If you want to go top of the line, you''re better off going with an OEM. Building your own isn''t going to save you much, if any, money at that level. And yes, the 1 GHz Intel does seem to be a better choice than the AMD.
If you want good, but not top of the line, then you are better off building your own. I have yet to find an OEM with a "budget" configuration that matches what I''ve been able to come up with on my own at a comparable price. For reference, the system which I am beginning to put together this week is:
- Athlon 700 (the 700 is at a real sweet spot right now, being only about $30 more than a 650 but $100 less than an 750)
- ASUS motherboard
- 256 MB RAM (for a dev system, 128 MB is the minimum you want)
- GeForce256 DDR
- 18 GB HD
- 19" monitor
- Aureal Vortex2
- 10x DVD-ROM
This system is going to cost around $1500, and has everything I want. OEM systems with almost everything I want are about $1000 more.
I''ve found the guides and reviews at Sharky Extreme most helpful in building my own system.
