Chassis: Cooler Master CM690: $87
The CM690 eschews silly gimmicks inflavour
of producing a no-nonsense chassis that has plenty of cooling options for your
mainstreaming. There’s apace aplenty inside and all at a reasonable price.
Screen: Asus PA238Q: $321
For just over $300 you can pick up this
fantastic IPS-based, 23-inch monitor from Asus. Asus? Yes, they of mobo fame,
but it’s one hell of a panel for not a lot more than a TN screen.
Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder X6: $52.5
The Sidewinder X6 looks great and is as
good for gaming as it is typing. It has a detachable numpad, which can be
affixed either side, and boasts live macro recording too.
CPU cooler: Gelid Tranquillo: $37.5
The Tranquillo offers everything we expect
from a CPU cooler. It has power enough to keep your chip cool, while quiet
enough not to annoy. It’s also wonder fully affordable, which helps.
High-end: $5,686.5
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 Pro: $307.5
Asus has really gone to town on the X79
platform, spamming the market with a host of boards. And most of them pretty
darned good too. This here P9X79 Pro is a great little performer.
CPU: Intel Core i7 3690X: $1,200
With the same six-core setup as the
previous gen there’s not a huge amount of extra stock performance, but in the
OC stakes the new Sandy Bridge E wins out.
