Here’s the best configuration for a Budget PC for normal home/office use. For gaming you may add a graphics card for better performance. Being a budget PC, I’ve not included the graphics card in this rig.

 

Processor:

I’ve chosen AMD 64 X2 processor as it gives the best value for money & is excellent in performance too.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ With Heat Sink Fan- Price Rs. 5700.

Specifications Overview:

Socket- AM2
Frequency- 2.9 GHz
L2 Cache- 1 MB
Architecture-65 nm SOI
Power Consumption- 65 Watts

 

Motherboard:

I’ve selected two motherboards & you can select any one of them as there is not much difference either in features or in price.

Asus M2N-VM HDMI- Price Rs. 4150

Features Overview:

Socket Support- AM2+. Supports 64 bit, Phenom & Dual Core processors.
RAM-Supports DDR2  1066 MHz. Upto 4 slots.
Graphics & Chipsets-NVIDIA GeForce 7050PV+ graphics, NVIDIA nForce 630a MCP.
HDMI/DVI/RGB-High Definition Multimedia Interface for HD-DVD, Blu-Ray playback as per industry standards. DVI support for LCD monitors. Supports NVIDIA HD Pure Video.
Audio- Supports HD Audio, has 6 ports on the back & front panel support.
LAN-Gigabit(1 Gbps).
Ports- Up to 10 USB ports, 4 SATA  ports, 1 IDE port.

OR

Asus M2A-VM HDMI- Price Rs. 4250

Features Overview:

Socket Support- AM2+. Supports 64 bit, Phenom & Dual Core processors.
RAM-DDR2 800 Mhz. Upto 4 slots.
Graphics & Chipsets-AMD 690G, ATI Radeon X1250-based graphics.
HDMI/DVI/YPbPr TV out-High Definition Multimedia Interface for HD-DVD, Blu-Ray playback as per industry standards. DVI support for LCD monitors. YPbPr TV out supports 1080i &720p.
Audio- Supports HD Audio has 3 ports on back & front panel support.
LAN-Gigabit(1Gbps).
Ports- Up to 10 USB ports, 4 SATA  ports, 1 IDE port, 1 Floppy port.

 

RAM:

I prefer DDR2 800 MHz as there is not much price & speed difference between 667 MHz & 800 MHz in Value RAM category. You can buy Kingston or Transcend whichever is available with the dealer. Buy 2 modules of 1 GB RAM.

2 X 1 GB DDR2 800 MHz-

Kingston Value RAM Price- Rs. 2350.
Transcend Price- Rs. 2300.

2 X 1 GB DDR2 667 MHz-

Kingston Value RAM Price- Rs. 1900.
Transcend Price- Rs. 2000.

 

Hard Disk Drive:

I’ve chosen the capacity of 360 GB for the HDD. It is a minimum these days & is enough for normal use.

Specifications Overview:

Capacity- 320 GB
Interface- SATA II
Spindle Speed- 7200 RPM

Seagate- Price Rs. 3600
Western Digital- Price Rs. 3050

 

Optical Drive:

I am going to select DVD Writer as they are pretty much cheap these days & I prefer Sony DVD writers. You can buy IDE or SATA connector based drives.

IDE 20X- Price Rs. 1500
SATA 20X- Price Rs. 1700

 

Monitor:

Samsung 740N LCD- Price Rs. 9000

Specifications Overview:

Screen Size-17”(43 cms.)
Max Resolution- 1280 x 1024 pixels
Contrast Ratio-  700: 1 (DC 2,000:1)
Response Time- 5ms
Power Consumption- 34 Watts(Max)

 

Cabinet:

Zebronics Lava- Price Rs. 1500

 

Specifications Overview:

400 Watts SMPS/PSU

Front panel ports:
USB- 2 Ports
Audio- Mic & Out
Display- LCD Display

 

Keyboard & Mouse:

I’ve chosen Logitech Keyboard & Mouse as they are the best, in my opinion. Microsoft optical mouse has a problem of pointer jumping around the screen.

Logitech Multimedia Wired Keyboard- Price Rs. 550
Logitech Optical Wired Mouse- Price Rs. 400

 

UPS:

UPS is a must for Indian users. UPS for this configuration must be atleast 650 VA & APC is my preferred choice. You should get around 10 minutes of backup on this configuration.

APC- 650VA- Price Rs. 3300

 

Softwares:

You pay for the hardware & should also pay for the software you use. Please do not use pirated Operating Systems or other application softwares. In case you cannot afford the Operating System you can use a Linux distribution for free. Ubuntu is the easiest Linux distribution & is recommended for users who want to shift from Windows. However I prefer Microsoft Windows Vista. For normal usage Windows Vista Premium is suitable. Do not buy Windows Vista Home Basic as it lacks many features like Aero & it can’t even play DVDs without 3rd party application.

Operating System:

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (OEM)- Price Rs. 5200
Linux Ubuntu- Price Rs. Free

Anti Virus:

Avira Antivir Personal Edition- Price Rs. Free

 

Total amount:

This configuration will set you back by approximately Rs. 37000 but I assure you that you’ll get full value for your money.

Happy Shopping!