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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.
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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 | |
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$500
Budget System Parts List |
March
2009 | |
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Avg. Price* |
Description / Model No. |
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Review |
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$59 |
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2300 CPU |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$44 |
ASRock N61P-S AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Motherboard |
Get $ Price |
- |
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- |
On Board Video |
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$28 |
G.Skill 2GB DDR2 800MHZ Memory |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$69 |
Seagate 500GB 7200.12 Hard Drive |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$20 |
Lite-on 20x DVD Rewriter |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$38 |
LinkWorld Black Midtower Case w/ 430W PSU |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$135 |
Acer X183H Black 18.5" Widescreen Monitor |
Get $ Price |
- |
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($112) |
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM |
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- |
Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem,
Speakers. |
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$392 |
Estimated Overall Price |
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| * All prices are
approximations and are listed in $CDN for simplicity. |
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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 | |
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$999
Mainstream Parts List |
March
2009 | |
|
Avg. Price* |
Description / Model No. |
|
Review |
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$195 |
Intel Core Duo E8200 2.6GHz 6MB L2 Processor |
Get $ Price |
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$110 |
MSI P45 Neo-F Socket 775 Intel P45 |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$45 |
Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$182 |
SPARKLE SFPX98GTX+512D3H GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$69 |
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB Hard Drive |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$22 |
LG GSA-H54N 18X Write DVD Optical Drive |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$74.99 |
Sunbeam Freezing-Storm Black ATX Mid Tower Case 450W |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$199 |
Acer X203HBD 24" LCD 1080p Monitor |
Get $ Price |
- |
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($112) |
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Operating System OEM |
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- |
Also Consider: Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy Drive, 56K Modem,
Speakers. |
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$898 |
Estimated Overall Price |
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| * All prices are
approximations and are listed in $CDN for simplicity. |
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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 |
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$350 |
Intel Core i7 920 Quad-Core Socket LGA1366, 2.66Ghz Processor |
Get $ Price
| |
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$238 |
MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Motherboard |
Get $ Price
| - |
|
$143 |
G.SKILL 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Memory |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$245 |
EVGA E-GEFORCE GTX 260 576MHZ 896MB Video Card |
Get $ Price |
- |
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- |
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$90 |
Western Digital Caviar 640GB SATA2 7200RPM Hard Drive |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$34 |
Pioneer 216D 20X Optical Drive |
Get $ Price |
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$90 |
Enermax Uber Chakra Case |
Get $ Price |
- |
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$85 |
Sunbeam PSU-HUSH680-US-BL 680W PSU |
Get $ Price |
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$240 |
Acer X233H 23IN LCD Widescreen Monitor Black 1920X1080 40000:1 5MS VGA
DVI HDMI |
Get $ Price |
- |
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($199) |
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Operating System OEM |
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- |
Also Consider: Operating System, Keyboard, Mouse, 3.5" Floppy
Drive, 56K Modem, Speakers. |
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$1580 |
Estimated Overall Price |
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| * 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.
Contents of Article: PCSTATS
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