February 2003 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 2

Intel CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.66 GHz (533 MHz) OEM

Current Cost: $279
Months on list: 2
Price Change: -$11

It's always wise to purchase the fastest processor your budget allows, and this usually means buying one or two speed steppings behind the current flagship product. Last month we introduced the Pentium 4 2.66 GHz (533MHz) processor to this guide, and it is making a reappearance again this month. There hasn't been much movement on the processor scene in the past month, so it isn't feasible for us to include either the 2.8 GHz or 3.06 GHz models this month. This is by no means a negative, as the 2.66 GHz Pentium 4 runs on a 533 MHz bus and has more than enough high-end gaming power.

AMD CPU: AMD Athlon XP 2700+ (333 MHz) OEM

Current Cost: $273
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

While we did not see much movement on the Intel front, this month we are able to upgrade from an Athlon XP 2600+ to an Athlon XP 2700+ (333MHz) without any additional cost. Just as with the Athlon XP 2600+, the 2700+ runs neck-in-neck with the Pentium 4 2.66 GHz, and in some cases is able to take the performance crown. We prefer to go with the OEM CPU over the retail version as it is often a few bucks cheaper and allows us extra money to spend on better cooling equipment.

Pentium 4 Heatsink-Fan: Alpha PAL8942

Current Cost: $35
Months on list: 4
Price Change: $0

As the Pentium 4 continues to increase in clock speed, its thermal output also increases. For those of you who go the Retail route rest assured the retail cooling apparatus is adequate, but for those of you who may want to try your hand at overclocking, then a beefier heatsink/fan should be in your future. The Alpha PAL8942 has remained on our list for the past three months, and continues to been seen again this month. A little less-expensive than competing Swiftech models, the Alpha heatsink offers more than adequate surface cooling area with a large copper base.

AMD Heatsink-Fan: Thermalright SLK-800, Panaflo fan

Current Cost: $38 + $10 = $48
Months on list: 2
Price Change: -$1

With the removal of the four heatsink mounting holes from AMD's motherboard specifications, the greater number of nForce2 boards come sans mounting holes, which is unfortunate as many hardcore heatsinks require the extra mounts to properly hold them in place. This month, just as last month, we chose to include a cooler that did not require the mounting holes and the Thermalright SLK-800 fits the bill.

Offering a large copper surface area, and stepping fins capable of holding 60mm, 70mm or 80mm fans there is little more one can ask for in a cooling setup. Paying close attention to the noise level of our system, we chose to include an 80mm Panaflo fan for an additional $10.