This is a top of the line gaming machine, pure and simple. We gather the best pieces within a $3000 framework and build the best. This used to be a $5000 machine but it’s amazing what can be had within the lowered budget.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450
This is the fastest quad core CPU with a reasonable price: after this comes the extreme units with crazy prices. The Q9450 has four cores running at 2.66 GHz on a 1333 MHz bus. Yes that’s basically the same as …

We’ve completely retooled our server recommendation. Previously we built an SME server at the $4000 CDN mark that filled most business requirements. We’ve scaled that back to a SOHO server that stretches to the SME segment for backup duties of up to ten clients.
CPU: Intel Celeron Dual Core E1200
To start things off I went with the Celeron Dual Core processor at 1.6 GHz: lots of power for this application.
Motherboard: Asus P5N-MX
The Asus e-7050 motherboard is solid, utilizing the Nforce 610i chipset. Rock solid with cutting edge features …

The $1500 Home System attempts to accommodate the day to day uses of a family. Finances, internet access, word processing and gaming all come into play.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Intel leads the CPU market right now, and the quad core Q6600 processor is just too much of a deal to pass up.
Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Arctic Cooling has consistently impressed me with their high performance and low cost units. I’m tempted by massive towers of copper and aluminum but the price scares me off.
Motherboard: Asus P5N-D Nvidia 750i …

As part of our PC Build update the $1000 PC has been lowered by $250 to reflect a great system for this price.  The $750 is by far the hardest computer to build. For this price range you can get many excellent used, refurbished or bare bone machines. Here we try and get the most bang for the buck. This system can be a standard office machine or home unit.
CPU: Intel Pentium Dual Core 2180
The heart of any PC is the processor. The 2180 gives a very nice price …