Intel Budget
In the past, Intel offerings have tended to be more expensive than configurations from AMD, but our Intel and AMD budget PCs carry virtually identical prices. With prices the same, you can choose your budget system based on other features that are important to you.
| Intel Budget PC | ||
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale (Dual-core 2.93GHz, 45nm, 65W, 3MB Shared L2, 1066FSB) |
$140 |
| Cooling | CPU Retail HSF | - |
| Video | Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 512MB 100277L | $100 |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L Intel G41 Micro ATX | $65 |
| Memory | OCZ Platinum Model OCZ2P10664GK 2x2GB 5-5-5 DDR2-1066 ($63 less $25 Rebate) |
$38 |
| Hard Drive | WD Caviar Green WD6400AACS 640GB 16MB Cache | $65 |
| Optical Drive | Sony Optiarc Model AD-7240S-OB 24X DVDRW SATA | $24 |
| Audio | On-Board | - |
| Case | Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Mid Tower | $40 |
| Power Supply | BFG Tech LS Series LS-550 550W SLI/CrossFire Ready 80 Plus Certified ($80 less $20 Rebate) |
$60 |
| Base System Total | $532 | |
| Display | ASUS VH222H 21.5" 5ms Widescreen 16:9 LCD (1920x1080) | $155 |
| Speakers | Cyber Acoustics CA3090WB 2.1 Gaming Speakers | $16 |
| Input | Microsoft CA9-00001 PS/2 Keyboard and Optical Mouse | $17 |
| Operating System | Microsoft Vista Home Premium SP1 (for System Builders) | $99 |
| Complete System Bottom Line | $819 | |
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The E7500 ups the bus to 1066 from the 800FSB of our entry-level Intel system. A dual-core 2.93GHz with 3MB of cache won't be a slouch in any department in your budget system. Yes the new Core i7 is faster, but it is also much more expensive. The question for a budget system is how good the performance is for the money spent. The E7500 SYSmark 2007 score is about 72% of the top Core i7 965 Extreme. That is fantastic performance for a CPU that costs just $140. The E7500 is also a candidate for overclocking if you are inclined to move the performance a bit closer toward the 3.33GHz Core 2 Duo E8600, which reaches 88% of the i7 965 SYSmark performance. The only drawback to this processor choice is the lack of Intel's Virtualization Technology (Intel VT). If running the Windows Virtual PC under Windows 7 for XP Mode (as one example) is important to you, then moving up to the E8x00 range is the only valid option near this price point.
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Unfortunately, we do not have any motherboards in the Intel budget sector that offer the price to performance ratio of our AMD choice. However, we did find a board that would suit most of our needs and it also comes from Gigabyte. The GA-G41M-ES2L motherboard offers a very solid platform for our processor and discrete ATI 4770 video card choices. It could also double as a barebones entry-level contender. This board features the Intel G41 Northbridge and ICH7 Southbridge along with support for 8GB of memory. Gigabyte tosses in the Realtek ALC 888B HD audio codec, Realtek RTL8111DL Gigabit LAN controller, eight USB 2.0 ports, one IDE connector, and four SATA 3Gb/s connectors. The board uses the uATX form factor, and while uATX boards are often a layout nightmare the Gigabyte layout is very good for most applications.
Designed for the casual overclocker in mind, the BIOS allows for decent headroom with FSB speeds hitting 333MHz on our E5200 and E7400 processors. The board has been extremely stable in testing so far and we recommend it. Our only drawback is the small number of SATA ports and the missing support for AHCI/NCQ due to the use of ICH7. In order to get the ICH10 Southbridge, you will have to step up to the G43/P43/P45 offerings that run an additional $15~$30 more for performance-oriented motherboards. That will be a small price for many users, but when every penny counts it can certainly matter.
We did not select an aftermarket CPU heatsink for either budget system to go along with our CPU choices. For this budget, a $50 solution from Thermalright or Scythe is simply not a realistic option, and the stock AMD and Intel heatsinks are good for decent if unspectacular overclocks of the E7500 and Phenom II 720BE. However, if you want spectacular overclocking, both CPUs benefit from better cooling and you can take either CPU to Mt. Olympus heights by adding a better CPU heatsink/fan. You'll just have to decide if the $50 spent on a separate cooler and higher CPU overclocks are better than a larger HDD, faster GPU, better LCD, or more RAM.
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Again, we have discussed the option of discrete video cards for our budget systems in past guides. However, it was always an option that would drive up the cost of the system by $150 or so. We just could not recommend an inexpensive budget based card like the ATI HD 4550 as the price to performance benefits over the integrated solutions were just not there. Our opinions changed with the release of the ATI HD 4770 card last month. We did our best to figure out a way to shoe horn in this remarkable "budget" card to create a system that allows midrange gaming performance in most game titles, excellent HTPC capabilities, HD video playback, and crystal clear Aero performance at high resolutions in Windows 7 or Vista. Yes, not everyone in this market sector needs this "luxury" option. We are selecting the ATI Radeon HD 4770 as our jack-of-all-trades GPU for our budget configurations. If you want less performance for a lower cost, the MSI HD 4670 is a reasonable alternative at just $53 after rebate.
The rest of the components are the same as those found in the AMD budget system. Sound cards at this budget are simply an unnecessary luxury, and the onboard offerings continue to improve with each new motherboard generation. You can be reasonably happy with the onboard sound until you figure out if you want to upgrade to something better.
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Zak - Friday, May 15, 2009 - link
I've built a $350 (tower only) AMD PC with on-board graphics using that HEC case. It's really nice looking for the price. The front panel looks grea, well finished. And the steel is sturdy and everything inside is nicely finished. This is really a great value case.Z.
pirspilane - Thursday, May 14, 2009 - link
I installed both the NVIDIA HD Audio driver and the Realtek HD Audio driver. Do I need both? What's the difference?Also, does the LG Blu-ray drive include software for playing Blu-ray, or do I need to buy a separate app. If so, what would you recommend?
JarredWalton - Thursday, May 14, 2009 - link
I believe that the NVIDIA audio drivers are for the HDMI output. I know that's the case on ATI cards that support HDMI. So, if you want HDMI with audio you would need to install both drivers.(Feel free to make fun of me if I'm wrong, though!)
pirspilane - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - link
You're absolutely right.A few other learning experiences I had:
- Although the M3N78 PRO has a 3-pin connector for the "PWR" fan, there doesn't seem to be any way to control the speed on that fan. It DOES control the speed on "CHA" fan.
- BIOS settings - TLB fix should be disabled; Q-fan must be enabled for the CPU fan to use the Cool n Quiet software, even if you're not using AISuite (which has the Q-fan utility). In fact, you can't use both the Cool n Quiet and AISuite utilities, so I didn't install AISuite.
nubie - Thursday, May 14, 2009 - link
I love you guys, you just built a decent Intel entry-level for $301!!If you happen to have a case/psu/HDD/optical/OS/RAM from an older build you can upgrade with the 4770 for under $300.
(for most people that is what I would recommend, you can buy an older Gateway/eMachines, with a real mATX case, for $100, thus taking care of all of the base requirements, then add the CPU/Mobo/RAM and 4770 and get a decent system out of it for under or around $500)
If you are scrounging for the money you can start with a Celeron chip for $30 and then move up as the budget allows, same with RAM, start with a single 2GB stick if you are really strapped, or a 2x1GB kit.
It is freaking insane how much is available for so little, more so than ever before. (for less than a new current-gen video game console you could upgrade your rig to play current games).
strikeback03 - Friday, May 15, 2009 - link
Would you really trust the PSU in an old emachines/gateway? Esp. if adding a 4770, which likely means using a 4pin to PCI-E power adaptor?nubie - Friday, May 15, 2009 - link
Actually, now that you mention it I have upgraded and/or built several systems with the eMachines/Gateway power supplies and have been very pleased. I have had the Celeron 430/420/440 overclocked past 3ghz on these supplies, with a voltmodded 7900GS @650mhz core clock and no issues at all, no lockups with 3Dmark runs, no issues with Prime95 stress testing.They are rated accurately, are quiet, and inexpensive.
Also, look at what you are asking of them: 1 hard drive, 1 optical drive, 1 35 watt processor. According to: http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine">http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine that is only 215 watts for an e5200 system with a 4830, whereas the Gateway supplies are rated to 250 watt.
If you are using a Celeron 440 with a 4770 it should be just fine, the PSU calculator says 158watts for the 440 with a 4670 (4770 is not yet a choice).
On my regular system I run a PC Power Silencer 470, and I highly recommend it if you plan to add to the system with overclocked Duals or Quads. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a cheap system to start with on the lower TDP processors and lighter video cards.
I figure that these older systems came with a P4 or Athlon 90nm in the first place, so a low-power single or quad on 45nm isn't going to be a problem as long as you aren't using a power hungry video card or a rack of hard drives.
barnierubble - Thursday, May 14, 2009 - link
Hi,All the links in the component lists in the latest Under $825 buyers guide have a poor rating in Web of Trust so I would not buy anything from them.
Wesley Fink - Thursday, May 14, 2009 - link
The problem is with Circle of Trust and not our links. Our link engine tries to analyze what you are seeking and route it to the lowest priced vendor it knows about. Often that is Newegg.Circle of trust misreads the forwarding as not completely trustworthy, which is not correct. Our buying links are as reliable as any you will find. They are just analyzed and routed and not direct.
aftlizard - Thursday, May 14, 2009 - link
I wouldn't, and don't. I use this which gives me much better range than my old RF mouse and keyboard, and it saves with clutter.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...