Budget System Summary
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| CPU & Cooling | AMD Athlon XP 1800+ | $59 |
| Motherboard | ASUS A7N8X-X | $69 |
| Memory | 256MB Crucial PC2100 (DDR266) | $35 |
| Video Card | Sapphire 64MB Radeon 9200 | $58 |
| Monitor | Samsung SyncMaster 763MB | $146 |
| Computer Case | CaseEdge TS1 | $40 |
| Sound Card | Onboard Realtek ALC650 | $0 |
| Speakers | Creative Labs SBS270 2.0 | $20 |
| Networking | Onboard Realtek 8201BL 10/100 controller | $0 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital WD400BB (40GB) | $57 |
| CD-RW | Sony 52x32x52 | $32 |
| Bottom Line | - | $516 |
When all is said and done, $516 is the final price of our system, not including any money you'll spend on software (Windows XP Home or Professional, Office, etc.) or a keyboard and mouse.
This is definitely one of the best budget systems currently available on the market. By no means is it close to the fastest system in the world, but it is definitely one of the cheapest and most reliable you can build while still being a good performer.
Now go build your system and let us know what you think.
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ITdude - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
Nice System doesn't include a Monitor though.I would have gone with:
AMD XP 2500 Barton (+$30.00)
Nforce 2 IGP built in Video (+$25.00)
Skip the Radeon 9200 (-$58.00)
and if at all possible get 512MB RAM (+$35.00)
taleril - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
How about keyboard and mouse choices? Just go generic and cheap?anilphv - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
I prefer eMachines or HP pre-Configured PCs for this budget. These machines look nice and comparable hard ware and software configurations. There are lot of better deals for these machine in the web also.http://www.emachines.com/products/products.html?pr...
Specifications
CPU: AMD Athlon™ XP 3000+ Processor
QuantiSpeed™ Architecture operates at 2.167 GHz
512KB L2 cache & 333MHz FSB
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Chipset: NVIDIA® nForce™2
Memory: 512 MB DDR (PC 2700)
Hard Drive: 160 GB HDD
Optical Drives: 48x Max. CD-RW Drive; 16x Max. DVD Drive; 3.5" 1.44MB FDD; 8-in-1 Media Reader(USB 2.0, Secure Digital (SD), Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Micro Drive, Multimedia Card)
Video: NVIDIA® GeForce4™ MX graphics (1 AGP 8x slot available)
Sound: nForce™ 6-channel Audio
Modem: 56K* ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem
Network: 10/100Mbps built-in Ethernet
Peripherals: Premium Plus Multimedia Keyboard, 2-Button Wheel Mouse, Amplified Stereo Speakers
Dimensions: 7.25"w x 14.125"h x 16"d
Internet: AOL 3 month membership included, click here for details
Ports/Other: 5 USB 2.0 ports (4 in back; 1 in Media Reader), 1 Serial, 1 Parallel, 2 PS/2, Audio-In & Out
Pre-Installed Software: Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2004, Encarta Online, Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™, Microsoft Media Player, Real Player, Power DVD, Internet Explorer, Netscape® Navigator, MSN®, CompuServe®, AOL (with 3 months membership included**), Norton AntiVirus 2004 (90 day complimentary subscription)
NeoGodless - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
Can not view Page 4. Causes IE to crash.Otherwise, similar to budget systems I have built. I used the Shuttle, and prefer putting 512MB systems in Windows XP... which allows for the nForce2 chipset to make use of dual channel memory. I've seen several Radeon 9200SE cards with poor 2D image quality and never recommend them to anyone. Spend the extra $5 to $15...
kuk - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
This takes me back to SharkyExtreme's guides ...shiftomnimega - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
I would hae definitely gone with XP home and heck while you're buying all those parts get the OEM version for around 90 bucks.Ecmaster76 - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
I recommend the Shuttle AN35 series of motherboards. They are a little on the plain side, but they use the nforce2 ultra ($60 single or dual for about $5 more). They also include integrated sound and nteworking.Bonesdad - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
Seems like an alternatie OS is in line too...linux or WinXP Home. Especially if this is budget. I guess if this is destined to be an office PC, XP Pro is good, but if it is a home PC...savings can definately be had.elturco - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
isnt it funny that you are recommending a $270 Os for a $520 computer? if it is a budget system, you should recommend a decent linux OS.KillaKilla - Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - link
Well put.Personally I would have liked to see a performance system buyer's guide, but that's just me.
Also I would have suggested an 80
(or 120GB, it's like ~$10 more, I think) GB WD SE HDD, but that's assuming you're using it as a storage/backup system.
-KillaKilla