Building a DIY "low-end" Vista system doesn’t save money
By Jonathan Schlaffer
It is possible to build a relatively “cheap” Vista system but doing so doesn’t really save money. After everything is added up the system itself will cost just under $500 but you’ll still need to add in a monitor, keyboard and any other accessories you might want/need.
Granted, in some cases the monitor and keyboard may not be necessary if you’ve had a previous computer and are upgrading. The system I pieced together consisted of “low-end” components but were not necessarily the cheapest of each.
The only way to get a DIY (do it yourself) computer for under $500 is to go with an AMD processor and motherboard. To that end an AMD Athlon 64×2 4000+ was chosen with the JetWay JM26GT3-SVP motherboard. This motherboard has integrated graphics so you will not need to spend extra for a graphics card; provided you aren’t playing games.
Since the motherboard is limited on SATA ports, a single large hard drive is the best choice; a 640GB Western Digital. For the optical drive, a LITE-ON DVDRW with LightScribe.
Some tutorials go with 1GB of memory which I find unacceptable for Vista; so I went with 2GB of A-DATA Value memory. There really isn’t any other choice of operating system besides Vista Home Premium for the hardware chosen. Note, it’s possible to find Linux compatible hardware but for most people Vista is the “best” choice even if it isn’t a good operating system; according to some.
The keyboard, mouse and monitor are pretty much a secondary consideration when building a cheap system. Still, you can either go for a wired or wireless keyboard and mouse. The Logitech cordless standard desktop is a nice (and relatively inexpensive) choice. As for the monitor, the KDS 17″ widescreen is about as cheap as they come.
Here is the price run down;
As you can see, it’s possible to save a few bucks if you already have a keyboard, mouse and monitor. But even for $472, it is possible to buy an off-the-shelf system that is better in some respects. These systems may come up short in the hard drive storage department but make up for it by having a better processor and range in price from $430 to $600.
If you need the monitor then a combo package from any one of the big box retailers is probably a better buy. Combo packages include a monitor and usually a printer, if you’re lucky, it’s a photo printer. These usually include a 19″ widescreen monitor and currently start at $560 but it only goes up from there.
My suggestion is if you are in need of an inexpensive system then just buy one off-the-shelf and save yourself the trouble of the actual build, operating system and driver installations.
It is possible to save money on a DIY system if you need a powerful gaming system or one for graphics work; on the low end, not so much. The only thing you’ll really need to do to these systems is install a PCI Express graphics card; if you want to play games.
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March 9th, 2008
“Note, it’s possible to find Linux compatible hardware but for most people Vista is the “best” choice even…”
Oh, come now.
Take a poll of Eee PC users who have tried both Windows and Linux on that unit, and find out which is the more user-friendly and best choice - a hint, it’s not Windows.
Linux was a perfectly acceptable choice for 20% of the desktop market 10 years ago, 50% 5 years ago, and 90% of the desktop market now. Remember, most people aren’t Photoshop or video editing pros or hard-core gamers. Most people just want Internet, email, word processing and a few games.
Only Microsoft’s chokehold of the OEM hardware market, along with a dearth of visionary PC builders, ensures Microsoft’s ongoing desktop hegemony, regardless of how bad successive generations of Windows are.