Here are some suggestions for a basic, business apps computer. I'm using
NewEgg for prices, since they have a good selection and their prices seem
representative.
Case: I tend to like Antec cases, because they combine a good quality case
with a quality power supply. I'd look for their models with a 120mm fan in
the back, included, for the quieter operation. The SLK3700AMB is on sale
for $64 (and free shipping) this weekend. It has a 350 watt power supply.
Otherwise, the SLK1650 would be a good choice. It is a smaller midtower
than the SLK3700 and it incorporates an air-guide on the side, which can be
quite effective with a low rpm heatsink fan that blows down on the
processor. I mention low rpm, because this air guide also will transmit fan
noise out of the case with a louder fan. Of couse, the socket needs to be
in the right place. The air guide is designed for Pentium 4 systems, but
can be of varying benefit to others, as well. The SLK1650 also has a 120mm
exhaust fan and a 350 watt power supply. (Note: the SLK3700 size case will
be easier to work with using a full ATX board than the SLK1650. The SLK1650
taks a full ATX board, but a micro-ATX will be easier to install.)
Processor: I think that the lower end Athlon XPs for socket A motherboards
give the best performance for the money in this budget system class. You
can pick up an OEM XP 2000 (1.67GHz) for $55 and a boxed version (with
heatsink and fan) for $64. Personally, I find the retail AMD heatsinks and
fans prettty noisey and prefer a third party product, such as a Speeze
WhisperRockII for $9 ($5 shipping) or the Arctic Cooling Copper Silent 2TC,
which has a temperture controlled fan, for a very quiet system, $15 ($5
shipping).
Motherboard: Integrated graphics is usually considered good enough for
typical business applications, web browsing, and email. The SiS741GX
chipset boards are the least expensive in this catagory. (Note: the
SiS741GX only supports bus speeds up to 333MHz; the SiS741 chipset supports
up to 400MHz bus speeds.) The ASRock K7S41GX is a micro-ATX board with an
AGP slot and 2 PCI slots. It sells for $42 ($5 shipping). ASRock is a part
of Asus; so, I prefer them over some cheaper boards from PC Chips and ECS.
If you are looking for better performance and plan on using a video card,
the single channel Nvidia Nforce2 400 chipset boards are a good alternative.
(Nforce2 400 chipset has single channel memory, and Nforce2 400 Ultra
chipset has dual channel memory capability. The performance difference is
only a few percentage points.) The Asus A7N8X-X is a good choice in this
catagory. This is a full size ATX board; so, it also has 5 PCI slots, if
you need more than a couple of those. It is selling for $61 ($5 shipping).
Memory: I'd recommend PC3200 memory from a reputable brand. You don't save
that much money going with a slower rated module, if even you don't
necessarily need PC3200, and it gives you more flexibility for what you
might do with this module in the future. You certainly can get by with
256MB, but 512MB is better. Mushkins Basic PC3200 512MB module is selling
for $74 ($1 shipping), and Corsair's Value Select PC3200 (CL2.5) is selling
for a dollar more. Their equivalent 256MB modules are selling for $42.
Video, Audio, Ethernet: This would all be integrated with the SiS chipset
board.
If you are looking for a video card, you really don't need all that 3D
rendering power that drives up the price of the top end video cards. Rather
than 3D processing power, something that could be more useful for this sort
of system might be a DVI connector. DVI connections will give you better
image quality if you plan on hooking up a LCD monitor to this system. I
think that this becomes more important as you move up from 15" LCDs to 17"
LCDs, or larger. Although a bit dated and not much of a power house in the
3D department, a you can find a Radeon 7000 32MB with DVI in the $30 range.
Operating System: WinXP Home (oem) $90 and WinXP Pro (oem) $137 (on sale).
Total for Antec SLK3700, Athlon XP 2000 (oem), Artic Cooling HS, ASRock SiS
MB with integrated grahics, 512MB RAM, and WinXP Home: $340, not counting
shipping.
Hope this is helpful.
John Sproule
----- Abbreviated Original Message -----
From: "The Tone Zone" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 8:25 AM
Subject: [PCBUILD] New build
I'm trying to buy parts this weekend to build a new computer for my
business.
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