September 2005 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 7

NIC: Onboard

Cost: $0
Months on list: 15
Price Change: N/A

As both of our motherboards feature onboard Gigabit LAN we don't really find it necessary that we recommend a PCI LAN controller. The extra cash we save we find is better spent on other components. However, it is understandable that some of you prefer to use a non-integrated card; in that case the Intel PRO/1000MT Gigabit adaptor is a great alternative as it is a fully-featured NIC from one of the best names in networking.

Or...

Modem: US Robotics USB 2.0 USR5633 Faxmodem

Cost: $38 (not included in price of full machine)
Months on list: 10
Price Change: $0

As most of our readers have external devices such as modems, printers, and scanners, we do not factor them into the cost of this guide as the money could be better spent in our places. However, we still make a basic modem recommendation, but it is now an optional component.

Although the NIC will work great for those lucky souls with DSL or cable Internet access, many gamers are still using dial-up Internet accounts. For this, we recommend the US Robotics USB 2.0 USR5633 Faxmodem. This USB 2.0 modem is very similar to the external V.92 modem we have been recommending for a long while, but uses a USB 2.0 connection as opposed to Serial.

Operating System: Windows XP Professional

Cost: $140
Months on list: 25
Price Change: -$5

Windows XP Professional has been our operating system of choice for this guide since its release, and there is certainly no reason for us to switch horses now. As far as gaming and bleeding-edge hardware is concerned, there is no better operating system than Windows XP as the vast majority of games and hardware is designed with it in mind. Also, note that the day is fast approaching when older Windows versions will no longer be supported. Although the Home edition supports Hyper-Threading, Windows XP Professional is the only version of Windows XP that supports multiple CPUs, so the extra money over the Home edition can go a long way.

Microsoft has also recently released their long awaited Windows XP Professional 64-bit operating system. Even though both our AMD and Intel systems support 64-bit software, we remain skeptical as to its real-world usefulness as our primary operating system, as there are only a small handful of games that take advantage of a 64-bit system. Currently, the 64-bit version of Windows XP is only available to OEM manufacturers, and it remains unlikely that Microsoft will release it to retail channels.

We quote the price of an OEM version of Windows XP Professional, as opposed to the retail box, and assume that you will purchase it alongside hardware, thereby qualifying for the lower OEM price. Those who already own a copy of a previous version of Windows, by purchasing the upgrade CD you can save even more money, assuming you own at least Windows 98 or NT 4. Don't forget to pick up a version with SP2 integrated, as it will save you the headache of downloading the update from the internet.

Name Brand Floppy

Current Cost: $5

We haven't used floppies in years, but some people still feel a need for them. Any old name brand floppy drive will do for those emergency BIOS updates and data recovery, anything more would be just a waste of money.

Power Bar or UPS

While not part of our budget for a standard high-end gaming system, we still recommend you buy adequate surge protection for your new PC, or better yet, splurge and nab a UPS for the added security and peace of mind.