January High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 4

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

Current Cost: $249
Months on list: 6
Price Change: -$3

For months we have been recommending memory from Corsair's excellent XMS (eXtreme Memory Speed) line across our high-end guides. Corsair's memory continues to impresses with its compatibility, overclockability and overall performance. For our FSB needs, both the AMD and Intel systems require 400 MHz DDR for optimum performance, so we recommend using PC3200 (or faster) memory.

The Intel system is the only one that will see a benefit from using two 512MB sticks running in dual-channel mode. The Athlon 64 has a single 64-bit memory controller that while powerful in its own right, isn't tailored to make use of dual-channel memory. Even so, we're still going with dual 512MB TwinX sticks for both systems as it's much easier to find, and less expensive, than searching for a single high-performance 1GB stick of memory.

Hard Drive: Western Digital 250GB 7200RPM Serial ATA 8MB Cache

Current Cost: $218
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Although Serial ATA drives have not surpassed Parallel ATA by leaps and bounds yet, similar pricing between the two allows us to opt for the newer, more future-proof SATA model. Aside from slightly increased speed, the main draw of Serial ATA has been its thin and flexible cables which allow for much easier installation, and better airflow throughout your case. This month we are upgrading our hard drive yet again to a 250GB Western Digital Serial ATA model, as it's only a few dollars more than the 200GB drive included in last month's edition.

We have been very pleased with Western Digital hard drives over the years and their new line of Serial ATA drives are impressive. The Western Digital 250GB SATA SE model has a 7200RPM spindle speed, 8MB cache, transfer speeds up to 150MBps, and is quiet to boot. However, the best thing about moving to Serial ATA is the thin and flexible data cables, which can potentially free up space allowing for greater airflow throughout the case. Another nice feature of the new WD SATA drives is the FlexPower feature, which supports both Molex and ATA power connectors, which means no added expense for an adapter.

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

Cost: $32
Months on list: 7
Price Change: -$6

The Pioneer 16X DVD-120S/2 slot loading drive is similar to the CD drive you might find in your car, as it is able to retrieve media without a traditional tray mechanism. Pioneer has been a name long associated with excellence in optical media readers, and their 16X DVD-ROM drive is no exception. The drive features a 256K buffer, 95ms seek time on DVDs (80ms on CDs), as well as horizontal and vertical mounting capabilities.

Pioneer also makes a tray-loading model (DVD-117) for those of you who deal with other sizes of optical media. It can be found for a few dollars less than the slot-loading model, and is a super unit in its own right.

CDRW: Lite-On 52x32x52 CD-RW LTR-52327S

Cost: $36
Months on list: 2
Price Change: -$3

Despite falling prices, DVD-/+RW drives are still out of the reach of this guide. As a result, we are sticking with our trusty Lite-On 52x32x52 CD-RW drive again for this month's guide. The retail version of this drive (with Nero Express) can be had for about $36, making it one of the lowest-priced, and certainly the fastest, CD burners available.