe vs SATA vs USB vs More!)
- Chris Cunningham
- 7th Aug 2018
- How-To
In the big wide world of hard drives, SSDs, RAM, VRAM, fancy CPU tech, and more—we felt it was about time to have a bit of a deep dive into data transfer rates.
That way, even if you’re working from an example PC build in our main build chart, you’ll know exactly what kind of speed and overall bandwidth you’re getting for your money!
Building a PC for Final Fantasy XV
- Chris Cunningham
- 7th Mar 2018
- PC Builds
At this point I’m pretty sure Final Fantasy fans are used to the delays that come with a PC release for a Final Fantasy game, yet in this case that frustration can finally be washed away with hype: Final Fantasy XV for PC is here! Now let’s get to the builds!
Building a PC with the Intel i7-8700 and i7-8700K
- Chris Cunningham
- 25th Oct 2017
- PC Builds
Like the other new 8th Generation CPUs from Intel, the i7 CPUs have proven extremely popular, continuously selling out as soon as they come in stock. The i7-8700 and i7-8700K are a jump up to 6 core/12 thread chips, which represents a significant improvement over the previous generation’s 4 cores and 8 threads.
That jump in core count means major improvements to performance, which means new possibilities the workloads we can expect from a new PC build. If you can manage to find one of these new i7 chips your local store or online, let’s have a look at what you’ll be able to build with them.
Building a PC with the AMD Athlon X4 940, X4 950 and X4 970
- Chris Cunningham
- 18th Oct 2017
- PC Builds
The final piece in AMD’s 7th generation CPU refresh for the AM4 platform comes in the form of three new Athlon processors: the X4 940, X4 950, and X4 970. Unlike the two sets of A-series CPUs (see our 35W and 65W builds), these new Athlons do not come with onboard GPUs.
The advantage, however, is that these are unlocked cores and can be overclocked much harder. So read on to find out exactly what you can build with the new AMD Athlon chips!
What is Hyper-Threading and Simultaneous MultiThreading?
- Chris Cunningham
- 13th Oct 2017
- PC Hardware
With the newly released 8th Generation CPUs from Intel, one feature has gone missing from the Core i3 models: Hyper-Threading (HT). For example, the new Intel i3-8100 features 4 physical cores and 4 threads, whereas the previous generation’s i3-7100 featured 2 physical cores and 4 threads.
What is Hyper-Threading, and is it any different from AMDs Simultaneous Multi-Threading?
What is the difference between having a 2-core Hyper-Threaded CPU or a 4-core CPU without Hyper-Threading?
Building a PC with the Intel Core i3-8100 and i3-8350K
- Chris Cunningham
- 12th Oct 2017
- PC Builds
Competition is great. If you can, think back to a year ago. AMD’s CPU selection consisted of several outdated options, and Intel were happy issuing small incremental improvements over the previous generation. What a difference a year makes! Like them or hate them, AMD has massively shifted the market with the release of the Ryzen architecture. That’s what brings us to today and the launch of the brand new 8000 series Coffee Lake processors from Intel — the biggest upgrade to the Intel lineup in years.
This article looks at the new Core i3 CPUs, which are lower-midrange chips still very capable of great performance for the price. What sort of PC should you build with the i3-8100 or i3-8350K? Read on to find out.
Building a PC with the AMD A6-9500, A8-9600, A10-9700, and A12-9800
- Chris Cunningham
- 22nd Sep 2017
- PC Builds
AMD recently refreshed their entry-level CPU range, and we’re quite happy with the results. We’ve already taken a look at their new 35W CPUs, and now we’d like to turn our attention to the more powerful (and power hungry) range from AMD. Interestingly enough, a number of these CPU’s have a configurable thermal design power (cTDP) of 45W from the default 65W.
This article will suggest a number of builds that could best utilize these new 65W CPUs. Prices for these builds come in between $313 and $424. So, read on to see for yourself!