System Buyers Guide: PCs under $825

Final Words

The problem with "entry-level" systems is that they are normally boring. They aren't normally sexy or groundbreaking, and PCs costing less than $800 are therefore normally devoid of any of the glitz and excitement associated with the midrange to high-end market. Many ignore low-end PCs and simply point to the latest Dell or HP special of the week - PCs that are hardly worthy of consideration as a "real" PC.

However, sometimes you can break that mold of the boring entry PC, and this is one of those times. It is all possible thanks to AMD's new wunderkind, namely the ATI HD 4770. You probably remember fondly the smile the NVIDIA 8800 GT brought to your face when you first found out "the only card that mattered" would cost around $200. The 8800 GT wasn't the fastest card you could buy from NVIDIA, but it was definitely the best value around in graphics performance. Nothing was even close at that $200 price point.

The ATI 4770 has grabbed our interest in the same way, but at a ridiculous "take the money and run" price of just $99. This $100 video card outperforms everything approaching its price. More than that, it is almost the Universal GPU, since any user who games on less than a 30" monitor will likely be very satisfied with the frame rates and "playability" of the 4770. We took the HD 4770 concept to its logical conclusion on pages 4 and 5. It is almost embarrassing to call these systems "budget computer", but for less than $550 the basic box certainly fits that category. We prefer to look at these two systems as redefining the expectations of a budget computer. Whichever of these two systems you decide to build, it will blow away what you've come to expect from an inexpensive PC. Console gaming got you down? Now you can do real work as well as play games for just a couple hundred dollars more. If you are an overclocker, you will be even more excited.

Of course, not everyone needs or wants a gaming rig, and the entry systems may be perfect for a parent's internet and email needs, a kid's computer, or an expandable system to start with if you have a very limited budget and want to grow with your computer. The basic AMD system is under $300, and a complete system with 19" widescreen LCD, speakers, and Vista Home Premium 64-bit for either Intel or AMD is less than $550. This is for a competent and capable Intel dual-core E5200 Wolfdale or a dual-core AMD 7750BE Kuma. The boards in both systems fully support HDMI and HD video. These are powerful systems at very friendly prices.

Finally, you will find a basic HTPC computer in a component-type case is also a better buy today. With either Intel or AMD, the HTPCs deliver HD output, 1TB HD storage, video-ripping power, and Blu-ray playback capabilities to your HDTV and home theater setup. The cost has dropped to just $550 for the basic HTPC box or $680 with the addition of the Vista OS and cordless keyboard/mouse.

With the ability to include a capable gaming video card in a complete computer system at around $800, the entry segment now covers a range of options wider than ever before. That is very good news for enthusiasts who have been looking for power but were previously held back by a tight budget. Build any of our budget PCs with a $99 ATI HD 4770 graphics card, and you will be able to rejoin the PC gaming world.

To put this value in perspective consider that the original 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo cost $1000.  The $140 E7500 in our $825 Intel Budget System is basically the same CPU updated to a more efficient manufacturing process.  It provides the same speed and similar performance to the $1000 part.  That should give you a better idea of how quickly satisfying CPU performance has moved down to the entry-level computer segment.  The $99 ATI 4770 included in our $825 Budget systems outperforms anything even close to its price. With that added graphics power you have a truly powerful computer system at a very entry price.  That is the our idea of true value.