For our money, there is really only one choice when it comes to the soundcard portion of our value gaming PC. With the SB Live! you will never having to worry if your new game will work on your system, or have to check the game box for API support from a long-deceased company. The Creative Labs SoundBlaster name is like gold for the PC gamer, and since it is a standard in the computer business, EAX support is prevalent in both current and upcoming games. There are a variety of SoundBlaster Live! XGamer, MP3, Platinum, and DE editions, but most contain features, software or controls that will be nigh useless to the caveman gamer. And at just over $30, how can you go wrong? AMD buyers should note that with the improved on-board sound of the Iwill KK266Plus, you may not even feel the need for a dedicated soundcard.
Even when building a value gaming PC, the choice which speakers to get is still a very important decision. We're not looking to outfit our value system with a set of Klipsch Promedia's, but you also don't need to knock over the ATM just to buy a good set of speakers. The most important area to watch out for is the common "bundled speakers" you get with many value computers, most of which could probably give your clock radio a good run for its money in the area of sound fidelity.
The best way to determine the your choice of speakers is to actually listen to a few sets, using CD and game music to make the final determination. We recommend buying a 3-speaker setup at minimum, with two satellites and one subwoofer. This will help differentiate 3D sounds, and the subwoofer will really make you feel the base tones and enhance your overall gaming experience.
Our speaker selection continues to be the exceptional Altec Lansing ACS 54. This 5-speaker system looks great, sounds better, and performs well above where its $46 price tag would have you think. The ACS 54 speakers are definitely one of the best gaming deals outside of 5-finger discount, and this set has naturally been the recipient of a wide range of industry awards and accolades. Take a quick listen and find out why.
When choosing a CD-ROM over a comparable DVD-ROM, we had to admit that if money is a prime concern, then going with a less-expensive CD unit is still the best call. There are plenty of name brand CD-ROM drives that would match up well with our system; but if you need a specific brand, then you can't go wrong with the ASUS 50X. It loads CD data very quickly, rips via DAE exceptionally fast, and its high quality may have it outlasting your current system. About the only potential issue we've had with these units is the noise level when the fan intermittently starts up. This is a very common problem with most high-speed CD-ROM units and is not really so much a negative as an observation.