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Sharky Extreme : Monthly High-end Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
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Monthly High-end Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
May 2005 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 5By Ryan "Speedy" Wissman May 5, 2005
Current Cost: $340 As motherboard manufacturers continue to phase out AGP in favor of PCI Express there is little reason for us to include anything but a PCI Express graphics card, not to mention both our platforms this month require them. There is very little difference in speed between the new PCI Express x16 interface and AGP, but scalability and bandwidth are the name of the game, and future upgradeability will certainly be better with PCI Express. In addition, our AMD system includes support for SLI which means that we can run two GeForce 6X00 PCI Express cards simultaneously for nearly twice the performance. If NVIDIA continues to implement this technology in future generations of cards, and motherboard chipsets keep up, this will become a very exciting and expensive upgrade possibility. NVIDIA has already started sampling an Intel revision of the nForce4 SLI chipset, so that is also a consideration for future guides.
The GeForce 6800 GT 256-MB currently offer the best bang for the buck in terms of high-end PCIe video cards. The PCI Express versions of these GeForce 6800-based cards continue to be priced higher than their AGP counterparts, so it is virtually impossible to move to the GeForce 6800 Ultra at this time. The PCI Express version of the GeForce 6800 GT is nearly identical to the AGP version, and while obvious differences include the new PCIe interface, the potential SLI support is also important. There are quite a few models available at this price range or under, including eVGA, BFG OC (picture above), Leadtek, XFX (pictured below), and PNY, just to name a few, so there is a lot of choice for potential buyers. At approximately $359, the GeForce 6800 Ultra 256-MB card still has a hefty price tag, but as the GPU is a critical component to any gaming machine, and this is one area where spending a bit more can really pay off.
Despite the somewhat disappointing 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 6800 GT/Ultra 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.
Cost: $319
A few months back we moved from a CRT to an LCD monitor as our monitor recommendation. LCD technology continues to improve as prices have fallen, and color reproduction and response time have become almost a non-issue. Our favorite LCD monitor for under $400 is the ViewSonic VP171B-2 17" LCD. The model has a native resolution of 1280x1024, an 8ms response time, 500:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, and it supports both analog and DVI input. The $319 VP171B-2 is one of the best 17" LCD monitors on the market, and with an 8ms response time you can be rest assured there will be virtually zero ghosting when gaming, and excellent DVD playback. This is our main recommendation, but as this is a 17" monitor, there may be a need for additional real estate. In terms of 19" gaming LCD value, it's tough to beat the BenQ FP937s. This display is priced a bit higher than the ViewSonic VP171B-2 (approximately $390) but features a 12ms response time and dual analog/DVI inputs, so if you want a fast 19" gaming LCD without breaking the bank, this is a very nice choice.
For those who refuse to join the LCD revolution, 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.
Cost: $81
The Creative Audigy 2 ZS may only offer a slight improvement over the original Audigy 2, but it still includes a number of enhancements that make it a worthwhile purchase for our High-end Guide. The Audigy 2 ZS 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 features 24-bit, 192 kHz audio support, just like the Audigy 2 before it. The retail edition of the Audigy 2 ZS includes Rainbow Six 3 and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness games, both of which naturally do an excellent job to show off EAX technology.
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.
Cost: $115
There is little use in including a high-end gaming sound card if we don't use decent speakers, which is why we upgraded to the Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 set this month. Logitech makes some of the best PC speakers around, and you would be hard pressed to find a better set for $115. The Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 speakers simply offer the best bang for your buck than any other midrange set we have ever tried. Delivering a total of 280 watts RMS power, these speakers redefine the meaning of "bang for your buck," and offer considerably better sounding output than the Creative Inspire T7700 7.1 set we previously recommended.
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