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		<title>APC - sqrnookle</title>
		<link>http://apcmag.com/forum.htm?g=forum</link>
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			<title>'Budget' doesn't always mean 'poor'...</title>
			<link>http://apcmag.com/forum.htm?g=posts&amp;m=2323#2323</link>
			<description><![CDATA[PCs tend to be a tricky business.

I'll come right out the gate here and admit to being a lifelong-PC user - I remember the days of monochrome screens fondly (green text on black screens!), actually floppy floppy disks and printers which sounded like monsters from Doctor Who. The only major problem I've suffered is that in the past I've had to rely on my family's computers, which never tended to be on the forefront of current technology. I didn't mind *too* much; I just had to be content to wait a few years 'til we could upgrade our system and catch up with various games and programs.

So you can understand the excitement when last year, for the first time ever, I got to build my own computer from the ground up. But although I was on a budget of under a grand, I did have a few good starting points - a 22" BenQ widescreen monitor (a lovely present to my partner and I from my mother-in-law), a decent little JVC stereo (with surprisingly good speakers), various bits and bobs, salvaged from old computers over the years and a handy copy of Windows XP Professional.

So I set to work hunting around for parts. Ultimately, I decided to go with CPL Computers in West Melbourne, as although I could source parts slightly cheaper from other places, they would assemble the machine for me, a handy bonus when you're as nervous about installing CPUs as I am. I realised that although I enjoy casual gaming I was never going to be running the latest games at full-resolution and effects, so I did not require a Crossfire or SLi compatible motherboard. I ultimately chose the cheap but reliable Gigabyte P35-DS3L, mostly for compatibility with the Intel Core2Duo E6750 chipset I had likewise decided on. As for a GPU, a Gigabyte 512mb Nvidia 8600GT was selected, as it was affordable enough to start with but also easily upgradeable at a future date (which is, coincidentally, no doubt coming soon). Likewise, 2x1GB sticks of Kingston 5300 DDR2 RAM were added, with two slots spare for future upgrades. Lastly, a Western Digital 320GB SATA HDD topped off the bought components, all wrapped up in a cheap-yet-stylish Coolmaster Elite 331 case.

All up, the system came in less than $800 - a price I was certainly happy with. Paired with the 22" monitor, the systems runs relatively smoothly, though an upgrade in RAM would no doubt help oil the gears somewhat. For gaming, the machine does hold itself up admirably, though the biggest problem is that of the monitor's native resolution of 1680x1050, which does cause slowdown on higher graphics settings, and either image distortion or even cropped screens on older games. Onboard audio has come a long way in recent years, with the sound quality being better than decent, though obviously not at audiophile levels.

$800 has come a long way over the years, and even since November (when this computer was bought), the same money now could buy you an immensely more powerful machine. And yet I don't mind; for what it does and the price I paid for it, this little compy soldiers on. I probably would kill it if I tried to run Crysis on it, and you know what? I don't mind. Because for what some people pay for the most basic of basic systems I got a reliable machine which performs well under any day-to-day task you throw at it, whilst still letting me blow off some steam on Portal and Half-Life 2. And it just proves that just because you're on a tight budget, it doesn't mean you have to suffer poor performance.

- Julian Held]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:59:43 GMT</pubDate>
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