August 2003 Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 4

System Memory: 512-MB PC2700 DDR

2 X 256-MB PC2700 Current Cost: $64
Months on list: 2
Price Change: -$1

The question of which type of DDR to use with our value PCs is a tough one, as both motherboards support up to PC3200/DDR400. The cost of DDR has been moving up over the last few weeks, and going with DDR400 would trash our budget in very short order. Another factor is that the 533 and 333 MHz front-side bus speeds of our CPUs don't require dual-channel 400 MHz DDR, and the bandwidth requirements of both are met by less expensive DDR333.

Since both systems are now dual-channel capable, two sticks of 256-MB PC2700 gives us the best return on our investment and more than covers the bandwidth requirements. Of course, dual 256-MB PC2700 modules are more expensive than a single 512-MB module, but it is more than worth the cost in return for higher memory performance. Installing a full 512-MB of system memory now is the best way to ensure our value gaming PC will be able to handle demanding 3D games now, and into the future.

Due to the rapidly shifting prices and availability of DDR memory at the value end, we don't specify a brand of DDR333 in this guide. The vendor selection may vary from week to week, but prices were confirmed for a few popular models, such as Corsair Value, Samsung and Micron, all of which are quality brands that exceed the specs of lower-cost "Generic DDR'.

Hard Drive: 80 GB Seagate Barracuda V

Current Cost: $78
Months on list: 2
Price Change: $0

Serial ATA is the hot tech right now, so we're making use of this trend to get the best ATA hard drive for the money. The rise in SATA popularity seems to have had a similar impact on standard Parallel ATA drives, and resulted in lower prices. Last month, it allowed us to upgrade to the 80 GB Seagate Barracuda V, and although prices have flattened out, you won't hear any complaints on this end. Seagate produces some of the quietest, high-performance IDE drives on the market, and the 80-GB Seagate Barracuda V model is a top value choice right now.

This Seagate Barracuda V drive is fast, stable, and uses FDB (fluid dynamic bearing) technology, thereby running virtually silent (Seagate quotes "the industry's best acoustics"). In addition to 7200 RPM speeds, the Seagate Barracuda V also includes 2 MB of cache and has an excellent reliability record. Seagate has also followed the other drive manufacturers and offers a 1-year warranty on their desktop models.

CD/DVD-ROM:

AMD: LITE-ON 48x24x48x16 Combo Drive

Current Cost: $60
Months on list: 2
Price Change: -$5

Each month we have a bit of play money on the AMD side, which usually isn't enough for significant upgrades, but does allow one noted extra. Once again, we're picking the LITE-ON 48x24x48x16 Combo Drive as the best upgrade to our AMD value PC. This nifty drive serves multiple purposes and 48X CDR, 24X CDRW specifications, 48X CD and 16X DVD read speeds, along with Smart-Burn technology for smooth and stable data writes. This drive also features a 2-MB data cache and is an extremely cost-effective way of adding CDR/RW and DVD-read options to an entry-level PC.

Intel: LITE-ON 16X DVD ROM

Current Cost: $28
Months on list: 7
Price Change: -$2

The Intel side of the equation would also benefit from the LITE-ON Combo Drive, and if you have the extra cash, it is a highly-recommended upgrade. We're still working with a $1K budget, so to stay on target, we're sticking with the popular LITE-ON 16X DVD ROM. This is a very popular OEM unit, and for good reason; its quiet operation, solid playback and high flexibility make it a great choice for our value gaming system.