The INQUIRER guide to top PC products
|
Monitors |
|
There are so many monitors and the prices vary so much that it can be difficult to know whether you're getting a bargain or a banger. Because of the numbers around we haven't tried to write about each one, we've just created a list of the top few from reviews around the web. Any one of these monitors should do you proud. |
|
17" CRT - Budget |
|
|
ViewSonic G75f |
|
|
17" CRT - Medium Priced |
|
|
CTX EX710F |
|
|
17" CRT - Luxury |
|
|
Iiyama Vision Master Pro 413 |
|
|
Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 740SB |
|
|
19" CRT |
|
|
Iiyama Vision Master Pro 454 |
|
|
CTX PR960F |
|
|
21" CRT - Budget |
|
|
Philips 201B10 |
|
|
21" CRT - Medium Priced |
|
|
Iiyama Vision Master Pro 512 |
|
|
15" TFT - Budget |
|
|
LG Flatron L1510S |
|
|
21"+ TFT |
|
|
Samsung 240T |
|
|
Outrageously expensive but huge and gorgeous, if money is no object this is the beast to set your heart on. All 24 inches of it. |
|
|
CPU |
|
With a nod towards the never ending processor fan clubs and phlegm clubs, we decided to sit on the fence on this one. You won't find any AMD/Intel is better/worse here, just which of the processors from either manufacturer offer you the best bang for your buck. |
|
Intel - Best on a Budget |
|
|
Intel P4 Celeron 1.7GHz |
|
|
It's a long way from being the best performer on the market but if you're on a tight budget and you simply must have an Intel CPU, this is the one to go for. You'd need to pay an extra 20% to get a Celeron 1.8, which simply isn't worth it. Hardly a processor for building a high performance games machine but fine for an office PC. |
|
|
Intel - Best Value |
|
|
Pentium P4 2GHz 512k Cache Northwood |
|
|
Not the top of the Intel tree but easily the best value Pentium. If you need anything more than this then you probably already know what you want and how much you'll have to spend. For those with a more realistic side to their budget, the 2GHz Pentium is a cracker. Again, it's nearly 20% more in price for the next model up, the 2.2GHz, and you don't get anything like 20% more performance. |
|
|
AMD - Best on a Budget |
|
|
Duron 1.2GHz |
|
|
The slowest CPU in the chart if you count in GHz but it'll give the Celeron 1.7 a good run for its money. And speaking of money, the Duron is outrageous value being around half the price of the Celeron. It's certainly nowhere near the top of the performance charts but it's another fine processor for office work. |
|
|
AMD - Best Value |
|
|
Athlon XP 2000+ (1.67GHz) |
|
|
Not the newest version of the Athlon but easily the best value. The next model up is a staggering 25% more expensive for a 5% performance hike. The 2000+ will let you play the latest games and crunch figures with ease. If you need anything more than this, expect to pay a stiff premium. |
|
|
Motherboards (Intel) |
|
Value |
|
|
Gigabyte GA-8IGX |
|
|
With audio, video and LAN built in, you can put together an effective business machine at a very low price. If you're after a games machine, this isn't the board for you unless you're willing to add a graphics card to the package. If you want a solid business workhorse, the Gigabyte perfect. |
|
|
Luxury |
|
|
Abit IT7 Max 2 |
Manufacturer's Web Site
|
|
The list of features on the Abit is almost endless. The first thing you'll notice is that it is 'legacy free' which means everything has gone USB, that's hardly a worry as this motherboard comes with 6 USB 2 connectors. It also has Firewire, 6 channel audio and LAN built in. The only thing that might put you off is that it is a DDR based system so, if you're after RDRAM and ultimate performance, you'll need to look elsewhere. Otherwise, this is the motherboard of choice for an Intel processor. |
|
|
Motherboards (AMD) |
|
Value |
|
|
MSI K7N420-Pro (MS-6373) |
|
|
Based on the nVidia Nforce 420D chipset, the MSI has built in video and audio. For business use you'll need to add a LAN card but that's cheap enough to do. Shop around a little and you can find the MSI at unbelievably low prices allowing you to put together a business machine for very little money indeed. The graphics are good enough for the occasional game but don't expect to play the latest chart toppers with a decent frame rate. For a budget system, you're unlikely to find anything better. |
|
|
Luxury |
|
|
ASUS A7V8X |
|
|
It was a close run thing between this and the Abit AT7 Max 2 (sister of the winner of in the Intel category) but the Asus just wins on features. It has 6 channel sound, USB 2, LAN and Firewire. If you're building a top-of-the-line AMD based system, you'll be hard pressed to find anything better than this motherboard. |
|
|
Mice |
|
Budget |
|
|
Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical |
|
|
Available at ridiculously low price for an optical mouse, the Microsoft Wheel Mouse is a good, solid piece of kit that is worth spending the extra to get. It's not going to win any design awards but it's comfortable enough in use. Fine for both business and games. A wonderful bargain at this price point. |
|
|
Luxury |
|
|
Logitech Cordless Mouseman Optical |
|
|
Style, build quality and ergonomics make the Logitech the mouse of choice for those with the cash to splash. It is battery operated so you'll need to be prepared for the running costs. In business use, the batteries will last for months; heavy gaming will chew through the batteries in a couple of weeks. The mouse has some clever power saving built in which is why the business users get such a good deal. When you start playing games, the mouse throws caution to the wind and gives you optimal resolution and response at the expense of batteries. Almost certainly the nicest mouse on the market. |
|
|
Keyboard |
|
Microsoft Natural Pro |
|
|
It takes up lots of desk space and takes a little getting used to but the rewards are worth it. One of the few split keyboards left on the market which is a shame. If you're a non-typist, it's not going to matter much what keyboard you buy. For a typist, the split keyboard is heaven once you've spent a few days getting used to it. Microsoft started the mainstream split keyboard market and deserve a heap of plaudits for having done so. If you can touch type, go and buy one of these keyboards NOW. |
|
|
Graphics Chips |
|
There are many manufacturers of graphics cards and choosing one over the others is a constantly changing game. Rather than try to point to any one card manufacturer, we decided to name the best chips out there. Some manufacturers will produce better cards than others but, performance wise, cards using the following chips should all perform within a few percent of each other. |
|
Best Budget Chip for Games/Business |
|
|
SiS Xabre 400 |
|
|
It's not the fastest chip out there by a long chalk but, at the price, it stomps all over the competition. If you're looking for a cheap graphics card and you only want to play games occasionally, the SiS Xabre will do fine. It has better performance than its nVidia and ATI competitors at the budget end of the spectrum. |
|
|
Best Value Chip for Games |
|
|
GeForce 4 Ti4200 |
|
|
To get killer performance without killing your bank balance there really is only one game in town. The GeForce Ti4200 isn't the fastest chip out there but to get noticeably better frame rates for gaming you'd need to double the price. There are plenty of manufacturers turning out cards using this chip and you can choose anything from cheap no frills to luxury overclocking specials. |
|
|
Best Chip for Games |
|
|
ATI Radeon 9700 Pro |
|
|
In the ever continuing war between ATI and nVidia, ATI currently has the lead. The 9700 Pro is easily the fastest chip for gaming. It will cope with any game that's out there and will be good for a long time to come. If you simply must have the best graphics chip right now, no matter what the cost, this is the one. |
|
|
Sound Cards |
|
There is no section for best budget sound card, if your budget is tight, we'd recommend that you buy a motherboard with built in sound while you are putting together your system. Otherwise, spending less than the cost of the Value option below is likely to get you a sound card that is less than aurally perfect. |
|
Best Value |
|
|
Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo III 7.1 |
Manufacturer's Web Site
|
|
A new card on the market and it has hit with a splash. Most cards only manage the standard 5.1 surround sound, the Hercules adds another two channels. It also has some wonderful extra touches, such as a separate headphone socket, no more hunting round the back of your PC when everyone else wants to go to bed. To cap things off beautifully, it has S/PDIF input and output. At this price, there's nothing to touch it. |
|
|
Low End Professional |
|
|
Terratec DMX 6Fire 24/96 |
|
|
It's a close run between this and the Creative Audigy Platinum on paper but the Terratec wins hands down on its sheer audio quality and software bundle. Where the Audigy feels like a game card pushed to its limits, the Terratec feels like a piece of studio equipment squeezed into your PC. It's a long way from being cheap but, if you're serious about making music, this should be the first card you listen to. |
|
|
Business Software |
|
Budget Office |
|
|
OpenOffice.org |
|
|
You can't get much more budget than free but you do get far more than you pay for. OpenOffice.org is the free version of Star Office, just download it and away you go. It doesn't have the clout of the office suites that you have to pay for but, for home or even simple business use, it is great. It has a high level of compatibility with Microsoft Office so if you just want to take a bit of work home with you, this should do the trick. |
|
|
Value Office |
|
|
Sun StarOffice 6 |
|
|
It doesn't quite punch as hard as Microsoft Office but, for the price, you'd be hard pressed to find something quite so good. The fact that it retains a high level of compatibility with MS Office is a good plus point. It misses out on may of the more advanced features of its bigger competitor but, in the real world, very few people use those advanced features anyway. Many users will be glad at the lack of 'Clippy' for a start. StarOffice is definitely a suite worth considering if you want to keep a tight rein on your software spending. |
|
|
Luxury Office |
|
|
Microsoft Office XP |
|
|
The suite that started it all and still beats all of the competition hands down. The biggest, the best. The suite many people love to hate has many downsides but more than makes up for it with its strengths. If you've got the money, there is no other game in town. |
|
|
Value Graphics |
|
|
Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7 |
|
|
Starting from the humblest beginnings, PSP has become a firm favourite with a huge user base. It does admirably well in keeping up with the more expensive graphics applications and has introduced many good features of its own to the market. If you're after a high quality graphics package, look no further than here unless you're intending to go professional. |
|
|
Professional Graphics |
|
|
Adobe Photoshop 7 |
|
|
The defacto professional graphics application, Photoshop has been the market leader for many years and with good reason. Every tool drips with usability and elegant touches. Software this accomplished is rare. If you're a professional artist or digital photographer, this is the one to use. |
|
|
CD-RW |
|
There are fast ones, there are expensive ones, there are cheap ones and there is more choice than makes sense. Rather than try to review all of them, we've settled for picking out the two best deals we could find. |
|
Mitsumi CR-485CTE |
|
|
It's cheap and it's fast. With 48 speed read, 40 speed CDR and 20 speed CD-RW, you don't get much faster than this unless you pay a lot of money. What comes as a real surprise is just how cheap you can buy the Mitsumi. A real bargain. |
|
|
LG GCC-4120B DVD-ROM/CD-RW |
|
|
At 8 speed DVD, 32x CD, 12x CDR and 8x CD-RW, it doesn't come close to the Mitsumi for sheer speed but it does add DVD playback for around the same price. For burning the occasional CD and watching a DVD or two, this is the one to go for. |
|
|
DVD-RAM/DVD-RW/DVD+RW |
|
No recommendation until a standard is settled upon. |
Share this:
ShareBusiness Intelligence Software
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Enterprise Accounting Software
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Enterprise Systems Management
