April Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 7

NIC: Included

Cost: $0
Months on list: 7
Price Change: N/A

Both of our motherboards include a built-in Gigabit LAN, so there is little reason to spend extra money on an additional LAN card. Onboard LAN can be just as good as, and even better than, what you would find in an external solution, especially when we're talking about Gigabit LAN capabilities on a PCI Express motherboard. 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: $38
Months on list: 5
Price Change: -$5

No matter what game type your preference is, chances are it has a multiplayer component or online feature. In any case, being stuck on an antiquated dialup connection could mean the difference between winning and losing, so the choice of modem hardware is important. 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 at only $38 it's tough to complain.

Operating System: Windows XP Professional/w SP2 OEM

Cost: $131
Months on list: 12
Price Change: +$2

Currently, there is no operating system better suited for gaming than Windows XP. While there are games slowly coming to the Linux and Mac platforms, Windows operating systems still get the vast majority of quality releases. We use Windows XP across all three of our monthly guides, as its 32-bit base makes it much more stable than previous versions. For both the Extreme and High End guides, Windows XP Professional is the best option, as it has support for multiple CPUs, Hyper-Threading, and is much more complete when it comes to networking. It is always a good idea to buy the most up-to-date version of an operating system, so we recommend getting the OEM version of Windows XP with the latest Service Pack 2 already integrated, as it will save you the time and hassle of downloading older updates and fixes. Both of our CPUs also feature support for hardware level DEP (Data Execution Prevention) which, along with Windows XP SP2, gives an added layer of security.

We include the cost of the OEM CD of Windows XP as opposed to the higher-priced retail boxed 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: $70
Months on list: 3
Price Change: -$20

There is nothing worse than spending $4,000 on computer equipment only to have it crashed, and potentially destroyed, by a serious 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 event of a power outage. Investing in a $70 UPS is a small price to pay, especially considering the cost of a brand new PC. From our point of view, to build a computer this expensive, it would be ridiculous to boot without the security of a UPS.

Currently, our favorite UPS is the cost-efficient CyberPower OfficePower 825VA. We will be using it again this month as we found that it is the gives us the most value in a UPS, and has the necessary specifications for our power hungry systems. 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 $70, which isn't much considering the massive amount of security and peace-of-mind it provides.