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Poll: Saving Pennies at Home
What are you doing more of now that money is a bit tighter?
Playing WoW (games) more often
Surfing the web for news
Watching HD movies on HTPC
Working on an internet side-business
Listening to streaming music on PC
Total Votes:  77

PCSTATS December ShoppingList Assistance

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We know how confusing it can be choosing the right components for a new computer system, or an upgrade to an existing one. That's why we've assembled the PCSTATS ShoppingList as a guide to help you get good gear. Below you'll find one of the three ShoppingList's which you can print out and bring to your local retailer, or use as a general set of guidelines. We cover the basic components needed to assemble a full system, with monitor, and list the average $USD price each part retails for. Use the ShoppingList as a guide to build a better "white box" system, or follow our recommendations to the letter - it's totally up to you.

The ShoppingList is updated on the 1st of each month so as prices drop, and new computer hardware is released it will reflect the changes. However, just because something newer and faster may have come to market doesn't mean it's worth getting right away! Be sure to read the "Notes:" section at the base of each PCSTATS ShoppingList for a brief explanation of why some hardware made it onto the list, and why other gear didn't.

  • The $449 Budget PC System
  • The $999 Mainstream PC System
  • The $2000 High-End Performance/Gaming System

    The PCSTATS ShoppingList covers three different types of desktop computers to reflect differing consumer budgets, and requirements. Each system contains a full list of most important hardware you'll need which is widely available in stores, or online. If you've every wanted to ask "what should I get", then the PCSTATS ShoppingList is your answer. Each list contains recommended hardware that we would actually consider getting ourselves. When we've reviewed the hardware in question, we'll also include a link so you can get an in-depth perspective.

  • PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

    $495 Budget System Parts List

    November 2008
    Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
    $109 AMD Athlon64 X2 4850e Processor Get $ Price -
    $105 Asus - M3A78-EM - Motherboard Get $ Price -
    - On Board Video
    $21 A-Data DDR2 800 240pin 1GB Memory Get $ Price -
    $49 Hitachi Deskstar 250GB 3.5" SATA Hard Drive Get $ Price -
    $20 Lite-On 20x DVD+/-RW LH-20A1P-185 Burner Get $ Price -
    $33 Amazing P4 ATX Middle Tower Case w/500W PSU Get $ Price -
    $145 Acer X193WB Black 19IN Widescreen Monitor Get $ Price -
    ($112) Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM
    - Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers.
    $495 Estimated Overall Price
    * All prices are approximations and are listed in $USD for simplicity.

    Notes: The new budget system has moved to a AMD 780G motherboard, which gives it some decent graphics punch with its integrated AMD Radeon 3200 graphics. This system can double as a home-theatre system if you swap out the case, so we've also moved up the hard drive capacity so it can store more high-definition video content, which goes well with the motherboard's HDMI-output. 

    PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

    $999 Mainstream Parts List

    November 2008
    Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
    $175 Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Processor Get $ Price -
    $127 Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L Socket 775 Intel P45 Motherboard  Get $ Price -
    $68 A-Data DDR2 800 240pin 4GB Memory Get $ Price -
    $190 Palit Radeon HD 4850 512MB Graphics Card Get $ Price -

    $78

    Seagate Barracuda (ST3500320AS) 7200.11 500GB Hard Drive Get $ Price -
    $37 Pioneer DVR-216D(Black) SATA 20x DVD-Writer Get $ Price -
    $100 Antec Sonata III Quiet Super Mid Tower w/500W PSU Get $ Price -
    $199 Acer X223WBD Black 22IN Monitor Get $ Price -
    ($112.99) Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM
    - Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers.

    $995

    Estimated Overall Price
    * All prices are approximations and are listed in $USD for simplicity.

    Notes: What a difference a month makes! This new build has a Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.6GHz Wolfdale processor, double the memory and a AMD Radeon 4850 to power the new 22-inch monitor. This system will be powerful enough for gaming, and switching the E8200 for a Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 will make it a great workstation machine as well.

    PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

    $2000 High-End Performance Parts List

    November 2008
    Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
    $320 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50GHz 6MB L2 Processor Get $ Price
    $286 Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Socket 775 Motherboard Get $ Price -
    $143

    Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-8500C5 4GB Memory

    Get $ Price -
    $330 Palit Radeon HD 4870 Sonic Dual Edition Get $ Price -

    $215

     

    Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB SATA Hard Drive Get $ Price -

    $78

     

    Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATA Hard Drive

    Get $ Price -
    $37 Pioneer DVR-216D(Black) SATA 20x DVD-Writer Get $ Price
    $174

    Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower ATX Case

    Get $ Price here
    $145 OCZ 800W EliteXstream Power Supply Get $ Price

    $364

    Acer X243WBD Black 24IN Widescreen Get $ Price -
    ($199) Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Operating System OEM
    - Also Consider: Operating System, Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers.
    $2092 Estimated Overall Price
    * All prices are approximations and are listed in $USD for simplicity.
    Notes: The high-end system now has an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 at 2.5GHz inside of it and a monitor that's capable of 1080p resolution, making this system great for video editing as well as gaming. We've moved it into our recently reviewed Cooler Master HAF 932 full tower case as well, and added in a 150gb Western Digital Velociraptor for increased disk performance.

    Operating systems, keyboard / mouse, floppy drives, 56K modem, 10/100 network cards, and speakers are not listed separately or included in the overall target budget since they are very common requirements, or may not be needed.


       02.12.08 | 1:00P
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