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

Video Accelerator: GeForce 6800 GT 256-MB PCI Express

Current Cost: $353
Months on list: 2
Price Change: +$13

NVIDIA released their GeForce 7800 GTX this past month, and it is the successor to their hugely popular GeForce 6800 Ultra. With 24 pixel pipelines, 8 vertex shader units, and increased core and memory speed, the 7800 GTX is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, its $599 retail price means the 7800 GTX is a bit out of our price range, so we naturally chose to stick it out with the PCI Express GeForce 6800 GT, at least until NVIDIA releases a more reasonably priced GeForce 7X00 card. The new PCI Express x16 interface has little real-world performance advantage over AGP 8X, however scalability and bandwidth are the name of the game, and future upgradeability will be improved with the move to PCI Express. Both the Intel and AMD platforms can run two GeForce 6/7x00 PCI Express cards at the same time, and this performance boost is only a new GeForce 6800 GT away.

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 higher priced 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 $353, 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 a real winner. 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.

Monitor: ViewSonic VP171B-2 17" LCD

Cost: $320
Months on list: 4
Price Change: +$1

2005 has become the year of the LCD, as we moved to CRT to LCD recommendations for this guide, as well as our Extreme Buyer's Guide. LCD technology is improving at an incredible rate, and not only do prices continue to fall, but response times and color reproduction have become almost a non-issue. Currently, our favorite LCD monitor recommendation for this guide is the ViewSonic VP171B-2 17" LCD. Priced at under $400, this 17" monitor supports a native resolution of 1280x1024, and has high-end specifications like an 8ms response time, 500:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, and support for both analog and DVI input. As far as 17" LCD monitors are concerned, the VP171B-2 is one of the best, and the 8ms response time assures that there will be zero ghosting in games or fast motion video.

For those of you who feel that 17" may not be enough, it's tough to beat the BenQ FP91G+ for a value priced 19" LCD monitor. The FP91G+ is the successor to the popular FP937s and is not only priced equivalent to the Viewsonic, but also has an 8ms response time and dual analog/DVI inputs. If you want a fast 19" gaming LCD without breaking the bank, this is an excellent 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 purchased online for around $300, or slightly less than our main LCD recommendation. Keep in mind that CRT monitors are becoming increasingly difficult to find online, and can go out of stock at any time.

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: $71
Months on list: 4
Price Change: -$10

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. As Creative readies their next generation of sounds cards using their new X-Fi processor, the price of current generation cards continues to plummet, and at $71, the Audigy 2 ZS is a nice bargain.

Speakers:

With a high-end gaming 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: Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 Speakers

Cost: $128
Months on list: 2
Price Change: +$13

The Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 speakers are an exceptional value for this performance bracket, and there is no question we're sticking to them again this month. Logitech makes some of the best gaming speakers around, and you would be hard pressed to find a better set for $128 or less. 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 other similarly priced sets.