YugaTech | Philippines, Tech Reviews Blog

During our recent dinner over at Noem’s new home, she consulted me about getting a new desktop PC for her study/library. She already has a gorgeous white Macbook but she thought it would be better to get a desktop for those long-haul usage in the house. That should help ease the stress on the laptop battery too (since you won’t be using it that much when at home).

I saw her budget worth just over 50k and I thought I’d give her another option to look at. Here’s my recommended set up for the stay-at-home problogger and entrepreneur mom:

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Dual Core (2.0 GHz) – Php4,250
MSI K9N Neo-F nForce 550 – Php 4,110
(Socket AM2, 4 SATA slots, 4 DIMMs, 1 PCI-E 16X; 2 PCI-E X1; 3 PCI; 10 USB, Gigabit LAN; RAID (0, 1 & 0+1); SATA2; ATA133, Realtek 7.1 CH HD audio)
2 x 1GB Corsair 667MHz DDR2 RAM – Php 3,840
320 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 SATA – Php4,520
Lite-On 20x DVDRW w/ Lightscribe – Php 1,920
PowerColor X1550 256MB GDDR2 128-bit Dual DVI/TV – Php 3,430
2 x 19″ Samsung 940BW (1440 x 900) – Php 19,990 (Php 9,995 x 2)
Mars 722 Thermal Advantage 500 watts casing (with A4tech mouse & KB) – Php 1,720
Powercom Ace UPS 650 volt-amps – Php 1,770

Total — Php 45,550

The final set up should look like this:

The original quote to her by PCExpress was an Intel Pentium 925 3.0GHz and a 22″ AOC LCD screen. We skipped the Core 2 Duos entirely and I think the AMD Athlon x2 3800 still has the best bang for the buck. The dual monitor set up needed the x1550 for dual DVI support. Prices were taken from several sources including PCX and RSun Computers. I just love the mobo too — 10 USB 2.0 ports, 4 SATA2 slots and 4 DIMM slots of up to 4GB of RAM — lots of room for upgrades and add-ons.

Oops, I forgot the OS. You can get Windows XP Pro Home Edition for Php 4,580 or Windows Vista Home Basic at Php 5,250. Again, there’s always Ubuntu for free.

Was it Connie that once said she needs to buy the stuff herself before she can impartially review them? Well, good thing she’s into food and cooking so it’s not that expensive but if you’re into technology and gadget blogging, it could burn a huge hole in your pocket (as in huge!).

So, ok, I bought a 19-inch Samsung LCD screen not because I just want to review it but because I really wanted to have one. The last time I bought a monitor was 3 years ago, also a Samsung 17″ flat screen monitor. I just love Samsung monitors since then and if only I have the same amount of cold cash Marc has, I would have wanted that 32″ Samsung HDTV set he bought earlier.

So, I’ll settle with the Samsung Synchmaster 940BW 19″ LCD:

19-inch Wide TFT-LCD
1440 x 900 resolution
500:1 contrast ratio
16:10 aspect ratio
4ms response time
160 degree viewing angle
30-81kHz horizontal (scanning frequency)
56-75Hz vertical
HDTV Ready
DVI input
HDCP support

I plugged this one into my Compaq Presario with an external mouse and an Okion mini-keyboard. About two or 3 years ago, the entry level LCD screens are 15-inchers and costs at least Php15k. Now, you can get a 19″ for that same price.

Took a 24 hour break and played WC3 with my brother for some online Christmas partying. *heh* I also thought that instead of getting that new rig I mentioned in my other post, I’d go for a Mac mini hooked into this one. I’m still undecided so I’ll take it one purchase at a time.