Weekly Buyer's Guide: Entry Level System - June 2004

Entry Level System Summary

Hardware	Component	Price
CPU & Cooling	AMD Athlon XP 2000+ (cooling included)	$57
Motherboard	ASUS A7N8X-X (nForce2 400)	$69
Memory	1 X 256MB Kingston ValueRAM	$50
Video Card	64MB Sapphire Radeon 9200SE	$43
Monitor	Samsung SyncMaster 17" Flat-Tube (model 763MB)	$150
Computer Case	CaseEdge TS1 Mid Tower plus 300W PSU	$61
Sound Card	Onboard sound	$0
Speakers	Creative Labs SBS270 2.0 speakers	$20
Networking	Onboard 10/100 Ethernet	$0
Hard Drive	Western Digital 400BB (40GB)	$57
CD-RW	Sony 52x32x52 CD-RW	$31
Bottom Line	-	$538

$538 is the final price of this week's entry level system, not including any money that you'll spend on software (Windows XP Home or Professional, Office, etc.) or a keyboard and mouse.

The bang-for-the-buck that you get with this system is quite impressive. All components were tested right here at AnandTech with these exact specifications, with everything working beautifully. Factor in excellent performance for the money and a 3-year warranty on parts such as the CPU and hard drive, and you've got yourself quite the complete system. The major alternative picks that will make the biggest difference in your daily usage include the faster 2500+ CPU, faster and larger hard drive, and better graphics performance, all for minimal price increases. We suggest that you consider the alternative picks seriously.

Now, go build your system and let us know what you think in our comments section.