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.
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bob661 - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
#25Do you remember the cost difference?
Zebo - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
"I once calculated the cost of running a 60W lightbulb 24/7 for a year and it was only about $37 - 526 kWHrs at 7 cents per kWHr. "=====================
Was this after your Dad told you to turn off the lights..he's not made of money? I did the same thing.:)
BTW I calculated X2 4200+ is cheaper than 820D dispite costing $250 more up front using the same formula (although I pay 14 cents per kWHr).
Zebo - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
4/10 BTW which last time I checked was an "F".. as in Failure...as in Fu**ed up.Zebo - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
LOL @ suggesting Dell. They have a 4 reseller rating for a reason ya know. They suck. Add in the fact you must get rebates, must get a "hot deal" to relise any savings you're much better off BYO normally.Zebo - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
Nice to see those back and very good job Jarred.Of course I have issue with 1G of ram for a "value"setup.. Any video card with a one. And all should have LCD these days... simply not that much more, $50, for both more view area in 17" and much much better quality than any POS low end CRT.
KayKay - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
Good Choice on the MSI Neo4-FAbecedaria - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
For your Intel setup, I would think that a 2.4C (either on eBay or retail) would perform better than any of the options you mentioned for considerably less money. And you'd get 800FSB. And you'd get HT. Granted, the legacy socket 478 and AGP are going to limitations long term, but if you were going to go for better performance, you'd want to upgrade your video card and MB anyhow.abc
bob661 - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
#18You were most likely CPU limited with that 6600GT in that system. A 9800 Pro wouldn't be.
bupkus - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
I tried a 6600GT in my old system-- a Barton OC'd to 2.2GHz --and it didn't perform as well as my nephew's 9800 Pro on a Barton w/ a 333 fsb and mem, so I returned it.This Venice seems to perform pretty good without any tweaks. I'm using cheap of-the-shelf PNY 2x512 PC2700 DDR at all default settings. 2T, etc.
SDA - Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - link
>> I still feel like I keep repeating myself from Guide to Guide, but maybe you readers don't notice it as much? :)>>It's a good idea to repeat important points. You'll have no trouble remembering the recommendations you made in the last few guides, but what about readers that just look at the latest guide or forgot what earlier ones said once or twice on one page?
wrt the PSU, these systems will probably eat as much power as a couple incandescent lightbulbs, but that doesn't mean a Fortron or something isn't worth the money for an upgrade. At the very least, a better PSU is pretty much guaranteed to last longer (better elcaps, fans, etc.). Remember, there are some components in rock-bottom generics that will die even if you only draw about ten or twenty watts from the things for their entire lifetimes.
>>Anyway, I don't generally worry much about the mail-in rebate opportunities, as it's basically loaning a company your money at 0% interest for several months.>>
heh.. that's a great way of putting it. Shame that most people won't get it (how many times have you seen someone brag about a large tax refund?).