PCMag.com Desktops Product Guide

Build a $200 Linux PC

By: Matthew Murray

If you need a second or third computer but money is tight, you don't need to buy a full system. You can build a surprisingly speedy Linux PC that will excel at everyday tasks, and cost less than $200.

Times are still tough out there, but our needs and desires don't always flag just because the economy does. If an accident or an equipment failure has punched an unexpected hole in your computing life, you may be in need of a system—any system—to fill it. Or maybe you've discovered that your family just needs one more box to use as a Web terminal to keep the more powerful systems free more often. Whatever the circumstance, you may be tempted to drop $500 or even more on one of the cheaper, pre-fab models you can find at Costco, Wal-Mart, or from one of the major manufacturers. But once you've factored in all the attendant costs, taxes, and shipping, you could be spending a lot more than you planned—and that's something to avoid, especially when every penny counts.

Even if you need a computer right away, there are plenty of good reasons to build one rather than buy one. You control the parts, so you get exactly what you need at the price you can best afford. You're assured of being able to upgrade any (or all) of the pieces later, when you have more money to spend. And, perhaps most importantly, you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself and maintaining complete control over it from the very instant you open the boxes. No matter how little you want to drop, building your own computer is still the best way to go.

So we asked ourselves: What's the lowest point at which these two goals could intersect? If we needed a simple computer right away, and wanted to spend as little as possible, what could we build? We knew we wanted to aim low, almost ridiculously low—so we decided on what seemed like almost an unthinkable total: $200, which would include everything needed for the base computer itself (but not counting the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, or tax and shipping charges).

Once we had our target price, we took to Newegg.com to see whether this could really be done. We spent hours researching all the possibilities, making swaps, compromises, and last-minute changes until we had all the parts for our impossibly inexpensive system that, amazingly, came in under budget.

We had met our goal—on paper. But there's a lot more to any computer than just how it looks on a Web site or in the cells of an Excel spreadsheet. We needed to make sure the computer would meet our needs, and not be stuck functioning as a big steel paperweight. Read on for the details about how we built one of the least expensive computers we've seen, while learning a lot more than we expected about the difficulties of component shopping, the importance of knowing what you need (and what you're willing to settle for), and the knowledge that what you get can sometimes be considerably more than just what you see.

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Apple Mac Pro (Xeon E5620)

Type: Multimedia, Workstation, Small Business
Processor Family: Intel Xeon
RAM: 6 GB
Storage Capacity: 1000 GB
RAID: No
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 5770
Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6

The latest Apple Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) ($3,499 list) is an internal component update of Apple's timeless high-end desktop. Nominally a workstation-class PC, the Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) is the most versatile tool in the graphics artist or scientific worker's tool chest. It has plenty of easy-to-service expansion room, two quad-core Xeon "Westmere" processors, and a 3D graphics card that puts others' high-end graphics cards to shame. It might be overkill compared with some of its workstation rivals and all-in-one alternatives, but it's a worthy addition to your art/scientific/entertainment company's arsenal of number-crunching weapons.

Design
Like Apple's other designs, the Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) remains both iconic and a minimalist ideal. Its chassis hasn't changed too much since the time Apple's finest was the Power Mac G5. It retains the same basic design that was revolutionary in 2003 (and 2006), but still it works as a piece of functional art. The exterior is made of brushed aluminum with grab handles on top. The perforated front and back panels allow cooling air to flow through the case. One of the Mac Pro (Xeon E5620)'s best intangible features is that it looks just like the Mac Pros you bought two years ago. Therefore your newly hired graphic artists' Mac Pro will look just like the Mac Pro under your veteran art director's desk. If you don't think this is a concern, you haven't seen office politics in action.

The Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) is easy on your IT pro as well. Crack open the case door with a simple lever, and the interior is neatly set up, and can be serviced completely tool-free. You won't need a screwdriver to install hard drives (up to four), two PCIe x4 cards, add memory (2 slots free), or swap out the PCIe x16 graphics card. The Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) carries over a neat feature of last year's Mac Pro (8-Core) ($3,499, ): the RAM DIMM slots slide out along with the processors on a daughtercard, which makes it easier to upgrade the memory while the system stands upright. External expansion is just as easy: four FireWire 800 ports, five USB 2.0 ports, and digital audio SPDIF ports are easy to hook up. The system also has two independent Gigabit Ethernet ports, Bluetooth 2.1, and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi for wired and wireless connections. The only glaring omission is eSATA, which some professionals use for fast portable hard drives. Apple is standardized on USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 for drive connectors, but it would be nice to see eSATA on board instead of having to resort to a PCIe expansion card.

Features
The system includes two 2.4GHz Intel Xeon E5620 quad-core processors, 6GB of DDR3 memory, a 1TB hard drive, DVD burner, and an ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics card. You can equip the desktop with up to four drives from the following types: 1TB 7,200 rpm SATA hard drive, a 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive, and a 512GB solid-state drive (SSD). SSDs are potentially the fastest drives of the lot, but they also cost $1,400 each, so you likely won't see too many of them. The Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) comes with the usual Apple standard software: Mac OS X 10.6, iLife, and Mac OS X 10.6's built-in utilities. This is great, since you don't have to worry about any bloatware or extraneous trial software.

Performance
The Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) is a workstation-class desktop PC, and as such you should expect top-notch performance. In addition to one of the highest scores on the CineBench R10 test (21,268 points in the Mac OS; 24,057 points ini Windows 7), other scores are in line with the recently reviewed high-end workstations and multimedia PCs. Under Mac OS X, the Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) completed the Photoshop CS4 test in a quick 1 minute 31 seconds, which is significantly faster than the 1:47 scored by the Apple iMac 27-inch (Core i5) ($1,999, ). I loaded Boot Camp and Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit, and the Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) excelled there too. The Mac Pro was able to meet or exceed most of the benchmark scores set by the HP Z200 ($2,496, ) and the Editors' Choice for Workstations, the Lenovo ThinkStation E20 ($1,199, ). While it is a great performer, we should point out that the Apple iMac 27-inch (Core i5) was able to meet or exceed the Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) on a few of the Windows-based tests, particularly CS4 and WME. Also, the Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) was only a few seconds behind the Lenovo E20 on the WME and CS4 multimedia tests.

Compared with the competition, the Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) excels on the ease of expandability, looks, 3D rendering (CineBench R10), and some performance tests. If you have a task that will exercise the Mac Pro's multi-threaded, multi-core power, then it's a worthy addition to your artist or engineer's life. However, if you're buying for the average content worker or number cruncher, less expensive options like the Lenovo E20 and Apple iMac 27-inch (Core i5) start to make more sense. Let's put it this way: If you have a need for a workstation with 6.5-8TB of hard drive space and need to render a lot of data with the CPU for scientific calculations or CGI movie making, then the Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) should be your first choice. However, for more generalized high-end computing, the workstation Editors' Choice Lenovo E20 and high-end multimedia all-in-one EC Apple iMac 27-inch (Core i5) make more sense, and are less expensive to boot.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Apple Mac Pro (Xeon E5620) with several other desktops side by side.

More desktop reviews:
•   Apple Mac Pro (Xeon E5620)
•   Iomega Upgrades eGo Drive to USB 3.0
•   Top 10 Back to School PC Buying Tips
•   AVADirect Custom Gaming PC
•   Build It: A Budget CS5 Desktop
•   more

Iomega Upgrades eGo Drive to USB 3.0

By: Joel Santo Domingo

Iomega on Tuesday announced that it is transitioning its popular portable eGo drives from USB 2.0 to the faster USB 3.0 standard in early October.

The faster drives will first appear in 500GB and 1TB capacities, with plans to move the rest of its external hard drives to USB 3.0 in 2011.

These drives will be backwards compatible with USB 2.0, thought true USB 3.0 speeds will require an adapter card or native USB 3.0 support on a desktop or laptop PC. All of Iomega's 2.5-inch portable external drives are bus-powered (no AC adapter needed). The drives are also backwards compatible with USB 1.1 in case you're using a PC that's more than 7-10 years old. The eGo drives are ruggedized to handle abuse from up to a 7-foot drop.

The Iomega eGo USB 3.0 drives feature 256-bit AES hardware encryption on Windows PCs, as well as the Iomega Protection Suite. The Protection Suite comes with v.clone drive cloning software, a 12-month subscription to Trend Micro Internet Security, Iomega QuikProtect backup software, Roxio Retrospect Express backup software, and a 2GB trial account to MozyHome online backup.

Pricing has yet to be finalized, but Iomega is advertising that there will be no price premium for USB 3.0. Current eGo BlackBelt ruggedized drives go for $120 for 500GB and $210 for 1TB, both with a 3-year warranty.

Top 10 Back to School PC Buying Tips

By: Laarni Almendrala Ragaza, Joel Santo Domingo, Cisco Cheng

We give you the ten top tips for finding that perfect desktop or laptop for your schooling needs.

The return to the school year is often fraught with various decisions to make. One of the most important is what kind of PC you should get, particularly if you're off to college. We give you the ten top tips for finding that perfect desktop or laptop for your schooling needs.

1. Desktop, notebook, or tablet? If you like to type notes in class or work on papers in the library (or the quad), choose a notebook. Tablets work well in classrooms because the writing is noiseless, and if the professor draws diagrams, you can too. If you'd rather have high performance or a larger screen over portability, and cost is a top priority, choose a desktop.

2. Picking the right processor. For a desktop system, you don't necessarily need the fastest processor. A 1.6 or 1.7GHz processor is fine for writing papers and surfing the Internet. To help with better multitasking or multimedia tasks, go with a dual-core or better yet, a quad/six-core CPU, such as the Intel Core i5, i7, or the AMD Phenom II X4 or X6.

When picking a laptop, look for a mobile processor that's strong but won't run down your battery too fast. A dual core Intel Core i3 or Core i5 processor will usually does the trick, but you should also pair it with a decently sized battery. Research the battery life. Not all systems fare the same even with the same processor; battery lives vary from 3 to 7 hours.

3. How far to go with graphics. If your schoolwork is basic word processing, spreadsheets, Web surfing, and e-mail, then an integrated graphics chip will suffice. If you do 3D rendering or have a yen to do digital-editing, steer clear of integrated graphics and get the best graphics card you can afford. If you're into gaming, a graphics card can make or break a winning streak. If you're a middle-of-the-road gamer, go with cards like the ATI Radeon 5850 or the Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 for desktops and the ATI Mobility Radeon 5000 series or the Nvidia GeForce 300M Series for laptops.

4. Hard drives (where size and speed matters). Get a big hard drive—500GB minimum on a desktop and 320GB for a laptop—if you're tackling Video Editing 101 and hope to graduate with Spielberg honors. Look for systems with an eSATA port, which can take storage beyond the included drive and not be hampered by USB speeds. USB 3.0 is a new interface standard that's faster (with the right port), plus it's backwards compatible with USB 2.0.

5. Upgrade to 4GB of memory. Even the most affordable systems come standard with 4GB of memory (1GB for netbooks). It's the least expensive way to squeeze the best performance from your system. We recommend upgrading to at least 2GB on a netbook, and if a bigger laptop doesn't have 4GB, then you should look elsewhere. The additional cost of upgrading is minimal, and the performance boost you get in return is definitely worth the money.

6. The importance of being wireless. All laptops today have wireless capability, some more than others. Wi-Fi is the most common wireless method, and most campuses have wireless 802.11 networks in place. Some schools will even allow you to setup your own router in your dorm room, in case you want a stronger signal. Laptops that offer 3G connectivity are growing in numbers, though monthly plans are still rather expensive. But being connected to the internet at all times is a luxury, especially during long train or bus commutes to class.

7. DVD burner or bust. Don't settle for anything less than an optical drive (or drives, if you're getting a desktop) that burns and reads dual=layer DVDs. Nearly all desktops now come with dual-layer DVD+/-RW drives that can write to optical discs that hold up to 7.95GB of data. BlurRay drives are coming down in price, and you can find one in a laptop or desktop without going over budget. With it, you enjoy all the latest flicks in full 1080p glory. Of course, buying a laptop without an optical is not a bad idea if you rarely use one. You'll have more room in your backpack for textbooks or gym clothes.

8. Easy on the eyes. Consider a 24-inch LCD monitor for your desktop; it's a good-size display that will still save space on your tiny dorm room desk. Bigger can still be better: If you have the room, 27-inch LCDs are the new big monitors on campus. Regardless, look for true 1080p or 1,920 by 1,080 resolution, so you can watch online videos and Blu-ray in full 1080p HD.

On a laptop, you want a screen that won't make you squint halfway through your midterm paper but isn't so huge that it weighs down the system. Laptop screens add weight and rob battery life as they go up in size. The key is a balance between screen size and portability; 13- to 15-inch screens seem to achieve this best.

9. Windows 7? Most people will choose between different versions of Windows 7 if they're buying a brand new desktop or laptop this year. The version of Windows 7 hinges on what type of laptop you buy: A mainstream laptop or desktop will more often than not have Windows 7 Home Premium, whereas a netbook will ship with Windows 7 Starter Edition. The differences between the two are minor at best, with Starter Edition lacking some visual eye-candy, tools like Media Center and Mobile Center, and placing a 2GB maximum on system memory. Other Windows 7 versions like Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate are tailored to more sophisticated users, like business professionals. A 64-bit version of Windows 7 will allow your PC to address system memory beyond 3GB, which is why the Starter Edition is capped at 32-bits.

10. Know your Warranty. Almost every desktop or laptop is backed by at least a 1-year complimentary parts and labor warranty (Systems bought from a retailer like Costco actually come with a 2-year warranty). Extended warranties are also available, but that depends on who you are as a user. The standard warranty doesn't cover accidents that stem from a spilled drink, a little brother that rips off a button, or a drop on a hard surface. Most vendors sell accident coverage as a separate plan, on top of extended warranties that work on top of a standard one, so you might end up spending close to $300 for three years of coverage. Apple offers a maximum 3-year extended warranty ($250), while most Windows-based desktop and laptop vendors will offer up to 4 years.

Our rule of thumb is that if the warranty costs more than 15 percent of the total laptop price, you're better off spending the money on backup drives or services that minimize downtime in case something does go awry. Of course, you can't put a price tag on peace of mind. There are instances when the logic board or the display—the most expensive pieces of a laptop—fail, and while rare, that can cost you half of what the laptop is worth. Faulty components usually break down during the first year; anything after that is probably your fault.

For our reviews of the latest desktops, check out our desktop product guide. For our latest laptop reviews, go to our laptop product guide.