November Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 7

NIC: Included

Cost: $0
Months on list: 6
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, what you would find in an external solution. However, if onboard LAN isn't your thing, just about any card from 3COM or Intel should suffice.

Modem: US Robotics External V.92 USB Faxmodem

Cost: $43
Months on list: 4
Price Change: -$2

No matter what game type your preference is, chances are it has a multiplayer component. In any case, being stuck on an ancient dialup connection can be a major pain. For those of you who do not have access to broadband, or simply want a trusty faxmodem we recommend the USB version of the US Robotics External V.92 faxmodem. US Robotics modems have been used in our guides for the past few years as they are some of the best dialup modems on the market, and for only $43 who can complain?

Operating System: Windows XP Professional/w SP2 OEM

Cost: $129
Months on list: 11
Price Change: -$11

Without a doubt, Windows XP is THE gamer's operation system. While there are games slowing coming to Linux and Mac, Windows gets the vast majority of quality games. We use Windows XP in all three of our monthly guides, as its stable 32-bit code base make it much better than previous versions of Windows. For both the Extreme and High End guide we like to use Windows XP Professional as it has support for multiple CPUs, Hyper-Threading, and is much more feature complete when it comes to networking. It is always a good idea to buy the most up-to-date version of an operating system, which is why we recommend getting the OEM version of Windows XP with the latest Service Pack 2 already integrated as it will save you from downloading older updates and fixes.

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: CyberPower OfficePower 825VA CPS825AVR

Cost: $90
Months on list: 2
Price Change: +$12

There is nothing worse than spending $4000 on computer equipment only to have it crashed, and potentially destroyed, by a simple power surge. One of the most overlooked components when putting together a high-end PC is the Uninterruptible Power Supply, which not only provides safety during power outages, but also handles surge protection. A UPS has a built in battery that provides secondary power for a limited amount of time so that you can backup your data and properly shutdown your computer in the vent of a power outage. Investing in a $90 UPS is a minuscule price to pay, especially considering the cost of a new PC. When building a computer this expensive, it would be ridiculous to start up without a UPS.

We are using the same CyberPower OfficePower 825VA again this month as we found that it is the most cost-effective UPS to use for this power hungry system. The OfficePower 825VA offers a VA rating of 825, and a battery run time of about 20-60 minutes depending on the load (with our system it will be very high). In addition to a three-year warranty, CyberPower also offers insurance to connected components of up to $200,000. The OfficePower 825VA can be found online for about $90, which isn't much considering the protection it provides.