Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Video performance
2D video quality is important for our budget system, because it deter-
mines display clarity and sharpness for the browsers, office suites, and
similar applications that this system will run. A budget system is not
intended for serious gaming, so 3D video performance is relatively un-
important. Still, we'd like enough video horsepower for at least casual 3D
gaming, so we'll choose a motherboard with fast integrated video, such as
the NVIDIA GeForce 8200. Just to keep our options open, we'll make sure
our motherboard provides a PCI Express x16 video slot. That way, if after
a couple of years we need faster video, we can install a $50 PCI-E video
adapter, which by then will be as fast or faster than the fastest video cards
available today.
Disk capacity/performance
Disk capacity and performance are moderately important for the budget
system. A small, slow hard drive can noticeably degrade system perfor-
mance. Fortunately, fast hard drives of reasonably large capacity are rela-
tively inexpensive. Rather than spending $30 on a small, slow hard drive,
we'll spend an extra $15 or $20 for a mainstream 7,200 RPM drive with
midrange capacity.
Component Considerations
With our design criteria in mind, we set out to choose the best components
for the budget PC system. The following sections describe the components we
chose, and why we chose them.
CaseandPowerSupply
Antec NSK-4482 Mid-Tower Case
(
http://www.antec.com
)
It's easy to spend too little on the case and power supply for a budget system.
When we searched NewEgg for computer cases with power supplies, we found
more than 100 products for $50 or less. We wouldn't use any of those on a bet.
Cheap cases are bad enough: things don't fit properly, and they're full of burrs
and sharp edges that make working on them dangerous. But cheap power sup-
plies are worse. It's simply not possible to build a reliable system using a cheap
power supply. Even a budget system deserves a top-quality power supply, al-
though a low-wattage unit—something in the 350W range—is sufficient.
Unfortunately, the price of a decent case and power supply has risen signifi-
cantly over the last few years, probably because of the financial crisis and the
decline of the U.S. dollar relative to Pacific Rim currencies. A couple of years
ago, models suitable for a budget system sold in the $65 to $75 range. Equiva-
lent cases now sell in the $90 to $100 range, which takes a larger bite out of
our budget.
Shipping Coal to Newcastle
Incidentally, shipping cases is expen-
sive. You can often save $20 or more
if you can find a suitable case locally
or a model online that includes free
shipping.
In that price range, we think the Antec NSK-4482 is the best choice. It's very
attractive, and the bundled EarthWatts 380 power supply is perfectly accept-
able. Other suitable cases in that price range are the ThermalTake Element T
and the Antec NSK-3480.
