January Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 7

NIC: Included

Cost: $0
Months on list: 2
Price Change: $0

Both of our motherboards include a built-in Gigabit LAN, so there is little reason to spend extra money on an additional LAN card. Built-in LAN can be just as good as, and even better than, many third party add-in cards available today. If the thought of built-in LAN terrifies you however, you will want to look at cards from Intel or 3COM as they make some of the best add-in Ethernet cards in the business.

Modem: US Robotics External V.92 Faxmodem

Cost: $58
Months on list: 12
Price Change: +$3

To be stuck on dial-up in 2004 is like being on a highway at rush hour, so we feel your pain. It's understandable that some of you can't afford broadband, don't have a viable option in your area, or simply want a faxmodem for business tasks. For those of you we like to recommend the US Robotics external V.92 faxmodem. US Robotics makes excellent modems and were popular with gamers before broadband became a household word.

Because our Intel-based motherboard this month does not have a serial connection, we recommend going with the US Robotics USB 2.0 USR5633A faxmodem. This modem is very similar to the basic serial V.92 modem, but supports a USB 2.0 connection and a slicker design, and at around $40-$50, is even a few dollars less expensive.

Operating System: Windows XP Professional/w SP1 OEM

Cost: $135
Months on list: 7
Price Change: $0

Windows XP is the operating system of choice for all of our buyer's guides. XP is built on the rock solid Windows 2000 32-bit code base, and is light-years ahead of Windows 9X/Me in terms of reliability. We prefer to use the Professional version as it offers support for multiple CPUs, Hyper-Threading, and also has much more robust networking options. Despite some incompatibilities with older legacy games Windows XP is by far the best gaming OS to date. The Service Pack 1 includes a number of fixes and security updates that are extremely important for safe and stable operation, so we recommend getting the updated Windows XP Professional CD.

We include the cost of the OEM version of Windows XP as opposed to the higher-priced retail version. Generally, OEM software must be purchased along side a piece of hardware to get the discount. If you already own a full version of Windows you may want to look into getting an upgrade version of Windows XP Professional to potentially save a little more money.

UPS: APC Back-UPS ES 500VA

Cost: $66
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

A UPS backup is a very important part of any PC protection system, and it pays for itself many times over during a system's lifespan. While offering traditional power surge protection, a UPS also has a built in battery which in the event of a power outage, gives you the extra time needed to save data and shut down your PC. APC (American Power Conversion) is one of the best known names when it comes to backup and surge protection, and this month we are including their APC Back-UPS ES 500VA. This particular model just happens to power our system reference units, so we know it's got enough juice to handle the high-end components. We had gone with a higher-cost model in the past, but found it eating into the budget a bit too deeply for our liking.