Budget internet PC - May 2008
Budget internet PC
Configuration
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AMD Athlon 64 X2 4050e | Processors |
| Though AMD can't live up to Intel's performance in the high-end market, it's doing great business when it comes to budget PC's. The Athlon 64 X2 processors are inexpensive and have a great price/performance ratio. Another plus is the fact that the compatible motherboards aren't that expensive either. For our budget PC we choose the recently introduced Athlon 64 X2 4050e. Due to it's 45W TDP, this processor can be called very efficient. | ||
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2 GB (2x 1 GB) DDR2-667 | Memory modules |
| Due to the dropping RAM prices and more demanding software, we have chosen to use 2 GB of memory for our budget PC as well. Though the brand doesn't matter much, take an A-brand to ensure everything works properly. Since Dual channel significantly increases performance, we recommend 2x 1 GB rather than 1x 2 GB modules. | ||
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AMD Boxed Cooler | CPU coolers |
| AMD's standard boxed cooler is a fine choice for usage in a budget PC. | ||
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ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI | Mainboards |
| AMD has introduced a hit with it's 780G chipset. This chipset is not only cheap and very energy efficient, it also has tons of features. The 780G has an integrated DirectX 10 graphics card with UVD functionality. This allows the decoding of HD-video in H.264 or VC-1 format to be done by the chipset. The 3D performances are also sufficient to play simple games. The ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI is one of the cheapest motherboards based on this chipset while offering great performance and possibilities. | ||
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Integrated | Graphics cards |
| You don't need a seperate graphics card for a budget internet PC; the integrated card on the AMD 780G chipset will be sufficient for this type of usage. | ||
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Samsung Spinpoint S166 160 GB SATA2 | Hard disks (internal) |
| As this is a budget system, we recommend a 160 GB hard drive. Unless you will be downloading a lot of films, this will be more than enough. Based on our tests, the Samsung Spinpoint S166 is the best choice, it's fast, quiet and most of all, cheap. | ||
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Lite-On LH-20A1S | Optical drives |
| These days pretty much all DVD burners are equally affordable. So it makes the most sense to pick the best one: in our latest test this was the 20-speed Samsung SD-S203D, which clearly won in the burn speed and quality comparisons. This burner uses the modern SATA-interface. | ||
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Procase Zirco mATX | Cases |
| Even if a budget PC does not need an extravagant enclosure, it is still advisable not to go for the cheapest option, as quality in the lowest price categories tends to be insufficient. A good choice for budget PC's is the Procase Zirco mATX, which is quite cheap, but at the same time well constructed and with a nice design. | ||
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300 Watt OEM | Power supplies |
| A simple 300W OEM power supply offers enough power for a budget PC with the chosen components.. | ||
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Logitech Cordless Desktop EX110 | Keyboards |
| The Cordless Desktop EX110 offers an excellent combination of wireless keyboard and mouse for a relatively low price. Despite the asking price, the quality is excellent as we're used to when Logitech products are involved. One might wonder why we don't pick a generic 10 euro combination for mouse and keyboard, as this is a budget system. The reason is simple, these components will be used most intensively of all parts, a little extra investment in them will pay itself back hugely in hassle free computing. | ||
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Creative Inspire 265 | Speaker sets |
| Creative's Inspire 265 speakers won't bring down the house, but for very little money it is a fine set that matches a budget PC quite well. | ||
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Samsung SyncMaster 940NW | Monitors |
| 17 inch monitors are going the way of the dinosaur, with 19 inch models being only a little more expensive. Therefore even for a budget system a 19 inch screen is the right choice. Samsung's 940NW is a recent widescreen model with excellent image quality, minimalistic design and a very good price. A great match for this system. | ||
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Click here for the detailpage of this product. |
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3D chips
All-in-ones
Barebones
Case fans
Cases
CPU coolers
Game controllers
Graphics cards
Hard disks (external)
Hard disks (internal)
Keyboards
Mainboards
Memory cards
Memory modules
Mice
Monitors
Mouse pads
NAS devices
Notebooks
Optical drives
Power supplies
Powerline adapters
Printers
Processors
Routers
Servers
Sound cards
Speaker sets
Storage controllers
Systems
USB flash drives
Video card coolers
Webcams
