Buyer's Guide - March 2000

Introduction
You do the research on the products.  You read all the reviews.  You even discuss with friends.  But even with all that information, building your own perfect personalized system from scratch can be quite a daunting task.  With that in mind, it’s no surprise that we’ve had request after request to provide some system recommendations.

Well, today, we present the first edition of the AnandTech Buyer’s Guide, with updates coming once a month.  We’ll provide some system recommendations, including a value and high-end system in 3 categories – small office / home office (SOHO), gaming, and professional.  We’ve also thrown in a Dream System that represents what we would buy if money were no object. 

Remember that these are just a few recommendations from us if we were building the systems.  Obviously, each individual’s needs will vary greatly.  But that’s the beauty of building a custom system - it can be tailored to fit those special needs.

Every component from the motherboard to the case to the monitor is covered for each system.  Sample prices based on a review of popular vendors and price search engines across the web are included as well. Note that shipping is not included in these prices.  An OS recommendation is included, but the price is not included in the total system price listed.  Components that are not readily obtainable were automatically out of the running for any system in the Buyer’s Guide.  Where possible, we’ll link to reviews of the individual products on AnandTech for more in depth information.

So without further ado, let’s get started…