Whether you are a first time builder seeking guidance or a seasoned enthusiast lacking the time it takes to compare the seemingly endless pit of hardware available, we've got you covered. Our buying guides provide an in-depth list of today's best hardware, ranging between three unique and yet typical budgets.Entry Level Box (<$1,000)
As the title implies, this is not a top-grade machine, however, it is (in our opinion) the best system $800 can buy.
Mid-range Enthusiast's PC (<$2,000)
Essentially, it is a fully-loaded PC minus some of the trinkets and bobbles, offering the majority of those reading this confidence that it will plow down nearly anything shoved in its path.
High-end Luxury System
Here we have a screaming edge system lacking any virtual price cap. Every component in the Luxury System guide was thoughtfully scrutinized in order to offer you the most for your greenback.
View: TechSpot PC Buying Guide - June 2008
Let alone the crappy ATI Video Card.
That's the problem with these "best" systems, they usually end up being a lot of expensive parts slapped together.
My idea would be to buy that "entry-level PC" but remove expenses on case, keyboard, mouse and monitor since a new PC would simply take the place of my old one. I would spend the money I save on buying a 200$ processor and 250$ graphics card. It would tally up to the 800$ range and be as performant as the 1500$ "mid-range" computer.<
I also dislike the article's use of the expression "lacking any virtual price cap" as the price of a computer can reach great heights. Really, the idea of "entry-level" and "high-end" is still too subjective.
I now realise how much the auhtors decision to include monitor, sound system and other accessories sort of brought down the article. I mean, when it comes to keyboards, case and speakers, it's no longer a question of performance, but just a question of preference, as really almost anything will do.
Last edited by RPDL on 28 Jun 2008 - 01:09
Core components:
Corsair XMS2 DDR-2 800 DIMMs (1 GB x 2)
Intel Core2Quad Q6600 (retail-boxed G0)
Gigabyte EP35-DS3L motherboard
Antec EarthWatts 650W (80+ Certified) PSU
Western Digital 500GB SATA-3.0G HDD
Visiontek HD4850 PCIe graphics card
Total cost for core components (pre-ta
Adding NZXT's Alpha ATX Mid-tower case ($39.99) and Pioneer's BD reader/DVD-CD writer ($199.99) pushes the pre-tax total to $959.92.
Rather have 45nm? Add $100 (swapping Q9450 for Q6600, also retail-boxed); the same motherboard takes 45nm, too.
So, we're still talking sub-$1500 including keyboard, mouse, decent 22" LCD display, and even Vista Ultimate x64 (OEM, of course; this is a completely-from-scratch).
All at MicroCenter (http://www.microcenter.com). (While the Q6600 price is in-store-only, the Q9450 price is either in-store or online.)
The only lack of consideration is that their numbers are so far off, it makes me wonder if they have ever heard of PriceGrabber (or even comparison-shopping in general), considering that I severely undercut them with a parts list that all but the most e-penis-envious gamer would not turn his/her nose up at.
I basically undercut their entry-level box price with midrange-class parts!
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