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February PC Fabrication!

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February PC Fabrication!
By Vito Cassisi
Feb 11, 2009 | 11 Comments
Tags: PC | system | building

Looking at upgrading your rig on any budget? Look no further than this!

There's never a dull moment in the computing industry. Whether it's a clash between gigantic corporations, the introduction of brand new technologies, or the inviting grin when price cuts are on their merry way - there's always something to read about. Recently it's the declining economic situation, which has shifted our dollar down a fair few cents over the past months. As a result there has been a surge in PC component prices. Fortunately, this doesn't mean us consumers can't indulge in a high performance PC rig. As they say, where there is a will, there is a way - and at Atomic, we will always have a way!

For the purpose of this guide, five carefully designed systems have been produced, all of which cover separate price points. From the 'budget box' at under $1000, to the extreme performance build at a whopping $7000, there is something for everyone. Each build integrates the best components at their respective price points, with the aim of providing maximum performance. All part prices are calculated via staticICE. An average of the first 10 results is calculated (minus outliers) to allow for a realistic price representation. Peripherals have not been included as they are largely personal preference.

Click on!

 

 
 »
 
Want to check out the first Australian review of Final Fantasy XIII? We got in this month's Atomic!

Plus HD projectors, Napoleon: Total War, Intel's new six-core processor, PC upgrading guide, and a whole lot more.

ON SALE NOW!
11 Comments
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
nizmow
Feb 11, 2009 1:39 PM
I love roundups like this. Perhaps you should make it a monthly thing? Maybe even quarterly would be frequent enough.

orcone
Feb 11, 2009 1:42 PM
This will come in handy. Allow me to enter whoever wrote this plz.
kikz
Feb 11, 2009 1:56 PM
nice. except the prices is misleading. sure, I understand not everyone runs windows, but most do...
Argotha
Feb 11, 2009 5:18 PM
I'll second Nizmow
.:Cyb3rGlitch:.
Feb 11, 2009 7:13 PM
Thanks for the feedback. :)

kikz, I considered adding in the OS but decided not to. As you said, some people use Linux, others Vista, XP or even the Windows 7 beta (to name a few). It's personal preference much like peripherals. A couple of those systems are a fair amount under their given price limit, so the extra money can go towards the OS; i.e. the <$2000 and <$3000 builds.

Since the prices were an average of the top ten StaticICE search results, there's no reason why you couldn't get the systems even cheaper.

I hope that clarifies things. :)
pb111
Feb 11, 2009 8:17 PM
Just thought i'd suggest, maybe in the 3000 and up systems, could also put it say, some decent water cooling systems / parts, as im sure people with that kinda system would use that kind of cooling, or even add in the Coolermaster V10 into the last bit! Overall, great work!!
c0nc0n
Feb 11, 2009 8:26 PM
All systems above 1500 are missing aftermarket cooling :(
.:Cyb3rGlitch:.
Feb 11, 2009 9:04 PM
The extra cooling is on the last page c0nc0n. The selected cases should cope well with stock clock speeds.
azn_warez
Feb 12, 2009 1:56 PM
You know what's funny. The latest edition of atomic had really low prices as compared to market value... wonder if that's because it was written a while back? I think they had a 2 x 2gb team-xtreem dark ram DDR2 1066 listed at $60+
Loops
Feb 17, 2009 12:38 PM
On the 'budget beast' if you went for a SonataIII you get the earthwatts 500W supply included and save enough to buy a good cpu cooler.
Rory K
Apr 22, 2009 2:43 PM
Pfft. I can make a better system than the $7000 one.

By using, for example, 2000MHz CL8 RAM.
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Atomic Magazine

Issue: 111 | April, 2010

Atomic is a magazine aimed squarely at computer enthusiasts, gamers, and serious PC upgraders.

Every month we bring you the latest reviews of new technology and PC components, in depth features on everything from overclocking to console hacking, and gaming previews and interviews.
 
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