It’s great to see the latest, greatest gear and drool over what they can do, but here’s the truth: I’m not made of money. That’s when I got the idea for “The Budget Project.” Every so often, I’m going to cruise through the HP store and try to configure a good machine…my budget this time is $800 (before tax). I’ll also try to tell you why I’m picking which parts….and who I’m designing that build for at the time.
This installment: The $800 All-in-One PC
Base machine – HP TouchSmart 420 -1100t
All-in-One machines are awesome little space savers. They also happen to look pretty awesome. Now, I know that I’ve profiled the high-end, high-spec TouchSmart 610 a bunch over time. I’ve also recently played around with the sleek, glassy ENVY 23. But those are premium products! If you’ve got modest needs, you can save yourself a couple bucks and still get all your needs addressed. If you don’t care for touchscreen PCs (really?), check out the Pavilion 23. BUT, for the sake of today, I wanted to take a closer look at an All-in-One that is also a touchscreen machine…the TouchSmart 420.
The TouchSmart 420t is a good all-around, all-in-one machine. When set up right, it should have ample power for handling what might come up in everyday use. But let’s take a slightly closer look at the machine I chose and how I specced it out...
FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm) – If someone offers you free RAM, take it! What I like about this is that it is on 1 Dimm – that means you’ll be able to upgrade the RAM later if you wanted. Granted I don’t crack open all-in-one PCs often, but it is very easy to access the DIMM sockets after removing the rear cover by undoing two screws. That’s it.
One last thing I should mention: I soooo wanted to add a TV tuner. It is more of a personal preference. If you were setting this up in the kid’s room or even a college dorm room, the extra $50 for the TV tuner upgrade is a no-brainer. It turns this touchscreen into a computer that serves double-duty as a TV. Very handy if you’re trying to maximize what you can do in minimal space!
Final price on the site: $789.99
Build date: 8/13/12
BIG caveats for my little experiment: There are always some sales happening at HP’s site (or at the many retailers who sell HP notebooks). These deals are very much subject to change -- so think of these builds as helpful suggestions for what you could do when customizing your own machine. I will always mark final prices (and dates done) when I’m configuring PCs.
Is there a type of computer that you’d like some help with configuring? Do you have a need for a new PC, but scratching your head about how much PC you actually need? Let us know in the comments. We’re here for you!
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