It doesn't matter what you are shopping for, there are always seems to be a huge amount of choices. Not only do you have choices of brands and models, but everywhere you turn there are big box stores that all carry the same products. So what do you focus on when you comparison shop? I think, for most of us, the first thing to do is look at what the budget might be for a certain item and then try to get the best item for that budget. When do you blow the budget? What if it is only by a little bit for an superior item?

When it comes to computer components, it can be a real challenge to read between the marketing lines that are just trying to sell you a component. I take that challenge similarly to the way I examine news stories in mainstream media, I have to look at many different sources to decide what is really the best bang for the buck, and if it's worth putting just a few more dollars into my budget to step up to the next level of component. Budget gaming systems are probably one of the areas where most people have the hardest time deciphering between the price to performance ratio conundrum.