System Summaries
We end up with a total of four system configurations, not counting the SFF case options. As we mentioned earlier, we have stuck with integrated graphics on the "true" budget platforms, while we opt for more powerful discrete graphics as a performance upgrade. Think of the "Performance" listings as something in between the budget and mid-range platforms. They're still cheaper than what we typically suggest for the mid-range, but they're quite a bit more than the $500 budget target.
Of course, we overshot the $500 budget with even the "cheap" platforms by $100 or so. If you really want to cut costs further, dropping the RAM to 256 MB and going with a CD-RW or DVD-ROM would get your pretty close to the $500 mark. In contrast to earlier Budget Guides, note that we included a floppy, keyboard, and mouse into the final total. If you can make do with your current monitor - assuming you have one - that would also lower the price quite a bit. We could make other excuses, but the simple answer is that prices have been pretty much stagnant in the budget sector, we've increased some areas of performance, and we would rather spend a little more than get less out of the system.
AMD Budget Summary
| Budget AMD Socket A System |
| Hardware |
Recommended Component |
Price |
| Processor |
AMD Sempron 2400+ 256K 1.67 GHz 333 MHz bus |
$63 |
| Motherboard |
MSI K7N2GM2-LSR Nforce2 IGP |
$72 |
| Memory |
2x256 MB Corsair Value Select CL3 |
$68 |
| Video Card |
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX440 (Nforce2 IGP) |
$0 |
| Hard Drive |
Seagate 80 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA |
$69 |
| Optical Drive |
NEC DVD+/-RW Drive Model 3500A/3520A |
$65 |
| Floppy Drive |
NEC/TEAC/Sony/Samsung/etc. |
$8 |
| Case and Power Supply |
RaidMax Elite ATX-208BP with 380W PSU |
$46 |
| Display |
Samsung 793DF/793MB 17" CRT |
$145 |
| Speakers |
Creative Labs SBS270 2.0 |
$27 |
| Keyboard and Mouse |
Logitech Internet Pro Keyboard and Mouse |
$25 |
| Bottom Line |
|
$588 |
AMD Performance Summary
| Performance AMD Socket 754 System |
| Hardware |
Recommended Component |
Price |
| Processor |
AMD Athlon 64 2800+ 1.8 GHz |
$127 |
| Motherboard |
Chaintech VNF-250 Nforce3 250 |
$73 |
| Memory |
1x512MB Mushkin Basic 2.5-4-4 |
$70 |
| Video Card |
Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB DDR 128-bit 400/600 MHz |
$105 |
| Hard Drive |
Samsung 160 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA |
$92 |
| Optical Drive |
NEC DVD+/-RW Drive Model 3500A/3520A |
$65 |
| Floppy Drive |
NEC/TEAC/Sony/Samsung/etc. |
$8 |
| Case and Power Supply |
Antec SLK1650B with 350W PSU |
$76 |
| Display |
Samsung 997DF 19" CRT |
$215 |
| Speakers |
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speakers |
$61 |
| Keyboard and Mouse |
Microsoft Basic Keyboard and Optical Mouse |
$30 |
| Bottom Line |
|
$922 |
Intel Budget Summary
| Budget Intel Socket 478 System |
| Hardware |
Recommended Component |
Price |
| Processor |
Celeron D 320 2.4 GHz 256K L2 Cache (478) |
$72 |
| Motherboard |
Intel D865GBF i865G |
$86 |
| Memory |
2x256 MB Corsair Value Select CL3 |
$68 |
| Video Card |
Intel Extreme Graphics 2 (i865G) |
$0 |
| Hard Drive |
Seagate 80 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA |
$69 |
| Optical Drive |
NEC DVD+/-RW Drive Model 3500A/3520A |
$65 |
| Floppy Drive |
NEC/TEAC/Sony/Samsung/etc. |
$8 |
| Case and Power Supply |
RaidMax Elite ATX-208BP with 380W PSU |
$46 |
| Display |
Samsung 793DF/793MB 17" CRT |
$145 |
| Speakers |
Creative Labs SBS270 2.0 |
$27 |
| Keyboard and Mouse |
Logitech Internet Pro Keyboard and Mouse |
$25 |
| Bottom Line |
|
$611 |
Intel Performance Summary
| Performance Intel Socket 775 System |
| Hardware |
Recommended Component |
Price |
| Processor |
Intel Pentium 4 520 2.8 GHz 1024K L2 Cache |
$158 |
| Motherboard |
Chaintech V915P i915P |
$96 |
| Memory |
2x256 MB Corsair Value Select CL3 |
$68 |
| Video Card |
Albatron GeForce 6600 128 MB DDR 128-bit 300/550 |
$122 |
| Hard Drive |
Samsung 160 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA |
$92 |
| Optical Drive |
NEC DVD+/-RW Drive Model 3500A/3520A |
$65 |
| Floppy Drive |
NEC/TEAC/Sony/Samsung/etc. |
$8 |
| Case and Power Supply |
Antec SLK1650B with 350W PSU |
$76 |
| Display |
Samsung 997DF 19" CRT |
$215 |
| Speakers |
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speakers |
$61 |
| Keyboard and Mouse |
Microsoft Basic Keyboard and Optical Mouse |
$30 |
| Bottom Line |
|
$991 |
You'll still need an Operating System as well, unless you plan on running some free OS such as one of the many flavors of Linux. XP Home runs about $90 for an OEM version, which you can pick up from most online sites if you buy qualifying hardware, while XP Professional will run about $135. The Professional version includes a few networking and security extras that we like to have, but most people will be fine with Home. Running an older version of Windows is also possible, but we don't recommend it due to outdated drivers and other usability enhancements that are only available with XP. There's no point in buying new hardware and then using an old OS, especially considering that XP itself is now over three years old.
Conclusion
That takes care of our current recommendations for the budget sector. For the performance enthusiast, sifting through the many potential parts and coming up with a reliable selection is difficult to do. There's always a part that's just a little bit more expensive, but also a little bit faster, and while sufficient for everyday computing, most of us would prefer some upgrades. Pre-built systems do offer a viable alternative, but most of the best bargains also have built-in obsolescence due to their lack of AGP/PCIe expansion slots. CPU upgrades are also more difficult (i.e. they may not be supported due to an outdated BIOS), and driver support tends to lag far behind what an off-the-shelf system will get you. Trade offs are made in every facet of a system, so in the end, a lower price is always achieved by cutting some corners. As always, let us know what you think in the comments section.
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31 Comments
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justly - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Jarred, Thanks for the responce, and I can certainly understand why you would dislike writing a budget guide.If what you say is true "In a single review with high-end components (which is how we generally handle reviews), a lot of motherboards work very well. When you start dropping down to cheaper RAM, however, it's amazing how frequently system instabilities seem to end up being caused by the motherboard choice." then maybe what is really bothering me is not so much your review but the way motherboard reviews are conducted.
One other thing (just thinking out loud here), how does VIA and SiS chipset affect memory compatibility on a A64 system when the memory controller is part of the CPU??? Do the motherboard manufactures pay more attention to the memory trace lines on Nforce based motherboards (even budget ones) than SiS or VIA based boards??? ... I really think I need an answer to these before I can fully believe you, no offence but I will remain skeptical about your comment to not use VIA or SiS (at least on a A64) untill these are answered.
Maybe you could make a recommendation on how motherboard reviews are conducted, that way Anandtech readers can be informed about these problems that are hidden from us by reviews that only use high-end components.
Thanks again for the reply.
JarredWalton - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Good point, PrinceGaz. Of course, my take is that the ability to run the "full" Aero Glass experience mode of Longhorn is essentially a requirement for most people. At the very least, a PC should be upgradeable to that level (with AGP/PCIe cards, not with PCI).18 - I don't actually recommend the FX 5200 as a card for any of the systems. I mentioned it only as the "fastest" PCI graphics card currently available. The 9550 might also be available in PCI version, in which case it would be something of a toss up, but I haven't heard of any ATI DX9 parts for PCI.
#17 - Of course you can get a cheaper system that what I listed. What you've specced out is pretty much the cheapest "modern" system that could be put together. I personally wouldn't recommend that sort of configuration to a friend (or anyone else) without some serious reservations. Basically, it would be a case of "you can get this if you want, but I will not be held responsible for any shortcomings." You basically hit the point of diminishing returns, where $5 to $10 saved ends up costing you 10% of your overall performance (i.e. going from a Sempron 2400+ to a Sempron 2200+), or else you lose certain features that I consider desirable (DVD+RW support).
It's a personal preference, really, so people can go either way. My feeling is that any *new* system should include at bare minimum the following:
512 MB of RAM
80GB Hard Drive w/8MB cache
Sempron 2400+/Celeron D 320
17" monitor
DVD+RW support
You certainly don't *need* any of those features for standard PC use, but I would definitely recommend spending the extra $50 or so to get them.
PrinceGaz - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Excellent article, I couldn't really fault any of the choices, and good explanations were given of why they were selected.One minor point worth mentioning maybe related to Longhorn's graphics requirements, specifically where you say that for the "next version of Windows (codenamed Longhorn), 3D graphics support will actually be required in order to run it properly. Specifically, the word is that Pixel Shader 2.0 support will be required".It will run fine on DX7 hardware in 'Classic' mode (similar to how Windows 2000 looks). Only the 'Aero' and 'Aero Glass' modes require DX9 hardware. Full details on the likely requirements for the three modes can be found here-
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/graph...
delldell - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Good article; however, the radeon 9550 graphics card is faster than the nvidia FX 5200 while also being cheaper :) At only $60 the 9550 clearly represents the best bang in the the low end video card market. Check out the review from techreport.comhttp://techreport.com/etc/2005q1/bestof2004/index....
ChineseDemocracyGNR - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
I have a different idea of what a budget computer is.AMD budget:
AMD Sempron 2200+ Retail $54
ASRock K7S41 $49
Corsair Value Select 256MB DDR400 $41
Seagate 40GB 7200RPM 2MB PATA $56
LG 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive $29
same floppy, Case & PSU, Display, Speakers, Keyboard and Mouse as your AMD Budget. $251
Total: $480
AMD Performance Budget:
AMD Sempron 2600+ Retail $86
ASRock K7Upgrade-880 $47
Corsair Value Select 2x256MB DDR400 $68
Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9550 128MB DDR 128-bit $71
Seagate 80 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA $69
LG 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive $29
same floppy, Case & PSU, Display, Speakers, Keyboard and Mouse as your AMD Budget. $251
total = $621
Intel Budget:
Intel Celeron D 315 (2.26GHz) Retail $69
ASUS P4S800-MX $60
Corsair Value Select 256MB DDR400 $41
Seagate 40GB 7200RPM 2MB PATA $56
LG 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive $29
same floppy, Case & PSU, Display, Speakers, Keyboard and Mouse as your AMD Budget. $251
Total: $506
Intel Performance Budget:
Intel Celeron D 325J (2.53GHz) Retail $89
ASRock 775V88 $58
Corsair Value Select 2x256MB DDR400 $68
Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9550 128MB DDR 128-bit $71
Seagate 80 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA $69
LG 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive $29
same floppy, Case & PSU, Display, Speakers, Keyboard and Mouse as your AMD Budget. $251
total = $635
qquizz - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
Just to clarify:Of course ddr400 memory can run at 333 speed. My point is that the memory must be run at 333 to be supported by the motherboard using onboard graphics. This is the case with all NF2 boards with onboard graphics that I've seen.
Jep4444 - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
its mainly old Via boards with issues(i mean original K8T800) and for the purpouse of this article an NF3 can be had cheaper than a K8T800pro on 754 so it is a justified move but to say Via chipsets have problems is just not rightWhen it comes to 939 boards, the K8T800Pros(specifically from Abit and Asus) have been the best boards out
erinlegault - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
The one thing I think was missing from the graphics section is overclocking options. Overclocking is a great way to gain extra performance from a product. Besides what ATI and others do to turn a Radeon 9600 into a Pro or XT is overclock it and provide adequate cooling and provide faster memory. Why should a user pay a company to overclock a product when they can do it themselves.I personally like Abit's options. They have a line of products based on the Radeon 9550, just an underclocked 9600. But, they have two products, the R9550-Guru and the R9550XTurbo-Guru, which supports their V-Guru overclocking utility. With adequate cooling these products could posibly be overclocked to the 600 MHz of the 9600XT. On the memory, side the Guru has 3.6ns memory that is comparable to the 3.3ns memory of Abit's 9600XT product and probably can't be overclocked much above the stock 400 MHz. But, the interesting part about the XTurbo-Guru is that the memory is 2.5ns and can be easily overclocked. And if you look at the product images, I think adequate cooling is already provided for overclocking.
qquizz - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
It should be noted that for the budget motherboard: http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?mode..."Supports DDR266/333 with internal graphic core, DDR266/333/400 with external add-on card."
In other words, if you wanna use ddr400, it is only supported if you use a discrete video card. If you use the onboard video, only ddr266/333 is supported.
JarredWalton - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
Justly - The memory compatibility issues with Nforce3 250 are pretty much confined to the EPoX boards as far as I've heard. All other NF3250 boards will run two DS DIMMs at DDR400. VIA chipsets in general still have some issues. The motherboard is such a critical component that I really don't like to cut any corners, even in the budget sector.In a single review with high-end components (which is how we generally handle reviews), a lot of motherboards work very well. When you start dropping down to cheaper RAM, however, it's amazing how frequently system instabilities seem to end up being caused by the motherboard choice.
Honestly, I dislike writing the budget guide selections, just because there are so many questionable parts. I always try to push customers to spend an extra $30 or so on the motherboard if nothing else. Maybe I'm just superstitious, but I've had several "cheap" systems fail after a year or so due to the motherboard.