How about a budget builders article?

[Jeff7181]

I think at least 50% of the threads started on the AnandTech boards are people asking about the best bang for the buck. Maximum PC Magazine does "Ultimate Gaming Rig" builds every year I think... but not many places show you how to build a computer on a budget. So here's my idea...

Sub $500 General Computing Rig. CDRW, DVD player, basically for web browsing and office apps and some downloading.

$500-$1,000 General Computing Rig. Same as above but with more RAM, larger hard drive, faster processor, maybe a VIVO card and possibly a DVD burner.

$500 Gaming Rig. Emphasis on low budget gaming, "good enough" for games.

$1,000 Gaming Rig. Emphasis on performance per dollar, plays most of today's game with no trouble.

$1,000+ Gaming Rig. Emphasis on performance. Not much consideration given to prices of thing... but more towards building the Ultimate Gaming Rig.

Then benchmark each computer in all applicable applications. Gaming rigs aren't going to be used for office apps, do don't do office app bench marks. General computing rigs aren't going to be used for games, so skip those benchmarks.

Then, after all is said and done... provide a "smartest upgrade" section. Like, after the builds are done, if a weak link is found, have a section that tells what you would have done differently if you had the opportunity. Like maybe popped for a full GB of PC3200 RAM instead of 512 MB of PC3200, or insetad of 1 GB of PC3200.


Would you find this useful?

 

[WobbleWobble]

Ars Technica has something similar to this.

Ars System Guide

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
Ars Technica has something similar to this.

Ars System Guide

Yeah... that's what I'm talkin about... AnandTech needs somethin like that.

 

[Markfw]

I should also probably include a multimedia section, for people who encode a lot. That is way different than gaming. I love AMD, but for my encoding machine, I would love to have a P4, as they excel in that area. Also, you may have to have two sub-areas for each section, AMD and Intel, so no wars break out for those stuck in one camp.

 

[Jeff7181]

Or just build an AMD and an Intel system for each section.

 

[sniperruff]

i think that most of us who have been reading anand long enough or built our own system are able to construct such an article easily... hell i would write one if i have the time/fast internet connection....

but yeah it would be useful to most new people. i used a couple when i first started, even though buying whatever brand name parts that are on sale would generally result in a better, cheaper rig than those described in the articles

i remembered anand writes those articles last year. what happened?

 

[Jeff7181]

I know what you mean... AnandTech needs to get back down to the nitty gritty of custom PC's. They seem to be turning in the direction of PC World... which is a very scary thought. While talking to CEO's about business plans for the future may interest some, I think it's safe to say most people here would rather see video card reviews... competative comparisons... budget builds... new features... etc. etc.

 

[charlie21]

Anandtech used to do this. They had recommendations for value, high-end, 3D workstation, gaming, and SOHO machines. I don't know that I would want them to go back to doing this, though. I'm sure that the product research involved with picking just the right components for these systems was a major time consumer. I'd much rather see AT doing more product reviews and more technology previews.

Then again, a quick look at the first page of General Hardware yields 5 threads related to system build questions, pick my motherboard for me and the like. Maybe a generalized recommendation list would be helpful. Instead of selecting specific parts for a video encoding system, for example, just say that a P4 system with a high FSB is your best choice. This would be far less time consuming and would need to be updated less frequently as well.

 

[imported_Pablo]

This really would be VERY helpful... Really and truthfully, while there are alot of different forums on AT, i think one that would be useful would be a "Would this setup work?" section... or something along those lines... There seem to be alot of those types of questions asked on general hardware.... BUMP for a great idea Jeff!