Buyer's Guide - Entry Level, January 2005
by Jarred Walton on January 9, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Memory
Selecting RAM for a budget computer is always difficult. On the one hand, dual-channel memory will help out performance on most of the platforms that we've listed (the exception being the socket 754 system). On the other hand, we hate to recommend 256 MB DIMMs as they are rather on the small side, and two 512 MB DIMMs is too expensive. For the Athlon 64 configuration, a single 512 MB DIMM is an easy choice. The other platforms - particularly the socket A Sempron system - are not so clear cut. If you get two 256 MB DIMMs on socket A and later want to upgrade to 1 GB, you will have to add in a single 512 MB DIMM and end up running in single-channel mode. The Intel platforms both have four DIMM sockets and so, even with 256 MB DIMMs, they can reach 1 GB. For the time being, 512 MB is enough for most tasks, but if you just want a basic system that you can upgrade further in a few months, we would recommend buying a single 512 MB DIMM now and adding a second later rather than starting with two 256 MB modules. Keep that in mind as you look at our memory recommendations because pricing concerns pretty much force us to use 256 MB DIMMs if we want dual-channel support.Something else worth pointing out is that all of the budget systems that we listed before use DDR memory. If you really want a socket 775 Intel configuration, you could also get DDR2 memory support. That might even increase the performance of the integrated graphics, but it will also add quite a bit to the cost. If you're looking at DDR2-533 memory - and there's no point in getting DDR2 any slower than that - the price for non-generic DIMMs is around $60 for 256 MB modules and $110 for 512 MB modules. That's almost twice as much as the value-oriented DDR memory that we're choosing!
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RAM Dual-Channel Recommendation: 2x256 MB Corsair Value Select CL3
Price: $68 shipped
For the dual-channel configuration, we have selected Corsair's 256 MB Value Select RAM. The best price that we could find for this RAM was at Newegg, but you can find similarly priced Samsung, Micron, and Infineon RAM at other locations. Corsair is one of the "reliable" RAM manufacturers, and even though the CAS Latency is rated at 3.0, there's a reasonable chance that tweakers could extract more performance from the RAM. The difference in speed between CL3 and CL2.5 RAM is not particularly large, and for a budget system, you would never notice it. Depending on where you live and/or shop, you might be able to find some other brands of memory for a better price. Crucial, Mushkin, GEIL, and Kingston along with the previously mentioned brands are all safe. You could go with other manufacturers like PNY, PDP or Kingmax without too much concern, and even generic RAM will usually work without problems. For peace of mind, however, we prefer to stick with the better known brands. $20 saved is not worth hours of potential headaches in our opinion.
If you really want to cut costs initially, buying one 256 MB DIMM is certainly an option. Windows XP will still run okay with 256 MB of RAM, and adding a second DIMM at a future date is a relatively simple and painless upgrade. Multitasking will begin to take a pretty noticeable performance hit when you drop down to 256 MB of RAM, but if you usually only run one application at a time, it can get the job done. We don't recommend this option to most people, but it's still there should you want it.
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RAM Single-Channel Recommendation: 1x512 MB Mushkin CL2.5
Price: $70 shipped
For the single-channel option (socket 754), we recommend getting one larger DIMM instead of two smaller DIMMs. While it ends up costing $2 more, note that we now get CL2.5 latency instead of CL3 RAM. The performance difference really isn't that great, but CL2.5 256 MB modules would have cost another $10 while here, it's basically "free". The same brand recommendations apply, and if you're willing to risk generic memory, you could get it for as little as $45 to $50. Again, we prefer to spend a little more and have some guarantee of reliability.
While it's not really a budget option, you could also get two of these 512 MB DIMMs and run with a full gigabyte of memory. It's definitely more of a luxury than a requirement for typical computing use, but at the same time, you rarely have to worry about running out of memory even in heavy multitasking scenarios. (Graphics artists, of course, can always use more memory, so the previous statement isn't directed at them.) As we mentioned before, starting with a single 512 MB DIMM and adding a second module in a few months is a good plan if money is tight right now, but you know you'll want more than 512 MB of memory down the road.
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edlight - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
Warning for Corsair Value Select: If you want to run dual channel get one of their dual channel kits containing a matched pair. I bought one stick and another a month later, and they are totally different and won't run dual channel at all on my Asus A7V880. In fact, one is single sided and one dual sided. The memory isn't made by Corsair at all.justly - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
I really don't have a problem if you prefer the Nforce 3-250 chipset BUT to call the "performance and reliability" of either VIA and SiS "questionable" for a budget system seems a bit (actually quite a bit) narrow minded.If this where a overclocking or performance guide I would have less of a complaint, but for a budget guide I think you should elaborate on why these chipsets are so "questionable". Has Anandtech pionted out these "performance and reliability" issues in any reviews of either VIA or SiS, because the ony complaint I can recall had to do with overclocking.
You even mention that a Nforce 3-250 board (Epox) has "memory compatibility issues" so Nforce 3-250 is not void of "performance and reliability" issues either.
A BUDGET GUIDE is about two things "reliability and cost", performance is a "distant concern" (does this sound familiar? it should its on the first page). So when it comes to the motherboard why is "performance" now a concern (especially when performance differances between A64 motherboards seem trivial compared to other components)?
If I sound upset because of this then you are correct. I offen hear review sites hope for more competition in the chipset market (things like wishing some board manufacturer would try to make a performance board with a SiS chipset) and then I read things like this. If you really want to see some competition then the least you could do is not cut them from the market that they are targeting with their product without explaining why.
ChineseDemocracyGNR - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
"Intel has socket 478 parts, and these are often cheaper than the more recent platforms, but longevity is something of a concern."I agree that longetivy is a concern, but the socket 478 platform is not necessarily cheaper. Intel released the Celeron D in LGA775, starting with the 2.53GHz model (the lower ones are to be discontinued in Februrary according to the Inquirer). The LGA775 is a "J" version, which adds NX support for less than $5 more compared to the socket 478 version.
Given this, I would switch the Intel budget system to the Celeron D 325J, a little more expensive than the 320. There are cheap LGA775 motherboards available, like the ECS 661FX-M7 ($53.50) and the ASRock 775V88 ($57).
Another thing I would like to comment on is the Radeon 9600Pro suggestion. Newegg is selling 400/446 Sapphire cards as 400/600 (without saying it's an Advantage card) so be careful. I would suggest these for budget systems:
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9000PRO Video Card, 64MB DDR, 128-bit $46 shipped
ABIT ATI RADEON 9550 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "R9550-Guru " -RETAIL $80 shipped
This ABIT card comes with 3.6ns and overclocks to 500/600 (9600XT) more often than not.
bupkus - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
I just bought the Biostar 210V and according to their website http://www.biostar-usa.com/ideqdetails.asp?model=i... this model does support a 400 fsb. Don't expect to overclock an AXP as there is neither a voltage nor a multiplier setting in the bios. The fsb for your cpu is set using jumpers which I hope also changes the AGP/PCI ratio as I'm told are unlocked. BTW, newegg had this model for fifteen dollars less than it is now, so look for possible sale prices. Currently $154.Avalon - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
You can get the Samsung 997DF 19" monitor for $202 shipped at techonweb.com, I bought it there two weeks ago. If the price hasn't changed....then I'd think $202 > $215 in terms of savings.Glassmaster - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
Great guide Jarred!Though I would rather not have seen the RAIDMAX PSU in there, it probably won't be as big a deal for the entry level budget system. It was good to see Fortron Source being mentioned too, as a cheap but reliable PSU alternative.
You might also point people in the direction of the excellent power supply guide by computerpro3 of the hardforums. http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=792566
He lists the brands to stay away from, and those worth buying, along with links to newegg for his specific recommendations.
Glassmaster.
Spacecomber - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
I always enjoy reading these system guides; so, thanks for this latest one.A couple of minor comments.
I don't think that the 120mm fan on the Antec SLK1650 cases is temperature controlled. At least one of the fans in the power supply is; so, perhaps that is what you were thinking. Nevertheless, the 120mm fan is fairly quiet and becomes virtually silent, if you use 7 volts for it.
I have been a big fan of the Seagate drives, because of their 5 year warranties (started at the time when there seemed to be a trend toward 1 year warranties on hard drives). While my initial experience of these drives was how quiet they were, I have been hearing other complain of getting drives that were not that quiet. My most recent Seagate purchase was a 120GB PATA model, and I too noticed that it seemed to buzz relatively loudly when it was seeking. I don't think it is so much how loud the noise is, but it has a kind of annoying quality to it.
Apparently, Seagate is involved in a lawsuit that alleges that Seagate stole their accoustic management technology from someone else. As a result, they have disabled this feature in their current line of drives. (You can use something like Hitachi's Feature Tool to see that accoustic management doesn't show up as an option on these drives.)
So, while Seagate continues to offer a 5 year warranty, which nobody else does (except the WD Raptors), they no longer should be looked to when a quiet drive is one of your criteria, imo.
Space
Pollock - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
I think you should forgo the SATA Seagate and go with the IDE version, which I've seen as cheap as $59-$62, saving you $7-10 for a pointless upgrade.bigpow - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
Entry Level Budget & Entry Level Performance labels should make the conclusion less confusing.kmmatney - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
Great review. The graphics section was very good, as well as the SFF section. Nice work.Although you did mention it, I think the Athlon XP-M is the best budget cpu, with a Barton core and unlocked multiplier. It is more expensive than the Sempron, but you can team it up with a $42 Asrock motherboard and overclock it 3200+ speeds easy, even with cheapo RAM.