I have a strong impression that most of you use or plan to buy computers that are too powerful. Too powerful for the tasks you can throw at them. It’s okay, marketing is like that. In this article, my goal is to show that you often don’t need to buy a PC for a thousand dollars, and that you already have the chops to build one for under $250 with a list of the right components.
Requirements
Most people don’t play demanding video games on their computers. Gamers tend to think otherwise, but they are in the minority compared to those who simply want to stay connected to the online world.
In other words, a computer for most people is being able to connect to the Internet and run software that helps them access the services they use every day. Google, Facebook and YouTube are the three most visited websites on Earth. Not surprisingly, they allow you to communicate with others, obtain information, and access rich media.
Based on the popularity of these sites, it can be concluded that the average user does little more than related tasks. Email clients consume negligible resources even if you have an inbox of five thousand unread messages.
The big four browsers (Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, and Firefox) raise the bar in terms of minimum requirements every day, although one would assume they run on any computer with a monitor.
Unfortunately, you’re better off with four gigabytes of RAM in your PC than two, due to the increasing frequency with which you’ll encounter rich media. Flash, HTML5, Javascript, and other interactive media platforms can give your PC a run for its money, which is exactly why I suggest anyone buy as much RAM as is economically feasible. These days, the sweet spot seems to be between two and four gigabytes. However, adding the second 2 GB module to our desired configuration costs less than 10% of the total costs.
Some people have digital cameras. In fact, more are doing it every day. Sharing, organizing and processing digital images are tasks that require disk space well beyond that provided by the smallest available HDD and at least some processing power above the minimum. So both the processing and storage departments need to be able to handle at least basic photo editing software and a directory of a couple hundred images.
costs
The $250 limit imposed by the title is certainly arbitrary. It’s the result of a research session I had the other day, trying to find the minimum amount one should spend to build a halfway decent PC. I started with the $300 figure in mind, but quickly realized that it’s more than possible to get a capable computer for much less than that.
This amount includes everything inside the box, called the ‘net configuration’. It means I’m assuming most of you already have peripherals and a monitor, which is why I didn’t include them. If you don’t already have a mouse and keyboard, you should take a look at the palette and set aside $30.
An extra $120 should buy you a 22″ Full HD LED-backlit monitor. At the price of $150, you can even choose between brands.
I should also mention the software, which can add a substantial amount to the final cost, or it can be completely free depending on your options and choices. The included 4GB of RAM requires a 64-bit operating system of some kind. The reason is simple but unimportant; 32-bit operating systems cannot handle more than 4 GB of RAM. It often includes more than just system memory (video memory, virtual memory, etc.), making the available RAM in practice about 3.2-3.5 GB maximum.
Windows Vista/7 are good candidates, but unless you’re a student at an institute with the MSDNAA — the MSDN Academic Alliance, a cooperation between your school and Microsoft — you’re looking at $90-$100 for a premium home edition.
Another increasingly attractive solution is a Linux distribution of some description. Ubuntu Linux is now almost ready for prime time. It can be operated by non-tech savvy users in most cases. The best part is that the vast majority of non-commercial desktop Linux stacks are free. You can’t beat free when it comes to cost.
The assembled setup in this item costs $218. That includes new parts purchased online. They are next.
The parts
For the CPU, Motherboard and the video card I opted for a minimalist and highly integrated solution called the Gigabyte GA-D525TUD. It consists of a 1.8 GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor, the motherboard, and an Intel GMA 3150 integrated video chip. It also contains a 7.1-compatible sound processor, a Realtek-supplied Gigabit Ethernet controller, and two DDR3 sockets. 240-pin desktop for up to 4 GB DDR3.
This combination is robust enough for all applications described in the ‘Requirements’ subheading. The processor appears in the task manager as four different cores, only two of which are physical.
The reason for this is Hyper-Threading, a technology implemented in certain Intel processors to nearly double the number of available processors. Helps distribute the load to the processing cores and optimizes multitasking performance by increasing the amount of threads assigned at any time.
Simply put, this technology makes the processor more agile at multitasking than it could be without it.
This motherboard can be had for $89.99 and comes with the necessary cooling components (heat sink, fan) installed.
For RAM, I suggest using two 2 GB memory modules from a well-known and reputable brand, such as Kingston, Crucial, or Hynix. For a compatibility list, please refer to the table provided by Gigabyte on their technical specifications page.
RAM shouldn’t cost more than $30 for the two devices, or around $15 for just a 2GB module if you go with the latter.
Storage is apart of that you will have to choose for yourself. A 1TB 3.5″ HDD is around $60, 500GB drives are $45.
My personal experience suggests that people who never venture beyond the confines of Facebook tend not to use a lot of disk space. Here I am, sitting in front of a laptop with a 250 GB hard drive, and I can’t say I’ve never come close to running out of disk space.
Those of you with a decent digital camera may want to get a 1TB model. Again, its cost is marginally higher than that of a 500GB hard drive, while effectively doubling the available drive space.
Computer cases are easily and frequently overlooked. Big mistake. Often the power supply is built into the PC case. A low-quality power supply will turn your smile upside down faster than anything else.
Constant voltages across all components ensure that you have a decent foundation for a stable computer. Without them, you’re juggling metaphorical chainsaws.
Skip the case and/or power supply at your own risk. I honestly can’t stress this enough; Having had the opportunity to sit through a couple of Counter-Strike games at a LAN-party due to a power supply failure, I can assure you that the quality is critical.
For this setup, I opted for a Mi-008 case, because it received far fewer complaints than its price would allow you to assume. $39.99 at the time of writing.
Conclusion
Realizing that you no longer need a particularly powerful computer is just the first step to saving some money on your next PC setup.
The second is to actively search for pieces that cost less than other, more obvious, but — for our purposes — overwhelming options.
It is possible to build your own entire PC setup for less than $250 using nothing more than a Philips screwdriver and a flathead screwdriver. Using the parts described above gives you a performance that you are likely to be comfortable with. That is, if you are a heavy web user rather than a gamer.
As long as your job requires you to run applications not more demanding than Office, these little computers will definitely turn out great.
