System Buyers' Guide: PCs for Under $1000
by Sean Hollister on February 12, 2010 2:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Get Your Upgrades
In the preceding pages, we've explained how to build the most PC for the least money while maintaining our high standards for quality in each and every individual component. In places, we've also found ways you could optionally "get less," saving some money in exchange for features most want but you don't necessarily need. But what if you're satisfied with your build and have some extra money left over? Are there any moderate upgrades that are similarly worth every penny you'll spend? That is the question we'll attempt to address here, in our new Upgrades section. Simply scroll down to the heading that best suits your computing style and we'll suggest a part or three that you won't regret adding to your purchase.
The Multitasker
If you're a business user looking to improve your productivity, there are two basic ways to ensure that happens as you build a new PC. First, you can make sure your computer is as responsive and multithread capable as can be; and second, you can optionally get a larger monitor with a higher resolution, so you have plenty of desktop real estate to work with.
When it comes to multithreaded performance, there's little we can do for the Intel Entry-level PC; upgrading to a quad-core LGA 775 processor is currently cost-prohibitive enough that you should just go with the Core i3-530 in our mainstream configuration instead. But you can easily spend an extra $30 for the $102 Athlon II X4 630 if you need an extra core in our AMD Entry-level PC. Also, though it's not terribly cost effective, you can also get better single and multithreaded performance in our AMD Mainstream PC by purchasing the $140 Phenom II X4 940 or better.
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Meanwhile, if you want a responsive computer, we suggest that you look at the $130 Intel X25-V solid state drive. With a capacity of only 40GB and exceedingly slow sequential write times, the X25-V isn't a replacement for your rotational storage. But with superb read and random write times thanks to the same controller used on Intel's critically acclaimed X25-M G2, it will serve as a fabulous boot drive that will cut your Windows load times in half and speed up basic computing. Since sales seem to come and go on this drive, you might want to shop around; currently, you can find one at ZipZoomFly for $110 after rebate.
Finally, if you need a bigger screen at an affordable price point, ASUS continues to have you covered. For an entry-level PC, upgrading from the 19" ASUS VW193TR to the 21.5" 1080p VH226H is a no-brainer; but if you need a couple of extra inches, the ASUS VH236H ($170 after a $20 rebate) provides a highly rated 23" screen for just $20 more. And though we're not certain that it's worth the premium price, if you're looking for the increasingly rare large 16:10 panels, the ASUS VW266H provides a relatively inexpensive 25.5" 1920x1200 screen for $300.
The Gamer
While it's true that some games can be limited greatly by the power of your CPU, hardcore PC gamers know that for the most part, the true heart of a gaming PC is its graphics card. What that means is that, up to a certain point, you can pick a powerful GPU and get greatly increased graphical performance in even an entry-level Pentium Dual-Core system like the one on page 3.
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If you plan to run titles that aren't particularly strenuous or you don't mind running at reduced graphics settings, the same $100 Radeon HD 4850 we recommended for our Mainstream rigs will provide plenty of power to one of our 1440x900 entry-level PCs. If you need even more power, however, a $160 Radeon HD 5770 should be able to provide enough horsepower for 1920x1200 gaming—in addition to Eyefinity and DX11—with minimal bottlenecking. If you're considering an upgrade for one of our Mainstream configs, there's once again the Radeon HD 5770, the Radeon HD 4890 provides excellent 1920x1200 performance for $200, and the Radeon HD 5850 hits the ceiling of reality at $300. We can't really justify the price for cards more expensive than the 5850 due to diminishing returns, just as we can't currently justify buying any gaming cards from NVIDIA unless you need PhysX or 3D Vision. As of today, when it comes to gaming, ATI beats NVIDIA at every price point.
If you're serious about gaming, you might also want to pick up a dedicated gaming mouse as well. While most gamers can get along just fine with a budget keyboard, the precision and response time of a gaming mouse really does make a difference, and these days you can find very good ones for $30 if you wait for a sale. Though the exact mouse you pick will depend on your dominant hand and grip style, right-handers will find it hard to go wrong with the comfortable Logitech MX518 optical wheel mouse for $40.
The Multimedia Enthusiast
If you're a true multimedia enthusiast, you probably already have the expensive screen and sound system on-hand, and you're looking to us for a budget pseudo-HTPC capable of supporting it. Well, if you picked our Intel Mainstream PC or our AMD Entry-level PC, you're already most of the way there; you just need to trade up for an appropriately small case to house the system, wireless peripherals and a Blu-ray drive.
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For roughly the same price of the Centurion 5 case and ModXStream power supply in our standard configurations, you can pick up the $110 Antec New Solution NSK2480 instead, a popular, component-style steel HTPC case built in collaboration with the editor of SilentPCReview.com. Featuring a built-in 380W, 80 Plus-certified power supply, full-height expansion slots and a number of important tweaks for airflow and quiet operation, it's an excellent choice for the money.
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If you need a single drive that can read Blu-ray discs and burn DVDs, your best budget choice is the LG CH08LS10, a combo Blu-ray reader and 16X LightScribe-capable DVDRW for $100. If you only want to watch movies, you can pick up the Lite-On iHOS104-06, an internal SATA drive that reads Blu-ray, DVDs and CDs for a practically unheard of $60.
When it comes to cheap wireless peripherals, quality is always a mixed bag. The Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 100 hits all the important notes with a reasonably shrunk 102-key keyboard in a straightforward arrangement, an acceptable 1000dpi optical mouse with scroll wheel, RF connectivity and the low price of $31—only $10 more than our wired peripheral recommendation—for the pair. (Note that it's currently listed on sale at Target for just $20.)
As one last HTPC consideration, you might want to swap out your storage. For the same price as the WD Caviar Blue, you can get Western Digital's Caviar Green 500GB instead, which sacrifices the dedicated 7200RPM spindle speed of other drives for increased power savings and reduced noise—features that prove valuable in an HTPC hard drive.
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DominionSeraph - Saturday, February 13, 2010 - link
For only $6900 + a measly $400 tax (CT), you could have an 8 core 2.93GHz with a whopping 6GB RAM and a rebranded Geforce 8600 GT!Can i haz tek job nao?
chrnochime - Saturday, February 13, 2010 - link
I haven't been keeping up to date with the socket h burn issue. So, has Anand et al figured out, with or without help from the manu, determine the source of the socket burn problem?I can only speak for myself that unless this is determined conclusively, I'm stuck going with either socket 1366 or frantically scour up the last of the 775 motherboards.
stardude82 - Saturday, February 20, 2010 - link
There was never an really issue with the 1156 Boards. The problem was only with Foxconn sockets used for extreme overclocking above 4 Ghz. If you are really concerned there are lots of boards with the Lotts manufactured sockets.clarkn0va - Saturday, February 13, 2010 - link
Ignoring ACC and the possibility of unlocking one core of the Athlon II X3 435, it's not obvious why one would pay an extra 67% for the Phenom II X3 720, at least not from the information provided in the article.Looking in Bench, these two CPUs trade blows on all the benchmarks and there is no obvious winner. Add to that the possibility of turning the 435 into a quad, and the fact that it's $50 cheaper, according to this article, and I have no idea how SH can recommend the 720 at all, at least not without looking at information beyond what's presented here and in Bench. Please enlighten me if I'm missing the point though.
Great article, Sean. It's always interesting to see what other pros are recommending and why.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=112&...">http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=112&...
SeanHollister - Sunday, February 14, 2010 - link
You're right on the money, pun intended. In terms of performance per dollar at stock clocks, the Athlon is indeed a much better value for today's software, especially if you manage to unlock the fourth core.That said, there are three things that distinguish the Phenom. First, it's a better (and easier) overclocker. Second, it's the better gaming CPU in all benchmarks I've yet seen. Third and most importantly, it's got a sizable L3 cache—fast becoming an industry standard for CPUs—where the Athlon has none.
In today's software and benchmarks, the L3 cache doesn't offer much of an advantage, just as a dual-core processor wouldn't offer an advantage over a single core a number of years back, but I'm guessing that as just as multithreading takes hold, so will the L3 cache that assists it.
All that said, is a bit of futureproofing and a little extra gaming performance worth $50? To be completely honest, when I first chose the Phenom chip, I was calculating its value at the Newegg price of $105, which I realized at the very last minute was the price for the bare CPU, *without a cooler,* and failed to rethink the value equation when I adjusted the price.
piasabird - Friday, February 12, 2010 - link
http://www.directron.com/clarkdalesys1.html">http://www.directron.com/clarkdalesys1.htmlPart Number:SYS-Clarkdale-System-01Regular price:$419.99On Sale: $399.99
System Components:
Processor: Intel Core i3 530 2.93GHz Clarkdale 32nm Dual Core CPU
Memory: 2GB (1x2GB) DDR3 1066 memory
Motherboard: MSI H55M-E33 Socket 1156 Micro-ATX motherboard with Intel H55 chipset
Video: Integrated
Audio: 8 Channel Audio
Storage: 320GB SATA2 Hard Drive
Optical: 24X DVD-RW Drive
Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition mid-tower case with TR2 450W power supply.
jigar - Friday, February 12, 2010 - link
My very first post on Anandtech. before today i hadn't even heard of Anandtech. Found it really impressive (especially the CPU benchmark comparison bit).after reading this article i have decided to build my own base unit (with the help of a pal). my old unit stopped working few days ago (hence the reason me trawling the net).
thing is, the prices quoted are in dollars. do you guys have any idea how much cheaper/expensive they are in UK? i tried shopping on amazon for parts and found out that intel core i3 530 is about £90 (is that reasonable? do you guys know where else i could shop for parts?)
also, i got confused whilst reading the article. do i need to buy two hard drives or just one? you have mentioned WD Caviar blue 500GB on the intel mainstream pc system but in the upgrade section you have said that intel X25-V solid state drive which is only 40GB (£96 on amazon) is essential for a multitasker as it also speeds up basic computing and will cut windows load times by half.
i am actually not a gamer. i just want a system where as mentioned above, the windows load up quickly and where i can use different programs at once (without slowing down the computer - e.g. internet and microsoft word etc).
the other thing you mentioned was Cooling - CPU retail HSF - i searched for it on amazon but nothing came up :(
i also already have a monitor so just need a base unit which is fast and reliable (i am totally fed up with installing windows software every few months).
my original budget was between £200 and £300 but may spend upto £400.
Any help will be really appreciated.
FlyTexas - Friday, February 12, 2010 - link
Welcome to AnandTech, one of the better tech review sites on the web.A quick heads up, most of us here have been doing this awhile and are rather techie, so forgive us when we talk over your head, it is not meant to be rude.
The Heatsink & Fan come with the Retail version of the CPU, you do not buy them separately.
You don't have to buy 2 hard drives, the suggestion for the 40GB Intel drive is just due to the speed of SSDs (Solid State Drives). These drives use flash memory rather than spinning disks, they are fast, but expensive.
As for places to buy, almost everyone here will tell you NewEgg, however they do not sell internationally. Google "newegg uk equivalent" to get some ideas.
jigar - Saturday, February 13, 2010 - link
but if i only get one hard drive with a 40Gb storage (i admit it will be faster and that is what i want) but where would i store all the files?what if i buy two hard drives? one fast solid state 40GB to boot up the computer and the other to store files (i would like the system to work for atleast few years so i probably will need a big enough hard drive) so is it possible to have two hard drives, one to boot up and one to store files?
how big is 40GB, will it be enough for me? i watched avatar and saved it on my desktop (the legend of aang series is alone 15GB). it was my favourite so i downloaded it. but i dont download/save movies so probably something like 250 or 500GB should be enough for me?
since i saved those avatar files, my computer went really slow. it would take minutes (literaly) to take any single action.
can you make a separate list for me please? (using uk part names) there is this website www.pcspecialist.co.uk (may be you can guide me through their prices and parts).
Ratman6161 - Friday, February 12, 2010 - link
Take for example your Intel entry level build at $690.00.Check out this from HP: http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/compute...">http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopp...ktops/Ev...
Or I'll save you the time of following the link by saying its an i3 based system with 4gb DDR3 RAM and onboard video and audio. So that should be better performance than the E5300 and its $549.00
About two months ago I bought my inlaws a similar system but with the 5300 and 3 GB DDR2 on my company's employee purchase program for $349.00.
Build it yourself makes sense for mid-range to high end -- if that is you are the kind of person who wants to get exactly the specs you were looking for. But on the low end, there is just no way that you can build a system for the prices the big OEMs are charging. The other big advantage is that if I built the system for them, then I would also become their technical support where this way they can call HP. Then again, the system has been working so well, they haven't had to call HP either.