April 2007 Buyers' Guides: Budget and Midrange Configurations
by Jarred Walton on April 20, 2007 7:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Closing Thoughts
As usual, it after configuring four different systems and mentioning a variety of alternative parts, we've hardly scratched the surface of the possibilities out there. There are plenty of additional components that we neglected to cover - TV tuners for example - but the majority of such devices can easily be added to a system after the fact. As far as specific component choices go, particularly in regards to processors, we consider the models we listed in the budget and midrange configurations as being the upper and lower ends of what we would recommend. If you want to spend a bit less or a bit more money and choose a different CPU, by all means feel free to do so.
The one area that we have neglected in this Buyers' Guide is coverage of the high-end segment. We thought about including a high-end configuration, considering it has been quite a while since we last looked at that area, but the truth is if you didn't feel the need to upgrade to an Intel quad core processor when they first became available, we certainly wouldn't do so right now. Intel is readying Penryn and we should also see some dramatic price cuts on quad core processors within the next couple of months. Imagine getting a Q6600 for the current price of an E6600 and you'll have an idea of what's in store. AMD on the other hand really doesn't deserve much consideration in the high-end market right now. The fastest AMD chips are easily outperformed by the top Core 2 Duo/Core 2 Quad offerings. We aren't at all interested in 4x4 at present, so we're basically waiting with baited breath for the launch of Barcelona. We also mentioned the pending launch of AMD's R600 graphics chips, so basically on the truly high-end configurations we think you should wait at least a couple months before deciding how to spend thousands of dollars on a new computer.
Compared to a year ago, things have basically flip-flopped. At that time, AMD's Athlon X2 chips were the undisputed speed champions, but they were more expensive than the various Intel offerings. If you were looking at getting a budget dual core setup last year, Pentium D was quite attractive, but most enthusiasts really wanted to get Athlon X2. Not only was it faster, but it ran cooler as well. Now, Core 2 Duo is faster and runs cooler but Athlon X2 has gotten a lot less pricey. As an inexpensive but full-featured platform, socket AM2 currently holds the advantage over the various socket 775 offerings. Meanwhile, with AMD purchasing ATI, we don't expect to see much in the way of ATI IGP solutions for Core 2, but there's definitely room for someone like NVIDIA to release a serious competitor to G965.
Looking at the last year in retrospect, the one sentiment that trumps all others has to be this: competition is a wonderful thing! Were it not for AMD's successful K8 processor, the best Intel CPUs might still be using NetBurst (and pulling double duty as space heaters). Now we need to see how AMD responds. Competition in the graphics card segment has also been fierce, though unfortunately high-performance midrange solutions aren't as readily available as in the processor market. We hope to see that change soon, and maybe if we're lucky we will actually get some DX10 games to play with.
As usual, it after configuring four different systems and mentioning a variety of alternative parts, we've hardly scratched the surface of the possibilities out there. There are plenty of additional components that we neglected to cover - TV tuners for example - but the majority of such devices can easily be added to a system after the fact. As far as specific component choices go, particularly in regards to processors, we consider the models we listed in the budget and midrange configurations as being the upper and lower ends of what we would recommend. If you want to spend a bit less or a bit more money and choose a different CPU, by all means feel free to do so.
The one area that we have neglected in this Buyers' Guide is coverage of the high-end segment. We thought about including a high-end configuration, considering it has been quite a while since we last looked at that area, but the truth is if you didn't feel the need to upgrade to an Intel quad core processor when they first became available, we certainly wouldn't do so right now. Intel is readying Penryn and we should also see some dramatic price cuts on quad core processors within the next couple of months. Imagine getting a Q6600 for the current price of an E6600 and you'll have an idea of what's in store. AMD on the other hand really doesn't deserve much consideration in the high-end market right now. The fastest AMD chips are easily outperformed by the top Core 2 Duo/Core 2 Quad offerings. We aren't at all interested in 4x4 at present, so we're basically waiting with baited breath for the launch of Barcelona. We also mentioned the pending launch of AMD's R600 graphics chips, so basically on the truly high-end configurations we think you should wait at least a couple months before deciding how to spend thousands of dollars on a new computer.
Compared to a year ago, things have basically flip-flopped. At that time, AMD's Athlon X2 chips were the undisputed speed champions, but they were more expensive than the various Intel offerings. If you were looking at getting a budget dual core setup last year, Pentium D was quite attractive, but most enthusiasts really wanted to get Athlon X2. Not only was it faster, but it ran cooler as well. Now, Core 2 Duo is faster and runs cooler but Athlon X2 has gotten a lot less pricey. As an inexpensive but full-featured platform, socket AM2 currently holds the advantage over the various socket 775 offerings. Meanwhile, with AMD purchasing ATI, we don't expect to see much in the way of ATI IGP solutions for Core 2, but there's definitely room for someone like NVIDIA to release a serious competitor to G965.
Looking at the last year in retrospect, the one sentiment that trumps all others has to be this: competition is a wonderful thing! Were it not for AMD's successful K8 processor, the best Intel CPUs might still be using NetBurst (and pulling double duty as space heaters). Now we need to see how AMD responds. Competition in the graphics card segment has also been fierce, though unfortunately high-performance midrange solutions aren't as readily available as in the processor market. We hope to see that change soon, and maybe if we're lucky we will actually get some DX10 games to play with.
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yyrkoon - Saturday, April 21, 2007 - link
I agree with Jarred somewhat, but I have always said: 'buy now, with upgrades in mind'. Meaning, if you are tired of waiting to upgrade, buy what you want now , based on what is currently availible, and make sure the components you choose, will give you as much flexability towards upgrading a CPU here, more memory there, a video card a year down the road, whatever.It has been sometime now, since you could buy parts, without feeling like you just wasted a wad of cash on something that is going to be outdated in ~6-12 months. SO . . . buy with upgrades in mind, which means everything I have said above, and 'research' on your behalf, since you are the only one who really kows what you really want/need.
JarredWalton - Friday, April 20, 2007 - link
I always tell people to wait until they don't feel they can wait any longer, because new products are always coming out. Intel will be releasing some new Core 2 models in the near future, cutting prices, etc. and AMD will be coming out with Barcelona at some point (sounding like maybe late July?) The same goes for NVIDIA and AMD/ATI. If you're ready to upgrade/buy and you need something right now, though, Then go ahead and take the plunge. I don't think Penryn is going to be as big a deal as the initial Core 2 launch - slightly faster, slightly cheaper, but nothing revolutionary (though the video encoding numbers are looking promising, and overclocking as well should be improved at least slightly).MarxMarvelous - Friday, April 20, 2007 - link
Nice article - just in time for me to start prepping for a new rig...In any case a couple of comments:
1) Re: Vista Drivers.
Personally I haven't had any issues at all with driver support. I'd say unless you have components that are 4+ years old you will be fine, especially if you are buying a brand new system.
2) Optical drive
Noticed that you are recomending a Pioneer across the board which is EIDE. SATA DVD-R drives are now around the same price and seem like a better choice.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82...">http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82...
JarredWalton - Friday, April 20, 2007 - link
Thanks for the heads up - I may have to get one of those for my next PC purchase. But I didn't recommend Pioneer across the board (Lite-On in the cheaper builds to save a few dollars). Personally, I just don't do enough burning to care all that much about optical drives these days. All of the drives I have work fine, and I haven't had a drive fail in a few years (knock on wood).As for Vista drivers, there are still games that have performance issues under Vista (OpenGL especially), and certain things like SLI support on various cards (6000 and 000 GeForce lines) is still missing last I heard. I know most game issues can be worked around with a bit of effort (I think there are some registry tweaks to get STALKER to run properly, for example), but that's not the same as just *working* properly. I don't like having to jump through hoops to get CrossFire or SLI to work, and I don't like constantly putzing about trying to get games to run properly. For those reasons, I'm generally shying away from Vista still. I also have at least one system that totally locks (and then BSODs on restart after the failed install) if I try to install the latest (or any version actually) X-Fi drivers, so I have to use integrated audio in Vista on that setup. I pulled the card and put it in a different system now.
It seems to me that Vista is fine for some people, but the more you push your system and applications, the more high-end your setup, the more problems people seem to have. It's mostly usable, but it still has a few more quirks than XP in my limited experience. Maybe in about six months I'll be ready to switch.
MarxMarvelous - Friday, April 20, 2007 - link
Whoops, I didn't look through all the configs so I didn't spot the Lite-On (I've pretty much decided on switching away from AMD :). Anyhow, I also don't do a whole lot of burning but was just happy to be able to switch away from those fat EIDE cables and also be a little more future proof in case I ever want to switch the drive to a mobo with no EIDE connectors (will happen someday!).As for the Vista drivers, yeah it sounds like you're definitely more on the edge (SLI/Crossfire, OpenGL, X-Fi, etc). All of the systems I'm running it on are pretty standard (either laptops or desktops using onboard audio + single video card). All have been pretty rock solid thus far (knock on wood).
ancolboy - Friday, April 20, 2007 - link
The article said it support 1333MHz, how so? MSI website never mention it. The article also said the board could allow overclock, but the board doesn't even allow user to change FSB frequency. Or did I miss something?JarredWalton - Friday, April 20, 2007 - link
Sorry - got some products mixed up and it didn't all come out right. The MSI board doesn't OC at all right now, you're right. I was debating between that and the Gigabyte S2 board, but the text didn't come out right. I've edited this now.ancolboy - Friday, April 20, 2007 - link
Thank you for clarifying it fast :) I am considering between intel or amd solution right now. Torn between performance and price, to top it up, linux compatibility.Hoping Gary's matx roundup (still writing it I guess) could help me decide which way to go.
JarredWalton - Friday, April 20, 2007 - link
If you want OC and performance, I'd say the Gigabyte S2 is probably the best bet. If you're okay with less performance, I'd seriously consider the Biostar and ASUS 690G options with an X2 processor. Quite handy with the HDMI ports as well, if that's something you're interested in.najames - Friday, April 20, 2007 - link
I would swap out the Asus M2A-VM for the Biostar TA690G for a few bucks more. It is a solid overclocker/undervolter if you are inclined. The layout on the Biostar allows for wide passive cooled video cards too, plus you can still use both PCI slots. I am actually strongly considering buying a second TA690G setup.I'd also add 2GB of RAM for only $35 more.