Budget System Builder’s Guide February 2011
by Zach Throckmorton on February 14, 2011 12:00 AM ESTUpgraded Budget System
While our base system builds check in at under $500 (or $530 to $575 with keyboard, mouse, and LCD), adding in various upgrades can push the final price quite a bit higher. We wouldn't recommend going too high on the Intel side just now (i.e. wait for Sandy Bridge to come back), but you can put together a well-rounded AMD setup for just $650 (or under $800 with peripherals). If you want a snappy "do everything" system—something that can multitask, play games, and store hundreds of gigabytes of music, movies, and pictures—the following system should have you covered.
| AMD Upgraded Budget System | |||
| Component Type | Make & Model | Price | Rebate |
| CPU | AMD Athlon II X4 640 | $100 | |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H | $80 | ($10) |
| GPU | HIS H577FK1GD 5770 | $130 | ($30) |
| RAM | Patriot 4GB 2x2GB PSD34G1333K | $40 | ($5) |
| SSD | Intel 40GB SSD | $95 | |
| Hard Drive | Hitachi 1TB 7200RPM | $50 | |
| Optical Drive | LG GH24NS50 | $17 | |
| Power Supply | Antec Earthwatts EA-380D | $40 | |
| Case | Antec Three Hundred | $43 | |
| Operating System | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit | $100 | |
| Total Base System Cost | $695 | ($45) | |
| Input | Microsoft Keyboard and Mouse | $15 | |
| Display | ASUS VW193DR Black 19" (1440x900) | $110 | |
| Complete System Cost | $820 | ($45) | |
We've gone with a 40GB SSD for the OS and applications and a 1TB HDD for mass storage. Add to that AMD's quad-core Athlon II X4 640 and a Radeon HD 5770 and you have a setup that can handle just about anything. It won't best the latest and greatest CPUs and GPUs, but it should easily last through several years of college, if that's what you're after—or let grandma and grandpa see all your pictures and videos online. We stayed with the same 380W PSU, but if you're looking at future upgrades and you don't mind paying an extra $10, moving up to the 500W Earthwatts might be a good idea.
Wrap-Up
With DDR3 at about the cheapest it’s ever been, the high end refresh from both Intel and AMD months away, advances on the SSD and HDD fronts, and fierce competition between AMD and NVIDIA, the computer power available to budget users is astonishing right now. Remember to shop around both online and locally. And of course, don’t forget AnandTech’s forums, where you can ask for help and advice with all of your computing needs!
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dudeofdur - Monday, February 14, 2011 - link
yay. too bad i already bought a sb build. moniter looks goodJovec - Monday, February 14, 2011 - link
No speakers? The monitor doesn't include speakers.The power supply doesn't include a power cord. For many of us, we have a couple extra to use. If you don't have one, it will add another $10 or so with tax/shipping.
The "AMD Upgraded Budget System" should probably use the 500w PS recommended earlier. The $380 should handle a 640 and 5770, but the extra headroom is nice.
Rick83 - Monday, February 14, 2011 - link
actually, headroom on a power supply is to be avoided - maximum efficiency is usually hit around 80% load. I'd be surprised if a 640/5770 system would exceed 300 Watt by very much during even the most extreme load.Plus, a good power supply will go to eleven for short periods without having any issues.
I firmly believe in getting the smallest power supply I can get away with.
Jovec - Monday, February 14, 2011 - link
Headroom for future expansion, upgrades, and overclocking. The efficiency differences you are talking about are only 2-3% when talking about 380w@80% load with ~88% efficiency versus 500W@60% load with 85% efficiency and might add up to a couple dollars a year difference to operate.I'm in the camp that thinks most of us run more PSU wattage than we need, but the 380w PSU just doesn't make sense for the upgraded build. For example, the article mentions both the 5850 and 460 which are both dual 6-pin cards. These or their modern equivalents are conceivable upgrades in the future, and the cost of replacing the 380w due to it's single 6-pin PCIe power connector more that outweigh any efficiency savings (dual molex to 6-pin PCIe adapters might work I suppose). The article also mentions the potential for overclocking, which would put a further strain on a 380w PSU.
JarredWalton - Monday, February 14, 2011 - link
As a point of reference, I've got an i7-965, 12GB DDR3, HD 5850 CrossFire, and two 120GB SSDs in my main system these days. I'm running all of that off of a whopping 450W PSU: Thermaltake Litepower, 80 Plus Bronze certified.Idle power for the system sits at around 140W; that's power measured at the outlet, so accounting for ~83% efficiency the components are using about 116W. Under load playing games, I haven't ever seen a value above 400W; usually it sits around 350-380W (300-325W PSU load). So even with relatively high-end components, my setup still isn't coming anywhere near the 450W limit of the PSU.
I'd say the only reason to move up from the 380W recommended in the guide is if you're planning on CrossFire or SLI, plus some pretty serious overclocking. At stock, it takes some pretty beefy CPU+GPU setups to break 350W -- even a GTX 460 won't get there, though the 470 and 480 would probably be toeing the line.
Of course, replacing a PSU down the road is a pain in the butt (only a mobo replacement is worse!), so for a minor price difference of only $15 or so it's probably a good idea. I'll mention as much in the conclusion.
awaken688 - Monday, February 14, 2011 - link
I agree that the efficiency savings isn't a big deal, but I'm also with Jarred on the size. I'm running a 460 GTX 1GB OC'd with a Phenom II 940 which is a 130W part and my system under max load (game at maxed settings) hits right around 300W at the wall and idles in the 125ish range. As far as the 2 6pins go, you can use a molex and it will be okay if your rail and wiring can handle it. I am using the Corsair 400CX and it has no issues at all. (only has 1 6pin as well)If you are buying with the thoughts of Crossfire or a super power hungry GPU upgrade later, then I definitely would suggest bumping it up to a 500-550W part. But if you are truly a budget builder, the 380 should be a solid choice.
MadAd - Monday, February 14, 2011 - link
actually a (decent brand) psu power efficiency curve peaks around half its rated value, not 80%- the 80% rating seen on the better ones is something elseDanNeely - Monday, February 14, 2011 - link
As jovek and MadAd have mentioned above about 20% load your efficiency curve is more or less flat. The reason you want to have about 150-200W headroom above peak load is that your PSU fan will never leave idle, making the PSU effectively a silent component.Sabresiberian - Thursday, February 17, 2011 - link
One of the things almost no one seems to consider is aging of components. I think headroom is a consideration in this regard, as well - your PSU rating is what it will do new, not after 3 years of service.Everyone else can build for what they see as reported by KILL-A-WATT if they want, but I will continue to build by max draw numbers as reported by the manufacturers of the parts themselves, what overclocking calculations show I might be drawing at max possible OC for my purposes, and future expandability. Yeah, this is partly because I came out of the days when PSUs were pretty much junk across the board and I frankly still have a little mistrust for the industry as a whole, but there ya go. That's my philosophy - I'm not saying anyone else is wrong, I don't have enough data to back that up, but I do know what flaky PSUs can do and I go out of my way to prevent having those issues.
;)
SteelCity1981 - Monday, February 14, 2011 - link
"but don’t buy a cheap PSU!"Well that 380w Earthwatts is a cheap PSU. 17a on a single 12v rail. You can't get much cheaper then that. Good luck trying to put in a mainstream GPU in there without having to buy another PSU. I wouldn't even put in a Radeon 5670 or GT 440 let alone anything higher grade with that PSU.