ITProPortal's £500 System Guide (Christmas 2010)

You’ll be surprised to learn how much computing power you can get for £500 nowadays. With the help of Dabs.com, we’ve carefully selected the components you’ll need to build what we reckon is the most balanced system for that budget. As always, there are plenty of different ways to spend your budget.

We’ve chosen to go for a base unit, and exclude the peripherals such as a keyboard, mouse and monitor, as there’s a good chance that you may have these things left over from a previous system. Buying all the parts from one online retailer means you’ll almost certainly have them delivered at the same time - handy if you want to build your computer in one go. It's always easiest to pick the parts that will stick around for longest. That’s why we’re starting with the power supply unit and the case.

At just £28.64, the Xigmatek Asgard is the most affordable branded chassis at Dabs. Although cheaper alternatives are available, we'd suggest you don't skimp on quality here: unlike other components, a good-quality case can be kept for many years. The Asgard is black. Completely black - even inside, unlike others.

It comes with a 120mm black fan pre-installed. Three more fans can be mounted elsewhere to improve airflow, and Xigmatek has even supplied hi-flow filters which help reduce dust levels. There's space aplenty inside this mid-tower casing. It can house up to four 5.25-inch bays - though we doubt you’d ever need to install four optical drives.

But with five trays for 3.5-inch hard disk drives, there's enough capacity here too for all but the most ambitious server projects. Other noteworthy features of the Xigmantek - which is made of sturdy steel - include tool-free design, up to seven expansion slots, two front audio ports and two USB ports.