The $2000 Home System attempts to accommodate the day to day uses of a family. Finances, internet access, word processing and gaming all come into play.
AMD is still providing big bang for the buck, with their Athlon64 line of processors in our price range. Our 3800+ GHz is a dual core CPU. Buy a few notches from the top to save big.
A MSI Neo4-F motherboard with the Nvidia Nforce4 chipset gives the best new features and a solid upgrade path to all current AMD processors. It supports DDR RAM, ATA133 and SATA II hard drives and is very speedy. MSI boards provide great features for a low price point.
DDR RAM has stabilized this month, so 1024 MB DDR RAM is installed. This is two 512 MB DIMMs to save a few dollars.
Lots of great storage options. The Samsung 7200 RPM 250 GB SATA II hard drive that runs quiet and fast. LG DVD Writer hits the mainstream and supports all three formats and dual layer. Comes with great software packages and really improve our value. Squeezed in a 7 in 1 memory card reader and floppy combo; nice stuff.
Video is handled well by the Nvidia Geforce 6600GT; best bang for the buck in the middle ground. Hopefully prices will be down enough next time to include a 7800GT. Attached to this is a very nice wide screen 20” Dell LCD monitor; they’re always on sale so watch for the best deal.
The same cost conscious mentality carries to the sound setup. The Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Music sound card delivers surround sound to our Logitech X-530 5.1 Speakers. This definitely gets the job done, and gives great features.
Outside connectivity provided via onboard 10/100/1000 NIC and a U.S. Robotics 56k modem. Nothing fancy, but you don’t need fancy to network or dial up.
Input is handled by Microsoft via the Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 and Comfort Optical Mouse 3000. Both very competent and comfortable to use, as well as fitting the budget.
Wrapping it together is an Antec SLK3800AMB mid tower with a 400 watt power supply. This is a “budget” model that combines a good price with high end features. Windows XP Home Edition to get the PC actually doing something. Keeping it all safe is an APC battery backup and surge suppression system. It’s an overlooked item that should be included with any PC purchase. Include eBabble’s free software bundle.
Pricing from November 2005
| Component | Price $ Cdn |
| AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ | 374.00 |
| MSI Neo4-F Socket 939 Nforce4 Motherboard | 108.90 |
| Micron 512 MB PC3200 DDR RAM x2 | 118.80 |
| Samsung SP2504C 250 GB SATAII Hard Drive | 145.20 |
| LG GSA4167B 16x16x DVD All Format DVD Writer | 57.20 |
| Mitsumi FA402A Memory Card Reader & 3.5" Floppy Drive | 24.20 |
| MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 Geforce 6600GT PCI-E Video Card | 203.50 |
| Dell 2005FPW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor | 550.00 |
| Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Music PCI Sound Card | 144.10 |
| Logitech X-530 5.1 Speakers | 73.70 |
| US Robotics 56K v.92 PCI Modem | 15.40 |
| Antec SLK3800AMB Mid Tower Case & 400 watt Power Supply | 114.40 |
| Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 | 27.50 |
| Microsoft Comfort Optical Mouse 3000 | 27.50 |
| Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition | 111.10 |
| APC BE500U BackUPS ES 500VA | 73.70 |
| Total Before Tax | 2169.20 |
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