January 2005 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 5

Video Accelerator: XFX GeForce 6800GT 256-MB PCI Express

Current Cost: $445
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

The highly-touted PCI Express interface has finally become available to both Intel and AMD systems, so it seems only natural that we move our video card selection to the new interface. While there is very little difference in speed between the new PCI Express x16 interface and AGP; scalability and bandwidth are the name of the game, and all future video cards from ATI and NVIDIA will likely only be available on PCI Express. Additionally, our AMD system has support for SLI which means that we can run two GeForce 6X00 PCI Express cards simultaneously for nearly twice the performance. Assuming NVIDIA continues to implement this technology in future generations of cards, this can become a very exciting and very expensive proposition.

Currently, the GeForce 6800GT 256-MB cards offer the best bang for our buck for performance video cards. Though more difficult to find and priced higher than its AGP brethren, the PCI Express version of the GeForce 6800GT is our video card of choice this month. The PCI Express model is nearly identical to the AGP version, and while obvious differences include the new PCIe interface, the potential SLI support is also important. After sifting through a smorgasbord of vendors we decided to go with the XFX version of the GeForce 6800GT 256-MB PCI Express. While XFX adheres to the reference design and does not offer anything special, it was actually one of the most reasonably price boards on the market. At $445 this is the most we've ever spend on a video card in our high end guide, but the GPU is a critical component to any gaming machine, and this is one area where spending more can really pay off.

Despite the somewhat poor performance of NVIDIA's previous generation of cards, the NV40 core is light-years ahead of what they had at this time last year. The GeForce 6800GT core has been completely redesigned from the ground up to feature sixteen pixel processors with six vertex units, or more than double what NVIDIA's previous generation was capable of. The card also has a number of advanced features including 64-Bit texture filtering and blending, Ultra Shadow II technology, CineFX 3.0, and Intellisample 3.0 technology which are featured across all of the GeForce 6800 cards. The XFX GeForce 6800 GT is clocked at the standard 350 MHz core and 1 GHz DDR3 memory, which means no surprises when it comes to comparable performance.

Monitor: ViewSonic VP171B-2 17" LCD

Cost: $349
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

As the mid-level CRT market has almost completely dried up, the industry has really focused on high-end LCD displays to replace aging 17" and 19" CRT monitors. This month marks the first time we are turning in our CRT monitor selection and replacing it with a sharp new LCD. As technology continues to improve, prices have fallen drastically over the past few months on all LCD displays. Currently, our favorite LCD monitor for under $400 is the ViewSonic VP171B-2 17" LCD. The models has a native resolution of 1280x1024, 8ms response time, 500:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, and supports both analog and DVI input. This is one of the best LCD monitors on the market, and the 8ms response time means virtually zero ghosting and absolutely incredible DVD playback.

For those who refuse to have anything to do with LCDs, we recommend the NEC/Mitsubishi DP930SB-BK 19" CRT monitor. This monitor features a 0.24mm grille pitch, totally flat aperture grille CRT, 1920 x 1440 at 73 Hz maximum resolution, and three year warranty. This monitor can be found online for just under $300, slightly less than our main LCD recommendation.

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, especially in their "dead pixel replacement policy" for new LCDs.

Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS Retail

Cost: $85
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

The Creative Audigy 2 ZS may only be a mild improvement over the original Audigy 2, but it still includes a number of enhancements that make it a worthwhile upgrade. The card has a slightly-improved 108 signal-to-noise ratio, full 7.1 channel surround sound, DTS ES and Dolby Digital decoding, and updated EAX 4.0 support. For the audiophiles out there, the Audigy 2 ZS has 24-bit, 192 kHz audio support for things such as DVD-Audio, just like the Audigy 2 before it. The retail edition of the Audigy 2 ZS includes both Rainbow Six 3 and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness games, both of which do an excellent job to show off EAX. This month we are recommending the standard retail version, as including the Platinum version puts us slightly over budget.

Speakers:

With a high end soundcard, a good set of surround sound speakers is a great way to immerse yourself in games, movies and music. Choosing the right speakers is an important investment, as they will likely stay with you as long as your case or monitor.

System Speakers: Creative Inspire T7700 7.1 Speakers

Cost: $82
Months on list: 7
Price Change: +$2

As gamers flock to high-end speakers from Logitech and Klipsch, Creative has gone to great lengths to improve their own speaker line. Creative speakers cannot compete with Logitech or Klipsch at the hardcore enthusiast level, but at a significantly lower price point these become an excellent value. The Creative Inspire T7700 7.1 set can't be beat as they offer the best value for the money, and are priced at a little over $80. Delivering a total of 92 watts RMS power and 125 watts of total system power the set is a bit more powerful than the Creative 6.1 set, and other similarly-priced systems.