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Building a PC Equal to XBox for the Same Price or Less?
Lonnold asks: "Every time the topic of Linux on the XBox and/or XBox modding comes up, some one always responds, 'I can build a better PC from scratch, why waste time modding a game console?' So that's my challenge, can anyone demonstrate that it is cheaper to build a PC comparable to the XBox specs?"
Well, since Microsoft is taking a loss on the XBox hardware so you might not be able to accomplish that. Its pretty standard Gillette-style marketing practice (give the razor away and make a killing on the blades).
Of course the 'killing on the blades' part is proving to be more difficult than they anticipated, but so it goes.
I'd really like to see any suggestions make specific reference to both the form factor and the noise issue. I'm imaging that the major desire to mod the xbox is that it fits in well with a home theatre landscape...its not so much the price anymore. Even though the xbox is huge (lol) its still a hell of a lot smaller and quiter and cooler than a typical cheap pc.
http://wharris.poweredbygeek.net
Easy:
1. Go to walmart.com
2. Get a Microtel SYSMAR550 PC With 1.2 GHz Duron (without OS) for $200
3. Done
This PC has 128mb of ram (vs X-Box's 64), a 1.2 ghz processor (vs X-Box's 700mhz), 20 gig hard drive (vs X-Box's 8 gig).
It's worse than the X-Box because it doesn't include a monitor (where on the X-Box you can use a TV) and it doesn't have the 3D graphics. Also, it lacks the DVD drive.
It's BETTER than the X-Box in most ways, and you could give it a new graphics card and a DVD drive, but you already get a keyboard and mouse (would cost $20 maybe + $20 for a USB->X-Box adaptor) so it's entirely possible. The Microtel also has parallel and serial ports, audio in, speakers, and it has 2 PCI slots (it would take one to upgrade the graphics) so you could still put in a TV tuner or something.
So for $200 you get a VERY nice PC (compared to anything I have, MORE than enough to do anything including games, all you'd need is a better graphics card). Compare that to $178 for an X-Box (according to Walmart.com) and you have your comparision.
You could do much better if you were to go for that MS pays (since they take a hit on every X-Box, as has already been pointed out).
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
This is utterly pointless. Who cares?
the x-box/Linux thing is not, and has not and never will be about a cheap PC, it about getting Linux to run on something its not supposed to.
as for a $PC $x-box they are different beasts, one has a Mobo that does USB/RS232/Parallel/eth/etc... the other is a 3D accelerator card with a cpu onboard...
Your asking if people can find a substitute for apple juice made from oranges.
$276 for a system specced out at Newegg.com (yes, there are cheaper places online, but none as reputable). The kicker is video - most of the posts I've seen on this thread have generic onboard video, which is easily outclassed by the Xbox. This system would have been competitive pricewise if it didn't need a GF3/GF4 class video card with TV out.
Here's the specs. Here's a mirrored copy of the cart if you feel like shopping.
Dynapower Model# METIS CS-I3ALB.701 (Light-Blue) ATX MID-TOWER CASE w/ 300W POWER SUPPLY -2 x USB RETAIL : $22.00
Aopen Internal EIDE 16X DVD ROM / 40X Max CD-ROM Drive Beige RETAIL : $28.00
Seagate 30GB 7200rpm EIDE Hard Drive Barracuda V ST330013A - OEM : $50.00
SimpleTech (Simple Technologies) 128MB DDR PC2100 - OEM : $22.00
ECS K7S5A PRO USB 2.0 SiS® 735 SOCKET A MOTHERBOARD - RETAIL Back Plate Included : $47.00
AMD DURON 1.2GHZ Socket A PGA Processor -OEM : $34.00
VGA CHAINTECH A-GX20 TI-4200 64MB 8X VGA & TV-OUT. RETAIL BOX : $95.00
Subtotal : $298.00
It's pretty nice, but nothing beats getting a nice computer in a pretty box and with a fun controller for $179, subsidized by Bill Gates himself.
It seems odd that people are leaving out this very important fact. Sure, you can build faster PC's for just a tad over the price of the Xbox. But what you can't do on your spiffy new PC is to play the console games that you can on your modded Xbox.
So with a modded Xbox, you get a pretty decent gaming console (with a game controller - no one seemed to factor this into their price either), a multimedia system (especially if you buy the remote), or a Linux box (probably for playing MAME games - 64MB of RAM isn't spiff-o-riffic if you plan to run X).
This is not even mentioning the "sticking it to Microsoft" coolness factor too.
Either way, there are reason why you might consider modding a Xbox instead of building a PC.
i'd think you'd need a processor that had a little better memory bandwidth though seeing as how the xbox has a unified memory architecture. i suppose this all depends on whether we are talking about a machine that could run actual xbox code or a similar machine that could run games similar to an xbox. it is my belief (unfounded maybe) that the xbox is a little underpowered on the cpu end but makes up for it with its ability to access the ram and gpu very quickly, moreso than a cheap celeron and standard gforce card would be able to do. i dunno though, since that is pure speculation...
Large print giveth, and the small print taketh away