Weekly Buyer's Guide: Entry Level System - August 2004
by Anand Shimpi & Larry Barber on August 9, 2004 12:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Networking
Recommendation: Onboard networkingPrice: $0
Nothing more than onboard networking is needed for an entry level system like the one that we're building today. Pretty much every onboard network controller is the same nowadays, so there's usually no need to worry about Internet speed/download issues. This is why a 10/100 solution like the one onboard the A7N8X-X (and NF7-S Rev.2 if you so choose) will suffice for your Internet needs. Gigabit or 802.11a/b networking just isn't necessary unless you have a home network that transfers a lot of data to and from multiple computers, or if you already have an AP (Access Point) set-up in your home for wireless Internet. Though, if you're interested in setting up some sort of home gateway, you may want to look into dual Ethernet and GbE.
Storage
Recommendation: Seagate 80GB 7200RPM ST380013AS (8MB cache) ATAPrice: $71 shipped
Seagate's Barracuda series is renown for their quiet operation and silent seeking (that grinding sound coming from your case). We are finally recommending Seagate drives because we've seen continued requests for emphasis on silent operation from entry level and mid-range users over the last few months, and are now convinced that there is enough demand for this type of capability.
Alternative: Seagate 120GB 7200RPM ST3120026A (8MB cache) ATA
Price: $87
The additional capacity that you get with a 120GB drive over the 80GB drive, which we recommended as our first choice, can be exceedingly useful if you're someone who stores endless emails in Outlook, plays lots of games, listens to lots of MP3's, or simply needs additional space for the next 12 or more months down the road. However, 120GB is mostly excessive if you're the only person using your computer. Though, this may not be the case if you have family or friends consistently storing information on this system. In that scenario, the additional capacity that the 120GB Seagate affords is quite practical.
Optical Storage
Recommendation: Sony 52x32x52 CD-RWPrice: $29 shipped
There aren't too many differences between CD-RW's nowadays, save for reliability among various manufacturers. For the most part, Sony has done a good job with their high-end CD-RW drives and we have had great success with them in the past, which is why we decided to recommend them today. You can burn music CD's in mere minutes, and even a full 700MB or 800MB (with the appropriate media) can be burned in a matter of 15-20 minutes depending on the type of files that you're burning. At $31 shipped, you really can't go wrong with this solution.
Alternative: Lite-On 52x32x52x16 Combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive
Price: $43 shipped
If you want to be able to watch DVDs in addition to having burning capability, then you can always opt for a combo drive. Its function essentially integrates CD burning and DVD watching into one drive. The added benefit is that you're getting a better price for this combo drive versus purchasing an additional drive. On the other hand, the price difference isn't all that huge ($10-$15) if you were to buy a separate drive; plus, that second drive allows you to watch DVDs while you burn CDs, which isn't possible with the combo drive. In the end, the decision is up to you as to how you want to configure your optical storage.
Listed below is part of our RealTime pricing engine, which lists the lowest prices available on storage from many different reputable vendors:
If you cannot find the lowest prices on the products that we've recommended on this page, it's because we don't list some of them in our RealTime pricing engine. Until we do, we suggest that you do an independent search online at the various vendors' web sites. Just pick and choose where you want to buy your products by looking for a vendor located under the "Vendor" heading.
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thebluesgnr - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
The recommended Seagate ST380013AS is a SATA drive, as the last letter in its name implies. It should be noted that there's no ATA-100 8MB buffer 80GB drive in Seagate's newest line, the 7200.7.I personally disagree with the motherboard. You can find nForce2 Ultra 400 from reputable makers and with much better power regulation for the CPU for less than the A7N8X-X.
#8,
the 9200 with a 128-bit memory interface is about 30-40% faster than the 9200SE with a 64-bit memory.
#1,
not everyone is a gamer. Having said that, you could upgrade this system to 2x256MB (preferably on a KT880 or nForce2 Ultra 400 board) and a Radeon 9550 128-bits ($70 on newegg) and it would play pretty much every game out there. Maybe not with high resolutions or filters, but people who care about those things can upgrade gradually.
Cocophone - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
Ok here is a budget system that I just bought.MB Shuttle AN35N Ultra $56.00
RAM Corsair Value 512 MB $77.00
VGA Sapphire Radeon 9200 128MB $64.50
CPU Barton 2500 $87.00
Total $284.50 from Newegg
I already have a case, hard drives, and monitor.
But I think with a little creative searching on the hot deal websites you could spend about $200 for those items.
I've been reading the Entry level guides for a couple of months and decide I wanted something between Entry Level and Mid-Range.
skiboysteve - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
Illissius you seem to have simply had a bad experience with your passive cooled card, I use a 9600 nonpro in my shuttle box and it is passive cooled, no problems. My brother also uses a pasive cooled card with no problems.Cosmotic, a integrated solution as been talked about in many buyers guides but they are simply not as good as you think. The performance is very very poor, worse than the add in card mentioned here. They also lack features like DX8 or DX9 (depending on which, but you are refering to the DX7 nforce2 IGP) Also, they have problems with acceptable 2d image quality at higher resolutions like 1280x1024.
Link for performance comparisons:
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20040211/...
I know toms sucks but the R9200 shows a 40% or so performance advantage over the IGP, not to mention DX8.1 and higher 2d image quality.
skiboysteve - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
The NF7-S rev2 is NOT the AN7 like you say here:"the ABIT NF7-S Rev.2 (also known as the ABIT AN7) "
The AN7 is a more feature rich version which also includes "uGuru" tech.
Illissius - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
Here's a factor for the video card I haven't seen being considered: I would not ever again want a card with passive cooling. I had a 9200SE with such, and it routinely overheated, usually during games but sometimes just in windows, and not only on hot days. The config came without a case fan, and adding one helped matters a bit, but it merely caused it to overheat less often - not stop doing it.Seeing as the primary goal for the budget system is stability, I think this should be taken into serious consideration, even if it runs a bit counter to the quietness thing - that's entirely secondary in comparison.
cosmotic - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
Ok, seriously, why arent you guys recomending at least dual channel? Its going to increase performance without increasing price! GOD! And again, integrated nVidia Video cards with nForce2 is cheaper and better than these shitty add-in cards. This is so close the the last price guide for budget, yet it still has the same problems that I pointed out last time. You can make a budget system for 400 bucks with monitor shipped... with the same performance as this... Why arent you recomending it?john1022 - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
Re: The CaseEdge TS1 case.pcclub shows this at 39.99, plus shipping to my zipcode of @5.00 for a total of 64.99.
NewEgg is offering the SLK3700AMB with 350 watt power supply for $66.00 delivered.
Considering the relative quality, especially the power supply, this seems to be a much better deal to me.
AtaStrumf - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
Where's the feakin' Sempron OC article we were promised ASAP almost 2 weeks ago. Damn it, I realy need to know how the 3100+ overclocks.Damn that Doom 3 week! GRRRRRR!
kherman - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
IMHO: Even a value computer these days should be able to play Doom 3. Why not a higher end video card?GhandiInstinct - Monday, August 9, 2004 - link
In my opinion, better to save up for a system that can actually run good games than spend $542 on this system.I think buying systems that are near high-end today, so that you are good for some months to come, makes more sense than buying a system that is out of date performance wise.