System Summaries
With the selections that we've listed, we conclude once again with four system summaries. There are quite a few modifications that we've mentioned elsewhere that you might also find useful, as there is never a perfect system that will work for every user. We'll start with the Budget configurations.
Budget Recommendations
| AMD Sempron System |
| Hardware |
Component |
Price |
| Processor |
AMD Sempron 2800+ 1.60 GHz 256K socket 754 (Retail) |
83 |
| Motherboard |
Foxconn nForce4 NF4K8AB-RS (754) |
78 |
| Memory |
2x512MB Corsair Value Select PC3200 2.5-3-3-8 2T |
83 |
| Video Card |
MSI Radeon X300SE 128MB PCIe |
53 |
| Hard Drive |
Hitachi Deskstar 7K80 HDS728080PLA380 80GB SATA-2 |
57 |
| Optical Drive |
Lite-On 16X DVD-ROM Model SOHD-16P9S |
22 |
| Case and Power Supply |
Codegen 4C-4063S-CA Combo 350W PSU |
69 |
| Display |
Samsung 793DF 17" CRT |
153 |
| Speakers |
Codegen Speakers (with case) |
0 |
| Keyboard and Mouse |
Codegen Keyboard and Mouse (with case) |
0 |
| Bottom Line |
|
598 |
| Intel Celeron D System |
| Hardware |
Component |
Price |
| Processor |
Intel Celeron D 330J 2.66GHz 256K L2 (Retail) |
85 |
| Motherboard |
Biostar I915P-A7 |
79 |
| Memory |
2x512MB Corsair Value Select PC3200 2.5-3-3-8 2T |
83 |
| Video Card |
MSI Radeon X300SE 128MB PCIe |
53 |
| Hard Drive |
Hitachi Deskstar 7K80 HDS728080PLA380 80GB SATA-2 |
57 |
| Optical Drive |
Lite-On 16X DVD-ROM Model SOHD-16P9S |
22 |
| Case and Power Supply |
Codegen 4C-4063S-CA Combo 350W PSU |
69 |
| Display |
Samsung 793DF 17" CRT |
153 |
| Speakers |
Codegen Speakers (with case) |
0 |
| Keyboard and Mouse |
Codegen Keyboard and Mouse (with case) |
0 |
| Bottom Line |
|
601 |
Priced at $600, the performance of our base recommendations is nothing to sneeze at - in most applications, either one will match up well against the $1000 to $1500 PCs of 18 months ago. While we would normally give the edge in gaming to AMD systems and a slight edge in encoding applications to Intel, these two systems are going to be extremely close in performance and it's hard to say that one is really better than the other. With a better graphics card, the Sempron would probably outperform the Celeron D, but the X300SE is going to limit both CPUs. For overclocking performance, we'd have to give the Intel system the edge, simply because the 533FSB will allow a lot of headroom on any decent motherboard. The maximum 8X CPU multiplier of the Sempron 2800+ is going to make overclocking rather difficult with the current selection of socket 754 boards.
Upgraded Budget System
| AMD Athlon 64 System |
| Hardware |
Component |
Price |
| Processor |
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 512K 1.80 GHz socket 939 (Retail - Venice) |
146 |
| Motherboard |
MSI nForce4 (939) K8N Neo4-F |
85 |
| Memory |
2x512MB OCZ Gold Series 2-2-2-5 1T 2.8V |
143 |
| Video Card |
Gigabyte GV-RX70P128D Radeon X700PRO 128MB |
112 |
| Hard Drive |
Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 HDT722516DLA380 160GBSATA-2 |
87 |
| Optical Drive |
NEC 3540A Silver 16X DVDR |
48 |
| Case and Power Supply |
MGE CAG-M1-BK Black/Silver ATX with 400W PSU |
67 |
| Display |
Polyview V17E 17" 14ms LCD |
210 |
| Speakers |
Logitech Z-3e 2.1 |
71 |
| Keyboard and Mouse |
Logitech Internet Pro Desktop |
23 |
| Bottom Line |
|
992 |
| Intel Pentium 4 System |
| Hardware |
Component |
Price |
| Processor |
Intel Pentium 505 533 FSB (Retail) |
134 |
| Motherboard |
Biostar I945P-A7 |
98 |
| Memory |
2x512MB OCZ DDR2 PC4300 EL Gold 3-3-3-8 |
131 |
| Video Card |
Gigabyte GV-RX70P128D Radeon X700PRO 128MB |
112 |
| Hard Drive |
Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 HDT722516DLA380 160GBSATA-2 |
87 |
| Optical Drive |
NEC 3540A Silver 16X DVDR |
48 |
| Case and Power Supply |
MGE CAG-M1-BK Black/Silver ATX with 400W PSU |
67 |
| Display |
Polyview V17E 17" 14ms LCD |
210 |
| Speakers |
Logitech Z-3e 2.1 |
71 |
| Keyboard and Mouse |
Logitech Internet Pro Desktop |
23 |
| Bottom Line |
|
981 |
With the upgraded selections, our total cost increases to nearly $1000. You get quite a bit more performance and versatility as well as a nicer display, so the extra $400 isn't simply wasted. We have to give the performance nod to AMD on this setup, particularly at stock speeds. The X700Pro will allow both processors to stretch their legs, but the 505's 2.66 GHz clockspeed and 533 FSB are going to fall behind. Once you throw overclocking into the equation, it becomes a more interesting race. We've personally overclocked the MSI board with a 3000+ to 2.4 GHz without much difficulty, and the CPU/14 and CPU/11 memory dividers will allow you to reach that clock speed with any of the RAM that we've listed in this Guide without compromising performance too much. The Pentium 505 can actually reach very high clock speeds with a bit of effort, and even without exotic cooling, it should be capable of running at 3.4 to 3.6 GHz. We haven't tested the Biostar 945P board's overclocking abilities personally (yet), but the I915P-A7 has the necessary features to overclock 533FSB processors and we assume that the I945P-A7 will be similar. In the end, a 2.4 GHz Athlon 64 roughly matches a Pentium 4 3.8 GHz - with better gaming performance - both of which are possible with a bit of luck.
Conclusion
That takes care of another Buyer's Guide, and hopefully, you have a better understanding of the various options and the compromises that can be made in putting together a budget PC. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome. One thing to remember when building a budget PC is to keep the requirements in mind. It doesn't make sense to get a decent graphics card if the system will never be used for gaming, and even speakers may be overkill for a simple office computer. Some requirements will increase the total price while others may reduce it, but it's still possible to put together a good computer for less than $750.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
57 Comments
View All Comments
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.