Buyer's Guide - Entry Level, October 2004

System Summaries

The two systems that we have put together cover quite a range in options. Even if you have little interest in gaming, there are still several upgrades from the gaming system that might interest you. There really is no "perfect" computer configuration, especially when it comes to such things as the case, hard drive and optical drives. From the parts and advice listed in this article, you should have a reasonable selection of components and information that will help you put together a good budget system.

Here are the final configurations as listed in this Guide. Remember that you will still need to purchase the Operating System, keyboard, and mouse. We have included shipping costs in all of the prices; other than tax (and the aforementioned components), this is the maximum price that you should have to pay. You can also see the impact on price of some further options below the base configurations.

Budget Office Summary

Hardware	Component	Price
CPU & Cooling	AMD Sempron 2400+ (Socket A) - retail	$65
Motherboard	Shuttle AN35N-Ultra	$58
Memory	1x256 MB Corsair Value Select CL2.5	$43
Video Card	Celestica Radeon 9200SE 64MB	$35
Hard Drive	Seagate 80 GB 7200 RPM 8MB PATA	$67
Optical Drive	Lite-On 52x32x52x CD-RW	$28
Computer Case & Power Supply	Antec SLK1650B w/350W	$73
Display	Samsung 793DF-T/T 17"	$139
Speakers	Altec Lansing 220	$16
Bottom Line	$524

Budget Gaming Summary

Hardware	Component	Price
CPU & Cooling	AMD Sempron 3100+ (Socket 754) - retail	$120
Motherboard	Chaintech VNF-250	$77
Memory	1x512 MB Corsair Value Select CL2.5	$70
Video Card	Connect3D ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB, 256-bit	$195
Hard Drive	Seagate 160 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA	$108
Optical Drive	Lite-On CD-RW/DVD Combo	$45
Computer Case & Power Supply	Antec SLK1650B w/350W	$73
Display	NEC FE770 17"	$149
Speakers	Logitech Z-640 5.1 Speakers	$56
Bottom Line	$899

Additional Alternatives

Hardware	Component	Price
Office Memory Upgrade (Dual-channel)	1x256 MB Corsair Value Select CL2.5	+$43
Gaming Memory Upgrade	1x512 MB Corsair Value Select CL2.5	+$70
Gaming Hard Drive Downgrade	Seagate 80 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA	-$37
Gaming Hard Drive Downgrade	Seagate 120 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA	-$24
Office Hard Drive Upgrade	Seagate 120 GB 7200 RPM 8MB PATA	+$23
Office Hard Drive Upgrade	Seagate 160 GB 7200 RPM 8MB PATA	+$33
Power Supply Upgrade	Antec True430 430W	+$70
Display	NEC FE991SB 19"	+$115

If you feel that we really missed a great recommendation, sound off in the comments section. Remember, though, that this is simply our opinion on what we would build given the budget constraints, if we were to go out and purchase a new system right now. The prices which we list were found either in our RealTime Pricing Engine, or via PriceWatch. Just remember that if you use PriceWatch, you may want to do a little background checking on the reseller before ordering - spending your money on a new computer only to wait two or more weeks for the parts to arrive is not very fun. For some parts like the graphics card and motherboard, you might want to wait and see what happens in the next month or two. If you cannot wait, though, you will not be disappointed with either of these systems. We think that both provide a lot of power for their targeted market at a tremendous value.