Case/Keyboard/Mouse

Case: Enlight 7233A ATX
$59.95

A case is something that can last you several computer configurations, not something you want to skimp on if you don't have to... and not something that you want to spend too much on either because it's really just a case. ;

For our overclocked system we do have to be conscious about not having too hot of a case. We want something with enough room and ventilation to keep our Duron from melting. Thankfully this machine isn't loaded with drives or cards that will really crowd and heat the inside of the case so we should be fine with Enlight's mid towet ATX offering. 

Besides not being ugly, the Enlight is well built, nice to work on (since we'd have to put this together from parts), and has an ample 250W power supply. Ideally this case will last several upgrades and iterations... that is if this machine ever gets too slow... maybe when the 2GHz chips come out, he he. 

Keyboard: Acer 52T Win98 107 Key
$6.37

It's a keyboard, we don't need something fancy, just something that will keep up with all the abuse gaming can dish out. Realistically we're just going to spill coke all over it at some point and wreck it anyways so something cheap is probably best. 

The Acer 52T has got Windows keys, we don't need ones for the Internet, Email, or any of the other junk they're pushing onto keyboards these days, this is just a nice solid keyboard that is plenty ample on really any system, not just value ones. 

Mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse v3.0
$11.50

I used an IntelliMouse for over two years before it started to die... and for $11.50, we can't go wrong with one here. It's got a wheel, two other buttons, a nice ergonomic shape... about the only thing lacking is perhaps the accuracy of a specific gaming mouse or an optical one. Well those fancy mouse tracking systems and red LEDs cost money, money we don't have to spend here as we inch towards the $1,000 limit. 

This is a mouse that is perfectly capable for this system, nothing flashy, no flair, just a solid mouse that shouldn't really hinder things in any way. 

Conclusion: 

And the grand total is.... $999.19, under a grand, for 1000Mhz! All I can say is DAMN! At first I though it would be pretty impossible to get decent components for a complete system running at the GHz mark for this price, but somehow things managed to fall together nicely. Amazing when you consider it really, so much trickle down in the PC industry that we end up with great value parts sharing so much high end technology with their more expensive big brothers. 

All that technology yields some pretty impressive performance at a price that doesn't make you start considering selling your kidneys on eBay. Of course, if you did sell a few internal organs you could buy a bunch of these things, network them all in your basement and run a permanent LAN party, charge admission, make millions, and of course give me a cut ;). 

Some things I did notice here, there are a lot of companies making stuff out there that I've never heard of. On occasion their prices were marginally cheaper but I elected to go with more established brands (Creative, Acer, Corsair, etc...) This system was about value, but value can't come at the expense of stability or reliability, and you can't really put a price on the peace of mind trusted components will give you over unknown elements. So yeah, anyone got a grand lying around the want to give me?