Consumers have never had it so good! Since the last time we did this roundup, there have been quite a few changes. The prices for CPUs, GPUs and RAM have all dropped drastically, leading to the availability of some very good products in this price bracket. This is naturally a good thing, as it allows you to build a PC now, which till even a few months ago would have cost at least Rs 55,000.
Please note that in some instances prices and specs have remained unchanged from previous articles. In such cases we haven't changed the relevant text, but carried it forward.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6550
The CPU space is now completely dominated by Intel. Within a price bracket of Rs 6,500 to Rs 11,500 there are 3-4 main offerings and very little to chose between them. This includes both the 65nm 1333 MHz processors (E6550 and E6750) and the new 45nm 'Wolfdale' E8200.
Our first choice was the E8200 which is already available and offers a significant upgrade. However, we ran into a problem – its price is around Rs 8,250. Our strict budget of Rs 35,000 meant we had to rule out this processor. Our next bet was the E6750, which is sadly priced in the same bracket as well. This led us further down the ladder to the E6550, which at Rs 6,950 fit perfectly in our budget.
The E6550, while not being quite in the same class as the E6750/E8200, is a powerful processor in its own right. It runs at a clock speed of 2.33 GHz, sports a 4 MB L2 cache, and is designed to run at 1333 FSB speed. It offers great VFM and is therefore a natural choice. (We're on a budget, hence the compromise. If you can stretch your wallet a little further, simply go for the E8200.)
Motherboard: Abit IP35-E
Abit as a firm needs no introduction. Having been one of the premier OC board makers for a decade now, their products are very reliable and can withstand a lot more stress. The IP35-E is based on the Intel P35 series of chipsets and offers native support for the 1333 MHz FSB. The board lacks onboard graphics, but does offer a single PCIe 16x slot, 2 PCIe x1 slot, 8 USB slots, 3 PCI slots, and 4 SATA 2 (3.0 GB) slots.
RAM: Kingston DDR2 800 MHz (2 sticks of 1 GB RAM Each)
RAM prices have been going further south and it's time to take advantage of this. At least 2 GB of system memory is absolutely vital nowadays with the increased size and requirements of software. Kingston really needs no introduction. The company has been making quality RAM sticks for a long time. Now available with a 5-year warranty, it’s the perfect product for our machine.
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