Vista on a Budget- Building a Cheap Vista PC

With the new Windows operating system coming out, for many old computers clogged up with decade-old hardware, it is definitely time for an upgrade. To be able to make full use of the new Aero system interface, 3D effects and such, a much more powerful system is required. According to Microsoft, to be able to capably run Windows Vista Home Premium, one would need at least a 1Ghz 32/64 bit processor, 1 Gigabyte of memory, and a DirectX 9 capable 128MB graphics card. Normally, one would have to spend a large sum of money in purchasing either a large amount of new hardware, or a whole new computer entirely. But one does not have to break the bank in order to run Vista to its fullest potential. This guide will show you how you can cheaply build a powerful system for a budget price.

First, we begin with a list of hardware that every computer needs and is comprised of.

CPU

Motherboard

Memory (RAM)

Graphics Card

Hard Drive

Optical Drive

Case (with power supply)

Our computer would need each of these items in order to run properly. Now, we branch out into several options. We could make a low-end budget system, a medium system, or a more high-end system. Each of these would respectively increase in price, so one should consider their budget and their personal computing requirements before making a choice.

Low End

We start out with the low-end system. This system would meet the minimum requirements of Windows Vista, but not much more. This is ideal if you are on a tight budget and do not plan on running very graphically intensive software. (Note: all prices listed are from newegg.com) Below is the list of respective hardware:

Intel Pentium D 805 Smithfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 Dual Core -$95

PC CHIPS P13G+ (V1.0) LGA 775 Intel 865G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard -$42.99

Patriot 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Desktop Memory -$34.99 x2

MSI NX6600-VTD256 GeForce 6600 256MB AGP 4X/8X Video Card -OEM -$69.99

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive -$52.99

LITE-ON Combo Black IDE Model LH-52C1P-187 CD-RW/DVD-ROM -$23.49

DYNAPOWER USA Titan C07.M3.15A1 Black SGCC Steel MicroATX Mini

Tower Computer Case Micro ATX 200W Safety SFX Power Supply Power Supply -$41.99

Total: $396.45

This computer uses the Intel Pentium D 32-bit dual core processor, which is quite capable for most tasks for the average user. The 1GB of RAM is from Patriot, a trusted brand, and should be enough. 160 Gigabytes of hard drive space would suffice for a long time, and both the graphics card and optical drive should be enough for most non-specialized tasks. The case with power supply is sufficient for the needs of the respective hardware. Overall, the above computer system meets the base requirements of Windows Vista and most office-type software, and will run most game programs, such as World of Warcraft and Half-Life 2, ably, but for newer games designed for top of the line systems; this computer would not stand a chance.

Medium-High End

Next, we move on to the medium/high end PC. For this system, we will try to keep to a budget of around $650-1000. We shall use the low-end PC as a base from which to upgrade certain more crucial pieces of hardware, such as the CPU, motherboard, memory, hard drive, graphics card, and case. Several choices thus present themselves: do we choose to upgrade the processor or the graphics or memory? If you happen to play graphically intensive games and care strongly about graphics quality and detail, then the high end system is definitely the way to go. For more general users, the CPU and memory are integral aspects of the base computer operations and is thus more important, and the medium range system is more ideal.

CPU

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+(65W) 2.2GHz Socket AM2 Processor -$154.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor -$266.99

Motherboard

GIGABYTE GA-M61VME-S2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 / nForce 400
Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -$57.99

ASUS M2N4-SLI Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard -$88.99

Memory

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200)
System Memory Model KVR533D2N4/1G -$75.99 x2

OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 900(PC2 7200)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2G9002GK -$179.99

Graphics

EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 -$109.99

XFX PV-T71G-UDF7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 -$206.99

Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3250824AS 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive -$69.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3500641AS 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive -$149.99

Optical Drive

SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R Burner, LightScribe, IDE, Model SH-S182M/BEBE -$31.99

SONY 16X DVD±R DVD Burner 5X DVD-RAM Black IDE Model DRU120C -$42.99

Case

COOLER MASTER Centurion Micro ATX 541 RC-541-SKR1 Black Aluminumm bezel,
SECC chassis MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 380W Power Supply -$69.99

RAIDMAX Ninja ATX-918WBP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower
Computer Case 450watts PS2 ATX12V SATA Ready Power Supply (or any other ATX case) -$69.99

Total (Medium): $646.92

Total (High): $1005.93

The medium system is more than enough for almost all tasks except running extremely graphics intensive games at the highest settings, for which the high end system is perfect for. The AMD 64-bit processors are perfect for taxing tasks more fit for a more powerful processor. The dual core setup enables efficient multi-tasking abilities. The 2GBs of RAM is the current maximum for most home setups, and the graphics card and hard drives are enough to fill the needs of demanding games.

This guide is thus concluded, and shows that despite all the pre-release scares and hype, Windows Vista can easily run well on a cheap yet powerful computer, and there is no need to break the bank to use it to its fullest.