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PCSTATS November 2008 ShoppingList Assistance
PCSTATS November 2008 ShoppingList Assistance - PCSTATS
What a difference a month makes! This new build has a Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.6GHz Wolfdale processor, double the memory and a AMD Radeon 4850 to power the new 22-inch monitor... 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 Nov 01 2008   Max Page  
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PCSTATS
November 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

November 2008
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
$109 AMD Athlon64 X2 4850e Processor Get $ Price -
$105 Asus - M3A78-EM - Motherboard Get $ Price -
- On Board Video
$21 A-Data DDR2 800 240pin 1GB Memory Get $ Price -
$49 Hitachi Deskstar 250GB 3.5" SATA Hard Drive Get $ Price -
$20 Lite-On 20x DVD+/-RW LH-20A1P-185 Burner Get $ Price -
$33 Amazing P4 ATX Middle Tower Case w/500W PSU Get $ Price -
$145 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.
$495 Estimated Overall Price
* All prices are approximations and are listed in $USD for simplicity.

Notes: Our new budget system has moved to a AMD 780G motherboard, which gives it some decent graphics punch with its integrated AMD Radeon 3200 graphics. This system can double as a home-theatre system if you swap out the case, so we've also moved up the hard drive capacity so it can store more high-definition video content, which goes well with the motherboard's HDMI-output. 

PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

$999 Mainstream Parts List

November 2008
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
$175 Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Processor Get $ Price Here
$127 Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L Socket 775 Intel P45 Motherboard  Get $ Price -
$68 A-Data DDR2 800 240pin 4GB Memory Get $ Price -
$190 Palit Radeon HD 4850 512MB Graphics Card Get $ Price -

$78

Seagate Barracuda (ST3500320AS) 7200.11 500GB Hard Drive Get $ Price -
$37 Pioneer DVR-216D(Black) SATA 20x DVD-Writer Get $ Price -
$100 Antec Sonata III Quiet Super Mid Tower w/500W PSU Get $ Price -
$199 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.

$995

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

Notes: What a difference a month makes! This new build has a Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.6GHz Wolfdale processor, double the memory and a AMD Radeon 4850 to power the new 22-inch monitor. This system will be powerful enough for gaming, and switching the E8200 for a Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 will make it a great workstation machine as well.

PCSTATS Shopping List Assistance

$2000 High-End Performance Parts List

November 2008
Avg. Price* Description / Model No. Review
$320 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50GHz 6MB L2 Processor Get $ Price
$286 Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Socket 775 Motherboard Get $ Price -
$143

Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-8500C5 4GB Memory

Get $ Price -
$330 Palit Radeon HD 4870 Sonic Dual Edition Get $ Price -

$215

 

Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB SATA Hard Drive Get $ Price -

$78

 

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATA Hard Drive

Get $ Price -
$37 Pioneer DVR-216D(Black) SATA 20x DVD-Writer Get $ Price
$174

Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower ATX Case

Get $ Price -
$145 OCZ 800W EliteXstream Power Supply Get $ Price

$364

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.
$2092 Estimated Overall Price
* All prices are approximations and are listed in $USD for simplicity.
Notes: Our high-end system now has an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 at 2.5GHz inside of it and a monitor that's capable of 1080p resolution, making this system great for video editing as well as gaming. We've moved it into our recently reviewed Cooler Master HAF 932 full tower case as well, and added in a 150gb Western Digital Velociraptor for increased disk performance.

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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