System Summaries
We have now listed a ton of options that could be used in a variety of ways. Hopefully, you have some idea of what you want. Here, we present complete Intel and AMD configurations, with prices and optional equipment listed below. Both systems come relatively close to our $1250 target, and this is for a complete setup, not counting an Operating System. You can subtract the cost of items that you already have to get the price down, of course. The AMD socket 939 system ends up costing a little more, but the performance is also better in most instances, and $30 in the price difference can be attributed to the use of a faster graphics card.
| AMD Athlon 64 System |
| Hardware |
Recommended Component |
Price |
| Processor |
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 512K 2.0 GHz 90 nm (939) |
$215 |
| Heatsink |
Spire KestrelKing III |
$20 |
| Motherboard |
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum |
$131 |
| Memory |
2x512MB Mushkin PC3200 2.5-4-4 |
$150 |
| Video Card |
Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB |
$108 |
| Hard Drive |
Samsung 160GB SATA 7200RPM 8MB Model SP1614C |
$95 |
| Optical Drive |
NEC DVD+/-RW Drive Model 3500A |
$73 |
| Computer Case & Power Supply |
Antec SLK3700-BQE with 350W PSU |
$91 |
| Display |
NEC/Mitsubishi FE991SB-BK 19" |
$274 |
| Speakers |
Logitech Z-640 5.1 |
$53 |
| Keyboard & Mouse |
Microsoft Natural Multimedia and Intellimouse Optical |
$53 |
| Bottom Line |
$1263 |
| Intel Pentium 4 System |
| Hardware |
Recommended Component |
Price |
| Processor |
Pentium 4 540 3.2 GHz 1MB Cache |
$216 |
| Motherboard |
Abit AG8 i915P Chipset |
$129 |
| Memory |
2x512MB Mushkin PC3200 2.5-4-4 |
$150 |
| Video Card |
Sapphire Radeon X300 128MB |
$85 |
| Hard Drive |
Samsung 160GB SATA 7200RPM 8MB Model SP1614C/td>
| $95 |
| Optical Drive |
NEC DVD+/-RW Drive Model 3500A |
$73 |
| Computer Case & Power Supply |
Antec SLK3700-BQE with 350W PSU |
$91 |
| Display |
NEC/Mitsubishi FE991SB-BK 19" |
$274 |
| Speakers |
Logitech Z-640 5.1 |
$53 |
| Keyboard & Mouse |
Microsoft Natural Multimedia and Intellimouse Optical |
$53 |
| Bottom Line |
$1219 |
| Alternative Equipment |
| Hardware |
Recommended Component |
Price |
| Processor |
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 512K 2.2 GHz (754) |
$200 |
| Motherboard |
MSI K8N Neo Platinum |
$122 |
| SOLTEK SL-915GPro-FGR i915G Chipset |
$144 |
| Memory |
2x512MB OCZ EL 2-3-2-6 1T |
$224 |
| Video Card |
eVGA 6600GT 128MB PCIe |
$207 |
| Hard Drive |
Western Digital Raptor 74GB SATA 10000RPM 8MB Model WD740GD |
$173 |
| Maxtor 300GB SATA 7200RPM 16MB Model 6B300S0 |
$209 |
| Optical Drive |
Lite-On 16X DVD-ROM Model SOHD-167T |
$30 |
| Case & Power Supply |
Thermaltake VA3000 Dream Tower Tsunami with 400W PSU |
$135 |
| SFF Case |
Shuttle XPC SN95G5 (AMD socket 939) |
$299 |
| Display |
ViewSonic VX715 17" LCD 25ms |
$369 |
| Sound Card |
M-Audio Revolution 7.1 |
$92 |
| Speakers |
Logitech Z-5300e 5.1 THX Certified |
$159 |
| Video Capture |
Hauppauge PVR-250 |
$128 |
| Operating System |
Windows XP Home with SP2 |
$95 |
| Windows XP MCE |
$140 |
| Windows XP Professional with SP2 |
$147 |
If you want something closer to the $1000 price point of old, we offer this configuration. Any parts not listed in this Guide can be found in our Entry Level Guide. Socket 754 provides the best solution for cutting costs, and so it is our choice.
| $1000 Mid-Range System |
| Hardware |
Recommended Component |
Price |
| Processor |
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 512K 2.0 GHz (754) - Retail |
$158 |
| Motherboard |
MSI K8N Neo Platinum |
$122 |
| Memory |
512MB Mushkin PC3200 2.5-4-4 |
$75 |
| Video Card |
Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB |
$108 |
| Hard Drive |
Samsung 160GB SATA 7200RPM 8MB Model SP1614C |
$95 |
| Optical Drive |
NEC DVD+/-RW Drive Model 3500A |
$73 |
| Computer Case & Power Supply |
Antec SLK3700-BQE with 350W PSU |
$91 |
| Display |
NEC FE771SB-BK 17" |
$184 |
| Speakers |
Logitech Z-640 5.1 |
$53 |
| Keyboard & Mouse |
Microsoft Natural Multimedia and Intellimouse Optical |
$53 |
| Bottom Line |
$1012 |
Conclusion
There are a lot of choices to be made when purchasing a new computer system and some people may feel overwhelmed. Hopefully, we have helped to narrow down the choices somewhat, but just like with the purchase of a car or a house, different strokes for different folks. This has been a rather long article, taking a look at what is arguably the largest and most competitive segment of PC hardware. Was it too long? Did we simply contribute to the information overload? Let us know in the comments section, as these Buyer's Guides are for you!
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Tides - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
when i think mid-range i do find it hard to look below 9800/6600.PrinceGaz - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
This article wasn't focussing on a system where gaming will be a major consideration. The reason for recommending a 9600 Pro (or X300) for discrete graphics is that DX9 hardware will be required for Longhorn when it arrives. A 9800 Pro would be overkill for that.neogodless - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
Okay, the price on the 19" monitor IS definitely a typo though! Also, personally I'd spend a touch $100 more for a 9800 Pro (over the 9600 Pro) if at all possible because I think a ~10% increase in overall cost for a much better gaming experience is worth it...neogodless - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
n/m... I see it's the 939 pin part... going on the assumption that dual channel increases that chips performance enough for a 200+ higher rating...neogodless - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
The Athlon 64 3200+ (90nm) is a 2.0Ghz 512kb cache part? Is that a typo? Should that read Athlon 64 3000+ ?tappertrainman - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
Great Job! I definitely like these style "guides" rather than the CPU motherboard guides by themselves. Also, I think a great idea would be to start an "upgrade" guide similar to these. You could have an entry-level mid-level and high-end upgrade guide each month? Thanks for the hard work.gimper48 - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
Very good. I am impressed. However, are we going to see benchmarks in these anytime soon?southernpac - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
I am very inclined to take your recommendation and use a Raid 1 (mirrow) back up strategy. Do I incur a performance "price" for making the constant back-up? If so, will it be significant enough for a simulations gamer to really notice the difference (I'll be using a higher-end system)?Kong Basse - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
Thank you for another good article.The article was absolutly not too long, only proclaim that I have is: The 9600 id getting a little old by now, but then again, it still isnt too bad for gaming, even though it hardly runs Doom3 and HL2.
PrinceGaz - Thursday, October 21, 2004 - link
I've just finished reading it and amazingly, I can't fault any of your recommendations!I'd say you've covered pretty much everything you set out to starting with solid recommendations for a base system, and providing excellent reasons for why someone might want to choose one of the alternatives suggested.
Probably the best system guide to date. Well done.