Cheap Computer
Since the first mass-produced personal computer, enthusiasts were looking for ways to cut down computer prices. Today however things have changed, hardware is evolving too fast. Almost none of the computer parts manufactured more than 3-5 years ago can be reused in a new PC.
In the old days, in the ’80s, you could use the same storage units and the same computer case for assembling systems for 5-10 years.
There are many strategies in building a cheap computer, one of them is to decide on one thing it will be mostly used for. After you have decided, buy or put together a very cheap computer with parts that will support the operating system you intend to install on it.
The next step is to buy that specific component which is needed for the task you decided on. For example a network storage server will need a big hard drive; a home entertainment center -> a bigger screen; a gaming PC -> a superior graphics card; everyday computing -> a monitor with good image quality … and so on.
Today’s cheapest computers are the Pentium 4s that are fast enough even for Microsoft’s latest Windows 7 operating system and support memory upgrades up to 3GB (3GB of memory is enough for any program or game today, in 2010).
For a network storage server you’ll need a Pentium 4 that will cost you between $40 – $60. Monitor, keyboard and mouse are optional, because anything you’ll have to do on it can be done through the network connection, any kind of remote desktop software. If the standard 20-60GB hard disk is not enough, you’ll want to put in at least a 1TB one that costs around $80, plus a cheap S-ATA controller if there’s no S-ATA controller on the motherboard, it will set you back another $10, but keep in mind that any new configuration would have cost you at least $200. With the old and cheap Pentium 4, 1TB hard drive and S-ATA controller you still haven’t even reached 150$ and the storage server is ready.
Everyday office work (like accounting, paperwork, technical support …etc.) doesn’t require a top of the line computer, the cheapest Pentium 4 will do just fine, maybe with a memory upgrade to 512MB or 1GB at most. You add a used LCD monitor with a resolution of at least 1280 x 1024 (usually 17” diagonal) costing around $70 and any simple new mouse and keyboard.
To put together a cheap computer for gaming it’s a bit more complicated. The latest graphics cards won’t work on a 5 year old motherboard, so this is the main equation you have to solve before buying anything. You have to pair up the right graphics card with a motherboard that will be compatible with cheap (old) components. You may want to go for a bit more expensive Pentium 4 (or Celeron) at least 2.4GHz and with a PCI-Express 16X graphics card slot.
For casual gaming you’ll have to spend another $50 on a Radeon 4650 graphics card (best price/performance since it was launched), and $30 – $50 to upgrade the system memory to 2GB. For gaming even a 15” LCD with 1024 x 768 resolution may be enough that costs around $35. A higher performance gaming PC will need a new power source (at least 500Watts, minimum $20), a much better graphics card like Radeon 4830 around $100 and a bigger screen, at least 19” Wide with 1366 x 768 or 1440 x 900 resolution.
[...] it’s a nettop computer (not meant for demanding games or applications, has the performance of an older Pentium 4) you’ll most likely use it for surfing the Internet, downloads and casual gaming. World of [...]