February 2004 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide

Introduction

In each edition of our monthly High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide, we are given $2500 in cash to spend, and go in search of the ultimate in high-end gaming machines. These systems certainly pump out the gaming FPS, but we do not spend this money frivolously, and our tech savvy and eye for a deal play a large role in the choices we make. All of the hardware picks in this guide are done after carefully weighing the price to performance ratio of each component, then seeing how these fit into our $2500 budget. This guide is your median between our Value Buyer's Guide with only a $1000 limit, and our Extreme Buyer's Guide with a massive $4000 budget.

The purpose behind this guide is to give you a general idea of what kind of high-end gaming PC is possible, while staying within a budget of $2500. While the individual components are top notch, we always keep an eye on the larger picture, and decide which pieces meld together the best to form the highest-performing, feature-rich gaming PC possible. We also recommend configurations for both the Intel and AMD sides of the spectrum, and are not here to promote one platform over the other.

The main new release this month has been Intel's introduction of their Pentium 4 Prescott CPUs. After waiting what seemed like forever for Intel to push this core out the door, the chip's performance certainly didn't blow us away, and was virtually equivalent to the Pentium 4 Northwood. At current prices, the trusty Northwood core Pentium 4 models look at be a better deal, at least for the time being. Other than the Prescott, new product releases were pretty slim this month, although there has been quite a bit of movement in component prices this past month, reflecting both good and bad news.

Case: Lian Li PC-65 w/ Antec TruePower 480W PSU

Current Cost: $191
Months on list: 4
Price Change: -$7

We list the case and power supply selection right off the bat, because it should be among the first things you decide upon when building a new PC. A premium case can stay with you longer than other computer components, and can be the deciding factor in future system upgrades. When choosing a high-end case it is important that you purchase one that will fit your current and future requirements, and is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

There are few case manufacturers that literally exude quality like Lian Li, Cooler Master and Antec. While you can't go wrong with a case from any of these companies, we can only pick a single model for the guide each month. For the past few editions we have been using Lian Li cases, and we're sticking to it again this month. The Lian Li PC-65 is becoming a staple of the high-end guide, and it scores high marks for its great looks, ergonomics, and ease of use. Currently, the Lian Li PC-65 can be purchased for approximately $112 and can be found at many online retailers.

To keep costs down and allow full customization, most high-end cases do not ship with a power supply. Due to the significant power requirements of a high-end PC we chose to go with a high quality 480W power supply from Antec. The Antec TruePower 480W power supply fits perfectly into our system requirements, and has more than enough juice to power whatever you may throw at it. It is also very important to choose a power supply from a reputable brand (Antec, ThermalTake, Enermax, Vantec), as bargain units often have ridiculously high output claims that the hardware simply can't match.