April High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 5

Video Accelerator: ATI Radeon 9700 Pro

Current Cost: $309
Months on list: 5
Price Change: $0

With the Radeon 9800 Pro cards set to hit retail shelves in early May we are still a week or two away from being able to include them in this month's guide. So for now at least, the Radeon 9700 remains our top pick. The card features a core clock speed of 325MHz and 128-MB of onboard RAM clocked at 620MHz (effective DDR) on a 256-bit wide memory bus. When the visual "eye candy" is turned up, the Radeon 9700 Pro also outperforms anything on the market by a fairly wide margin. The Radeon 9700 Pro also works beautifully with either the nForce2 or i845PE platforms, allowing us to recommend it for both sides of this guide.

In terms of potential competition, the Radeon 9800 Pro is due soon, and the higher-end GeForce FX cards are finally hitting retail shelves. The GeForce FX 5800 line may be short-lived as NVIDIA readies it successor for this summer/fall, the code-named NV35. With NVIDIA's 0.13-micron process finally mature, the company is not likely to make the same mistake twice, and we look forward to the new design and cooling systems that will come.

Monitor: Samsung 900NF

Cost: $322
Months on list: 12
Price Change: +$7

For the past year we have recommended the Samsung 900F 19", and this doesn't look to change this month. The Samsung 19" flat-screen offers excellent performance for a reasonable price, and has the high-end specifications to match. Until we see LCD monitors that are able to outperform high-end CRTs (at a reasonable price), we're sticking with the good ole' CRT.

Samsung's 900F 19" flat-screen monitor is currently one of the best monitors in our price range. Samsung does not sacrifice the features inherent in many high end aperture-grill monitors, most of which are normally found in models with a much higher price tag. The 900NF has a list of very impressive features, such as a flat, aperture-grill CRT tube, a .25mm dot pitch, and up to a 76 Hz refresh rate at 1600x1200. Lower resolutions yield even higher refresh rates, and color and image quality are both top-notch.

For those with an aversion to aperture-grill tubes, the LG 915FT Plus offers a Flatron tube, incorporating the best of standard and aperture grill technology, but without the presence of horizontal tension wires. It also features higher refresh rates and resolutions than standard flat shadow mask CRTs, and can rival those of aperture grill tubes. LG has made a nice concession between the two technologies, and created an excellent product in its own right.

Please keep in mind that when buying any type or brand of monitor, there is always the chance of receiving a defective unit, so be certain to purchase only from a vendor that offers liberal return and replacement options.

Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy 2 Platinum Retail

Cost: $163
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Compared with Creative's previous offerings, the Audigy 2 is a pleasant surprise. It is noticeably better than the original Audigy, and Creative brings to it real 24-bit 192kHz stereo and 96kHz surround D/A converters, as well as 6.1 channel speaker support and a DVD-Audio player. The features and renowned Creative game support make the Audigy 2 one of the best cards a gamer could own. The Platinum model includes a remote control, and a very handy drive, which offers a wide range of connection options to compliment those on the Audigy 2 card itself.

The retail version of the Audigy 2 Platinum is substantially more complete than the Creative OEM packs. You get the gold-plated card along with warranty, manual, and drivers, in addition to an excellent game software bundle including Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, and Creative's exclusive MediaSource media playback/creation center, in addition to recording software.

Speakers:

What better way to compliment your new Audigy 2 than some high end speakers. Your speaker purchase can be as important as that of your monitor, as you are unlikely to upgrade either one for years. This makes your initial speaker choice crucial to the enjoyment of your new gaming PC, and an important investment.

System Speakers: Creative Inspire 6.1 Speakers

Cost: $96
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

We wanted to take full advantage of the Audigy 2's inherent 6.1 surround support, and the Inspire 6.1 speaker set is currently one of the only mid-range sets available. At $96 we were amazed by the performance of the speakers, and DTS and Dolby Digital encoded 6.1 channel movies sounded great. While certainly not as impressive as more expensive Klipsch, Cambridge, or Logitech sets, we were very pleased with the Inspire's 120W total system power (8 Watts RMS per satellite/20 Watts RMS front center satellite/ 22 Watts RMS subwoofer).