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PCSTATS December 2008 ShoppingList Assistance
PCSTATS December 2008 ShoppingList Assistance - PCSTATS
There's been some price cuts on AMD 780G motherboards recently, which has made room in the budget for a larger 500GB hard drive, and a nicer Antec 1650B case with included PSU... 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 Dec 01 2008   Max Page  
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PCSTATS
December 2008 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

December 2008
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
$92 AMD Athlon64 X2 5400+ Processor Get $ Price -

$92

Asus - M3A78-EM-HDMI Motherboard Get $ Price -
- On Board Video
$21 A-Data DDR2 800 240pin 1GB Memory Get $ Price -

$71

Seagate 500GB 7200.11 Get $ Price -
$20 Lite-On 20x DVD+/-RW LH-20A1P-185 Burner Get $ Price -

$41

Antec SLK1650B Get $ Price -

$153.82

Acer X193WB Black 19IN Widescreen Monitor Get $ Price -
($112) Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM
- Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers.
$492 Estimated Overall Price
* All prices are approximations and are listed in $USD for simplicity.

Notes: There's been some price cuts on AMD 780G motherboards recently, which has made room in the budget for a larger 500GB hard drive, and a nicer Antec 1650B case with included PSU.

PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

$999 Mainstream Parts List

December 2008
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review

$215

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Processor Get $ Price Here
$110 MSI P45 Neo-F Socket 775 Intel P45 Motherboard Get $ Price -
$56 A-Data DDR2 800 240pin 4GB Memory Get $ Price -
$200 Diamond Radeon HD 4850 Graphics Card Get $ Price -

$71

Seagate Barracuda (ST3500320AS) 7200.11 500GB Hard Drive Get $ Price -
$33 Pioneer DVR-216D(Black) SATA 20x DVD-Writer Get $ Price -

$123

Antec NSK6580B Mid Tower w/PSU Case Get $ Price -
$190 Acer X223WBD Black 22IN Monitor Get $ Price -
($112.99) Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM
- Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers.

$999

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

Notes: A month brings the faster intel E8400 processor in place of the E8200 from November. The MSI P45 Neo-F is also a new addition, it's a P45-Express chipset motherboard, which makes it an idea overclocking companion for that E8400.

PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

$2000 High-End Performance Parts List

December 2008
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
$378 Intel Core i7 920 Quad-Core Socket LGA1366, 2.66Ghz Processor Get $ Price
$373 Asus P6T Deluxe Socket 1366 Intel X58 Motherboard Get $ Price -
$156

OCZ (OCZ3G1333LV3GK) DDR3 PC3-10666 1333 MHz 3GB Kit

Get $ Price -
$320 EVGA GeForce Superclocked GTX 260 896MB Videocard Get $ Price -

$203

G.SKILL FM-25S2S-64GB 64GB 2.5IN SATA2 Solid State Disk Get $ Price -

$71

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATA Hard Drive

Get $ Price -
$35 Pioneer DVR-216D(Black) SATA 20x DVD-Writer Get $ Price
$91

Enermax Uber Chakra ECA5000B Black Case

Get $ Price -
$90 Xigmatek NRP-MC651 650W Power Supply Get $ Price

$299

Acer X243WBD Black 24IN Widescreen Get $ Price -
($199) Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Operating System OEM
- Also Consider: Operating System, Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers.
$2016 Estimated Overall Price
* All prices are approximations and are listed in $USD for simplicity.
Notes: What would a high-end rig be without a Core i7 processor? The high-end rig has switched to socket LGA1366, so it's now got 3GB of triple channel DDR3 memory as well. Users of 64-bit operating systems might want to spring for a 6GB kit, which is roughly double the price. Price cuts to nvidia GTX 260 videocards and increased availability of solid-state drives in retail stores has also made for some additions that will give this system some real staying power.

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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