December Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 4

System Memory

When it comes to choosing the memory for our AMD and Intel systems, we still look at these as distinct configurations, rather than using a "one size fits all" memory recommendation. Instead, the two configurations are evaluated separately, and our budget is allocated in the most logical way. Each platform has its own set of requirements, and we can use this to achieve the best overall memory value. We believe that maximizing the $1K budget is what real-world buyers would do, which is even more important with fluctuating memory prices.

1-GB (2x512-MB) Generic PC2-4200 (DDR2-533)

Current Cost: $86
Consecutive Guides: 2
Price Change: +$3

December is another very tough month for our $1K budget, and while trying to maintain the status quo and upgrade a few areas, memory prices have continued to rise. Thankfully, basis DDR2 didn't jump that much, especially in the 2x512-MB DDR2-533 level. We have to go the dual channel route, otherwise performance would be impacted, and even at 533 MHz DDR2, overall bandwidth will not be that adversely affected. We would love to move to DDR-667 or -800, but at current price levels, it's tough enough to locate affordable generic DDR2-533.

Our Intel 945P and NVIDIA nForce 550 platforms support dual-channel DDR2, and by utilizing 1-GB of memory, we make sure that current game, OS, and application requirements are all covered. The 2x512-MB format also ensures we utilize the dual-channel memory architectures, and give as much memory bandwidth as we can to the Core 2 Duo and Athlon 64 X2 processors. The Athlon 64 X2 should be mostly unaffected, but as the Core 2 Duo is running on the 1066 MHz bus, dual channel DDR2-533 barely matches its base requirement. If you have a few extra dollars, and are going with the Intel option, moving to DDR2-667 would be a good upgrade.

Hard Drive:

120GB Western Digital Caviar SE (WD1200JS) 3.0 Gb/s

Current Cost: $55
Consecutive Guides: 3
Price Change: $0

The Intel 945P and NVIDIA nForce 550 chipsets are designed with Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s in mind, so it's only natural we go with this hard drive format. Although some of the higher-end Seagate drives are dropping, the 120GB Western Digital Caviar SE offers the best value at this range. This WD drive offers an SATA 3.0 Gb/s interface as well as 8-MB of cache, an 8.9 ms access time, and a 7200-RPM rotational speed, but does not specifically support NCQ. Another nice feature of the WD drives is the presence of both SATA and Molex power connectors, which ensures full compatibility and easy upgrades. Both of our motherboard can make use of the newer SATA format, and will receive enhanced burst mode transfers thanks to the updated interface and hard drive.

CD/DVD-ROM:

Samsung SH-S182D 16X DVD Writer

Current Cost: $29
Consecutive Guides: New
Price Change: N/A

Even an entry-level gaming system should have the ability to write to CDR/RW and read DVD media, and last month we made the move to DVD writing as well. Our last guide added the LG GSA-H10NB 16X to the system mix, but as availability has dropped to virtually nil, we have gone with the Samsung SH-S182D 16X DVD writer for December. While retail price was a prime consideration, we were lucky enough to find the Samsung drive at around the required $30 level.

Samsung is a well-known name in optical drives, and the SH-S182D DVD writer gives us a lot of bang for the buck. The Samsung SH-S182D offers writing speeds of 18X DVD+/-R, 8X DVD+/-R Dual-Layer media, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW, 48X CD-R, and 32X CD-RW. The Samsung drive also has support for DVD-RAM technology, and can read and write it at 12X speeds. The Samsung SH-S182D is certainly an inexpensive way to add DVD writing functionality to our value systems, while getting high-end write speeds and wide media support as added bonuses.

Drive specifications include an EIDE interface, 2MB data cache, and 130ms DVD and 110ms CD access times. The sub-$30 price is certainly right, making the Samsung SH-S182D is a steal of a deal that gives us some extra cash for other peripherals. The Samsung SH-S182D drive is also available in either black or beige faceplate models, which allows flexibility to match it with your case.