Buyer's Guide - Mid-Range, October 2004
by Jarred Walton on October 21, 2004 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Miscellaneous Parts
Our computer system is complete, with the exception of a few small items as well as some optional components. We will cover those here.Networking Recommendation: Integrated in motherboard
Price: Free
We did not mention it earlier, but it is almost impossible to find a modern motherboard that doesn't include a network adapter, and we feel no need to purchase a separate NIC as there is little to no performance difference in normal use. Some users might prefer WiFi networks, in which case, an add-in card is usually required, but we do not have any real recommendation on what to purchase in that segment. If you do use a wireless network, we would like to remind you to enable WEP encryption at the very least, and WPA is preferred, although not as easy to get working without spending more money.
Video Capture Alternative: Hauppauge PVR-250
Price: $128 Shipped (Retail)
Some of our readers have requested suggestions for a video capture device that would allow them to perform TiVo-like functions with their PC. We have had good experience with getting Hauppage's WinTV to function well, and feel comfortable recommending any of their products. The quick summary is that the low-end WinTV Go is a software encoding solution, so you will need more processor power if you choose it, but the systems that we have put together in this Guide are more than capable of handling that. The WinTV PVR-250 and PVR-350 include hardware encoding for MPEG1 and MPEG2, and the PVR-350 also adds video/audio pass through/output to your TV. Both also include a remote, which the WinTV Go lacks. We recommend the PVR-250 as an all-around good choice, as the graphics cards that we have chosen already include TV Out functionality, should you require it. The quality of the PVR-350 TV Output might be slightly better, however.
You can read our recent MythTV and Windows MCE articles on this subject for additional information. Remember to buy a larger hard drive or a secondary hard drive if you plan to use the PVR capability, as digital videos can eat up hard drive space rapidly. Also, the WinTV cards require a compatible VGA card that supports the overlay function, which typically means ATI or NVIDIA add-in cards. Other brands will also work, but we have not personally tested the cards with any integrated graphics configurations.
Keyboard Suggestion: Microsoft Natural Multimedia Keyboard PS/2
Price: $29 Shipped (OEM)
Mouse Suggestion: Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical
Price: $24 Shipped (OEM)
The choice of keyboard and mouse is a personal decision, so take these suggestions with a grain of salt. If you prefer something else, like a wireless version or something from Logitech or another company, then by all means - get it. What we list here is simply one possibility. It is worth mentioning that OEM parts usually require you to purchase other computer hardware, although many online companies define "hardware" very loosely. Retail versions of these devices can cost almost twice as much.
For the keyboard, heavy typists almost all agree that the split ergonomic keyboards are much more comfortable to use. As we do a lot of typing, we appreciate the value that Microsoft offers. The Natural Multimedia includes a more traditional arrow key layout, although the arrangement of the page up/down, home/end, and insert/delete keys is still different than other keyboards. The function keys also default to different behavior until you press the F-Lock key, which can be somewhat confusing, and unfortunately, the keyboard does not remember this setting when it's restarted. Those are minor complaints, though, and it doesn't take too long to adjust to the new arrangement. Microsoft keyboards are, not surprisingly, supported quite well out of the box on Windows XP. The power of a monopoly can be abused, true, but sometimes it is also very convenient.
Our mouse of choice is the IntelliMouse Optical, a slight step up from the base model 3-button Optical mouse. We like the ability to quickly go forward and backward when surfing web pages, and the tactile "click" of the mouse wheel is nice. The newer Microsoft mice with the tilting wheel do not have a click, and while some will prefer that style of mouse, we do not. Again, it's just one opinion on the subject, so try one out and buy what you like. You can also find some keyboard and mouse bundles that are cheaper than purchasing the two separately.
Operating System Suggestion: Microsoft Windows XP Home/Pro/MCE
Price: $95/$147/$140 Shipped (OEM)
While you can always install Linux on your new system, most users still go with Windows XP. If you want the legal route and save some money, we suggest that you purchase an OEM copy of Windows XP with the rest of your system. For those with home networks, we recommend the Professional version, but most people will not notice a difference between that and the Home edition. An interesting new development is that the Media Center Edition is also available at many online stores for about the same price as XP Pro. It is similar in features to XP Home with some added functionality relating to, amazingly enough, multimedia applications. The major difference is that a compatible hardware MPEG encoder is required. The Hauppauge PVR-250/350 that we mentioned above will work, of course.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
54 Comments
View All Comments
Confusednewbie1552 - Saturday, October 23, 2004 - link
Great, I've had my computer for 2 months and have been only using it for only a month and already it becomes mid-range. =( I was expecting it to last until at least by spring of 2005Degrador - Saturday, October 23, 2004 - link
I know the graphics issue has been mentioned in these comments already, but I just thought I'd add my 2 cents. A gaming article sounds like a great idea, but many people out there looking for a good computer want an all-in-one system. Especially for family buyers, they'll want systems that can do anything, whether it be office work / home business / kids schoolwork / games / burning CDs & DVDs / web surfing / etc. As such, the alternatives are really really great this time, as they give details and reasons for why people should change to other parts. However, I still think you should have included an option for a faster graphics card. You've given alternatives a high end 300GB 16MB cache HD, as well as the (debateably) higher end Raptor, along with high end RAM, and a separate sound card and good speakers, yet no alternative for even a modestly good AGP graphics card (let's be honest, the 9600 Pro is rather mediocre for the games and cards out there these days). I'm certainly not suggesting a 9800 Pro should be the primary graphics recommendation, but perhaps at least an alternative (or even X600 / 6800).Other than that, great guide :)
JarredWalton - Saturday, October 23, 2004 - link
Wow! The 90nm parts are "hot" - not in terms of temperature but in terms of demand. They'll come back down soon enough. Hell, at $266 not counting the cost of an aftermarket HSF you might as well get the 130 nm 3500+ retail. Monarch Computers is still saying $215 and $179 for the 3200+ and 3000+ parts, respectively, but they are out of stock until ~Oct. 29. Patience may be required if you don't want to spend more than $200. I think the suggested price of the 3200+ was $199 originally, but demand has pushed that up quite a bit.AlphaFox - Friday, October 22, 2004 - link
A64 3200+ 90nm 939 is now $266!!! I dont get how it went up $75 in the past 2 days!JarredWalton - Friday, October 22, 2004 - link
A few quick comments:Seagate vs. Samsung: As far as I can tell, they're about the same. Yes, Seagate comes with a 5 year vs. 3 year warranty. I've got both, and neither one has given me cause for complaint. Which is "better"? I call it a tie, and since I went with Seagate last time, I decided to toss in a Samsung this time. As the article states, Samsung, WD, Seagate, Maxtor, and Hitachi all make very similar drives. "Reliability" when you're talking about mostly new versions is almost impossible to guess.
NEC vs. Pioneer: Hacked firmware is not necessary, and the drive performs extremely well. There should be a review up sometime soon.
Prices for the Real Time Pricing Engine seem to be having some issues, so double check them. As for the Mushkin RAM listed in the article, it is not the "Blue" line but an older version. Newegg has it for $75 a DIMM (as of the time of writing).
#37: You can have a bad example of any company out there. I've had ASUS and Abit boards in the past that I had to RMA. Does one bad experience make the company untrustworthy? I don't think so, and I continue to use Abit and ASUS boards. For socket 939, the selection is very limited, and we've had good results with the MSI Neo2 Platinum. YMMV, of course. I'm not sure why you even bothered with MSI. If the boards was DOA, Newegg will replace it with no hassle in our experience. It takes an extra two weeks or so, unfortunately.
#34 brings up an interesting argument. If you actually went out and bought the same hardware that goes into a Dell or other OEM system, the price would be a lot lower than what is listed here. Don't even get me started on reliability and warranty concerns. The price of OEM systems appears attractive, but in the end you get what you pay for. DIY PC builders will always get better performance and reliability for the money. Obviously, that's not an option for Apple computers.
RandomCoil - Friday, October 22, 2004 - link
As with post #33, I don't understand the switch from Seagate to Samsung. The Seagate should be sufficiently fast for this system and the 5-year warranty and quiet operation are significant pluses.sophus - Friday, October 22, 2004 - link
i think the RAM was underpriced (and i realize things might have changed since publication):Mushkin Blue Line 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail
clicking the link above (and choosing newegg.com) -> $103 ...need 2 so $206
mushkin.com -> $227
this leads to a difference (approx) of $50 to $75. $200-225 compared to original listed price of $150.
i wanted to be all over 1GB for $150 but was unable to find the price 8(
Bugler - Friday, October 22, 2004 - link
You say that the Neo2 939 board has one problem, that being the difficulty removing larger graphics cards. Their bigger problem is unreliability.For months I followed your recommendations for MSI but after the 754 DFI came out, I delayed my purchase awaiting a 939 DFI board. The past week I got tired of waiting for DFI and went ahead and purchased the MSI 939 board.
The damn thing is dead on arrival. In addition, I emailed their tech support before they opened this morning. No response. Newegg had me call MSI. After being put on the call hold dialer for about five minutes, the machine finally said they were hanging up and that I should leave my contact number for tech support to call me back.
However, they never did. Screw MSI---RMA to new egg.
tolerant - Friday, October 22, 2004 - link
There are a bunch of 128mb sapphire 9600 pro's on newegg, including an opengl 2.0 bulk card, and an opengl 2.0 retail card. I recently ordered both the 2.0 bulk and retail cards, and instead of being 400 core/300 mem as expected, they ran at 391 core/229 mem. I'm not sure if I had two defective cards, but they got sent back. The price seemed too good to be true when I purchased, and I believe that $108 is a little low too, so if you order this path, make sure you get a 400/300 card.AlphaFox - Friday, October 22, 2004 - link
It should be noted that the prices for 90nm CPUs is wacked out: the 3200+ 939 90nm is now $246 and the 3000+ is $215. they have been going UP in the past week; im glad I got my 3200 for $191 a few days ago!