While most motherboards include integrated 10/100 NIC cards already, some people remain hardware PCI card fans. For this, we recommend the Intel Pro/100S. Whether you are LAN gaming or connecting to Cable/DSL having a good NIC on hand is very important. Intel is a very well-known and respected name in the NIC business, and you can't go wrong by choosing the Intel Pro/100S.
Although the NIC will work great for those lucky souls with DSL or cable Internet access, many gamers are still using dial-up Internet accounts. For this we recommend the US Robotics External v.92 / 56k fax/modem. US Robotics has long been the standard for consumer level modem products, and the new v.92 standard works superbly with this modem.
Since the release of Windows XP we have grown to appreciate its increased stability and extra features, even compared with previous Microsoft Win 2K offerings. Windows XP has been around for quite some time now, and the Pro version's better networking and multiprocessor support are reason enough for us to choose it over the basic Home edition. Windows XP is also an excellent base for gaming, since new hardware, drivers and games are now developed with this operating system in mind.
We have included the price for the OEM version of Windows XP Pro, as opposed to the retail box, and assume that you will purchase it alongside hardware, thereby qualifying for the lowered OEM price. If you already own a copy of a Windows operating system (limited to Win 98 or newer and Win NT 4 or newer) then you can also purchase the Windows XP Pro upgrade CD and potentially save more money.
Floppies have been obsolete for years, but many people still feel that they need them. For emergency BIOS updates or data recovery they can be quite helpful, but just buy a brand you can recognize (Sony, Panasonic, etc.) and be done with it.
While not part of our budget for a standard high-end gaming system, we still recommend you buy adequate surge protection for your new PC, or better yet, spurge and nab a UPS for added security.
