For when is the new system guide to be expected :P

The atom processor/motherboard should be replaced with the dual core atom processor/motherboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121360

I was wondering why two 4870s instead of one 4870 X2 for the workstation build? Is it a multi-monitor thing?

No loving for mention of SSDs in the double stuff?

On a different subject, I think the price guides of $500, $1000 and $1500 are starting to look high, PCs are simply not that expensive any more. I would drop the raid and trumpet that the sweet spot is so cheap, rather than what looks like bulking it up to match the price. Challenge for next time, just how cheap can you get the recommendation for the Grand Experiment, while still leaving the performance and features halfway between the Econobox and the Sweet Spot?

OK, we gotta stop this Atom-on-desktop love affair.

I just built a Celeron (core2 based) 420 @ 1.6 Ghz with one 1 Gb memory on a $50 Biostar mobo with 950 graphics. You could get a Celeron E1200, too, for about $40 OEM (I had an Intel OEM heatsink lying around) - which is same specs as the 420 except dual core. For my 5-year-old.

It is jerky when opening up Windows Media Center, is about the only real problem I see, but it plays DVD's just fine as long as you are not multi-tasking.

This cheap proc/mobo (and you can make several examples with AMD parts, too) is comparable (within $10-20) of the Atom soldered on board, is more servicable, and comes with a PCI-E X16 slot if there is ever the need to upgrade to gaming graphics. And it wipes the floor with the Atom on performance.

Keep the Atom where it belongs...in the 'netbook' segment, please. Or wait til there is a worthy low-power chipset in the ITX board format that would a really nifty mac-mini type setup.

What happened to the link to the complete system for The Sweet Spot?

Like the guides, and the pricepoints. I don't think you should change anything about the pricepoints as commented below. Being able to look back at years of guides helps keep things consistent.

I still would go with duo's over quad's for sweet spot, and invest in more storage (raid 1 times 2) but otherwise sweet picks...

Great article, “The Tech Report” is a five-star site so no problem for me with Newegg being involved.
However the thing that bothered me was the image heading this article; it showed Corsair XMS Ram being used and throughout the article only Kingston RAM was specified.
Kingston is fine ram but I would have expected Corsair XMS Ram being at least specified as an alternative!
I know, I know, picky picky!
Thanks for the article, Tech Report!

gx2 costs the same as a gtx260 and performs better from what i recall...

anyone agree on gx2 for grand experiment alternative

I'm going to say that in your conclusion the comment about DDR3 being very expensive isn't nearly as true as it used to be. Yes, you can buy DDR2 for very cheap, however you don't need nearly as much RAM to still have a fast computer as some people seem to think. 2GB in single-channel configurations has been proven on systems to bench just as high in games as a 2GB (1GBx2) dual channel as well. So buy a single stick of 2GB DDR3 1333 and you're gravy.

You can even order Ubuntu discs totally for free, CD and shipping and all.

https://shipit.ubuntu.com/

Considering though that it takes about 4 weeks and it really still doesn't cost you much to get Ubuntu some other way, everyone's better off not ordering, unless they want Ubuntu stickers.

The Mini-Econobox is extremely weak. You present it as a mainstream alternative when it is really a hobbyist tinkertoy.

Atom mb + Ram + shipping = $130

Foxconn 780g + 4050e + 2x1 ram kit + shipping = $157

$27 more to build something useful.

The link on page 4 to "Buy this complete system at newegg" links to the wrong list of components (includes 2x CPU and 2x 4870's) which totals up to $1596 instead of the mentioned $1055.

Just want to say thanks TR, I bought the Econobox from your June edition, and love playing Crysis with eye candy turned up. I also used your OC guide and overclocked the E2180 by 50% (3GHZ!) on the stock heatsink and it runs nice and cool.

I noticed you've added the "Powered by Newegg" logo. Why don't you just call the article "The Newegg Back To School Sale?" Or haven't they ponied up enough for full sell-out naming rights yet?

Despite all the "full disclosure" statements, clearly defined advertising is one thing, but an article that's little more than "Go buy this at Newegg" is something else.

ugh

I'm really curious why do you guys choose such crappy memory in all the builds? For $5 more you can get better memory with actual heat spreaders and much better "eye aesthetics". For instance take the G.Skill dimms for $76.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

or if you must have Kingston or some other major brands these are far better deals and actually cost quite a bit less with rebates:

$44.99 for OCZ 4 gigs after rebates: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227269

or $64.99 for Kingston HyperX 4gigs after rebates:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134606

I can't help but look at the econobox and want to tweak and fiddle with it until I can somehow cram 4gb in there :(
2gb in my mind is over with, especially with you guys recommending Vista (sigh!) if you've got an 8800GT then playing games on a Vista box, 2gb is going to hit some bumps pretty darn quickly.

I fiddled with the prices but the most I could save was about 15$ (500gb drive is fine, 5$ cheaper P45 board from Asus) :/
EDIT: sidenote, your love for gigabyte eludes me, I suppose we all have our opinions and we've all been burnt before by a company (Maxtor, IBM anyone) but I'm surprised Asus isn't your number one son, I've always had the greatest experience with their products and while gigabyte isn't rubbish, I'd much rather pony up for Asus, personally.

Also, I'd really love one day to see these systems actually built, delivered to your door and benchmarked, it might be a huge wake up call to some of the high end enthusiasts who haven't learnt the law of diminishing returns (which sadly, most of us enthusiasts learn, once we move out of home and have to pay bills)
I'd be betting the econobox would totally kick ass frame rate to $ ratio over the others for sure.

Finally, with the way the PC industry is moving, price wise, it might be interesting to actually drop the price of the econobox maximum to say 450$ and the sweet spot to 900$ - I don't know about everyone else here but 1000$ US seems like a lot of money for the 'sweet spot' - what with components coming down so much now.
Thoughts?

I'd consider skipping optical for the mini-box. You have the option of even smaller cases. You're not likely to use media much in Ubuntu past the install. A 2.5" HDD and a pico psu gets things even smaller.
http://www.mini-box.com/M200-Enclosure_2?sc=8&category=87

[shameless self plug]
i've been doing a weekly computer parts guide for a gaming forum, and i'll post the link to that as an alternative.

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10305872

i chose these parts based on gaming perferences. as such, i am fairly confident that my picks can outperform TR's at the $500, $1000, and $1500 categories. the $2000+ category is kinda bad though.

it's updated once every week on monday.

[/shameless self plug]

hmmm seems like the gx2 would be a better buy over a gtx260. anyone else think so?

Get rid of the not-so-useful $90 sound card in the Econobox alternative and put a Radeon HD4850 in there.

Great guide as always, but something you may want to consider is giving some alternatives to the mini econobox that maybe aren't so mini. A $300 bargain bin system would almost always get my attention.

Also, I could go for $600 econobox, especially if there is a $300 system. Often times I find the $500 budget is just a bit to much of a compromise.

An example: a $600 budget gets a C2Duo e7200, Radon 4850, GIGABYTE GA-G31M-S2L (A G31 mAtx mobo which isn't so great, but I wanted a mATX for this dorm room gamer), 2gig DDR2 800, WD SE16 640gig, DVD burner, and a Antec NSK1380 (mATX) case.

How about the GA-EP43-DS3L for the Econobox?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128347

Not just as a differentiation to the P45 for the Grand Experiment, but you can really get back closer to the $500 mark. May be like JAE said coupled this saving with the removal of the sound card to get a better GPU?

It seems goofy to make a build targeted for ~$1000 right now. By switching to a 4850 and making the E8500 the default, an ~$800 just seems more relevant. If I had some reason that the number $1000 (or $1055) were really important to me (if i were spending Brewster's $1055 in the low budget sequel), sure, that's probably the best build . . . but I just don't think I'd recommend it to anyone. Hey, that's what the alternatives are for though.

I built a system almost exactly like the econobox 3 weeks ago, same MB, same burner, same HD. I spent a total of $135 extra though, and I got the e8400, some Crucial 1066Mhz RAM, an Antec 430 PSU, a nice Cooler Master case, and an ATI 3650.

I skimped on the video card, but I think upgrading this system will be a lot cheaper than the extra $135 I spent now. I'm willing to bet the 4850 or gtx260 equivalent performance will be available for $150 in a year.

I have mixed and matched various items from these articles for my latest gaming rig, but I'm still wishing for the HTPC build to reappear for those contemplating a build in the near future.

Didn't the Phenom X4 9950 use less power than the X4 9850, despite the higher TDP?

Surprised the 4870x2s were recommended for the higher end box.

You mention ESA compliant components as an alternative in the Workstation segment.

I looked into ESA when I was deciding on a new case purchase and I have to say parts are few and far between.

I'd love to see more manufacturers support ESA but until they do it's a waste of cash.