May High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 8

Price Roundup

Intel Pentium 4 System

Case: Aluminum PC Case w/ 350W or higher PSU - $260
Processor: Pentium 4-2.26 GHz (533 MHz) - $250
Cooling: Alpha PAL8942 - $35
Motherboard: ABIT BD7II-RAID - $133
Memory: 512-MB DDR400/PC3200 - $185
Hard Drive: 2 X Maxtor D740X 80 GB FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing)
or Western Digital 120GB SE - $230
Video Card: MSI GeForce4 Ti 4600 - $315
Monitor: Samsung 900NF - $340
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy Platinum - $150
Speakers: Altec Lansing 641 or Logitech Z560 - $130
CD/DVD-ROM: Toshiba SD-M1612 16X DVD-ROM - $38
CDRW: Plextor 40X12X40 CDRW Retail - $128
Communications: Intel Pro/1000 T or US Robotics External v.92 - $83
Mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer Optical 3.0 - $37
Keyboard: Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro - $34
Operating System: Windows XP Pro - $127
Floppy: Generic - $10

Total: $2,485

AMD Athlon XP System

Case: Aluminum PC Case w/ 350W or higher PSU - $260
Processor: Athlon XP 2100+ (1.73 GHz) - $183
Cooling: Coolermaster HHC-001 and Athlon XP Shim- $44
Motherboard: ASUS A7V333 RAID - $135
Memory: 512-MB DDR400/PC3200 - $185
Hard Drive: 2 X Maxtor D740X 80 GB FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing)
or Western Digital 120GB SE - $230
Video Card: MSI GeForce4 Ti 4600 - $315
Monitor: Samsung 900NF - $340
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy Platinum - $150
Speakers: Altec Lansing 641 or Logitech Z560 - $130
CD/DVD-ROM: Toshiba SD-M1612 16X DVD-ROM - $38
CDRW: Plextor 40X12X40 CDRW Retail - $128
Communications: Intel Pro/1000 T or US Robotics External v.92 - $83
Mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer Optical 3.0 - $37
Keyboard: Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro - $34
Operating System: Windows XP Pro - $127
Floppy: Generic - $10

Total: $2,429

Closing Remarks

Both of these systems are pretty close in overall performance, with no real advantage towards either AMD or Intel at the base configuration. But the Pentium 4 Northwood does hold a sizeable lead over the Athlon XP in overclocking headroom, which may help give it the slight nod this week. Since we moved a few of the components to more realistic price levels, we were able to nab a high-end GeForce4 Ti 4600 VIVO card for our High End Gaming System, along with switching to some improved components in other areas. There were no corners cut, and video, audio, cooling and input hardware is all top-notch and guaranteed to satisfy even the discriminating gamer. From an overall perspective, these two systems are true gaming powerhouses and look like exceptional deals, even at the $2500 price tag.

The next month should hold some intriguing developments for our High End Guide, with AMD hopefully taking the wraps off their Thoroughbred core and some Pentium 4 price decreases in response, as well a potentially lower prices in others areas such as 3D video and memory. New motherboards should continue to flood the market, with the VIA P4X333 being one to really keep an eye on. The chipset looks prime, but the threat of legal action from Intel could hold back support from the large manufacturers like ASUS, ABIT and MSI. Whatever the verdict is, you can be sure that next month we'll be back with our checkbook in hand, busily working out the numbers for the best gaming deal in town. As we like to say here at Sharky Extreme, pure 3D gaming speed certainly doesn't come cheap, but each month it becomes a bit more affordable.

Please note that the prices in our guide do not include shipping costs or taxes. The final system price also reflects a "best case" scenario of finding an online vendor that stocks the majority of internal components, or having access to a number of local computer retailers for system quotes and comparison shopping. Also, throughout the compilation of this guide, we have made every attempt to ensure availability and realistic street pricing of the included components.