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PCSTATS July 2009 ShoppingList Assistance
PCSTATS July 2009 ShoppingList Assistance - PCSTATS
Prices on high-end components have dropped nicely in the past month or so, which has made it easy to shave a few hundred dollars off the top of our high-end performance system. If you're so inclined, add $100 to the system total and pop in the Radeon HD 4870 X2 in place of the Geforce 285 GTX... PCSTATS ShoppingList is a guide to help you get good PC gear, because it's filled with suggestions we'd actually buy ourselves.
Filed under: Business / Industry Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: PCSTATS Jul 01 2009   Max Page  
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PCSTATS
July 2009 ShoppingList Assistance

Picking the right components for a new computer system or upgrade can be a daunting task. The PCSTATS ShoppingList is a guide to help you get good PC gear, because it's filled with suggestions we'd actually buy ourselves. Below you'll find three ShoppingList's which you can use as a general set of guidelines for what to get, or where to start looking. PCSTATS covers the basic components needed to assemble a full PC system and lists 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 reflects the changes. However, just because something newer and faster has come to market, it doesn't mean it's worth getting right away! Be sure to read the "Notes" section for a brief explanation of why some hardware made it onto the list, and why other gear didn't.

$449 Budget PC System
$999 Mainstream PC System
$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 the 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

July 2009
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
$77 AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition Processor Get $ Price

$92

MSI KA880G AM2+ 780G Motherboard Get $ Price Click
$120 HIS H485FN512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB Video Card Get $ Price Click
$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.
$562 Estimated Overall Price
* All prices are approximations and are listed in $CDN for simplicity.

Notes: We've taken a few liberties with the price limit of our budget system, but have also gotten some amazing returns out of it - with a Radeon 4850 in it, this system can really game!

PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

$999 Mainstream Parts List

July 2009
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review

$189

Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz E8400 Processor Get $ Price Click
$148 Asus P5Q Pro Turbo Intel P45 Motherboard Get $ Price
$65 G.Skill 2X2GB PC2-8500 1066MHz Memory kit Get $ Price -
$217 HIS Radeon HD 4890 1GB Videocard Get $ Price Click

$92

Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB Get $ Price -
$22 LG GSA-H54N 18X Write DVD Optical Drive Get $ Price -

$100

Raidmax SMILODON black case with 500W PSU 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.

$1012

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

Notes: We've again matched up the Intel E8400 CPU with the Radeon 4890 videocard, and have bumped up the storage on the mainstream system up to a full terabyte.

PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

$2000 High-End Performance Parts List

July 2009
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review

$310

Core i7 920 2.66GhHz Processor Get $ Price
$210 MSI X58 Pro-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 Motherboard Get $ Price -
$100

Patriot Extreme Viper 6GB DDR3-1600 memory

Get $ Price -
$360 Sparkle Geforce 285 GTX 1GB Videocard Get $ Price

$91 x 2

Western Digital Caviar 1TB SATA2 7200RPM Hard Drive

Get $ Price -

$180

LITE-ON Black 4x Blu-Ray 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.
$1787 Estimated Overall Price
* All prices are approximations and are listed in $CDN for simplicity.
Notes: Prices on high-end components have dropped nicely in the past month or so, which has made it easy to shave a few hundred dollars off the top of our high-end performance system. If you're so inclined, add $100 to the system total and pop in the Radeon HD 4870 X2 in place of the Geforce 285 GTX.

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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