Current Cost of CPU: $265
Months on List: 2
Price Change -$17
Company Web Site: www.intel.com
This time out, there really isn't a whole lot of leeway with the Intel price structure, so we're sticking with the Pentium 4-1.8 GHz. Both the 1.9 and 2.0 GHz are still well out of reach for our budget, and would entail serious system trade-offs if selected. We're still spending a few bucks more for the new microPGA 478 CPU format, since it offers the best combination of high-speed stability and a true upgrade path. As well as a slightly higher price than comparable FC-PGA 423 processors, you might also have a harder time finding a microPGA 478 processor. There have been rumors of a shortage on Intel's end, and just a quick check of the pricing search engines shows a huge disparity on the supply side. Unless you have a specific HSF in mind, just buy the retail version and just use the supplied cooler, which is large, cools very well and is much easier to install than the old FC-PGA 423 format.
Or...
Current Cost of CPU: $219
Months on list: New
Price Change N/A
Company Web Site: www.amd.com
Timing is everything; and with the Athlon XP debuting this past week, we are now free to select it for our High End Gaming PC. This is exactly the kind of tonic AMD needed, since the Athlon 1.4 GHz was at such a low price point that it virtually made the best sense all the way from entry-level up to high-end gaming systems. We are choosing the AMD Athlon XP 1800+, which actually runs at 1.53 GHz, and is currently the fastest Athlon XP model available. This chip can smoke the Pentium 4-2.0 GHz in most benchmarks and its SSE enhancements mean you no longer have to gaze longingly at the Quake 3 scores of the Pentium 4. Let's not even go into the Athlon XP marketing or naming, and just buy it for the raw speed. As an added bonus, the chip seems to be an overclocking demon, so you may get more speed than you bargained for.
Current Cost of HSF: N/A
Months on List: 2
Price Change N/A
There are two main reasons we decided to leave the Pentium 4 cooling as is. The first is naturally that it saves us a few bucks and with our configuration floating right on the $2500 line, every little bit helps. The second is that the retail HSF is actually quite a good unit that installs like a dream. In our Pentium 4-2.0 GHz testing, it performed extremely well and I could see no valid reason to change it even when overclocking. Remember that the new Pentium 4 models (especially at lower-than 2.0 GHz) are not as hot as the Athlon and are quite a bit easier to cool. For those who want to spend a few bucks on a 3rd-party HSF, we did find the CoolerMaster DI4-7H53D (33.2 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) of airflow), and it's rated up to a Pentium 4-2.4 GHz, so cooling a 1.8 GHz processor should be a breeze. As these microPGA 478 HSF units are starting to appear on the market, we will be looking closely at the newer high-end units to see if a consensus choice emerges.
Current Cost of HSF: $35
Month on List: 5
Price Change: $0
Company Web Site: www.thermosonic.com.tw
Although the new Athlon XP does tend to be a bit cooler than the Athlon 1.4 GHz, we're still recommending going all-out for the HSF both general use and potential overclocking. For a cost effective, yet very powerful, solution a great bet is the tried-and-true ThermoEngine Heat Sink. The standard unit features a fan capable of 5800 RPM and 34 CFM of airflow, but adding the Delta Black Label fan ups this to an impressive 7000 RPM and 38 CFM. Just keep in mind that any fan at this speed will create a higher level of ambient noise and understand its higher power requirements on a motherboard. If you want to be absolutely safe, then hook the Delta Black Label fan to one of the four-prong PSU power cords.