This article was written on February 16th 2007. I’ve written an updated version of this article, which you can view by clicking here, it contains newer parts and better instructions on how to build your new PC. Please update your bookmarks accordingly and don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS feed.

[Edit 2/28/07] WOW…the digg effect, over 1000 diggs. Thanks for visiting my site. By the way, Dreamhost, my hosting provider has been keeping up…]. Also, thanks for all your comments and suggestions.

[Edit #2] Wow…made it to the front page of Gizmodo (click here to view it).

So with so many people out there saying that you need a very high end PC to run Windows Vista with Aero enabled (and so many misconceptions around Vista, I want to prove that you can build at around $500. At my office, I am running Vista with Aero Glass enabled on an old (4 year) system, I just installed a $58 video card PNY nVidia FX5200 256MB on my P4 2.66, 1Gb of RAM system.

I went out there and priced out a system (from Mwave.com, my favorite supplier), very decent in my opinion. Now you won’t be able to run the latest games out there smoothly, this is just to prove that you can take full advantage of Vista under a budget. All quality parts in my opinion and it all came out to $538.01 not including MS Vista Home Premium (which can be purchased here for $115, shipping and tax. Notice that all the parts aren’t the absolute minimum, nor the cheapest, I’m going for the “best-bang for the buck” factor.

Heres the breakdown of the system (prices don’t include tax)

Motherboard: Intel BOXD945GCCRL – $72.45. DDR2 667 memory capable. SATA 300. PCI-E and enough room for expansion.

Processor: Intel PENTIUM D 820 2.8GHZ – $88.9. Low-end, very fast and capable dual core processor.

Memory: KINGSTON VALUE RAM KVR667D2N5/1G – $75.60. Two of these sticks for a total of 2 GB. Good memory. Reliable (so far for me)

Video Card: MSI RX700SE-TD256E RADEONX700SE – $62.90. 256 Mb. DirectX 9.0. Plenty of power for everyday tasks and some light gaming.

Hard Drive: WD 250GB WD2500KS – $67.50. SATA300. 16MB. 7200RPM. Fast. Reliable. Plenty of space.

Case: ANTEC NSK4400. $61.05. Quality case. Plenty of room. Mini-ATX. 380-watt PSU

Optical Drive: SAMSUNG 18X SH-S183L. $37.90. SATA. Dual layer. Lightscribe. Fast and no messy IDE cable.

So there you have it. A very decent PC, built from quality parts, capable of running Vista (very well).

[Another Edit] – This does come with a PSU, a 380-watt one. And Vista isn’t $400. I suggest getting Home Premium for $115.

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