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PCSTATS July ShoppingList Assistance |
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 | |
|
$500
Budget System Parts List |
June
2009 | |
|
Avg. Price* |
Description / Model No. |
 |
Review |
|
$70 |
AMD Athlon64 X2 5200 2.7GHz Processor |
Get $ Price |
Click |
|
$61 |
Gigabyte GA-M62PME-S2P Motherboard |
- |
|
$112 |
EVGA 8800GTS 670MHz 512MB Videocard |
Get $ Price |
|
|
$26 |
Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB DDR2-800 |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$60 |
Seagate 500GB 7200.12 Hard Drive |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$20 |
Lite-on 20x DVD Rewriter |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$38 |
LinkWorld Black Midtower Case w/ 430W PSU |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$129 |
ASUS VH196T Black 19" Widescreen LCD monitor |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
($112) |
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM |
|
|
|
- |
Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem,
Speakers. |
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|
|
$516 |
Estimated Overall Price |
|
|
| * All prices are
approximations and are listed in $CDN for simplicity. |
|
Notes: Videocards are awfully cheap nowadays, and
getting an EVGA 8800GTS for just $112 is an amazing deal. This system will
be able to run pretty much any game on its 19" monitor, as well as
managing day-to-day computing. |
| PCSTATS
Shopping List Assistance | |
|
$999
Mainstream Parts List |
June
2009 | |
|
Avg. Price* |
Description / Model No. |
 |
Review |
|
$189 |
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz E8400 Processor |
Get $ Price |
Click |
|
$148 |
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P Motherboard |
Get $ Price |
|
|
$56 |
Kingston HyperX 4GB DDR2 1066 Memory |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$265 |
Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 1GB Videocard |
Get $ Price |
Click |
|
$60 |
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB Hard Drive |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$22 |
LG GSA-H54N 18X Write DVD Optical Drive |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$75 |
Sunbeam Freezing-Storm Black ATX Mid Tower Case 450W |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
|
|
|
$179 |
BenQ G2200W 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
($112) |
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM |
|
|
|
- |
Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem,
Speakers. |
|
|
|
$994 |
Estimated Overall Price |
|
|
| * All prices are
approximations and are listed in $CDN for simplicity. |
|
Notes: With an Intel E8400 processor and a Radeon HD
4890, again it'll be easy to max out quality setting on the latest games
with our $999 mainstream system. Since DDR2 memory is so inexpensive
nowadays, putting in some top-notch Kingston memory was an easy upgrade.
|
| PCSTATS
Shopping List Assistance | |
|
$2000
High-End Performance Parts List |
June
2009 | |
|
Avg. Price* |
Description / Model No. |
 |
Review |
|
$347 |
Core i7 920 2.66GhHz Processor |
Get $ Price |
|
$248 |
Gigabyte EX58-UD3R-SLI X58 Motherboard |
Get $
Price
| - |
|
$109 |
Patriot Extreme Viper 6GB DDR3-1600 memory |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$415 |
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 |
Get $ Price |
Click |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
$99 x 2 |
Western Digital Caviar 1TB SATA2 7200RPM Hard Drive |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$242 |
LG GBW-H20L Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter |
Get $ Price |
|
|
$90 |
Cooler Master ATCS 840 Full Tower Case |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
$85 |
Sunbeam PSU-HUSH680-US-BL 680W PSU |
Get $ Price |
|
|
$270 |
Samsung Syncmaster 245B LCD Monitor |
Get $ Price |
- |
|
($199) |
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Operating System OEM |
|
|
|
- |
Also Consider: Operating System, Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy
Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers. |
|
|
|
$2006 |
Estimated Overall Price |
|
|
| * All prices are
approximations and are listed in $CDN for simplicity. |
| Notes: The price of the
Radeon HD 4870 X2 has dropped so much over at Newegg.ca that we were able
to add a Blu-Ray re-writer into our high-end system, which will look great
on the 24" LCD monitor that's now part of this build.
|
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.
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04.07.09 | 6:51P
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