I wrote the original article about how to build a Vista enabled PC with Aero enabled back in February and it proved to be hot topic (after about 1200 Diggs) and now I’m revisiting it, tweaking hardware choices and adding the option for a nice video card (even though Aero will run OK with , with a Vista rating of 4.3). I am also taking into account the feedback I got via the article comments and the Digg comments.

For around $500 you will get a fast performing every-day PC perfect for the web (and having tons on open tabs on Firefox), media center, moderate Photoshoping and casual gaming. All parts are brand name and generally have a very high rating by users. All the parts have links to Mwave (we’re not affiliated in any way, they are just my supplier of choice, they are local for me and they have incredible customer support).

To start off, I’m going with the INTEL BOXDQ965GFEKR motherboard which has proven to be reliable and easily expandable. Integrated Video (Aero capable), 4 SATA300 ports, 10 USB 2.0 ports, 2 Firewire ports. I’ve chosen the Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 ($119) which clocks a 2.0 ghz with 2 mB of cache and a front side bus clocking at 800 mHz instead of the E6320 ($165.50 1066 FSB) for savings and because we aren’t going to take advantage of the increased FSB speed.

For memory I’ve chosen Kingston for their good track record and reliability. A pair of KVR667D2N52 1 GB 667 ($88.75) speed sticks to be specific. For storage, Western Digital WD2500KS ($63.90) , featuring 2 mb of cache, SATA300 interface and spinning at 7200 RPM. A Samsung SH-S183L ($32.90) DVD Burner featuring burning speeds of up to 18x, a SATA interface and Lightscribe will be our optical drive.

And last but certainly not least, I’ve chosen an Eagle SI1 case ($32) , which looks good and performs great with its 400W power supply, steel finish and tons of front-connecting ports. If you are interested in building this machine yourself I suggest reading this guide [via instructables]. Windows Vista Home Premium OEM 32-bit is $106.

Options (or deviations, if you will) and addons

If you require additional video-horsepower, we recommend GIGABYTE GV-NX85T256HP ($99) featuring an nVidia GeForce 8500GT chip, dual DVI ports and 254 VRAM.

You can also upgrade your OS to Windows Vista Business ($139) or Vista Premium ($179.90). View the different Vista options here [via Wikipedia]

Shortly I will be posting a build-your-own-PC guide complete with pictures, we’re getting orders from our clients very soon. We recently built 8 of these computer for one of our clients and everything went without a hitch and they are very pleased with the machines, especially the price.
Here is the list of parts used.

• Motherboard: INTEL BOXDQ965GFEKR ($94.65)
  
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 ($119)
• RAM: KVR667D2N52 ($88.75)
• HDD: Western Digital WD2500KS ($63.90)
• Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S183L ($32.90)
• Case: Eagle SI1 case ($32)
• OS: Windows Vista Home Premium OEM 32-bit $106

Total (exluding tax and shipping) $535.85

Options:

• Video Card GIGABYTE GV-NX85T256HP ($99)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites