December Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 4

Storage

Intel: Two Western Digital 180GB Special Edition /w 8MB

Current Cost: $260
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

AMD: Two Western Digital 120GB Special Edition /w 8MB cache for RAID, + Soyo Serial IDE to Serial ATA Converter (x2)

Current Cost: $159 X 2 = $318
Months on list (Hard Drives): 4
Price Change: -$24
Current Cost on IDE - SATA converter: $39 X 2 = $78

The Intel system will not be running RAID this time around; the added cost of the Pentium 4-3.06 GHz brought last month's hard drive configuration over the budget on the Intel side. It was still possible to still RAID two smaller drives, but opted to go for a larger 180GB Western Digital Special Edition IDE drive instead. Remember we're working with a set budget, so allocating some extra "mad money" towards an external RAID controller is still open game, but this is certainly not a required element. In a comparison between 3.06 GHz of Hyper-Threading power or RAID, we made the natural choice and took the high-octane route.

The AMD system has a much lower CPU cost, so it still retains the 120GB RAID setup that has become a staple in the AMD Extreme machine. Additionally the AMD system has the Serial ATA option, however there aren't any Serial ATA drives available on the market at the moment, but we've circumvented that problem somewhat by including a pair of IDE SATA converters for the AMD system. In terms of standard IDE drives, the Western Digital Special Edition drives with 8MB cache; spinning at 7,200 RPM, with a slightly antiquated ATA-100 interface still outperform the rest of the IDE field.

Another positive note about these Special Edition drives from Western Digital is the 3-year warranty that they still carry. As of October 1, 2002, most hard drive manufacturers are reducing their standard warranties on hard drives from 3-years to 1-year. So the Extreme system will have fastest drives, coupled with the industries longest standard warranty.

DVD ROM: Toshiba SD-M1612 16X DVD-ROM

Cost: $40
Months on list: 5
Price Change: $0

This is a gaming machine primarily, but with the soundcard, speakers, and monitor that are going to be included, one might be inclined into watching a few DVD movies here and there. DVD movies are a good distraction especially when you have a deadline to meet but need a 2 hour break. The price difference between a standard CD ROM versus a DVD ROM is not too great, therefore opting for a DVD ROM in the high end gaming machines is a viable option. For DVD ROM drives, there are few better drives out there than this Toshiba 16X DVD ROM.

This drive is tray loading drive, which is much more compatible with the smaller sized discs (200MB mini CD's, and 20MB business card type CD's) than their slot loading competition. Toshiba has been a longtime industry leader in optical drives, and this drive is no exception. It's a speedy 16X DVD ROM reader, as well as a not too shabby 48X CD ROM reader, and to top it all off it can read DVD-RAM discs. The technical specs are also impressive, with its 85ms access times, and 512K buffer.

CDRW: ASUS CRW-5224A CDRW

Current Cost: $79
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Sure there are PC DVD-R/RW recorders available now, but the adoption rate on them is still quite low, and prices on drives and media have prohibited the average consumer from purchasing them en masse. Although this is an extreme guide, we're going to have to wait a bit longer before adding a DVD-R/RW to the list. Even so, we're switching our guide choice to a CDRW unit that is not only a performance king, but is also quite a good value. .

The ASUS CRW-5224A boasts 52X CD write speeds, and 24X CD re-write speeds, 52X CD reading speeds, and a blazing 52X Digital Audio Extraction speeds. This drive is extremely fast and stable, and includes a 2-MB data buffer, and support for buffer under-run protection and optimal writing speed technology. The retail software and hardware bundle is one of the best we've seen, and ASUS not only includes Nero 5, but stuffs a 10-pack of 52X-compatible CDR's and two 24X CDRW disks in as well. The ASUS CRW-5224A isn't one of those drives you can only read the specs on (and wait for available media) but can be used at its top-end performance range right out of the box. The 24X CDRW disks come in mighty handy, especially since it these are incredibly hard to find at the present time.

Floppy Disk Drive: Any name brand, Panasonic, Sony, etc.

Cost: $8

What can we say about the venerable floppy disk drive? Sometimes you just need one, especially when a pesky NIC requires drivers that are supplied on a floppy.