You submit the spec of a PC you've built explaining what the PC is designed to do. We’ll assess each entry on how well it delivers on its mission, with particular focus on:

    * Are the chosen components the right ones for the job?
    * Do the components work well together or are there better combinations?
    * Is the spec good value for what it achieves?

All competition entries received by APC will be judged by Master Builder judges for entry into the semi-finals according to the above criteria.  We’ll publish all entries online and pick some to appear in APC  magazine.  You can submit more than one entry, but it must be a different PC system.

Competition entries are submitted via a form (so we can get the necessary information about each build) and close on Feb 22, 2010. Until then, we publish four entrants each month in APC magazine and pick a monthly winner. All entrants published in the magazine receive a prize, with the month's winner receiving an additional prize. Entrants published in the magazine also automatically qualify for the semi-finals. 

However, you do not have to be published in the magazine to make the semi-finals.



Master Builder is not a competition just for overclockers or for those building the most powerful PCs. Instead, it aims to reward readers who put together a well-balanced PC, with a good selection of components that work together to create a machine whose sum is greater than its parts. The system can be budget, high-performance, home theatre or any other type of PC you choose. The category is not as important as whether the chosen configuration delivers on its promise.

Semi-finalists will be announced on Feb 25, 2010 and will  be given a special challenge , with the the top four builders going to the finals, to be held in the APC Labs.

The finals will be held in APC's Sydney Labs. The finalists will be required to build a PC each from a large selection of components. All finalists will  receive a selection of PC components and the winner takes away a full Extreme Performance PC.

Competition entries close Feb 22, 2010.

All-semifinalists will be announced on Feb 25, 2010, for publication in the April 2010 APC magazine and online.

Finalists will be announced on March 29, 2010, for publication in the May 2010 issue of APC magazine and online.

The Finals will be held on the week of April 26, with the day to be finalised. The winners will be announced in the June 2010 edition of APC magazine and online.

Each month until Competition Entries close Feb 22, 2010, the judges select four entries for publication in APC magazine. All published entries will their very own Intel Core i5 quad-core chip.

PLUS! Our judges will select a winner in each round to be published in the magazine who takes home a special prize. This month it’s an AMD Phenom II X4 CPU. AMD Phenom II processors have the processing power with the responsiveness to do it all, featuring next-generation quad-core design that crushes even the most demanding tasks. So if you play it, create it, design it, render it, stream it, and HD it, the AMD Phenom II processor is the must-have performance processor behind the best PCs for a high fidelity, high definition video entertainment experience.

These will be announced when the semi-finals and finals begin.

>> Enter the competition 

 Terms and Conditions

1. By entering the competition, you accept these terms and conditions.
2. We will accept and publish entries from anywhere in the world, but only Australian-based entrants are eligible to receive prizes or make semi-finals and Final.
3. Employees of  APC and their immediate families are ineligible to enter.
   
4. Entry is only valid if details regarded as compulsory on the Entry Form are completed. No responsibility accepted for misdirected entries not received by our system.
5. All entries become the property of APC magazine. APC magazine reserves the right to use the content of entries for publication in the magazine, online and for promotions.
6. The semi-finalists and finalists will be notified by email. Details of winner will also be published online and in APC magazine.
7. The semi-final and Final prizes are at the discretion of APC magazine and sponsors and may vary depending on sponsorship arrangements.
   
8. APC does not guarantee immediate delivery of prizes - as delivery timelines depend on vendors supplying us with the prizes, but will endeavour to deliver them as soon as possible.
   
9. In the event of any prize item being unavailable from the supplying vendor, APC reserves the right to substitute a prize item of equal or greater value.
10. APC  accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to prizes in transit.