March 8th, 2008
Build a Vista-compatible office PC for $305 (software not included)
A reader set me an email challenge the other day - put together a cheap yet well spec-ed and relatively powerful office PC that’s up to the challenge of running Vista. To make the challenge even harder, the whole package (PC, keyboard, mouse, LCD panel and Vista OS) had to come in at under $600 (the reader wanted to build five of these systems).
Can it be done? Read on to find out.
I like these challenges because it forces me to think about performance per dollar rather than just performance. When working to a budget you can’t go throwing cash away frivolously.
Let’s begin!
Note: All prices quoted are from TigerDirect. This is not an endorsement of TigerDirect - I’m simply using this as an example. I’ve also ignored all rebates and special offers.
Shop around and you might be able to find cheaper prices.
The OS
Since the reader wants Vista, it’s best to factor the cost of that into the build right from the start so that we know how much cash we’re left with. Sticking Windows on a cheap PC is a problem because even an OEM version takes up a fair chunk of the budget.
For this build I’m going to assume that that Vista Business Edition OEM is installed on each of the PCs.
Price: $140
LCD panel
Since the reader wanted each system to have an LCD panel, and these are also a high cost item (relative to the overall price of a cheap PC) I’m going to go and factor this in from the start too.
The panel I chose was an I-Inc iW171ABB 17-inch WXGA+ LCD panel. This is a widescreen panel with a native resolution of 1440 x 900. It’s nothing special but for the price choosing the widescreen format makes sense because you get more screen real estate for your money.
Price: $150
CPU
OK, so far we’ve spent $290 out of the initial budget of $600 per PC. That leaves us with $310 for the rest of the system.
Since I’m looking for value I’m going to choose a CPU from the AMD range. I’ve picked the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+. This dual core processor runs at 2.2GHz and provides more than enough power for an office PC.
The CPU is a retail package which means that it comes with a heatsink and fan assembly so we don’t need to worry about that.
Price: $70
Motherboard
Since the CPU is an AM2 unit, we need a compatible motherboard. Also, I want to pick a motherboard that covers all the bases - integrated graphics, gigabit LAN, decent audio, SATA and plenty of USB ports.
The ASUS M2A-VM fits the bill just nicely.
Price: $70
Next –>
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Adrian is a technology journalist and author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology. He also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations
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| 03/10/08
