July 2002 Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 8

Mouse: Microsoft Intellimouse Optical

Current Cost: $15
Months on list: 8
Price Change: $0

For a value gaming system, an optical mouse is an exceptional value for a primary gaming controller, and the Microsoft Intellimouse Optical has one of the best price-performance ratios of all. In addition to being a high-quality controller, one of the most important features of this Microsoft mouse is naturally its excellent Windows XP support. The unit's optical eye will outlast any mechanical roller mechanism and doesn't require cleaning. This feature might come in handy in the middle of a hectic frag match, where pausing for even a second can mean utter defeat.

The MS Intellimouse Optical is quite similar to the incredibly popular IntelliMouse Explorer. It has many of the same features and ergonomics of the more expensive Explorer, but is just a bit smaller and doesn't quite look as cool. A nice side-benefit is that its shape is also totally symmetrical and can be used by either right or left-handed gamers. The Intellimouse Optical also includes four control buttons and a mouse wheel, each of which can be customized to your individual gaming needs. The type of mousing surface is the only real thing to keep in mind, as some surfaces (such as clear glass) may cause the mouse's optical eye to "jump" if moved quickly.

MS Internet Keyboard

Current Cost: $15
Months on list: 8
Price Change: $0

A keyboard is a very personal item, and we can only offer a very basic recommendation. It is best to try and test a few out at the local PC shop, and then decide which one is exactly the right fit for you. As a general rule, Microsoft makes excellent keyboards and their budget Internet Keyboard is probably the most fully featured $15 keyboard you'll ever lay your fingers on. And like with the Microsoft Intellimouse Optical mouse, Microsoft keyboards functions perfectly in Windows XP and the nifty extra multimedia keys work right out of the box.

Operating system: Windows XP Home

Since there is no use going backwards in terms of game or hardware functionality, we are recommending Windows XP Home as our operating system. The initial migration to Windows XP was spotted with driver issues and some game incompatibilities, but today this situation is mostly reversed. New games use XP as the default operation system and new Windows XP driver revisions are now coming on a regular basis. Many new products ship with XP-only drivers, or users are now finding that their hardware actually works much better under Windows XP. As driver, game and hardware development will continue to focus on the newest Microsoft OS, jumping on the bandwagon now would seem to be the safest long-term choice. We're still not too enthused with the hardware activation scheme, but in many ways the ease of use and stability negate these concerns.

The approximate $78 price tag represents the cost of a licensed OEM Windows XP Home CD, so make sure to buy it alongside a new system or together with one of your individual hardware purchases. If you forget, remember that the retail version of Windows XP Home will cost significantly more, so don't blame us when you have to pay your local Best Buy double the OEM CD cost. Getting an actual Windows XP CD is also important no matter where you buy, and many prominent computer vendors are pulling a bit of a Three-Card Monty by hiding only basic restore files on the hard drive itself. This may have been alright for Win 98SE, but with the more detailed copy protection schemes found in XP, making sure you get an actual Microsoft Windows XP Home CD should be a basic requirement for any new PC.

Name Brand Floppy

Current Cost: $8

Although the floppy drive is rapidly approaching obsolescence, you still need something to boot with and flash your system BIOS safely. Just buy a basic name brand (Panasonic, Sony, TEAC, etc.) for around 8 bucks and be done with it.