Entry-level PC - August 2012

By Koen Crijns,

Our guidelines for the Entry-level PC category are as follows. The entire computer system, excluding OS, should not exceed £420. Its primary, but not only, function is to provide a smooth and enjoyable online experience. This means that the cheapest processors won’t be enough, as modern web pages and internet applications do demand some processing power.

Additionally, the system has to be able to efficiently perform internet-related tasks. This includes basic photo editing (cropping and resizing to upload or send a photo) and extracting compressed files. At the same time the necessary background programmes need to be active, such as a virus scanner, a firewall, and anti-spyware software. The computer also needs to be able to efficiently run word processing software and administrative programmes.

The cheapest PCs that you can currently buy are good enough for internet use. If you want to do other things, however, then you will quickly notice the limitations of the CPU and graphics processor. More powerful pre-assembled computers often turn out to have one weak component that becomes a bottleneck. Maybe it has a very fast processor, but lacks enough RAM, hard disk space, or a good enough graphics card.

The system we put together won’t break any records performance-wise. Instead, we focus on using quality components that are balanced in terms of performance. This ensures that all components will be fully utilised, and that one doesn’t form a performance-killing bottleneck.

If you’re planning on only chatting and surfing the web, then you can save quite a lot by opting for an Intel Atom- or AMD Fusion-based “nettop” PC. It’s possible to assemble these from separate components as well, but the choice in these is pretty limited. Also, the price will remain about the same or even exceed that of pre-assembled nettops.

Please note: the PC Buyer’s Guide is compiled based on independent component tests performed by Hardware.Info. If no new, superior products are released that should replace one or more of the components, then the component(s) will remain the same as the previous month.

If you want to know more about how we compile our PC Buying guides, have a look at this article.

Configuration

Processor - AMD A6-3500

An entry-level PC obviously won't have the most expensive or fastest processor on the market. AMD's A6 3500 processor has gone down in price quite a bit since it was first introduced, so it now has our preference over the Intel Pentium G620 that we used to recommend in this category.

The G620 performs better than the similarly priced AMD A4, but the A6 is a different story. For just a little more money than the G620, the A6 has similar CPU performance but clearly a more powerful GPU. Not only is this nice for a video game once in a while, but more importantly an increasing number of applications take advantage of GPGPU algorithms of the GPU for acceleration. You do notice a performance improvement in practice, so that is why we chose the A6.

Specifications Test results

Memory module - 4 GB (2x 2 GB) DDR3

For a budget PC we recommend a minimum of 2GB RAM. Considering that current prices tend to fluctuate quite a bit, this month we advise doubling that to 4GB. For future-proofing this is more important than more hard drive space or a faster processor.

Two gigabytes is enough to run applications such as e-mail, chat, web surfing, and word processing in Windows 7. That said, the extra 2GB will pay itself back the fastest.

Specifications Test results

CPU cooler - AMD Boxed cooler

The cooler that AMD includes with its processors is good enough for use in a budget system. Our recent test showed that most budget-level coolers have little additional value. You either get a small reduction in noise, or a small reduction in temperature. Either way, it's not worth the extra £15 for this system.

Specifications Test results

Motherboard - ASRock A75M-HVS

The A6-3500 requires an affordable FM1 motherboard, and we picked the ASRock A75M-HVS. It has four USB 3.0 ports, 6 SATA600 connectors and a gigabit network port. Other than that this is a modest micro-ATX motherboard, but it's plenty for this entry-level system.

Specifications Test results

Hard disk/SSD - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB (SATA3, 16MB)

The hard drive is, by far, the most expensive component in this system. Hard disk prices are high, artificially high even. This is still partially due to the 2011 floods in Thailand, and partially due to manufacturer's intent to exploit the aftermath. It is unlikely that we will ever return to the extremely low pre-flood prices, since there are only two manufacturers left which isn't promising in terms of competition.

The future is in SSD, but if you need to spend around £50 for storage we suggest spending that on a 500 GB hard disk rather than a relatively slow 64GB SSD. Larger SSDs are still significantly more expensive, and offer much less space in comparison.

That is why we went with the Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB (SATA3).

If you happen to have an old hard drive laying around, you could choose to buy a smaller SSD and combine the two. However, the average buyer looking for an entry-level computer right now should avoid the SSD.

Specifications Test results

Optical drive - Lite-On iHAS524

Burning CDs, CD-ROMs, and DVDs is not as common as it once was. Still, it's very useful to have an optical drive to make back-ups, to reinstall the OS, and to install software from CD-ROMs and DVDs.

Nowadays most DVD-burners are equal in terms of quality and price. One of the best performing drives in our most recent test is the Lite-On iHAS524, and it will make a fine choice for our current PC.

Specifications Test results

Case - Fractal Design Core 1000

We recently tested the Fractal Design Core 1000 and we were duly impressed by it. This compact chassis has some interesting tricks up its sleeve, such as a unique way of mounting the drives. It also cools very effectively without making a lot of noise, and the build quality is above-average.

Since we are using a micro-ATX motherboard, it makes sense to keep the chassis small as well. However, if you think you might expand to a full ATX motherboard in the future, then you could get the Bitfenix Merc Alpha for a comparable price. That's the chassis we used to recommend for this entry-level system, and it's still an excellent choice.

Specifications Test results

Power supply - Be quiet! Pure Power L7 300W

Even an entry-level PC deserves a quality power supply. The Be Quiet Pure Power 300W is competitively priced and achieved great results in our tests. This 300W version is excellent in terms of efficiency, stability, and noise production. 300 watts is enough capacity for this entry-level system.

Specifications Test results

Keyboard - Keyboard & mouse Microsoft Wired Desktop 400 for Business

It's worth getting a decent mouse and keyboard, even for an entry-level computer. You will use these daily, so it's not advisable to buy the cheapest possible. That doesn't mean it has to get expensive, such as this Microsoft Wired Desktop 400 for Business.

Specifications Test results

PC speaker set - Creative A60 Performance Stereo Speaker

They're not mind-blowing, but the Creative A60 speakers produce very good sound for very little money, perfect for a budget PC.

If you wish, you can skip external speakers and stick to the ones built into the monitor, but we would not recommend doing that.

Specifications Test results

Monitor - Iiyama ProLite E2208HDS-B2

A Full HD monitor doesn't have to be expensive these days. The Liyama ProLite E2208HDS-B2 costs around £134 and includes digital inputs, decent contrast levels and brightness, very good reaction time and excellent colour fastness.

The LG E2251S-BN also performed well in our test, but does not come with HDMI or DVI ports which is unacceptable for a new monitor in 2012, in our opinion. Still, if your budget is limited, then it's more affordable second option.

Specifications Test results

Configuration overview		Price
Processors	AMD A6-3500	£53.58
Memory modules	4 GB (2x 2 GB) DDR3	£29.64
CPU coolers	AMD Boxed cooler	-
Motherboards	ASRock A75M-HVS	£44.46
Hard disks/SSDs	Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB (SATA3, 16MB)	£48.77
Optical drives	Lite-On iHAS524	£20.35
Cases	Fractal Design Core 1000	£34.22
Power supplies	Be quiet! Pure Power L7 300W	£38.76
Keyboards	Keyboard & mouse Microsoft Wired Desktop 400 for Business	-
PC speaker sets	Creative A60 Performance Stereo Speaker	£15.73
Monitors	Iiyama ProLite E2208HDS-B2	£128.98
Add as wish list	Average total price:	£414.49