Entry Level Buyer’s Guide, July 2005
by Jarred Walton on July 20, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Display and Speaker Recommendations
The display market - at least for budget displays - is really stagnating. New CRTs are basically non-existent and budget LCDs are hard to come by unless you want two-year-old technology (which is a long time in LCD terms). The 14 and 15 inch LCDs start at around $175 new, and with their fixed resolution of 1024x768, we'd prefer a 17" model. Here then are our recommendations.
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Price: $153 shipped (Retail)
With supplies of competing monitors now becoming scarce, the 793DF remains one of the few viable options for budget displays. The ivory model is available for $143, but we prefer the looks of the two-tone model shown above. If you like the plain white more, you can save that $10. The features are good overall, but we're sad to see the disappearance of quality aperture grille CRTs like the NEC FE771SB. Many people won't notice, but the tubes in the 793DF are still slightly curved. The ideal resolution for 17" CRTs is either 1024x768 at 85Hz refresh rate or 1152x864 with a 75Hz refresh rate. We prefer the slightly increased screen size of the latter, but some prefer a higher refresh rate. While it supports 1280x1024, the 60Hz refresh rate bothers many people, and we would stay away from it.
Click to enlarge.
Price: $210 shipped (Retail)
We're doing our best to incorporate a decent LCD into the budget recommendations, and the Polyview V17E manages to qualify, though we do have some reservations. The good aspects are that the response times are sufficient for most people (though we're not sure who makes the 14ms panel) and the display has a DVI input (as well as VGA should you go with a setup that lacks a DVI output). The manufacturer's replacement policy for dead pixels isn't the greatest, but at least it's clearly defined: 4 or more dark/bright pixels, 6 or more pixel defects, 2 or more sets of defective adjacent pixels, or 3 or more defective adjacent pixels, with "adjacent" meaning within a 1cm area. We've used quite a few LCDs, and pixel defects are becoming relatively uncommon, so hopefully you never need to worry about the warranty. A single bright pixel in the center of your display can be quite annoying, however, so be forewarned that there's a risk. The overall quality of the display in terms of contrast and colors is decent, though not the best, but that's to be expected of one of the cheapest 17" LCDs around.
If you want some other alternatives for an upgraded display, our top pick would be to spend around $300 on a 19" display. The Acer 1914SMD 8ms model performed very well when I used a couple in the past month, and both displays were free of pixel defects. Several other 19" LCDs are available in the $250 to $350 range, but we'd look for 16ms or lower response times and DVI input. Rebates on two models at Newegg even drop the price to under $250 for a 19" LCD, but we don't particularly care for mail-in rebates. The Dell FP1905FP is another good model that can often be found on sale, sometimes for under $300.
On the CRT side of things, you can still find the Samsung 997DF and it's a decent but not great CRT - it has similar issues to the 793DF, but at higher resolutions. We'd prefer the NEC FE991SB, but with availability declining and the price near that of 19" LCDs, you're better off with an LCD. Refurbished CRTs may be something else to consider, and with luck and perseverance, you can even find 21/22" models for under $200, some of which offer better specs than the current batch of large CRTs.
Click to enlarge.
Price: $71 shipped (Retail)
You'll see on the next page why we skipped the budget speaker selection. For our upgraded speakers, we're going with a higher quality 2.1 setup instead of the 5.1 configuration that we've recommended in the past. It's really a matter of preference to which you want. Gamers might want 5.1 audio while those who listen to MP3s or watch movies on their PC will generally prefer better quality 2.1 audio over cheap 5.1 setups. The X-530 is still a reasonable choice, and the speakers are actually cheaper than the Z-3 speakers that we list here.
Besides offering better tonality and response curves, the Z-3 is more convenient to set up than a 5.1 configuration - finding space for 5 speakers around your PC can be difficult for many people. The included volume control allows you to place the speakers further away from your monitor while keeping the controls close at hand, and a headphone port also allows you to tune out the rest of the world - or allow the rest of the house to sleep as the case may be. If you want to go with a less expensive setup yet still want decent sound, the Logitech X-230 can be had for around $37 - half as much as the Z-3e. We're not entirely clear on what the differences between the various Z-3 models are, so if you can find the Z-3 or Z-3i for less money than the Z-3e, we see no reason to get one over another. (Feel free to enlighten me if there's a good reason other than looks to buy one model over another.)
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RussellCollins - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
So let's just start with some basics. I have relied upon the reviews here for the last 6 or 7 years when it came to building computers. I have built several of my own based upon a mix of recommendations from this site and personal research. My background is in mechanical engineering and I am currently working as a software test engineer. I say that to suggest that even those who know better can pay for their mistakes they shouldn't have made...I built a system for my parents (*gasp, that's already asking for trouble) based almost exclusively off this entry-level model (AMD flavor). It worked perfectly for about a week and then the system simply refused to turn on. I tried checking as many things as I could to narrow down the problem based on the limited equipment I had on hand. I thought at first that a bad power-supply might have fried some of the silicon so I had them get a new mobo after all the components plugged into it (save for the CPU) were tested on other machines and appeared to be fine.
Needless to say, I'm STILL ironing out the kinks in my spare time because it refuses to breath again. The fans all turn on but nobody's home (won't even post to BIOS). I'll be installing a new CoolerMaster PSU and probably new CPU this week just to finally resolve the issue.
Final words: go with your instinct for self-preservation and get a trustworthy power supply. It isn't worth the risk and headache. This was a good review overall but I wish now that I had gone with my first hunch to swap out power supplies before the first boot.
DarkForceRising - Sunday, August 28, 2005 - link
Does the Foxconn AMD Mobo. have integrated graphics?Gioron - Sunday, July 24, 2005 - link
Ok, I hate to harp on it, but I'm going to anyways. The included power supply in the case is a bad idea. Although I can't be sure this is the exact power supply, I went and found a review of a 350W codegen from annother cheap case. Here's the picture of the spec sheet: http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/psu/codegen350...">http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/psu/codegen350...Things of note:
How the hell does that add up to 350W? I only get about 330W just by adding everything together. It sure as heck can't output all of that at once, and usually its a good idea to ignore the piddly little negatives and the VSB buss, which would drop it down to a heck of a lot lower than 300W. Honestly, I'd be suprised if this can handle 200W well. The only real hope is that they've improved their 350W power supplies in the couple years since the review, but I would doubt it.
And then there's the quote from the article: "Worst case scenario - pardon the pun - is that you'll have to purchase a new power supply down the road (and/or deal with RMA issues)."
No, thats _NOT_ the worst case scenario, although its a likely scenario. I had to completely replace every component in my parent's computer when their power supply died. I tested everything seperately and every single component in the system was toast. And the real worst case scenario involves an electical fire burning your house down (yah yah, not terribly likely, but a lot more likely with that power supply than with a quality one). Power supply death isn't something you want to deal with.
As far as dell systems go, it was interesting to note that 2 of them on the site ended up dying when we had a planned power outage, even though the computers were switched off at the time. The sun boxes we also use came through fine.
Side note: I was viewing the comments, then had to reload the dang thing because of an error. Then <poof>, the new comment system was in. Somewhat confusing to get used to, not sure I like the change yet, but just barely using it. Might be a good idea to add post numbers to things like this, just since everyone is so used to saying "#12, you're an idiot", etc. And add a preview button while you're at it.
Pythias - Monday, September 5, 2005 - link
Is this budget system going to pull 330 watts at peak?spartacvs - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link
I totally agree with you. It's funny because the computer case is propably the least important part of a computer. But the power supply is probably the most important. lolI don't think the problem is comming from Jarred. IMO, he do a hell of a good job in his systems guides. No, imo, the problem might coming from the price limit. Maybe 500$ is too low, maybe go with 550-600$. Sure you can buy a system for that price but is it really viable? Will you end up with a much better system that will last longer (eg. the messages about the monitor) for 50-100$ more?
JarredWalton - Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - link
Thanks, spartacvs...The budget price is killer. I deal with people asking about $500 PCs all the time, and I shudder at the compromises that often need to be made. You're right about the PSU, Gioron: the WORST that can happen is really bad. Very unlikely IMO, but I have had a cheap PSU fry everything in a system (other than the graphics, sound, HDD, and CD-ROM). That was an old socket 370 board, and the Celeron, motherboard, and RAM all got toasted along with the PSU.
For what it's worth, I really do encourage people to upgrade the PSU. Still, I *think* these chepaer cases will do okay with budget components. Don't upgrade the graphics or CPU and stick with a single HDD and you should do okay. I think I may actually go out and purchase one of these cases for an article. A sort of PSU expose to see if I can get better OC results and stability with a good PSU rather than the crappy "350W" included. Heheheh.... stay tuned! :D
spartacvs - Thursday, July 21, 2005 - link
And you can still buy a video board later. Also, a monitor last longer (like most of the peripherals).Zebo - Thursday, July 21, 2005 - link
True I hear ya. But the low end LCD's dont usually have DVI... All I'm saying is if I had $500 for a system I'd rather have integrated graphics and a 17" LCD than a 6200 TC with a 17" cheap CRT. As ones budget gets higher more and better options open up.. maybe I'm just low-balling to much.:)OldPueblo - Thursday, July 21, 2005 - link
The 6200TC allows you to play BF2, D3, HL2, and whatever else for an amazingly low price. The card is a gift in my eyes. I have friends that just absolutely cannot afford anything else, and to them its a godsend.JarredWalton - Thursday, July 21, 2005 - link
44 - Calin, I'm not a big fan of mail-in rebates, so you're looking at $280 for the cheapest 19" LCD that has DVI input. If you don't mind MIRs, you can get an Aopen F90JS for $242 from Newegg - $70 MIR. I still say the Acer AL1914SMD at $307 is a great LCD, though. Expensive for a "budget" system, but a good display can last through 3 computer upgrades or more.43 - Zebo, I'd like to recommend an LCD with integrated graphics, but the lack of DVI output from the IGP motherboards makes the add-in card almost a requirement in my book. (That's another one of the problems I have with the "free LCD upgrades" you get from OEMs; LCDs without DVI are simply not the same.) It's still an option, though, and I think the recommendations in this Guide give people enough information to put together such a setup if they want.