A Budget PC Under Rs. 25,000

Under Rs. 5000, the 17-inch Samsung Flat CRT offers excellent value for money. And even though LCDs are hot nowadays, there are still certain areas in which CRTs do better. They can output at different resolutions and give excellent viewing angles.

As with CRTs, the 17-inch 798MG has a viewing area of 16 inches. It has a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024 at 65 Hz refresh rate while the optimal resolution is 1024 x 768 at 85 Hz. The maximum usable resolution is 1152 x 864 at 75 Hz. Maximum usable resolution defines the resolution at a refresh rate of 75 Hz or better. Anything below that will give a flickered output.

Keyboard & Mouse: Microsoft Optical Keyboard and Mouse Set (Rs. 800)

Microsoft makes excellent keyboard and mice which are sturdy and can be used over long hours of work. At a cost of just Rs. 800 this is an excellent buy.

Cabinet: I-Ball i648 ATX Cabinet with integrated 400 Watt Powersupply (Rs 1,450)

Prices of cabinets have risen since we last did a roundup. We were forced to drop VIP here and replace it with an I-Ball cabinet that comes with a 400 W PSU and is available for cheap.

Speakers: Creative SBS 370 (Rs. 1,200)

This has been our favorite for a long time. The best part — it comes with a woofer to give you that thumping bass and gives you good sound quality for the price. The satellites are powered at 5 watts RMS each and the Subwoofer is powered at 11 watts RMS.