Save up to $300/year on phone bills
|
The latest budget PC reviews | |
||
 Matthew Elliott Section editor |
Updated September 9, 2005 Whether you're shopping for your first PC, a second or third one for your home network, or something affordable to get you through four years of school, sometimes you need a PC that covers just the basics. On the whole, today's PCs are powerful machines--right down to budget PCs. You can easily find a full system for less than $1,000 that will hold up for years if you need it for nothing more than e-mail, Web surfing, light office work, and maybe a little photo editing on the side. Be careful not to be swayed by a deal that looks too good to be true. Often, an ultra-low-end PC is just a vendor's way of clearing out old inventory: outdated chipsets and two- or three-generation-old processors, for instance. Spend a bit more than a bargain-basement configuration, and you'll not only get better features, you'll also get a system that will better stand the test of time. With that, here are the latest budget PCs that we've reviewed. More resources
|
|||
| Remove from list | Remove from list | Remove from list | Remove from list | Remove from list | |
| Product name |
Cyberpower Gamer Ultra 6000SE |
eMachines T6520 Media Center PC |
IBuyPower Value-Pro Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2 GHz - 17" TFT 
|
Sys MediaMax S2600 |
ZT Group Pro A7055 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Review date | September 8, 2005 | August 3, 2005 | July 14, 2005 | July 14, 2005 | July 14, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Editors' rating (Editors' rating explained) |
6.7
Good |
7.0
Very good |
7.7
Very good |
5.6
Average |
7.0
Very good |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Buying choices |
Prices from online stores: Searching for pricing data... |
Prices from online stores: Searching for pricing data... |
Prices from online stores: Searching for pricing data... |
Prices from online stores: Searching for pricing data... |
Prices from online stores: Searching for pricing data... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Product videos |
 Watch video |
Watch video |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Review summary | A budget gaming PC, the Cyberpower's Gamer Ultra 6000 SE allocates its admittedly limited resources wisely and will get gamers started on the road to 3D glory. | The versatile, expandable, reasonably powerful eMachines T6520 is a solid family computer and a perfect dorm-room companion that gets mainstream jobs done with aplomb. | Nearly everything about the iBuyPower Value-Pro suggests a price tag higher than $999, making this a top choice among sub-$1,000 systems. | The Sys MediaMax S2600 is an affordable home-entertainment PC, but it lacks a few key components and the sheer horsepower to make it worthwhile. | Dual optical drives (including a DVD burner) plus generous hard drive storage and several PCI slots make this a good choice for upgraders and digital pack rats, even if there isn't much left in the budget for audio and video features. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Product series | N/A | See all products in this series | N/A | N/A | N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| My Products | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| User comments | 4.0 Mediocre (from 5 users) | 8.2 Excellent (from 10 users) | 3.9 Poor (from 28 users) | Be one of the first to rate this product! | Be one of the first to rate this product! |
| Basic Specs | |||||
| Product Description | Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8 GHz | EMachines T6520 - Athlon 64 3400+ 2.4 GHz | IBuyPower Value-Pro Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2 GHz - 17 in TFT active matrix | Sempron - 17 in TFT active matrix | ZT Home System A7055 - Athlon 64 3400+ - 17 in TFT active matrix |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Type | Info unavailable | Media center | Personal computer | Info unavailable | Personal computer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Product Form Factor | Info unavailable | Tower | Mid tower | Info unavailable | Tower |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 7.9 in x 17.8 in x 16.9 in | 7.2 in x 16 in x 14.1 in | 7.9 in x 16.9 in x 17.3 in | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Weight | 14.3 lbs | 23.0 lbs | 14.5 lbs | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Processor | AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8 GHz | 1 x AMD Athlon 64 3400+ / 2.4 GHz | 1 x AMD Athlon 64 3500+ / 2.2 GHz | AMD Sempron | 1 x AMD Athlon 64 3400+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cache Memory | 512 KB L2 cache | 512 KB L2 cache | 512 KB L2 cache | Info unavailable | L2 cache |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cache Per Processor | Info unavailable | 512 KB | 512 KB | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| RAM | 1 GB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM | 1024 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM - 400 MHz - PC3200 | 1 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM - 400 MHz - PC3200 | 512 MB DDR SDRAM | 512 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM - 400 MHz - PC3200 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Storage Controller | Info unavailable | Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-150 ) ; IDE ( ATA-100 ) | Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-150 ) ; IDE ( ATA-133 ) | Info unavailable | RAID ( Serial ATA-150 ) ; IDE ( ATA-133 ) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Floppy Drive | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | None | Info unavailable | None |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Hard Drive | 160 GB - Standard - Serial ATA | 1 x 200 GB - Standard | 1 x 160 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-150 | 80 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-150 | 1 x 200 GB - Standard - ATA-100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Hard Drive (2nd) | Info unavailable | - None | - None | Info unavailable | - None |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Optical Storage | DVD-ROM | DVD?RW (+R DL) | DVD?RW (+R DL) | Info unavailable | DVD?RW (+R DL) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Optical Storage (2nd) | DVD +/- RW Drive | CD-ROM | None | Info unavailable | DVD-ROM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Card Reader | Info unavailable | 8 in 1 card reader | 6 in 1 card reader | Info unavailable | 7 in 1 card reader |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Storage Removable | Info unavailable | None | None | Info unavailable | None |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monitor | Info unavailable | None. | Flat panel display - 17 in - TFT active matrix | LCD display - 17 in - TFT active matrix | Flat panel display - 17 in - TFT active matrix |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Printer | Info unavailable | None | None | Info unavailable | None |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Graphics Controller | NVidia GeForce 6600 - 256 MB | ATI Radeon Xpress 200 - 128 MB | PCI Express x16 - NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache supporting 256MB - 256 MB | NVidia GeForce 5200 - 128 MB | AGP 8x - NVIDIA GeForce MX 4000 - 128 MB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Audio Output | Sound card | Sound card - 5.1 channel surround | Sound card - 7.1 channel surround | Sound card | Sound card - 5.1 channel surround |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Communications | PCI | Fax / modem - 56 Kbps | None | Info unavailable | Fax / modem - PCI - Plug-in card - 56 Kbps |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| OS Provided | Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition | Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 | Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition | Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition | Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Manufacturer Warranty | 3 years warranty | 1 year warranty | 3 years warranty | 1 year warranty | 3 years warranty |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Product name | Cyberpower Gamer Ultra 6000SE | eMachines T6520 Media Center PC |
IBuyPower Value-Pro Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2 GHz - 17" TFT
|
Sys MediaMax S2600 | ZT Group Pro A7055 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Price range | Email me when this product is available | Email me when this product is available | Email me when this product is available |
This product is available directly from the manufacturer's Web site.
|
This product is available directly from the manufacturer's Web site.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
