 |
Sharky Extreme : Monthly Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide |
|
 |
 - Most Active Threads - Technical Support - CPUs & Overclocking  RSS feed Sitemap |
 |
Monthly Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide |
June Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 7By Ryan "Speedy" Wissman June 9, 2005
Cost: $0 As both of our motherboards include dual onboard Gigabit LAN, there is no reason for us to spend the extra money for an additional LAN card. Many consider nForce-based onboard LAN to be better than what you would find from an external solution, especially when we're talking about Gigabit LAN capabilities on a PCI Express motherboard. However, for those of you who require an external LAN card we recommend something from 3COM or Intel as your best bet.
Cost: $52
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 $52 it's tough to complain.
Cost: $129
As far as gaming is concerned, there is no better operating system 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's 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. Like last month, both of our CPUs feature full 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 an OEM CD version of Windows XP instead of the more expensive retail boxed version. Generally, OEM software must be purchased along side a piece of hardware to get the discount, so just about anything in this guide will do. If you already own a version of Windows you might want to look into purchasing the upgrade version, which can potentially shave a few more dollars off the total system price.
Cost: $75
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 $75 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. Our current favorite UPS is the highly efficient and cost effective CyberPower OfficePower 825VA. 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 $75, a small price to pay considering the peace-of-mind and component insurance it provides.
|
Comment and Contribute
