Buyer's Guide - Mid-Range, January 2005
by Jarred Walton on January 21, 2005 11:09 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Miscellaneous Considerations
That takes care of everything needed for a new computer system other than the mouse, keyboard, and operating system. You also need networking, but unless you're planning to use a WiFi network, the integrated LAN ports available on all motherboards will get the job done. For the keyboard and mouse, we're going to stick with our standard suggestion: get what you like. For a mid-range setup, wireless keyboards and mice are a possibility. You can always pick up a cheap keyboard and mouse, but spending a bit more on something that is comfortable isn't a bad idea. Here are our thoughts, but get what you're most comfortable using.
 |
 |
| Click images to enlarge. | |
Keyboard and Mouse Recommendation:
Microsoft or Logitech Keyboard and Optical Mouse Combo PackPrice: $25 to $29 Shipped
For many people, all you really need is a decent keyboard and mouse. If you don't want to invest a lot of money in these items, go with a Logitech or Microsoft combo pack that will get you both for a reduced price. Either one will work quite well. If you want other options, consider the following upgrades (which we list strictly as alternatives, especially in the case of the mouse, as few people would be willing to spend that much money).
Click to enlarge.
Keyboard Alternative:
Microsoft Natural Multimedia Keyboard PS/2Price: $29 Shipped (OEM)
If you type a lot - as many of us do - getting an ergonomic keyboard is a really good idea. You may not have any symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome right now, but getting old sucks and is unavoidable, and you may find yourself looking back wondering what would have happened if you had switched to an ergonomic keyboard earlier in your life. (Yes, I speak from personal experience. It happened to me and it could happen to you once you turn 30 as well. Better safe than sorry, and now that I've switched to a natural keyboard, using the normal style keyboards definitely increases the discomfort level.) The one issue that is unavoidable with any ergonomic keyboard that we've looked at is a certain amount of time spent retraining your brain. It usually takes a month or so to adapt to the new layout, and difference in the location of such keys as the backslash, home/end/insert/delete, or some other key(s) can be irritating for a while.
Click to enlarge.
Mouse Alternative:
Logitech MX1000 Laser CordlessPrice: $63 Shipped (Retail)
If you're looking for the latest in mouse technology, this is it. The laser tracking offers improved accuracy relative to optical mice - so says Logitech, as well as many others who have tried this mouse. It's on the large side, so if you have small hands, there are probably better options out there. Having batteries inside the mouse also makes it heavier than corded mice, which some people will dislike. For many people, however, the new laser mouse is a treat to use. The included rechargeable batteries and charging base are typical of Logitech's high-end cordless mice, and a single charge lasts more than a day even under near-constant use. After the initial charge, the "rapid charge" feature can restore full power in about 15 minutes; so even at a LAN party, all you would need is a short break to ensure continued power. In our experience, nearly all cordless mice can have periodic communication issues, so if you're really picky about response times, waiting for a wired version may be something to think about.
SFF Thoughts
We've mentioned the possibility of ditching the large cases and motherboards and going with a small form factor (SFF) case before, and that is definitely an option. We saw a few PCI Express AMD SFFs at CES, but it will be a bit longer before they're available for purchase. We're still working on the SFF roundup that we've been talking about, and we will hopefully see the first article before the end of the month. There are a huge number of options, so for now, we suggest that you look around and try to find one that fits your personal aesthetics.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
46 Comments
View All Comments
JarredWalton - Wednesday, January 26, 2005 - link
^^^ Er, Foxconn is at MonarchComputer.com, not GameVE.JarredWalton - Wednesday, January 26, 2005 - link
44 - This was written by January 18th and published Jan 21st. Things change rapidly, which is why the Buyer's Guides are really just a snapshot in time. There are several NF4 boards now available at Newegg, including the Chaintech and an MSI Neo4 Platinum. Odd that the Chaintech lists "NVIDIA 7.1-channel audio" - is SoundStorm back with NF4? I don't think I had heard about that. The Gigabyte board is also available from quite a few other resellers besides Newegg, of course. There's even a $109 Foxconn NF4 board at GameVE. Interesting! Not that I've had any good Foxconn experiences, but $109 is attractive.jleandro - Wednesday, January 26, 2005 - link
Don't want to be a pain, you guys review whatever boards you think are worthy, but I just checked Newegg and here's what they had IN STOCK:CHAINTECH NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU, Model "VNF4/Ultra" -RETAIL US$ 135
MSI "K8N Neo4 Platinum" NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL US$ 159
GIGABYTE "GA-K8NXP-SLI" NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL US$ 249
ASUS "A8N-SLI Deluxe" nForce4 SLI Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL US$ 265
Interesting that the Gigabyte K8NF-9 was actually not in stock.
hawksballer - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
JarredWalton - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
41 - Guide editors changed a few months back. The "alternative" configurations have always been more expensive, and they include *all* the alternatives, usually. If you were to take this Guide's alternative (NF4) and stick with the recommend parts everywhere else, price would drop considerably. I haven't made a point of highlighting this, but I did change the pricing targets a bit on the Guides.For the budget, I typically try for $500, but I usually end up closer to $600. Compromises to drop the price are possible but undesirable, i.e. go with 1x256 MB of RAM. The Budget altenative I generally target slightly below the Mid-Range, so $900 to $1000 is usually where it lands.
The Mid-Range has been bumped to $1250 by default, which generally allows for a very good all-around system with few (if any) compromises. The alternative Mid-Range I try to keep under $2000, although closer to $1750 is desirable.
I haven't done any High-End or OC Guides, but High-End will be in the $2000+ range (maxing out at $4000 or so with *all* the trimmings), and the OC Guide is really just about any of the above price goals. I'm working on one of those.
Hopefully that answers your questions. If you want to trim costs a bit on the Mid-Range, going to a slower CPU and GPU usually cuts close to $200, but then it's no longer an all-around system.
-------------
#40: The Chaintech may very well be available in Hungary, but it is not at all available in the US right now. Newegg is the one of the few sites that even list it, and any boards have disappeared *FAST*. If you picked on up without difficulty where you live, more power to you! Lucky #@$^&*%! ;)
wilburpan - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
Is it just me, or have the Mid-Range and Entry Level Buyer's Guides suffered from price inflation? It seems to me that way back when, the price points for these two were a solid $1000 and $500, respectively. Now the Entry Level Guide has a budget of up to $1000, while the Mid-Range Guide is pushing $2000.I can understand that picking price points is an arbitrary process, but I would think that for comparing what your computer dollar buys you over tme, it would be nice to remain consistent.
jleandro - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
Can't understand why the Chanitech NF4 Ultra Zenith is not considered to be available.I live in Hungary (not the prime tech spot) and this board has been available for some time, most retailers have it.
In fact I just bought one today for ~110 USD and will pick it up tomorrow.
For instance, check http://www.e-connect.hu under "alaplapok" (motherboard in Hungarian).
JarredWalton - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
38 - Thanks. It's corrected now. The marketing for the drive states "with SATA-II features" and somewhere along the line that got put in as SATA-II. :| Basically, the drive has hot-swap capability and NCQ, which are both SATA-II. It does not support 300MB/s, but then burst transfer rates really matter much. With sustained transfer rates of even the fastest drives maxing out around 70 MB/s, it will be quite some time before SATA-II transfer rates really show real-world benefit.37 - 0dB computing? I'm not sure I'm the one to address that, but it's certainly something to think about. I'll pass that along and see if we can acquire the parts for such a test. They're relatively expensive in comparison to fan-based solutions, unfortunately.
AnnihilatorX - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
JarredWalton:A misleading information I just found and thought would like to point out...
The Maxtor Diamond Max 10 300GB with NCQ 16MB cache (6B300S0) is SATA-I/150 in terms of transfer speed, but not SATA-II/300 as stated in page 6.
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=232...
"Maxtor 300GB SATA-II with NCQ and 16MB cache"
ceefka - Monday, January 24, 2005 - link
Again a great guide. I was already interested in the Maxtor 300 GB SATA II. I guess in that case you'll have to go with the Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 or any of the other nForce 4 boards.Would it be a challenge for AT to build a 0dB PC with high end components with Intel and AMD and compare notes. This machine should at least be a mid-range performer or just as high as you can go on 0dB.
I wonder because I'd like to build something really quiet. I have already looked into components like Yesico FL420 and fanless CPU coolers, but I am not sure if all of that will work with also two Maxtor 300GB SATA-II's in http://www.blacknoise.de/shop/de_DE/produkte/id_is...