****System Buyer's Guide****NEW UPDATE 12/01

[jpeyton]

Here's a good starting point for all you system builders out there. Of course your individual needs may vary, but this should give you an idea of what components you should get for your approximate budget. If you have additional questions about a build, you can post them in this thread. Also look at mechBgon's excellent guide on putting together your PC.

It is important is that forum members give their feedback about the components. **PLEASE** post in this thread if you have any suggestions about components.

If your budget or your needs fall inbetween low/mid/high end systems, just tailor the system to yourself. For example, if you want a gaming system for ~$1000 with a 17" monitor, you could use the "Budget System B" as a base, downgrade the monitor to the MAG 17" Flat CRT from "Budget System A", and upgrade the video card to a GeForce 6600 or 6800.

All Prices Are Current As Of 11/24/2004 For Readily Available Components From Reliable Vendors.

Better deals/prices may or may not be available, but you can always check for the latest prices using Froogle or Pricewatch. Also make sure to frequent our own Hot Deals Forum if you're on the hunt for the best bargain out there.

Be sure to check ResellerRatings for all unknown vendors before making a component purchase.

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Budget System A - $500

Processor
AMD Sempron 2400+ 1.667GHz 333MHz FSB Processor Retail - $60

Motherboard
ASUS A7V400-MX VIA KM400A Motherboard Retail - $50.99

Memory
Mushkin 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC3200 Retail - $74

Hard Drive
Western Digital Special Edition 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive - $62.69

Optical Drive
Lite-On 52X32X52 Internal EIDE CD-RW Drive Black - $24.99

Floppy Drive
NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive - $9.99

Speakers
Creative SBS240 2.0 Speaker System - $17.99

Case/Power Supply
Enlight MicroATX Mini-Tower Case w/ SATA 250W Power Supply - $56.74

Monitor
MAG InnoVision 772PFb 17" Pure Flat CRT Monitor - $128

Total: $485.39 Shipped ($357.39 w/o Monitor) + Tax

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Budget System B - $1000

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 2800+ 1.8GHz "Newcastle" Processor Retail - $127

Motherboard
Chaintech VNF3-250 NForce3 250 Motherboard Retail - $73

Memory
Mushkin 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC3200 Retail - $74

Hard Drive
Samsung 160GB 7200RPM Hard Drive - $91.69

Optical Drive
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive Black - $68

Video Card
Rosewill Radeon 9600 128MB DDR 128-bit DVI/TV-Out Retail - $78.99

Floppy Drive
NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive - $9.99

Sound Card
Chaintech 7.1 Channel PCI Sound Card - $26.99

Speakers
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker System Black - $65.99

Case/Power Supply
Antec Solution Series Quiet Mid Tower Case w/ 350W Power Supply Black SLK2650-BQE - $75.99

Monitor
ViewSonic G90FB 19" PerfectFlat CRT Monitor - $218

Total: $909.91 Shipped ($691.91 w/o Monitor) + Tax

 

[jpeyton]

Mid Level System A - $1500

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 2.4GHz "Newcastle" Processor Retail - $219

Motherboard
DFI LanParty UT NForce3 250Gb Motherboard Retail - $103.99

Memory
PDP Dual Channel 184 Pin 1GB (512MBx2) DDR PC3200 Low Latency Retail - $186.91

Hard Drive
Seagate 200GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive - $110.69

Optical Drive
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive Black - $68

Video Card
XFX GeForce 6800 8128MB DDR 128-Bit Dual DVI Retail - $275

Floppy Drive
NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive - $9.99

Sound Card
Chaintech 7.1 Channel PCI Sound Card - $26.99

Speakers
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker System Black - $65.99

Case/Power Supply
Antec Solution Series ATX Mid-Tower w/ 350W Power Supply SLK3700-BQE - $90.99

Monitor
LG Silver 17" LCD Monitor 16ms DVI/VGA Input - $289

Total: $1446.55 Shipped ($1157.55 w/o Monitor) + Tax

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Mid Level System B - $2000

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz "Winchester" Processor Retail - $198

Motherboard
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum NForce3 Ultra Motherboard Retail - $139.99

Memory
PDP Dual Channel 184 Pin 1GB (512MBx2) DDR PC3200 w/ XBL Retail - $227.91

Hard Drive
Hitachi 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive - $144.69

Optical Drive
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive Black - $68

Video Card
Leadtek GeForce 6800 GT 256MB GDDR3 256-bit DVI/TV-Out Retail - $379

Floppy Drive
NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive - $9.99

Sound Card
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS 7.1 Channel PCI Sound Card - $85.99

Speakers
Logitech Z-5300e 5.1 Speaker System Black - $149.99

Case
Thermaltake VA3000 Dream Tower Tsunami Black - $119

Power Supply
Antec NeoPower 480W Modular Power Supply - $109.99

Monitor
BenQ FP931 Silver 19" LCD Monitor 16ms DVI/VGA Input - $431

Total: $2063.55 Shipped ($1632.55 w/o Monitor) + Tax

 

[jpeyton]

High Level System A - $2500

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2GHz "Winchester" Processor Retail - $284

Motherboard
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum NForce3 Ultra Motherboard Retail - $139.99

Memory
PQI Turbo Dual Channel 184 Pin 1GB (512MBx2) DDR PC3200 Retail - $249.98

Hard Drive
Maxtor 250GB 7200RPM 16MB Buffer SATAII Hard Drive - $174.69

Optical Drive
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive Black - $68

Video Card
eVGA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB GDDR3 256-bit DVI/TV-Out Retail - $488

Floppy Drive
NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive - $9.99

Sound Card
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum 7.1 Channel PCI Sound Card - $136.99

Speakers
Logitech X-5500 5.1 Speaker System Black - $298.99

Case
SilverStone Temjin Black ATX Full-Tower w/ Wind Tunnel - $151.99

Power Supply
OCZ PowerStream 420W PSU - $89.99 + Shipping

Monitor
Dell 2001FP 20.1" LCD Monitor 16ms DVI/VGA Input - $799 Or Less (Check Hot Deals Forum, Dell Often Has Promotions For These <$650)

Total: $2891.61 Shipped ($2092.61 w/o Monitor) + Tax

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HIgh Level System B - $4000

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ 2.4GHz "Clawhammer" Processor Retail - $715

Motherboard
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum NForce3 Ultra Motherboard Retail - $139.99

Memory
OCZ EL Dual Channel 184 Pin 1GB (512MBx2) DDR PC3200 Platinum Revision 2 Retail - $274.23

Hard Drive
Maxtor 300GB 7200RPM 16MB Buffer SATAII Hard Drive - $174.69

Optical Drive
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive Black - $68

Video Card
Gigabyte Radeon X800 XT 256MB GDDR3 256-bit DVI/TV-Out Retail - $499

Floppy Drive
NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive - $9.99

Sound Card
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy4 Pro PCI Sound Card - $277.99

Speakers
Creative GigaWorks S750 7.1 Speaker System Black - $382

Case
Lian Li Black Aluminum Mid-Tower PC-V1200B - $214.99

Power Supply
OCZ PowerStream 470W PSU - $111 + Shipping

Monitor
Sony SDM-P234/B 23" Widescreen LCD Monitor 16ms DVI/VGA Input - $1589.99

Total: $4481.18 Shipped ($2891.19 w/o Monitor) + Tax

 

[Mik3y]

isnt there a reason anandtech updates their computer building guide every once in a while? well, nice job anyways.

 

[mcveigh]

nice, put a price summary in.

I think all budget systms should go w/ integrted video.

 

[crimson117]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
isnt there a reason anandtech updates their computer building guide every once in a while? well, nice job anyways.

anandtech's review for budget computers don't really change from month to month. this one does provide some nice alternatives, and gives many more alternative picks. Good job!

 

[speedypc]

Great idea for a thread. What about a gaming pc entry in this list?

 

[Confusednewbie1552]

Good Job Jpeyton!!!!!

 

[trexpesto]

Sweet! Great job jp!

* I heard it may be possible to flash the NEC 2500A to 2510A dual layer. 10$ may not be worth the risk tho.

* Headphones are a good option for a budget system.

* If overclocking I would go for the Antec at least, if not pony up for a better separate PSU, like one of their TruePower line. Besides the mystery OC problems you can get from a mediocre PSU, people complain that the one with the caseedge is loud.

* The FalconRock is an awesome deal: Free shipping! A more expensive option is the Thermalright SLK900A from svc.com 20 + shipping. You need to add your own fan. I thought the Zalman 92mm with fanmate sounded good. What helps make it a deal for me is no tax in NV (Edit: no newegg taxes either, btw ) -- I believe they are only in CA. Why pay more for a better HSF? Because you live in NV with no AC and/or you want to be able to use a quieter fan. They are also the home of the Arctic Silencer deal which I think is still on...

* The brick and mortar places alot of times will have good sales on hard drives, somtimes on ATA 133 8MB cache ones. Seagates have the 5 year warranty now if you care.

* And oh yeah power strip, keyboard and mouse, floppy drive. The little stuff that adds up.

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
isnt there a reason anandtech updates their computer building guide every once in a while? well, nice job anyways.

sorry but anandtech's articles = :thumbsdown: for the last 1,5 years.

 

[jpeyton]

trex, I'll see what I can incorporate from your post.

And hopefully I'll have the mid-level rig done tonight.

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
trex, I'll see what I can incorporate from your post.

And hopefully I'll have the mid-level rig done tonight.

good post jpeyton. :beer: for you.

 

[jpeyton]

Updated with Mid Level System.

 

[Gamingphreek]

In the mid level i have but one gripe. That Seagate HDD is a waste. THere is no point un spending money on it just get the Barracuda 7200.7 but not the SATAII. THe main reason for this is NCQ is only currently supported by the 925x chipset. So any of those chipsets recommended will do no good and it is just a waste of money.

-Kevin

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
In the mid level i have but one gripe. That Seagate HDD is a waste. THere is no point un spending money on it just get the Barracuda 7200.7 but not the SATAII. THe main reason for this is NCQ is only currently supported by the 925x chipset. So any of those chipsets recommended will do no good and it is just a waste of money.

-Kevin

Good call; didn't know that one. Replaced with a higher capacity option.

 

[Frew]

Good Job! :thumbsup::beer:

 

[jpeyton]

High End System should be up in a few hours. Any suggestions for that beast?

 

[glugglug]

LG 915 Flatron Plus

Same specs as the $319 Mitsubishi 19" DP930SB, plus dual input (VGA or 5-BNC selectable on OSD), and 4-port powered USB hub for $169.88. I think it's actually the same tube.

The Samsung 997DF sucks for a 19" with only 85kHz sync.

For a mid-high end case, the Antec Super Lanboy 350 is pretty good, $129 at Circuit City. The 3.5" bays slide out on rails so if you use SATA you can hot-swap them. Comes with 2 120mm fans.

I would also recommend a dual layer DVD writer -- NEC, Lite-on, and Benq dual layers are down near $80 now.

Edit: fixed link &amp; case name

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: glugglug
LG 915 Flatron Plus

Same specs as the $319 Mitsubishi 19" DP930SB, plus dual input (VGA or 5-BNC selectable on OSD), and 4-port powered USB hub for $169.88. I think it's actually the same tube.

The Samsung 997DF sucks for a 19" with only 85kHz sync.

For a mid-high end case, the Antec Lanboy Extreme 350 is pretty good, $129 at Circuit City. The 3.5" bays slide out on rails so if you use SATA you can hot-swap them. Comes with 2 120mm fans.

I would also recommend a dual layer DVD writer -- NEC, Lite-on, and Benq dual layers are down near $80 now.

Edit: fixed link

That's a nice monitor. I'll have to check it out once J&amp;R gets back up. The specs and reviews look very good, albiet a little old (from 2001?)

FWIW, the reviews on the Samsung are excellent; 75Hz is the minimum refresh people need at any resolution, and the 997DF does that easily at 16x12; does 85Hz at 12x10. And the Flatron is beige (might be a non-issue to some).

The DP930SB uses a U-NX gun, which is why people usually mention how sharp the screen is corner-to-corner. Not the same tube as the Flatron.

I need to find a link to the Lanboy Extreme as well.

I did put DL burners in the Mid Level System.

 

[glugglug]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

FWIW, the reviews on the Samsung are excellent; 75KHz is the minimum refresh people need at any resolution, and the 997DF does that easily at 16x12; does 85KHz at 12x10. And the Flatron is beige (might be a non-issue to some).

Hmmm.... looks like you are right on the 997DF first site I looked at the specs said 85kHz, lots of others say 96kHz To do 16x12 at 75Hz you need a MINIMUM of 93kHz horizontal refresh.

The 915FT will do 16x12 at 89Hz.

The case I got wrong, its "Super Lanboy", not "Lanboy Extreme": link

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: glugglug

Originally posted by: jpeyton

FWIW, the reviews on the Samsung are excellent; 75KHz is the minimum refresh people need at any resolution, and the 997DF does that easily at 16x12; does 85KHz at 12x10. And the Flatron is beige (might be a non-issue to some).

No, it doesn't. To do 16x12 at 75Hz you need a MINIMUM of 93kHz horizontal refresh, which the Samsung doesn't have.

The 915FT will do 16x12 at 89Hz.

The case I got wrong, its "Super Lanboy", not "Lanboy Extreme": link

Well notify Samsung and Newegg because they both say that it can.

I can't say I know anything about the intracacies of a monitor though, so maybe you're right. But I'll reserve judgement on the 997DF for now.

EDIT: The Super Lanboy is a great case. I'll put that up.

 

[glugglug]

For the motherboard, there is the Gigabyte K8NSNXP or theMSI K8N Neo2 Deluxe for NForce3 250Gb boards.

For k8t800 pro there is more selection, I'm partial to Asus A8V Deluxe after good experience with other Asus boards.

 

[Zebo]

Nice guide I think represents value and speed. Better on some ways than AT's if you're a power user. And maybe the n00b's will stop asking so much

For highend I think you should make a decision, OC or not.. If OC'ed I think the 3500 to 2.5-2.6 will crush the FX-53 in both price and performance. If stock then the FX-53 is really the best out at hundreds less than the EE.

Maybe, skt 939 gigbyte mobo, a raptor, 6800GT, nice case like lain li, Good PSU like Enermax/true, 22" diamondtron or Dell 20" LCD???...I donno really after that as my builds fall into the sub $1200 section and perform like highend


Edit
Oh I forget.. on the midrange system..The SLK does'nt beat the sonata...PSU is "true 380" in sonata.

 

[trexpesto]

Someone said in the reviews that they got a SL350S PSU with their Antec SLK3700-BQE. Sounds decent.

I really like the Kingwin kt-424. I'd give a link, but if you just do a search for "KT-424" on the egg you will get to see all 4 models, silver and black, with and without window. People just love that case. It doesn't come with PSU at 77$, so maybe it is high end. That would explain why I dont have one!
For 85 you could get a Lian-Li that has front mic and headphone jacks as well, but I don't especially like the sawn fan grills

Edit:

...I donno really after that as my builds fall into the sub $1200 section and perform like highend

heh heh- don't even do a high end..

Seriously tho JP I like how you've taken the whole price structure down a notch. It much more realistically reflects all the people posting like "Need a new comp - budget 800"
2500 max (but flexible) for high end!

 

[jpeyton]

I have a Sonata and a KT-424. The Kingwin is a GREAT aluminum case, but I wish it had 120mm mounts instead of 80mm. The Sonata does have 30W more on the PSU, but I'm not a fan of the front fascia, or the lack of a front 120mm mount (I like to run slight positive pressure to keep the dust from accumulating).