Having built a new PC fairly recently, I feel I am
in a position to recommend some hardware. Remember to check PCIndex
for the latest prices, this could be out of date. Anyway, here it
is...
CPU: You'll be wanting an Athlon XP - faster than the
significantly more expensive Pentium 4 at much lower clock rates.
However if it's a nice low temperature you'd rather have, the P4
Northwood is the king of cool(ness).
Cooler: Kind of depends on your CPU really - my advice is
*not* to go with a dodgy looking one (like an orb). Stick with
something squareish, and make sure there aren't any capacitors in
the way on your mobo!
Motherboard: Just now, for athlons, you'll want something
with a KT266A chipset (DDR Memory). I haven't looked into pentium
ones.
Memory: Faster is better, CAS2 is faster than CAS3, higher
clock rates are faster than lower ones. For DDR, a higher rating
means its faster. PC2100 DDR is good. REMEMBER: Get good quality
RAM! You can't go wrong with Crucial.
Case: I can heartily recommend GlobalWin's 802 midi tower.
It's spacious, nice lookin, and thumbscrew only! Get one @
OcUK.
PSU: You'll need a power supply with your case, and you'll
also need to make sure it has enough wattage to cope with your
chosen processor (for athlon and P4 get an approved PSU) and amount
of hardware. Do not skimp on this, you will pay.
Fans: Your case needs active ventilation. Find out how many
fan mountings your case has, and fill up at least one, preferably
two with case fans. The usual size is 80mm, but check your case!
Most go for an exhaust fan at the back, and maybe an intake fan at
the front (the fans are the same, just mounted a different way
round =). Also look into hard-drive cooling if you have a 7200 rpm
hdd, especially if it's an IBM one.
Monitor: Well, my ViewSonic PF775 may be a little expensive,
but it's high refresh rates (90hz @ 1280,1024), perfectflat screen
and superb quality picture justifies this.
Modem: I can only recommend Diamond's SupraExpress 56e PRO
for the nippiest and most hardware-based 56k modeming experience,
but it is old now, and you'll probably want a v.92 compatible one.
Try a USR internal hardware modem, the latest versions of which are
good, and have a 'gaming mode'.
Speakers: Expensive is better. Creative do some nice
ones.
Sound Card: Creatives Audigy Player 5.1 . A great card, into
which you can plug 5 speakers and a sub woofer for super
surround-o-matic sound. Some disagree - it isn't 24bit all the way
through, and all new functionality is added by a philips chip
stapped on next to a hardly changed EMU chip.
CDRW: Only go for the latest speeds if you're going to make
use of it regularly.
Floppy drive: You can't go far wrong here, but a branded
drive (Panasonic/Teac) ensures reliability. And yes, you still
can't really go without one.
OS: Windows XP is good. Get it.
Graphics card: NVIDIA pretty much rules the roost, but ATi
are catching up fast. Go for the most expensve one you can - and
read some reviews first.
Hard Drive: Go big. Make sure its got a fast interface
(fastest now is ATA133). If serial ATA is widely used when you read
this, you'll probably want a drive which uses it, assuming your
motherboard has a serial ata controller.
Keyboard: Cherry is always good.
Mouse: I don't like the new optical mice, and prefer a
normal, balled mouse. Specifially, Microsoft's Intellimouse PS/2
OEM.
Network card: Some of the cheaper D-Link models will serve
you well. Netgear is often dodgy - avoid if possible.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Last updated 15/08/02
