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PCSTATS March 2009 ShoppingList Assistance
PCSTATS March 2009 ShoppingList Assistance - PCSTATS
Our high-end system has had a hefty $400 chopped off its price, but still packs a Core i7 Processor, 6GB of DDR3 memory, and a Geforce GTX 260 graphics card... 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 Mar 01 2009   Max Page  
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PCSTATS
March 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

March 2009
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
$59 AMD Athlon X2 BE-2300 CPU Get $ Price -

$44

ASRock N61P-S AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Motherboard Get $ Price -
- On Board Video
$28 G.Skill 2GB DDR2 800MHZ Memory Get $ Price -

$69

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 -

$135

Acer X183H Black 18.5" Widescreen Monitor Get $ Price -
($112) Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM
- Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers.
$392 Estimated Overall Price
* All prices are approximations and are listed in $CDN for simplicity.

Notes: Since the economy is raining doom and gloom, we've decided to cut prices for this round of the PCSTATS shopping list. Our $500 PC is now under $400 thanks to a switch to AMD's BE-2300 CPU, while Asrock's NVIDIA-based motherboard provides sound and video.

PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

$999 Mainstream Parts List

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

$195

Intel Core Duo E8200 2.6GHz 6MB L2 Processor Get $ Price
$110 MSI P45 Neo-F Socket 775 Intel P45 Get $ Price -
$45 Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 Get $ Price -
$182 SPARKLE SFPX98GTX+512D3H GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB Get $ Price -

$69

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB Hard Drive Get $ Price -
$22 LG GSA-H54N 18X Write DVD Optical Drive Get $ Price -

$74.99

Sunbeam Freezing-Storm Black ATX Mid Tower Case 450W Get $ Price -
$199 Acer X203HBD 24" LCD 1080p Monitor Get $ Price -
($112) Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM
- Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers.

$898

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

Notes: Price cuts galore! The mainstream system's 9800GTX+ gives performance that can handle pretty much any game on the market, and has a 1920 x 1080 22" monitor to boot.

PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

$2000 High-End Performance Parts List

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

$350

Intel Core i7 920 Quad-Core Socket LGA1366, 2.66Ghz Processor Get $ Price
$238 MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Motherboard Get $ Price -
$143

G.SKILL 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Memory

Get $ Price -
$245 EVGA E-GEFORCE GTX 260 576MHZ 896MB Video Card Get $ Price -

-

$90

Western Digital Caviar 640GB SATA2 7200RPM Hard Drive

Get $ Price -

$34

Pioneer 216D 20X Optical Drive Get $ Price
$90

Enermax Uber Chakra Case

Get $ Price -
$85 Sunbeam PSU-HUSH680-US-BL 680W PSU Get $ Price

$240

Acer X233H 23IN LCD Widescreen Monitor Black 1920X1080 40000:1 5MS VGA DVI HDMI Get $ Price -
($199) Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Operating System OEM
- Also Consider: Operating System, Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers.
$1580 Estimated Overall Price
* All prices are approximations and are listed in $CDN for simplicity.
Notes: Our high-end system has had a hefty $400 chopped off its price, but still packs a Core i7 Processor, 6GB of DDR3 memory, and a Geforce GTX 260 graphics card.

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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