August Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 7

NIC: Intel Pro/100S Adapter

Cost: $60
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Every gamer requires a stable and high-end network interface card. There's nothing worse than having an unstable or otherwise low-quality network card go lame on you during the midst of a heavy frag fest, and then finding yourself in RMA-land once again. The Intel Pro/100S is not only a quality NIC from a market leader, but also includes a few high performance LAN security features. Depending on your requirements, this can improve protection and performance, as well as offering up a host of other improvements in encryption. So not only is this a stable and efficient NIC, it also adds security features that might prove useful to some users.

Modem: US Robotics External V.92 Faxmodem

Cost: $60
Months on list: 4
Price Change: $-18

There are still many gamers with no access to broadband internet; therefore a 56K modem is still a very real requirement for all of our buyer's guides. An external modem will save you a PCI slot not to mention allowing greater portability when it comes time to upgrade to Broadband. There are other practical uses for an external faxmodem; some people might actually need the fax capability to send/receive information. In the realm of analogue modems, US Robotics is the most universally recognized name brand, and will generally have the best driver support for your operating system.

Operating System: Windows XP Professional

Cost: $130
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

The operating system of choice is Windows XP Professional, and the days of Windows 98 SE as the best gaming platform are nearing the end. The improvement in hardware compatibility, performance, and memory management of Windows XP Professional makes it stand out as the best operating system bet, and is the platform of choice for current games and hardware. We still have some issues surrounding WPA, but the fact that future hardware and software releases will be optimized for Windows XP, means there is very little reason to consider any other consumer level operating system.

UPS: APC BackUPS Pro USB 500VA

Cost: $130
Months on list: 2
Price Change: +$1

American Power Conversion is one of the major name brands in the area of surge protectors and battery backups. Their reasonably priced APC BackUPS Pro USB 500VA is like a logical choice to help protect your newly acquired Extreme Gaming Machine. It protects the connected devices from power surges/spikes, and can be monitored and shut down (automatically or manually) via a USB interface. If added security is required, there are 650VA and above UPS models available, though these are outside of our set budget.