May High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 4

Memory: 1 x 512-MB PC3200/DDR400

Current Cost: $185
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Given that a good percentage of gamers will attempt to overclock their Pentium 4 or Athlon XP processor, we're recommending that you spend a few bucks more and nab DDR400 capable RAM. Since the DDR400 spec hasn't been officially released yet, this memory is basically very high-end DDR that passed the 400 MHz test. It also usually ships with nifty RAM cooler installed (sometimes you can even pick the color!) and will provide the utmost headroom for system tweaking. Even those running at standard 333 MHz speeds will find the high-end memory timings much easier to reach with DDR400, and don't underestimate the performance advantage of racking your timings to the max.

Hard Drive:

Current Cost: $230
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Single-Drive: Western Digital 120-GB SE

The Western Digital Special Edition drives are the current cream of the crop where IDE hard drives are concerned. With a full 8-MB of cache, fast access times and a 7200 RPM speed, these units can approach SCSI performance levels. Although these are a bit pricey for RAID configurations, as single drives they can't be beat. The 120-GB storage space should ensure that you won't need to upgrade for a while. Even then, we recommend buying as many GB as possible in a single drive to start, thereby making the inevitable disk upgrade a far easier task.

Or...

RAID: 2 X Maxtor D740X 80-GB FDB

For dual-disk RAID systems, you can't go wrong nabbing a couple of Maxtor D740X 80-GB FDB drives. These are not only extremely fast, but the FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) motor lowers the ambient noise quite significantly. These are also ATA133 models, which may not mean a lot in single-drive systems, but can actually provide burst-mode headroom for RAID configurations.

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

Cost: $38
Months on list: 3
Price Change: -$19

After using various DVD-ROM units for extended periods of time, we're still advocating the standard tray-loading mechanism. With all the different-sized CD media we've encountered, it can be simpler to play it safe rather than impress your friends with the CD-munching capabilities of a slot-loader. One of the very best options is the Toshiba SD-M1612 16X DVD-ROM. This Toshiba unit is a standard tray-loader easily matches the features and performance specs of even the high-powered Pioneer DVD-ROMs. Not only does the SD-M1612 provide speedy 16X DVD and 48X CD playback, but it can also handle DVD-RAM disks as well. With a 512K buffer, an 85ms access time and excellent product support, this is a high-performance DVD-ROM unit without the correspondingly high price tag.

CDRW: Plextor PlexWriter 40/12/40 CDRW

Cost: $128
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Although the LiteOn (and some other value units like LG) continue to impress with their extremely high price-performance levels, it is incredibly tough to break the Plextor hold. Plextor remains the top name in CDRW units, and although there are lower-priced alternatives, this is similar to the old adage about no one ever getting fired for buying IBM. Plextor quality is high, the drives last and if properly set up, coasters will be for your cold drinks only.

Our choice this time is the updated PlexWriter 40/12/40, which naturally checks in with 40X CDR, 12X CDRW and 40X CD-read speeds. At this point, it really begs the question of whether additional CDR speed increases will even be worth it, and this is an excellent investment that may remain near the high-end for some time, or at least until DVD-R/RAM becomes mainstream. Although the PlexWriter 40/12/40 features a CD read speed of 40X, we recommend using the Toshiba DVD-ROM for basic CD read functions. There may be similar models at a slightly lower cost, but the difference is such that going Plextor is really the only option for our high-end system.