Step-By-Step: To Get Just the PC You Want, Build It Yourself

By Scott Mueller, PCW Print May 24, 2006 1:00 AM

Build a PC: Invoice

We constructed a midrange PC with the following components for a total just under $1200.

Product	URL	Price
Foxconn TPS544 black/silver tool-less ATX chassis TPS544-S350	www.foxconnchannel.com	$70
350W ATX 12V 2.x power supply Front ports: four USB 2.0, two audio, one FireWire
Intel D945GTPLR Media Series microATX motherboard BOXD945GTPLR	www.intel.com	$115
GMA950 on-board 3D graphics processor SATA RAID (0, 1, 0+1, 5) controller (four drives) 10/100 ethernet LAN controller 8-channel (7.1) high-definition audio controller USB 2.0 controller (eight ports) IEEE 1394a/FireWire/i.Link controller (three ports) SATA, ATA, and floppy cables
Intel Pentium 4 631 3-GHz/800-MHz 65nm processor BX80552631	www.intel.com	$177
Omnidirectional active heat sink
Two Gigaram 512MB (1GB total) DDR2 667 (PC2-5300) DIMMs GR2DD8B-K1GB/667	www.gigaram.com	$72
EVGA GeForce 6600 GT graphics board 128A8N350TX	www.evga.com	$139
Western Digital 250GB 7200-rpm SATA hard drive WD2500JD	www.wdc.com	$90
Lite-On ATAPI DVD±R/RW burner SHM-165P6S	www.liteonit.com	$40
Nero 6 CD/DVD digital media suite CyberLink PowerDVD 5 DVD player/decoder
Encore 56-kbps Intel 537 chip set fax modem ENF656-ESW-INPR	www.encore-usa.com	$8
ViewSonic VA902b 19-inch LCD monitor	www.viewsonic.com	$236
Creative Inspire T3000 29-watt 2.1 speakers 51MF0230AA000	www.creative.com	$41
Logitech PS/2 keyboard and optical wheel mouse 967502-0403, 953817-0403	www.logitech.com	$18
Microsoft Windows XP Home with SP2 N09-01528	www.microsoft.com	$90
OpenOffice.org office suite 2.0.1	www.openoffice.org	Free
Subtotal:		$1096
Shipping:		$64
Total:		$1160
CHART NOTES: Listed prices are street prices as of the time of publication. Shipping charges are for standard delivery (three to five business days). Some online vendors may charge sales tax, which is not included here since sales taxes vary by state.

Scott Mueller is the author of Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 17th Edition, published by Que Publishing. You can send him e-mail at scottmueller@compuserve.com.

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