Option 1:

Asus’s little Eee Box PC is limited in its everyday functions due to the Atom inside, and on the optical front it doesn’t even stretch to a CD-ROM drive, but it does have its merits. For a start it’s tiny, quiet and consumes little power when on. It looks good, will fit snugly into any nook or cranny of a desk, and the cheapest I could find it in stock was £245.94 including VAT and delivery – within my budget.

• 1.6GHz Atom N270, 1GB DDR2
• 160GB hard disk
• Windows XP Home

Option 2:

The Zoostorm PC from Ebuyer remains the most powerful PC I’ve yet seen that fits (just) under the £250 limit. The Pentium Dual-Core, 2GB RAM and 250GB hard disk are far beyond all rival systems that have included the same Vista Home Premium OS, and I think I’ve just about exhausted all search avenues to find a PC better. It’s big, ugly and probably not quiet, but for everyday use it makes a strong argument.

• 2.2GHz Pentium Dual-Core E2200, 2GB DDR2
• 250GB hard disk
• Windows Vista Home Premium

Option 3:

There is one other alternative that has merit for a different reason: it includes a monitor. Now, there are plenty of sub-£250 PC and monitor deals around if you know where to look, but most cripple the performance by cramming in slow CPUs, 1GB of RAM and Vista Home Basic. This Compaq Presario SR5601 has a Celeron Dual Core and squeezes Home Premium into a price of £185.94 (if I nip across the road to PC World and pick it up). This leaves me with enough to order a Misco Saver 17in Wide TFT (a HannsG HW17MSV by another name) and squeeze in at £246.67.

• 1.6GHz Celeron Dual-Core E1200, 1GB DDR2
• 160GB hard disk
• 17in widescreen TFT
• Windows Vista Home Premium

The big dilemma:

So which would you go for? Do the small dimensions of an Eee Box appeal to any home users at all or is it more of an office tool? Does the inclusion of a cheap-as-chips 17in monitor make up for the compromises on other key components? Am I right to demand a minimum of Vista Home Premium or XP Home or should I scrap all this and go for a Linux system?

I’ll be placing the order for the weekend, but I won’t be revealing which I’ve gone for. Thanks for your help up to now, if you want to sway my final decision one way or another please dive into the comments below.

Every machine that we review has two things in common, though: none of them cost £250, and not one of them has suffered the indignity of being thrown together by my unsubtle and leaden hands.

Nevertheless, I’ve been asked to put together a serviceable and usable PC for £250. It didn’t initially sound too challenging, but the more I explored the challenge the more I discovered that huge corners would have to be cut and I’d have to be extremely canny with my purchasing.

However, I do also think that I have an instant advantage over some of my colleagues. For one, I don’t have to include a profit margin in my rig’s spec-list and, for another, I can indulge in some enthusiastic overclocking. I can also seek out parts from big-name manufacturers rather than relying on the lesser-quality, proprietary components that may be used elsewhere. To that end, I spent some time seeking out some of the cheap parts that I’d need for my PC, and came up with several possibilities:

· The processor would be an Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200, costing £57.60

· An Nvidia GeForce 9500 GT is a budget card, and would set me back £44.72

· 2GB of RAM at £16.43

· A 250GB hard disk that I’d found for £31.99

· A 17in monitor for £65.23

After a busy morning’s surfing, my shopping list already totalled £215.97, and I hadn’t factored in a case, keyboard, mouse, optical drive or even a motherboard. It looks as if my ambitions are going to have to be severely reigned in if I’m going to cram everything into this machine.

However, a bit more time on some of the big shopping websites reveal that there are some bargains to be had. I’ve managed to find an Intel Celeron E1200 processor for £36.91 – it may not be a Pentium Dual Core, but it’s still dual core and still very, very overclockable. I’ve paired this with a £32 ABIT motherboard, but I’m still furiously searching for plenty else to install into this super-cheap machine.

And that, dear reader, is where you come in: at the moment, my vision for this PC is as wide and open as the Windows XP default wallpaper, and as malleable as putty. I’m open to any suggestions as to how I can make this rig the best on offer come the end of the £250 challenge – so whether you envisage it being a budget gaming beast or a tiny, silent media centre, please let me know what’s on your mind.

I’m also open to suggestions as to where I can find the multitude of components that I need for this machine – so the cheaper and more reliable the supplier the better. With emphasis on the cheaper, of course, given the stringent budget that’s been laid down by our supreme Editor.

So, if you have any comments or suggestions regarding my machine – any tips on component choices, where to buy them or any building advice – then I’m happy to hear them. I’m looking forward to reading your feedback and proving that you can build a PC on a £250 budget – and get a better rig that can be found anywhere else.

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