Both of our motherboards include a built-in Gigabit LAN, so there is little reason to spend extra money on an additional LAN card. Built-in LAN can be just as good as, and even better than, what you would find in an external solution. However, if onboard LAN isn't your thing, just about any card from 3COM or Intel should suffice.
It seems just almost every new game has some sort of comprehensive multiplayer function, be it a MMORPG or first person shooter such as Unreal Tournament 2004 and Battlefield 1942/Vietnam. In this sort of gaming environment, dialup can be downright painful. It is understandable that not everybody has access to or can afford broadband, or simply want some type of faxmodem for business. For those of you who fit into either category we recommend the USB version of US Robotics External V.92 faxmodem. US Robotics modems are a staple of our buyer's guides, as they were the equivalent of a household name for gamers in the pre-broadband era.
When it comes to gaming, there really is no other viable choice than a Windows platform. Sure there are a few games here and there for MAC and Linux, but for sheer quality and quantity, Windows is unmatched. We use Windows XP across all three of our monthly buyer's guides; its stable 32-bit code base makes it the preferred gaming operating system. For the Extreme Guide we recommend the Professional version as it offers support for multiple CPUs, Hyper-Threading, and also has much more robust networking options. When buying a new operating system it is always in your best interest to buy the latest version, and in this case that would be Windows XP Professional w/integrated Service Pack 1. The Service Pack includes a number of fixes and security enhancements that help keep your system running stable and safe from hackers.
We include the cost of the OEM version of Windows XP as opposed to the higher-priced retail version. Generally, OEM software must be purchased along side a piece of hardware to get the discount. If you already own a full version of Windows you may want to look into getting an upgrade version of Windows XP Professional to potentially save a little more money.
One of the most overlooked items when building a new computer is the UPS, or surge protector. Nothing can be more frustrating than spending thousands on a new PC only to have it rendered useless after the next lighting storm. A simple UPS can work wonders in protecting your precious new PC. In addition to traditional surge protection, a UPS also has a built in battery that kicks in whenever a power outage occurs, giving you just enough time to save your data and shutdown your PC safely.
APC (American Power Conversion) is one of the best known names when it comes to backup and surge protection, and this month we are including their APC Back-UPS ES 500VA. This particular model just happens to power our system reference units, so we know it's got enough juice to handle the high-end components. In the past we used higher cost models, but we wanted to focus our spending on other subsystems this time around and found that the high cost UPS was cutting too deeply into our budget. The Back-UPS ES can be found online for about $60, and considering the overall cost of the components it is bound to protect, it is worth every penny.
For those who may want a bit more juice for their Extreme PC, you can snag a Belkin Home Office UPS 650VA for about the same cost. We still like the APC name and reliability, and our PC will certainly not overload the 500VA rating for the system and monitor, but this is a good alternative for buyers who just want to be sure.
