July 2003 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 5

Video Accelerator: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB

Current Cost: $360
Months on list: 3
Price Change: -$17

Despite the release of the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900, we chose to stick with the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro for now. It is considerably less expensive than the GeForce FX, and is able to out perform it in many tests. The ATI card is clocked at 380MHz core and 680MHz memory, which is significantly faster than the 9700 Pro. There is a 256MB version of the card also available, but performance in today's games is nearly the same as the 128MB version, which does not make it worth the extra purchase price, at least for our budget.

In addition to the clock speed increases, the Radeon 9800Pro includes a number of new features not available in the Radeon 9700 Pro. SmartShader has been updated to version 2.1 adding an F-Buffer which implements fragment shading. SmoothVision 2.1 offers high resolutions than the previous versions, and HyperZ III+ offers greater memory bandwidth than before.

Monitor: Sony CPD-E440 19" CRT Monitor

Cost: $306
Months on list: NEW
Price Change: N/A

Due to issues concerning availability of the Samsung 900NF, as well as Samsung's seeming departure from the Trinitron market, we needed to change our monitor recommendation this month. We chose to go with the Sony CPD-E440 19" Trinitron monitor. The monitor features a .24mm (min) flat Aperture grill monitor with a maximum resolution of 1600x1200 and a viewable area of 18.0 inches. Features and performance on this monitor are unparalleled in the market, especially for price of only $299 dollars.

It's understandable that some may dislike aperture-grill monitors and for those of you we still recommend the LG 915FT Plus monitor. It features a Flatron tube which offers the best of aperture-grill monitors without the two horizontal wires. The monitor resolutions and refresh rates that are not normally supported in shadow mask CRTs making this LG monitor the best at this price range.

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: $153
Months on list: 4
Price Change: -9

For gamers, the Audigy 2 Platinum is by far the best soundcard choice. Easily eclipsing the original Audigy the Audigy 2 does true 24-bit 192kHz stereo and 96kHz surround DAC, in addition to offering 6.1 channel speaker support. EAX 3.0 Advanced HD is the best gaming 3d sound format available and employed by most every new game released today. The Platinum model has a very handy drive that featuring incredible array of connectors for many different sound appliances, and the card also comes with a very nice remote control for controlling from a distance.

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.

We also think that the M-Audio Revolution 7.1 is also worth noting. While not as complete as the Audigy 2 Platinum, the card is an excellent alternative to the Audigy 2, assuming you don't want to go the Creative route. Despite being poor at reproducing 3D game sounds, the Revolution does make up for it with excellent movie and music sound playback. Like the Audigy 2, the Revolution 7.1 has 24-bit 192/96kHz support, and can output sound to up to 7.1 speakers. S/N ratio is slightly higher than Creative at 107 (the Audigy 2 has 106). The card is also priced at about $100, but can be found online for a bit less.

Speakers:

What better way to compliment your new soundcard 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 6600 6.1 Speakers

Cost: $76
Months on list: 5
Price Change: +$5

Full blown 6.1 channel speaker systems remain few and far between, and there are only a few choices on the market. However, with the 6.1 channel surround support of the Audigy 2, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it. For $71 the Inspire 6600 6.1 Speaker system doesn't break the budget, and sounds incredible with DTS ES and Dolby Digital EX encoded 6.1 channel movies. These speakers are certainly not as impressive as more expensive systems from Cambridge, Klipsch or Logitech, but do the job quite well. The Inspire 6600 set have a total power of 120W (8 Watts RMS per satellite/20 Watts RMS front center satellite/ 22 Watts RMS subwoofer).