Choice appears to be the hallmark of this edition of the System Guide. Both the Budget Box and Hot Rod have excellent choices from Intel and AMD available in the CPU and motherboard selection, running the gamut from low- to high-end. Combine this with continued jumps in video card performance from both NVIDIA and AMD, and we end up with lots of choice in both the Budget Box and Hot Rod.

The Budget Box

This time around, the Budget Box goes a little more middle-of-the-road than usual, mostly in the name of flexibility. Lower-cost Intel boards either aren't quite as overclocking-friendly or aren't quite as feature-packed as their AMD equivalents, but Intel's dual-core chips appear to match up somewhat better than AMD's in several metrics. Strictly speaking, we were very tempted to go Intel at the price point we chose, or AMD near the top of the price cap. Again, we chose the more flexible route. It's a tough call.

Motherboard

Asus M3A78-EM

Basic requirements for the Budget Box have always been pretty straightforward: whatever CPU socket is appropriate, at least two memory sockets, one PCI-e x16 slot for the discrete video card, decent onboard sound and Ethernet, enough SATA and USB ports to fill our expansion needs, and enough overclocking potential to make it a viable option. Cost, naturally, is a concern as well. CPU performance for our money at stock speeds must be adequate as well; overclocked performance is nice, but we consider stock performance a little more heavily.

Optional features that we've been able to require for the last few updates are: onboard video, which gives considerable flexibility to potential Budget Box builders who do not need additional 3D performance; four memory sockets rather than two for more flexibility; and a microATX form factor, which gives us more flexibility in case selection—particularly since the modern Budget Box generally needs very little beyond the absolute basics of a motherboard, CPU, memory, video card, a single harddisk, single optical drive, case, and power supply.

The end result today is that we have lots of choices for the Budget Box.

On the Intel side, motherboards on the NVIDIA Geforce 9300 and 9400 chipsets are feature-packed and quite good, but the de facto standard remains Intel chipsets such as the G35, G43, and G45 with integrated video, and the P43 and P45 without. Almost all boards available with integrated video tend to come fully loaded, although the higher cost of nicer boards tends to exclude them from the Budget Box, and the G43 boards don't always OC all that well. AMD boards tend to be slightly better off in cost-sensitive applications with the brand-new low-cost 760G at the lowest-end, and the 780G chipset at the higher-end. The faster onboard video of the AMD 790GX makes it a tough call, as the 780G is already quite good. NVIDIA's chipset for AMD processors, the Geforce 8200 and 8300, is also excellent.

In the end, we go the AMD route as we have in previous updates. Intel's Pentium dual-core and low-end Core 2 Duo offerings, particularly a low-cost Intel P43-based motherboard such as the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L or Intel G43-based Asus P5QL-CM are worth looking at, but their feature set doesn't quite match AMD-based offerings in value, and they don't overclock as well as their higher-end brethren. Several NVIDIA-based boards out there would fill our needs well, but the maturity, price/performance and features of some of the AMD 780G offerings are hard to beat. We would actually love to try an AMD 760G/SB710 board to see how the SB710 overclocks, but such boards are still in their infancy.

The Asus M3A78-EM is a microATX board with the AMD 780G chipset and SB700 southbridge, which means it's not the greatest overclocker, but it does just fine. Socket AM2+/AM2, four DDR2 sockets, one PCI-e 2.0 x16 slot, one PCI-e x1 slot, five SATA ports, 7.1 audio, VGA, DVI, Display Port, and HDMI out, Firewire 400, optical S/PDIF out, gigabit ethernet—the spec list is nothing if not comprehensive. That said, many of its competitors are good too, such as the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-US2H.

Cost: $78.99 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Processor

AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750+ Retail (Socket AM2)

This chip's vitals—2.7ghz, dual core, 1MB total L2 cache, 3600mhz Hypertransport, 95W ADP—are pedestrian by today's standards, but the price is definitely right and the performance is excellent. Based on the newer K10 core powering the multi-core Phenoms, the Athlon 64 X2 7750+ is superb processor for the money if you can handle its heat dissipation. For significantly better power efficiency, the Athlon 64 X2 5050e at 2.6ghz and 45W ADP is much cooler but also somewhat slower for similar money.

Intel's Pentium dual-core E5200 (2.5ghz, 2MB L2, 65W TDP) is similar in price and slightly faster, which means an Intel-based Budget Box is definitely worth considering if you can handle what will probably be a few extra bucks on the motherboard compared to the AMD solution.

Intel-based Budget Box builders face some interesting choices; a Pentium dual-core with an affordable Intel G43-based motherboard should be very close in price to the AMD combination we've picked out. It probably won't overclock as well, and if you want to use the onboard video you'll have to accept some reduced performance here. Going with a higher-end Intel P45 board such as the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L skips onboard video but gets you a board that's an excellent overclocker, if you plan to overclock. If you plan to use the onboard video and skip a discrete card, but still demand some (very small) 3D performance, an Intel G45-based board like the Asus P5Q-EM or the NVIDIA Geforce 9400-based Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H are both good but pricey.

The most interesting turn for the Budget Box is the Phenom X3 710, a triple-core 2.6ghz, 3x512KB cache processor for about double the price of the X2 7750 or E5200. The price of other components in the Budget Box lets a Budget Box builder squeeze this in fairly easily if their apps benefit from three cores at a price far under anything from Intel's quad-core lineup.

Given how fast modern desktop processors are, we elect to save money here and go the cheaper route, as it's still more than adequate for the Budget Box. As a bonus, we get by far the most flexibility for what is still more than enough performance.

Cost: $64.99 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

RAM

4GB DDR2-800

DDR2 memory is affordable for pretty much everyone, and DDR2-800 prices regularly hit $20 after rebate if you shop carefully. 2GB is enough memory to keep Windows and most programs happy, but with 4GB being so little more versus the pain of hitting the swapfile more often, less than 4GB of RAM just isn't worth it.

Faster DDR2-1066 memory may be nice if you are overclocking, but usually you need to be pushing it pretty hard to justify it.

Typical, good quality DDR2-800 today operates at JEDEC-specified 1.8v with 5-5-5-15 timings, such as this Corsair 2x2GB kit or one of many others from Crucial, OCZ, Kingston, GeIL, etc. For ease of assembly, stick with DDR2-800 memory at the standard 1.8v; it's so common today that older modules requiring more memory are virtually gone from the market, or they are confined to higher-than-standard clock speeds where additional voltage is still sometimes needed.

Cost: $19.99 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Video

Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB

The Budget Box is in uncharted waters, which is just the way we like it-- at least when it comes to video cards. AMD and NVIDIA have been duking it out with increasing intensity over the years, with the trickle-down from the high-end hitting the mid-range and even lower-mid-range in the past year or so.

Cards such as the NVIDIA Geforce GTS 250 are excellent buys for the Budget Box, although the GTS 250 really is a die-shrink of the G92 GPU that started life in the Geforce 8800GT in late 2007. Despite the G92's excellence, AMD's competing products have proven just as able or better in this area of the market. The relatively recent AMD Radeon HD 4830 is perhaps the card best suited to the Budget Box for price and performance, but we do a very modest reach to the Radeon HD 4850, which is considerably faster for not a whole lot more money.

We leave the higher-end discussion to the Hot Rod (such as the Radeon HD 4870 1GB and Geforce GTX260 Core 216), but the lower-end merits additional comments. Keep in mind that the "lower" end around $75-100 today is still blazingly fast compared to cards even 3 years old today, so downgrading even a "gaming" box to save a few bucks might make sense if your requirements are more modest than ours. For more modest, the AMD Radeon HD 4670 is probably the best card around, and it still drives a lot of games at 1680x1050 or higher just fine. The Geforce 9800GT is almost as good, but it is closer to the Radoen HD 4830 in price and hence is not as good a value.

We're recommending the Sapphire Radeon HD 4850, with 512MB of RAM, 625mhz core speed, 993mhz memory speed, dual DVI output, and the usual good stuff. Power draw is typically a little over 9A on the +12v line at peak, which means you'll want a decent power supply-- but the rest of the Budget Box is fairly modest, so you don't need to worry about it too much.

Cost: $129.99 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Sound

None—onboard

Onboard sound is adequate for most purposes. If you pick a motherboard like this month's recommendation, which has a digital out, and feed it to speakers that accept a digital signal, then you have even less to worry about.

Cost: n/a

Communications

Network card—none (on-board)

The motherboard has integrated Ethernet on board, which is adequate for the Budget Box.

Cost: n/a

Hard drive

Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB SATA

Price compression between the smallest drives (80GB to 160GB) to what we used to consider small (320GB to 320GB) means the cost to jump to a bigger drive is almost nothing; going to 500GB or even 640GB is almost as cheap. 320GB is probably as small as we'd go in a contemporary Budget Box today, but the cost difference to double your space is so small we can't pass it up.

The fundamental goal is to buy as much hard disk space as you need, and not worry about the rest. Power consumption is quickly becoming another marketing point, although it looks like energy-efficiency improvements have already spread. Short of going to SSDs, a modern 7200rpm hard disk is already pretty good. Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, and Samsung are all fairly similar in performance in the Budget Box's eyes.

The Western Digital Caviar SE 640GB is an excellent performer with a 7200RPM spindle speed, two-platter design, low noise, 16MB cache and a three-year warranty.

Cost: $64.89 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Optical drive

DVD-RW/CD-RW: Pioneer DVR-216D

The recently discontinued Samsung SH-S203N and Pioneer DVR-216D are the current favorites among those picky about drive performance, although they have plenty of competition. Even for the most picky, performance differences are academic most of the time, so buy what you like. We switch to the Pioneer in this update as the Samsung SH-S223F doesn't seem to be quite as good as its predecessor, or the current Pioneer for that matter.

The Pioneer DVR-216D supports DVD reads and writes up to 20x, CD reads up to 40x, has a 2MB cache, and a SATA interface. 22x drives are now out, but differences are so small they're academic.

Cost: $26.90 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Case

Antec NSK4480

Finding an economical, well-built chassis with a good quality PSU is tougher than we'd like, but In-Win, Apex, Evercase, Antec, and others cover the low-end spectrum with both features and quality: a rear 120mm fan, a decent PSU, some internal 3.5" bays that aren't too flimsy, no sharp edges, etc. The multitude of models offered means we have lots to choose from, varying in quality from junk to pretty decent. Pay close attention to PSUs in the world of low-end cases, as those seemingly amazing high-wattage deals usually mean amazing junk.

Those who choose to go the microATX route will find that case selection is somewhat more limited than standard ATX, although many home theater PCs use this form factor—if you are willing to pay the premium for a sleek HTPC-styled setup. The Antec NSK3480 is an excellent choice for those with a little more money to spend. The In-Win EM013 is also very good at its price point. For those who want the extra expansion of an ATX chassis, good choices include the Antec NSK4480 and its siblings, the In-Win C589T, Coolermaster Centurion 5, Lian-Li PC-V1010B, and many more.

The Antec NSK4480 has a rear 120mm fan, 3x5.25" and 2x3.5" external drive bays, 3x3.5" internal drive bays, fits ATX and microATX motherboards, and has the requisite front USB ports. It comes with the Antec Earthwatts EA380 power supply included, which is a fairly decent unit that can handle the growing needs of the Budget Box.

Cost: $84.88 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Speakers

Logitech X-240

Speakers have been fairly boring for quite a while in the Budget Box. The Logitech X-240—which replaced the previous X-230—is a passable, albeit bland, choice in this category. In this price range, a good pair of headphones might make more sense, or even a pair of nice ones such as Etymotic ER-6i's.

Cambridge Soundworks, Altec Lansing, Swan, and others have suitable setups as well. Creative's Inspire T3100 are another, similarly mediocre alternative. If you want better speakers, there are some good alternatives at varying price points. The Behringer MS40 and the M-Audio Studiophile BX8a are higher-end 2.0 setups, while the Logitech Z-2300 and Altec Lansing VS3251 are more multimedia-oriented.

Cost: $39.00 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Monitor

Asus VW224U 22" LCD

LCDs have become cheap enough that even a 22" model fits the Budget Box. Does that seem ridiculous? It does to us, too, but prices on LCDs as large as 22" are getting very low and squeezing out smaller models. The displays priced in Budget Box territory are all low-cost twisted nematic (TN) panels, so viewing angles and color reproduction are not the greatest, but they suit our needs fairly well. Sales on LCDs now are fairly common, so picking up a better value or a larger monitor for the same money may not be hard to do for the patient buyer.

Stepping down to a smaller 17", 19", or 20" LCD offers a few decent choices, such as Viewsonic VX1940w and the HP w2007. 22" competition is probably the strongest area right now. The Samsung T220 (which is quite decent), Viewsonic VX2255wmb, and the hard-to-find LG L227WTG/L227WTQ are all nice choices for TN panels, with the L227WT's almost zero input lag making it a top choice for hardcore gamers. The Dell Ultrasharp 2209WA is a new surprise with one of the only 22" non-TN panels available, and it's an excellent e-IPS panel if you are more worried about color accuracy and viewing angles than low input lag.

Stepping up to 24" opens up a ton of options, such as the Samsung 245BW and BenQ G2400Wd. We have enough video card power to handle the 1920x1200 that 24" monitors demand in some games (but not all)--pretty amazing for the Budget Box. If you prefer PVA/MVA or IPS panels over TN panels for photo editing and other color sensitive work, the HP LP2475w and Dell 2408WFP 24" are excellent choices. Keep in mind that they tend to have higher input lag than the TN panels we've recommended, which makes them considerably less suitable for hardcore gaming.

We choose the Asus VW224U, in no small part, due to its 300 cd/m2 brightness, 1000:1 native contrast ratio, 1680x1050 resolution, and its 2ms grey-to-grey response time. It's surprisingly good for the money.

Cost: $149.99 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Mouse

Microsoft Optical Mouse 3000

The most important thing is to buy a mouse that you like. Whatever fits your hand best, tracks well enough, has enough buttons, etc. Want 8 buttons and cordless? You have tons to choose from. Want just two buttons and a wheel? Again, plenty of choices. Gamers will find that Logitech's old standby, the MX518, is still a top-rated mouse for gaming.

We stay basic in our recommendations; feel free to buy whatever works best for you.

Cost: $12.99 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Keyboard

Logitech Keyboard

Buy what feels most comfortable to you. Logitech, Microsoft, and other name-brand units are all pretty decent. Keep in mind the important nature of personal preference in this decision and the fact that your keyboard is a critical piece of your interface to your computer.

Cost: $13.99 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Total price: $686.60, not including shipping and handling (4/24/2009, no OS)

Recommended operating systems

The release of Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista makes us comfortable with recommending Microsoft's newest OS. Interface quirks, driver model changes, and everything else aside, Vista now looks to be a reasonably solid OS. Service Pack 1 didn't make as much of an improvement as we were hoping, but it doesn't seem to have hurt anything for most users. We also continue to recommend Linux, although some may be surprised that we're fairly distro-agnostic here in the Orbiting HQ.

Keep in mind that to use all of your 4GB of memory, you will need to run a 64-bit version of Windows rather than a 32-bit version.

Windows Vista Home Premium

Vista Home Premium adds Aero Glass, Windows Media Center, and a whole host of additional features. Combined with the increasing driver support in Vista, there's less of a need to stick with older versions of Windows XP.

Cost: $101.50 (4/24/2009) (32-bit) [Comparison shop for this item]

Cost: $109.99 (4/24/2009) (64-bit) [Comparison shop for this item]

Windows Vista Home Basic

The most basic version of Vista. It lacks Aero Glass, but, for the Budget Box user, it handles all of the basics just fine. Plus it's cheap, and, when it comes down to it, cheap and functional are what the Budget Box is all about.

Cost: $89.95 (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Cost: $89.99 (64-bit) (4/24/2009) [Comparison shop for this item]

Linux

Any computer enthusiast worth his or her salt boots more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice for the Budget Box: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distributions and go nuts! Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, and Mandrake; try Distrowatch.com, Cheapbytes.com, or one of the many others.

Cost: Free