BUDGET! - Apple iMac (21.5-inch) Late 2013

"Budget!" is the section of this site dedicated to planning your purchases. Let's face it, most of us don't have unlimited budgets and whether its your parents or your significant other - sometimes they take some convincing to "green-light" the endeavor. We calculate the total cost, lay out some suggestions and point out things to avoid. You'll come away with a clear understanding of how much your purchase will cost you and how to get the best value at check-out.

Pretty bird, pretty bird.

The 21.5-inch iMac is a fantastic entry point into Apple's ecosystem. Great screen, great performance, and an even greater value. You'll scratch your head at how they fit it all in there! On Apple's website they have a pretty straightforward customization page and here we'll outline which categories to upgrade from the $1499.00, 2.9Ghz i5 (2013) model. Here are the upgrades to make:

• Processor (3.1GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz) $200.00 - This is the brain of your setup and with Turbo Boost, you'll tear through CPU intensive tasks.
• Memory (16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM -2X8GB) $200.00 - Unfortunately, Apple has taken to making their computers non-user upgradeable. Thankfully, this makes the decision to upgrade your system's RAM to the maximum, an easy one (at least at the time of purchase). This is a smart step to further future-proof your system.

Adding it all up:

($1499.00+ ($200.00) + ($200.00) = ($1899.00) * Sales Tax 10% (estimate) = $2088.90

And for STUDENTS:

($1399.00) + ($180.00) + ($180.00) = ($1759.00) * Sales Tax 10% (estimate) = $1934.90

Ready, Set, BUDGET!

@techandjunk

BUDGET! - XBOX ONE

"Budget!" is the section of this site dedicated to planning your purchases. Let's face it, most of us don't have unlimited budgets and whether its your parents or your significant other - sometimes they take some convincing to "green-light" the endeavor. We calculate the total cost, lay out some suggestions and point out things to avoid. You'll come away with a clear understanding of how much your purchase will cost you and how to get the best value at check-out.

It's the ONE, I want ONE, Gimme ONE, XBOX ONE! Let's break it all down - here's the Necessities:

• XBOX ONE Hardware - ($499.99) - Duh.
• XBOX LIVE Subscription - ($59.99) - The original pioneer in the console online-gaming space, this service is the life-blood of the XBOX ONE and as we mentioned - you won't be able to take advantage of most of your hardware's capabilities without it. 
• XBOX ONE Play & Charge Kit - ($24.99) - The new Impulse triggers won't save you from battery drain and unfortunately you'll be swapping AA batteries with a vengeance if you don't pick this bad boy up! Trust me, you'll thank me later.
• XBOX ONE Game - ($59.99) - Several known franchises are launching along side the console including : Call of Duty®: Ghosts, Battlefield 4 and Assassin's Creed® IV: Black Flag (Shark-Assassin).

To recap, the above gets you the console, Kinect Camera, one headset, one controller, one game and access to online-play. Now, you gotta ask yourself: am I going to play with anyone else locally (in the same room)? If the answer is "No", then you're fine but if you answered "Yes" - an Extra XBOX ONE controller will be necessary, which brings us to our ancillary purchases.

Here's our Extras:

• Extra XBOX ONE Controller - ($59.99) - So you can play with someone else. (OR yourself)

• Extra XBOX ONE Play & Charge Kit - ($24.99) - Because batteries suck.

Adding it all up for the Necessities:

($499.99) + ($59.99) + ($24.99) + ($59.99) = ($644.96) * Sales Tax 10% (estimate) = $709.46

Adding it all up for ALL OF THE ABOVE:

($499.99) + ($59.99) + ($24.99) + ($59.99) + ($59.99) + ($24.99) = ($729.94) * Sales Tax 10% (estimate) = $802.93

Ready, Set, BUDGET!

@techandjunk

BUDGET! - PS4

"Budget!" is the section of this site dedicated to planning your purchases. Let's face it, most of us don't have unlimited budgets and whether its your parents or your significant other - sometimes they take some convincing to "green-light" the endeavor. We calculate the total cost, lay out some suggestions and point out things to avoid. You'll come away with a clear understanding of how much your purchase will cost you and how to get the best value at check-out.



PlayStation 4, you beautiful black box. I want you but you're going to cost me, especially if I want to take advantage of your new shiny features. Let's break it all down - here's the Necessities:

• PlayStation 4 Hardware - ($399.99) - This goes without saying. Unless it needs to.
• PlayStation PLUS subscription - ($49.99 per year) - Already APPROVED!, this service allows for online play and will instantly provide you with free full-fledged games the moment you sign-up. At launch they will be RESOGUN™from House Marque and DRIVECLUB™from the makers of the MotorStorm® franchise. With free games each month and access to exclusive discounts and deals, as well as online-play - PS Plus is a no-brainer.

To recap, the above gets you the console, one controller, one headset, two games and access to online-play. Now, you gotta ask yourself: am I going to play with anyone else locally (in the same room)? If the answer is "No", then you're fine but if you answered "Yes" - an Extra PS4 controller will be necessary, which brings us to our ancillary purchases.

Here's our Extras:

• Extra PlayStation 4 Controller - ($59.99) - So you can play with someone else. (If you want)

• Extra PS4 Game - ($59.99) - If you're not quite taken with the free entries, several known franchises are launching along side the console including : Call of Duty®: Ghosts, Battlefield 4 and Assassin's Creed® IV: Black Flag (Shark-Assassin).

• PlayStation Camera - ($59.99) - Vocal Recognition as well as controller-free navigation, the PlayStation Camera serves as a really cool support device that will grow in usefulness over time.

Adding it all up for the Necessities:

($399.99) + ($49.99) = ($449.98) * Sales Tax 10% (estimate) =  $494.98

Adding it all up for the Necessities + Extra PlayStation 4 Controller OR Extra PS4 Game:

($399.99) + ($49.99) + ($59.99) = ($509.97) * Sales Tax 10% (estimate) = $560.97

And finally adding it up for the "I-don't-care-how-much-it-all-costs" total with all of the above:

($399.99) + ($49.99) + ($59.99) + ($59.99) + ($59.99) = ($629.95) * Sales Tax 10% (estimate) = $692.95

Ready, Set, BUDGET!

@techandjunk