Buyer's Guide - Entry Level, January 2005
by Jarred Walton on January 9, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Case and Power Supply
Choosing a case for the computer can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. For some, finding the cheapest $20 case available is all they're after, while for others, it will need to match the décor of their office/den/living room. You might also want to buy additional lights to spruce up your case, or more likely quieter fans to make your case less obtrusive. Considering that you'll spend a lot more time looking at your case - and hearing it - than at any of the internal components, we would encourage you to spend more rather than less.Budget-minded PC builders are more likely to stick with the cheaper cases, but we do recommend that you pick up a decent quality power supply if you purchase a $20 case. If you're shopping locally, comparing the weights of power supplies often says a lot about their quality - heavier is better. When shopping online, we would recommend a well-known brand like Antec, Enermax, Fotron Source, PC Power and Cooling, Tagan, and ThermalTake. There are other reliable brands as well, so ask around - our forum members are more than willing to offer their advice on any specific brand that you might be considering, and rather than trying to give a comprehensive list of every PSU available, we suggest that you ask there instead. Once you factor in the cost of a reasonable power supply - 350W is the minimum to buy, in our opinion - getting a better case with a quality power supply included is often as cheap as or cheaper than buying a low end case and adding in a power supply. Some sites (for example, DirecTron.com) will even allow you to custom select a power supply on any case that they offer, which is a nice feature, although the total savings may or may not make that the best option.
By the time that you factor in shipping, ordering a case online can become quite an expensive proposition. Shipping rates can easily cost as much as $25 or $30, depending on the site and weight of the case, so visiting a local shop may end up being a better choice. It might also allow you to check out power supplies, which is an added bonus.
Click to enlarge.
Case Recommendation: Antec SLK1650B with 350W PSU
Price: $76 shipped
Once you factor in the cost of shipping and a reasonable power supply, we find it hard to beat the Antec SLK1650B case (also available in beige as the SLK1650). The advantages of the Antec 1650 are that it is well-built, it includes a relatively quiet power supply and 120 mm temperature controlled rear fan, and a CPU air duct that helps considerably with cooling the processor. With shipping adding almost $20 to the cost, however, it does hurt our overall budget. If you're willing to take the risk of a cheaper power supply, you can easily find cases at a local shop for under $50.
Click to enlarge.
Case Alternative: RaidMax Elite ATX-208BP with 380W PSU
Price: $46 shipped
Our alternative budget case this time is the RaidMax Elite 208BP (available in beige as the 208P). You get what you pay for, and the overall quality of such a case is definitely inferior to the Antec 1650. However, particularly in a budget system, such a case and the included power supply should be more than sufficient. Remember that with the base budget system including integrated graphics as well as a slower processor and less RAM than a "high-end" system, the total power draw is likely to be well under 200W, even at load. The case itself is reasonably attractive, and it includes front USB ports and a side-mounted case fan that blows cool air directly at the processor. RaidMax makes a large variety of cases in many colors, and they are also one of the most inexpensive options. They won't win many awards for silence or innovation - particularly if you actually try running with all seven 80mm fan locations occupied - but they do well in meeting budget constraints.
Again, be forewarned that power supply failure in a year or so is a very real possibility, especially if you begin upgrading and adding additional components. Even the cheapest "quality" power supply will cost $30, equaling the cost of the Antec. Should you want to get a different case and buy a power supply (i.e. you like the way a case looks from the outside, even if the included PSU is junk), the list of PSU manufacturers above is a good place to start, and Fortron Source in particular has quite a few reliable models for $30 or so.
Quiet Fan Alternatives
Price: $5 to $20 plus shipping, depending on model
For those interested in a silent system, one of the best ways to achieve this goal is to get fans that make less noise. Panaflo's L1A series with their Hydro-Wave bearings are one such option, but in general, the best way to make a system quieter is to use fewer fans as well as fans that move less air. The movement of air makes a lot of noise, relatively speaking, and that noise usually more than drowns out that of the fan bearings. Typically speaking, 80 mm fans that spin at more than 2000 RPM are going to make a moderate amount of noise, and 120 mm fans should spin even slower than that (e.g. 1200 to 1500 RPM) as they inherently move more air. Another option for reducing fan noise is to get a voltage converter that will run your fans at 7V instead of 12V - it's just a different way of reducing the RPMs, really. Many motherboards can also adjust fan speeds automatically based on system temperatures, which work to varying degrees. We prefer to get fans with 3-pin motherboard connectors as well as all three wires - the third wire is used to monitor fan RPMs, and it is not always available (e.g. on the Panaflo fans). Antec and Enermax again make some good quality fans for a reasonable price, as do Vantec, Zalman, and several others; just check the RPM and CFM ratings and remember that higher values will equate to more noise. As with power supplies, asking around in our forums can give you more specific advice on any particular model.
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31 Comments
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justly - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Jarred, Thanks for the responce, and I can certainly understand why you would dislike writing a budget guide.If what you say is true "In a single review with high-end components (which is how we generally handle reviews), a lot of motherboards work very well. When you start dropping down to cheaper RAM, however, it's amazing how frequently system instabilities seem to end up being caused by the motherboard choice." then maybe what is really bothering me is not so much your review but the way motherboard reviews are conducted.
One other thing (just thinking out loud here), how does VIA and SiS chipset affect memory compatibility on a A64 system when the memory controller is part of the CPU??? Do the motherboard manufactures pay more attention to the memory trace lines on Nforce based motherboards (even budget ones) than SiS or VIA based boards??? ... I really think I need an answer to these before I can fully believe you, no offence but I will remain skeptical about your comment to not use VIA or SiS (at least on a A64) untill these are answered.
Maybe you could make a recommendation on how motherboard reviews are conducted, that way Anandtech readers can be informed about these problems that are hidden from us by reviews that only use high-end components.
Thanks again for the reply.
JarredWalton - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Good point, PrinceGaz. Of course, my take is that the ability to run the "full" Aero Glass experience mode of Longhorn is essentially a requirement for most people. At the very least, a PC should be upgradeable to that level (with AGP/PCIe cards, not with PCI).18 - I don't actually recommend the FX 5200 as a card for any of the systems. I mentioned it only as the "fastest" PCI graphics card currently available. The 9550 might also be available in PCI version, in which case it would be something of a toss up, but I haven't heard of any ATI DX9 parts for PCI.
#17 - Of course you can get a cheaper system that what I listed. What you've specced out is pretty much the cheapest "modern" system that could be put together. I personally wouldn't recommend that sort of configuration to a friend (or anyone else) without some serious reservations. Basically, it would be a case of "you can get this if you want, but I will not be held responsible for any shortcomings." You basically hit the point of diminishing returns, where $5 to $10 saved ends up costing you 10% of your overall performance (i.e. going from a Sempron 2400+ to a Sempron 2200+), or else you lose certain features that I consider desirable (DVD+RW support).
It's a personal preference, really, so people can go either way. My feeling is that any *new* system should include at bare minimum the following:
512 MB of RAM
80GB Hard Drive w/8MB cache
Sempron 2400+/Celeron D 320
17" monitor
DVD+RW support
You certainly don't *need* any of those features for standard PC use, but I would definitely recommend spending the extra $50 or so to get them.
PrinceGaz - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Excellent article, I couldn't really fault any of the choices, and good explanations were given of why they were selected.One minor point worth mentioning maybe related to Longhorn's graphics requirements, specifically where you say that for the "next version of Windows (codenamed Longhorn), 3D graphics support will actually be required in order to run it properly. Specifically, the word is that Pixel Shader 2.0 support will be required".It will run fine on DX7 hardware in 'Classic' mode (similar to how Windows 2000 looks). Only the 'Aero' and 'Aero Glass' modes require DX9 hardware. Full details on the likely requirements for the three modes can be found here-
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/graph...
delldell - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Good article; however, the radeon 9550 graphics card is faster than the nvidia FX 5200 while also being cheaper :) At only $60 the 9550 clearly represents the best bang in the the low end video card market. Check out the review from techreport.comhttp://techreport.com/etc/2005q1/bestof2004/index....
ChineseDemocracyGNR - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
I have a different idea of what a budget computer is.AMD budget:
AMD Sempron 2200+ Retail $54
ASRock K7S41 $49
Corsair Value Select 256MB DDR400 $41
Seagate 40GB 7200RPM 2MB PATA $56
LG 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive $29
same floppy, Case & PSU, Display, Speakers, Keyboard and Mouse as your AMD Budget. $251
Total: $480
AMD Performance Budget:
AMD Sempron 2600+ Retail $86
ASRock K7Upgrade-880 $47
Corsair Value Select 2x256MB DDR400 $68
Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9550 128MB DDR 128-bit $71
Seagate 80 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA $69
LG 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive $29
same floppy, Case & PSU, Display, Speakers, Keyboard and Mouse as your AMD Budget. $251
total = $621
Intel Budget:
Intel Celeron D 315 (2.26GHz) Retail $69
ASUS P4S800-MX $60
Corsair Value Select 256MB DDR400 $41
Seagate 40GB 7200RPM 2MB PATA $56
LG 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive $29
same floppy, Case & PSU, Display, Speakers, Keyboard and Mouse as your AMD Budget. $251
Total: $506
Intel Performance Budget:
Intel Celeron D 325J (2.53GHz) Retail $89
ASRock 775V88 $58
Corsair Value Select 2x256MB DDR400 $68
Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9550 128MB DDR 128-bit $71
Seagate 80 GB 7200 RPM 8MB SATA $69
LG 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive $29
same floppy, Case & PSU, Display, Speakers, Keyboard and Mouse as your AMD Budget. $251
total = $635
qquizz - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
Just to clarify:Of course ddr400 memory can run at 333 speed. My point is that the memory must be run at 333 to be supported by the motherboard using onboard graphics. This is the case with all NF2 boards with onboard graphics that I've seen.
Jep4444 - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
its mainly old Via boards with issues(i mean original K8T800) and for the purpouse of this article an NF3 can be had cheaper than a K8T800pro on 754 so it is a justified move but to say Via chipsets have problems is just not rightWhen it comes to 939 boards, the K8T800Pros(specifically from Abit and Asus) have been the best boards out
erinlegault - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
The one thing I think was missing from the graphics section is overclocking options. Overclocking is a great way to gain extra performance from a product. Besides what ATI and others do to turn a Radeon 9600 into a Pro or XT is overclock it and provide adequate cooling and provide faster memory. Why should a user pay a company to overclock a product when they can do it themselves.I personally like Abit's options. They have a line of products based on the Radeon 9550, just an underclocked 9600. But, they have two products, the R9550-Guru and the R9550XTurbo-Guru, which supports their V-Guru overclocking utility. With adequate cooling these products could posibly be overclocked to the 600 MHz of the 9600XT. On the memory, side the Guru has 3.6ns memory that is comparable to the 3.3ns memory of Abit's 9600XT product and probably can't be overclocked much above the stock 400 MHz. But, the interesting part about the XTurbo-Guru is that the memory is 2.5ns and can be easily overclocked. And if you look at the product images, I think adequate cooling is already provided for overclocking.
qquizz - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
It should be noted that for the budget motherboard: http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?mode..."Supports DDR266/333 with internal graphic core, DDR266/333/400 with external add-on card."
In other words, if you wanna use ddr400, it is only supported if you use a discrete video card. If you use the onboard video, only ddr266/333 is supported.
JarredWalton - Sunday, January 9, 2005 - link
Justly - The memory compatibility issues with Nforce3 250 are pretty much confined to the EPoX boards as far as I've heard. All other NF3250 boards will run two DS DIMMs at DDR400. VIA chipsets in general still have some issues. The motherboard is such a critical component that I really don't like to cut any corners, even in the budget sector.In a single review with high-end components (which is how we generally handle reviews), a lot of motherboards work very well. When you start dropping down to cheaper RAM, however, it's amazing how frequently system instabilities seem to end up being caused by the motherboard choice.
Honestly, I dislike writing the budget guide selections, just because there are so many questionable parts. I always try to push customers to spend an extra $30 or so on the motherboard if nothing else. Maybe I'm just superstitious, but I've had several "cheap" systems fail after a year or so due to the motherboard.