Buyer's Guide - Entry Level, October 2004
by Jarred Walton on October 6, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Memory
Choosing an ideal configuration for RAM in a budget computer can be a frustrating task. The fact of the matter is that 256 MB DIMMs are on their way out, and with XP SP2 now enabling additional features that use up more of your RAM, a system with only 256 MB of RAM is really meeting the bare minimum requirement.Choosing RAM is further complicated by the sheer variety of offerings in any one category. In an ideal world, all memory rated at the same speed and timings would perform equally well, but reliability can become a concern with some of the generic brands. We would prefer to spend a few extra dollars to get RAM from a well known company.
When building a budget system, it does not make sense to purchase more expensive RAM with better memory timings at the cost of RAM capacity. The typical increase when going from the "worst" 3-4-4 timings to the "best" 2-2-2 timings will be less than 10% (and often, less than 5%), and adding more RAM will often have further impact up to 512 MB. This is especially true for gaming.
In the end, we felt that it was best to give four suggestions in the RAM department, with a brief explanation of the pros and cons of each option. We have chosen Corsair RAM for all options, based on their reliability, price and performance. Mushkin, OCZ, Crucial, Kingston, GEIL and several others offer similar reliability and performance, so if you can find those for less money where you live, they are also acceptable.
RAM Office Recommendation: 1x256 MB Corsair Value Select CL2.5
Price: $43 shipped
At the lowest end of the spectrum, if your computing demands are very light, you can simply get one 256 MB DIMM. This will be enough for running typical office applications and web surfing, and it comes with the lowest price. Having multiple applications open at the same time may be somewhat sluggish, but that will largely depend on how you use the system. You can always add a second 256 MB DIMM after building the system, if should you find performance to be insufficient. Finally, if you look around, you can often find sales on 256 MB DIMMs that end up costing little to nothing after the Mail-In Rebate.
RAM Office Alternative 1: 2x256 MB Corsair Value Select CL2.5
Price: $86 shipped
For the socket A system, memory can be run in dual-channel mode, which can improve performance slightly. The drawback is that you have now used up two of your DIMM sockets, which limits your options for future RAM upgrades. Buying two 256 MB DIMMs is also more expensive than buying a single larger 512 MB DIMM, but if you do not plan on upgrading your system and are willing to spend the extra $10, it might be worthwhile.
RAM Gaming Recommendation/Alternative Office 2: 1x512 MB Corsair Value Select CL2.5
Price: $70 shipped
For the socket 754 system, there is no performance benefit from having more than one DIMM, so there is no reason not to buy a single 512 MB DIMM. If you are looking to save on costs, but want a full 512 MB of RAM, it can also be used with the socket A system. If you are planning on doing much photo or video editing, starting with 512 MB with the intent to upgrade also makes sense.
RAM Gaming Alternative: 2x512 MB Corsair Value Select CL2.5
Price: $140 shipped
Finally, if gaming is a real concern, upgrading to a full gigabyte of RAM can be beneficial. It is not required (yet), and it might be wise simply to try out your system with 512 MB of RAM and only upgrade if you are unsatisfied. Still, several recent games feel smoother with 1 GB of RAM compared to 512 MB, since adding RAM can help avoid swapping data to your hard drive. If the games that you play are constantly stuttering and you see your hard drive activity light flickering, adding more RAM should help out.
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JarredWalton - Monday, October 11, 2004 - link
52 - ??? If you have such a high-end graphics card, are you actually thinking about pairing it with a budget systesm? Anyway, yes, it should work, unless it's an AGP Pro graphics card and your motherboard doesn't have a Pro slot. A 550W PSU should be sufficient, regardless. Anyway, you ought to look into getting an Opteron, Athlon 64, or Pentium 4 to go with that card. :pnurazlanshah - Sunday, October 10, 2004 - link
can i use 3DLabs Wildcat Realizm 200 8x AGP 512MB G-DDR3 ($1500) with my NF2 8xagp motherboard even if i have 550w power supply?MasterFlash - Friday, October 8, 2004 - link
Nice article. I like your choice of components. My comp is similar to your recommendations: Antec SLQ-3700, Biostar MN7CD Pro mobo, Athlon XP 2500+, 2x512Mb DDR400 Crucial RAM, ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, 160Gb Seagate HDD, Toshiba DVD drive, generic 19" CRT.JarredWalton - Friday, October 8, 2004 - link
#49 - Foxconn and CasEdge have been suggested in our past budget guides, so I wanted to branch out a bit. :) I'm not too keen on their look, either, but that's just me.Bulldog66209 - Friday, October 8, 2004 - link
I've found that Foxconn/Supercase/CasEdge toolless cases offer good value, are easy to work with, and many are available with truly usable 400 watt power supplies. The local Micro-Center recently had a CasEdge TU-155 on sale for $31. The included power supply rated as capable of supplying 28 amps of 3.3V, 40 amps of 5V, and 17 amps at 12V at a nominal 400 watts. This compares favorably to the Antec which, although only rated at 350 watts, provides 28 , 35, and 16 amps.spartacvs - Friday, October 8, 2004 - link
To #41What the hell do you put on those HD? I have a 40Gb: few games, few applications, few videos, few mp3 and some small softwares (k9, avant browser, etc). It's only 2/3 full. And when it's 3/4 full, it just mean it's time for a little cleanup. Sure you can easily overload 2 x 120 Gb but your need are certainly not what most of the peoples needs.
mino - Friday, October 8, 2004 - link
#45 Nicely said.I completely agree,
It just seems to me it's very important to explicitly say what you mentioned here in your post.
It's beacause there is a HUGE amount of people who save those $20 or so, just because they have no idea what the result may be. The worst(not rare) case is, when such a person is a white-box builder...
Other than that I forgot to mention in my previous post that this guide is MUCH better then last one(not saying that was bad).
Keep good work Jarred.
And one suggestion for case to consider - since I think for value machine reliability is FAR more important than look - I recommend this YeongYang Cetus YY-5601 as an alternative with PSU I mentioned before.
We have been buying only these cases for a year now on and they ones of the best in $50-60 range.
they're available for inastance here http://store.yahoo.com/directron/yy5601.html
Ivo - Friday, October 8, 2004 - link
The review is very nice and useful but several additional aspects could be addressed too:1. The Video/Audio performance for 'Home entertainment' (without gaming - for older buyers :-).
2. The Cool & Quite (Eco) features of the components and systems.
3. The micro-ATX SFF systems (not barebones) for LAN-parties, Home-PCs etc.
4. The LCD-displays.
5. The long-term price (future software compatibility) of the systems.
In that sense, possibly, only systems with Athlon64 CPUs (with good cooler) are really interesting.
JarredWalton - Thursday, October 7, 2004 - link
Regarding several of the case comments, that's pretty much what I had in mind. I've built quite a few PCs for friends, family, and even myself. The downsides to the cheaper cases often more than outweigh the $20 or so you might save. Heck, if it were me, I would even try to get up to the SLK-3700 or Sonata cases by Antec (although oddly enough I prefer the 3700 over the Sonata - other than the PSU, of course). They're *so* much nicer to work with than a lot of the other sub-$100 cases.Really, cases are a personal choice. What I often consider gawdy or ugly, some people think is "l33t". Conversely, what I think is simple and elegant others will say is boring and dull. Buy what makes you happy, but if you get a cheap, generic PSU and it fails after a few months, don't say we didn't warn you!
Anyway, thanks to all for the kind comments. I'll look at including some other miscellaneous recommendations in the future. I do have to say that after reading Kris' MythTV articles, I've been itching to build a TiVo-esque PC. I just keep repeating to myselft, "You do NOT need another PC... you do NOT need another PC..." Heheh.
Neurorelay - Thursday, October 7, 2004 - link
Whoops, I see the 6600...okay, mistook the number. :)