June 2003 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 4

Memory: 2 x 512-MB Corsair TwinX XMS DDR400/PC3200 DDR

Current Cost: $285
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Just like last month there hasn't been a whole lot of movement with memory prices aside from a few dollars here and there. But there have been price cuts to other components, and coupled with the lower-cost per MB when you buy higher-density DIMMs, we're using the extra money in this area. Keep in mind that if you want to save a few dollars, 2x256-MB should suffice, but we're looking to squeeze as much power out of our budget and allocating it for a full 1 GB of system memory is the best option right now. This is especially true of the Athlon XP/nForce2 system, which features only three DIMM sockets.

As a result, we are again recommending Corsair as the brand, but switching our choice to their TwinX memory. These modules are sold in pairs, and certified to run in dual-channel DDR operation without a problem. For a new system, this is really the safest option, as it takes the risk out of setting up a dual-channel DDR400 performance system. Since we are recommending 200MHz FSB CPU models this month it is very important that you pick up the DDR400/PC3200 memory modules for support with the Athlon XP 3200+ and Pentium 4-3.0C.

Hard Drive: Western Digital 200-GB Special Edition 8MB Cache

Current Cost: $186
Months on list: 6
Price Change: -$20

Prices on IDE hard drives continue to plummet, as we see an increase in the availability of Serial ATA drives. Western Digital's 200GB 8MB cache Special Edition drive has seen a substantial $20 price cut this month, making it the perfect choice for our budget, at least until we decide the time is right to move to a single-drive Serial ATA configuration. The WD drive's spacious 200-GB of storage and 8MB cache keep data transfers moving smoothly, and its 7200RPM spindle speed makes this model of particular interest to this high-end buyer.

CD/DVD-ROM: Pioneer 16X DVD-120S/2

Cost: $47
Months on list: 2
Price Change: $0

The Pioneer 16X DVD-120S/2 features a slot load mechanism (similar to that which you would find in your car), and is able to retrieve CDs without the use of a traditional tray mechanism. Pioneer has recently updated their 106S model to the newer, although technically similar, 120S drive proving no change in price.

Pioneer has long been one of the top innovators in the field of optical media, and their 16X DVD-ROM drive is one of the best. A 256K buffer, 95ms seek time on DVDs, 80ms seek on CDs, and vertical and horizontal mounting capabilities make the Pioneer 16X DVD-120S one of our favorite DVD drives.

For those who deal with different-sized CD media, a standard tray-loading Pioneer model (DVD-117) is also available, and can be had for a few dollars less than this model. The drive can also be found with either beige or black face plates. However, due to the demand of the black model expect to pay a few dollars extra compared with the standard beige drive.

CDRW: Lite-On 52x24x52 CD-RW LTR-52246

Cost: $47
Months on list: 5
Price Change: $0

CD-RW drive speeds and prices continue to stagnate while we watch DVD-R/RW (or the "+" variants) drive speeds increase and prices decrease. We would love to wait until the format war has been won to include a drive, but we may not need to wait as long. A few drives (manly Lite-On and Sony) have support for both formats and prices continue to approach the reasonable mark. We certainly look forward to including a DVD burner in the near future. However, until then, we will stick with our trusty old CD-RW.

Lite-On is one of the largest manufacturers of optical drives, and the company is so large that many retail level suppliers will actually re-badge Lite-On drivers and sell them at a slightly higher price as their own. Lite-On remains as one of the best, CD-RW manufacturers currently available, and their 52X model is not only a high-performer, but is quite inexpensive to boot.

Lite-On's fastest CD-RW, the LTR-52246 sports speeds of up to 52X, CD Re-Writeable speeds up to 24X, and CD Reading speeds at a slick 52X. The drive comes with a 2-MB buffer, and has a seek time of 80ms. The excellent Ahead Nero Burning Rom software is included with the drive, and is worth more than the drive itself. Overall Lite-On put together an excellent CD-RW package, and it's well worth the $47 purchase price.