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

Memory: 2 X 512-MB Corsair TwinX XMS DDR400/PC3200LL

Current Cost: $310
Months on list: 2
Price Change: +$25

Corsair's XMS series of RAM has remained our top choice in memory for the past few months. Corsair's memory has proven itself as the most forgiving when overclocking, and by far the most compatible and reliable memory we have worked with. In accordance with our 200MHz FSB model CPUs it is very important that you pick up DDR400/PC3200 or higher memory. The Athlon XP and Pentium 4 3.0C require this speed of memory for proper operation.

Both systems utilize dual-channel memory, so we get best performance if we go with two 512MB modules. Corsair packages memory for dual-channel configurations using the name TwinX. It is slightly more expensive for this type of memory, but buying a TwinX pack insures that you receive two matched pairs of memory with equal capabilities.

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

Current Cost: $179
Months on list: 7
Price Change: -$7

As prices on IDE hard drives continue to fall, Serial ATA drives are making themselves increasingly easier to find. However, we have yet to find a Serial ATA drive with price and capacity to match the Western Digital model we have been recommending for months. Plus, SATA really pays off with RAID enabled, and we're still not at the point of including dual IDE drives. The Western Digital 200GB 8MB cache 7200 RPM Special Edition drive has more than enough space and speed to make it the perfect choice for our high-end configuration.

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

Cost: $38
Months on list: 3
Price Change: -$11

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. 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.

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: $45
Months on list: 6
Price Change: -$2

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.