There are many users here who post what they should buy for their new PC which should also be Vista compatible & certified. I have compiled a list helping such users.
You can go into the market & buy whatever you want; throw in the best components….but is it balanced & efficient? Are there drivers easily available? That’s the biggest question; this list is for such users
1) CPU – Intel Core 2 Duo E6300\E4300. Dual core does helps in Vista & it’s meant for the future. E6300 is the cheapest Dual core out there from Intel cos E4300 is not widely available yet. AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ AM2 is also a very solid option.
2) Motherboard – I would recommend Intel original
DG965WH. For AMD I would prefer going for
Asus MWN-X motherboard or
Asus M2NPV-VM motherboard.
3) RAM – 2 GB is the sweet spot for Vista. But 2X512 MB DDR2 667 MHz will do till application require more memory in 1 year or so. There are 4 memory banks on the motherboard so you can upgrade later.
4) Graphics Card – Although the choices defer according to requirement, I would prefer a
XFX 7300GT with 256 MB RAM . That’s enough for non gaming machines with full video decoding capability.
5) Monitor – I prefer LCD now, not only they are small in size but also better then CRT.
Samsung 740N is my personal choice, but you are advised to look at other options yourself before making a decision. You can also go for CRT Monitors to cut costs
6) Keyboard & Mouse – Again the choice is personal in this case, but I recommend a wireless set. Look for
Logitech or
Microsoft. A combo is always better when buying wireless as it reduces the costs.
7) TV Tuner card – Well, don’t buy one as of yet. Many brands are out there in the market but Vista compatible drivers are a problem. Wait for about 3 months by that time new drivers & Vista certified playback application will be released by Compro, Pinnacle & other such companies.
8 ) Speakers & Headphone, Sound Card – It is recommended to use the onboard audio…it’s free. Just listen to a few set of speakers in the market & chose yourself. My personal choice is
Logitech X-230. For headphones I would prefer Sony or Philips stereo headphones
9) Webcam – Again, There are really good webcams available from Quantum & Techcom for Rs 500 or you can buy a
Microsoft Lifecam VX 1000 webcam. Anything over that is personal preference; buy it if u can spend money. These have a mic inbuilt which works over USB.
10) Removable Drive – Get an OEM Sony DW-Q120A or better DVD Writer. Don’t buy a floppy drive instead get a 128 MB Pen drive; they are dirt cheap these days.
11) Cabinet & Power Supply – Look for yourself, but get at least 450W or even 500W power supply. Local brands are only 70% efficient which means a 500W Power Supply will give about 380W of clean power
12) Hard Disk – At least an 80 GB SATA 2, weather its Samsung or Seagate. They perform almost same. Make sure it has 8 MB or more buffer.
13) Modem – Don’t buy one, cos broadband is available everywhere now. The motherboard has onboard LAN too.
14) Bluetooth Adapter – If you don’t already have one, look for
Belkin Bluetooth 2.0 Adapter
Well, this is like a base configuration which is the cheapest. You can go even cheaper by going for a GeForce 6 series graphics card, but I don’t think that a good choice when 7300GT is available for Rs 4,500.
Cheapest Vista Certified PC
Linear Mode
