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

Video Accelerator: GeForce 7800 GT 256-MB PCI Express

Current Cost: $320
Months on list: 2
Price Change: -$39

The GeForce 7800 GT remains NVIDIA's high-end, but lower-cost edition of their very fast and yet impressively expensive GeForce 7800 GTX video card. The GeForce 7800 GT retains all the same features as the more expensive 7800 GTX, but comes clocked slightly lower and with some of the pipelines disabled. With core and memory speeds of 400MHz and 500MHz (1GHz effective) respectively, this card comes clocked only slightly lower than its big brother does with a 430MHz core clock and memory clocked at 600MHz (1.2GHz). The GeForce 7800 GT has only 20 pixel pipelines and 7 vertex pipelines compared to the 7800GTX's 24 and 8, but can still outpace anything else in its class.

The NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT 256-MB is quite possibly the best video card on the market as far as price to performance is concerned. The GeForce 7 Series is not quite the same leap in features and performance that the GeForce 6 Series was over the FX line, but there are more than enough packed into this card that it easily outpaces everything else in its price range. The GeForce 7800 GT has support for SLI, CineFX 4.0, Intellisample 4.0, MPEG-2 and WMV hardware acceleration, Ultra Shadow II, and is PCI Express only. The GeForce 7800 GT can be found manufactured under various brand names such as eVGA, XFX, Albatron, MSI and Leadtek for as little as $320 making it an incredible value all around.

ATI has recently released products based on their much touted R520 chipset, and as much as we would like to have included one this month, we don't feel that they offer a better value than what NVIDIA provides with the GeForce 7800 GT. However, just like the AMD and Intel system configurations, some buyers just feel more comfortable going with NVIDIA or ATI for their video card purchase. For those of you who prefer to go with ATI, the Radeon X1800XL is an excellent card, and very comparable to the GeForce 7800 GT.

Monitor: Samsung 940b 19" LCD

Cost: $340
Months on list: NEW
Price Change: N/A

LCD monitors have become the name of the game for everything from computer monitors to HDTV sets. CRT monitors are slowly but surely dieing out as manufacturers continue to decrease production, and continue to promote LCD displays. LCD technology is improving at an incredible rate, and not only do prices continue to fall, but response times and color reproduction continue to improve. Currently, our favorite LCD monitor is the 19" Samsung 940b, and a native resolution of 1280x1024, 300 cd/m2 brightness, 700:1 contrast ratio, 8ms response time, and both analog and DVI input are just a few of its high-end features. The ultra low 8ms response time guarantees that there will be virtually no ghosting in games or fast motion video. Priced at $340, this monitor is an extremely good value, especially considering its high contrast ratio and low response time.

For those buyers who loathe LCD screens, we continue to recommend the NEC/Mitsubishi DP930SB-BK 19" CRT monitor as an alternative. 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 model is available online in limited quantities 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: Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic

Cost: $120
Months on list: 2
Price Change: +$5

Creative's X-Fi line of soundcards represents the first real update to Creative's product line since the original EMU10K1 audio processor found on the old SB Live!. Creative is packaging this sound chip in four different variants, but we chose to include the entry-level card, the X-Fi XtremeMusic edition. The XtremeMusic features an improved 109dB signal-to-noise ratio, 7.1-channel surround sound, DTS ES and Dolby Digital decoding, 24-bit, 192 kHz audio support, EAX 5.0 support, as well as the new 24-bit Crystalizer engine, which up samples and enhances all sound to 24-bit. In addition, the X-Fi utilizes three "modes" that can be switched on the fly, and a gaming, audio creation, and entertainment mode can be selected to better accommodate specific needs. Priced at $120, the X-Fi XtremeMusic accommodates all of our audio requirements while remaining within budget.

For those of you who have a little extra money to spend, the X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS represents an intriguing alternative. This card has all of the same features as the X-Fi XtremeMusic, but adds on a front connector port as well as 64MB of built-in memory. This extra memory can come in handy as a buffer for sounds and effects, and may increase game performance when supported and utilized. However, the extremely high $299 price tag makes this sound card a luxury our budget cannot handle, especially considering there are only a handful of games that currently support the Fatal1ty FPS's extra RAM.

Speakers:

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

System Speakers: Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 Speakers

Cost: $134
Months on list: 4
Price Change: +$4

Logitech's THX Z-5300e 5.1 speakers are an exceptional value in terms of multimedia computer speakers, so there is no reason for us to make any changes this month. Logitech produces some of the best gaming speakers around, and you would be hard pressed to find a better set for $134 or less. The Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 speakers simply offer a better price-performance ratio than any other midrange set we have used. 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.