AMD Systems Building guide for Hardcore gamers / High end users
Budget : RM3500 - whatever
These prices r correct at publish times, some prices may vary according to place
Components | Recommendation |
Proc
(RM1100) |
AMD Athlon 1.2 GHz
Behold. AMD's fastest microprocessor to date. 384 KB on-board cache, running at full speed. Mind-blowing graphics, insane frame rates, 3 floating point pipelines. Superpipelined, nine-issue superscalar microarchitecture. 200 MHz system bus. Enhanced 3DNow! technology. U name it, they've got it. |
Mobo
(RM500) |
ABIT KT7 RAID
Behold. The greatest, most popular overclockers' board ever constructed by human being. ATA 66 & ATA 100 RAID support, 3 DIMMs, plenty of PCIs, a lot of USBs (4), jumperless, everythinglah... |
Memory
(RM560) |
256 MB Kingston CAS 2 PC133 SDRAM
(2 X 128 MB)
I'd have recommended Crucial sticks, but unfortunately they're not available here in Malaysia. These sticks will do. The best quality SDRAM available in Malaysia. Lifetime warranty. |
Casing
(RM650) |
Supermicro SC-750 Full tower w/300W PSU
The best tower case available in Malaysia. 6 drive bays (5.25"), |
Storage
(RM600) |
20.0 GB IBM Deskstar 75 GXP
ATA 100, 7200 RPM, the fastest, highest performance ATA 100 drive to date. Got xtra money ? Add another one & your RAID setup is complete. |
DVD ROM drive
(RM340) |
Creative 12X DVD rom
Plays normal CD, plus (of course) DVDs, this is something to look forward to. One of the fastest in the market today. |
CD Writer*
(RM600) |
Acer CDRW 8X4X32 Internal
Performs surprisingly well in a test conducted by one of the local IT mag. This is a faster version of the one tested, though, with faster, better performance of course. |
Floppy Drive
(RM45) |
1.44 MB Sony
Again, it's a Sony |
Soundcard
(RM640) |
Creative Soundblaster Live! Platinum w/live!
drive
A dream come true for music & sound enthusiasts, this card comes with the new Live! Drive, that puts most of the sound input jacks in a 5.25" front panel. Plus the optical SPDIF I/O for the DTT series speakers from Creative. It's accessible via a remote control, so that means U don't have to get up to change tracks. Cool. The coolest of it all ? 3 games to go, full versions of MDK2, Deus Ex & Thief II. Now that's something. |
Graphics card
(RM1800) |
64 MB Elsa Gladiac GeForce 2 Ultra GTS w/Elsa
revelator 3D glasses
The best GPU in the market today, includes a 3D glasses for U to enjoy lifelike images, insane frame rates, 2nd generation T&L support. Elsa's own WINman driver & software suite, overclocking tools. Full DirectX7™ support. From nVidia of course. |
Monitor
(RM1100) |
17" LG Flatron 795FT
Perfectly flat screen, inside & outside, ARAS anti-glare coating, supports 1600 X 1200 reso, 0.24 dot pitch, USB ports, voted PC World Malaysia's Best 17" monitor of the year 2000. |
Keyboard
(RM85) |
Logitech Internet Keyboard
Official keyboard of the CPL (Cyberathletes Professional League), it has internet buttons. Plus customizable keys for your convenience. PS/2. |
Mouse
(RM199) |
Microsoft Intellimouse Optical USB
Smaller than it's predecessor, the Intellimouse Explorer, this 5 button mouse is highly accurate for fragging, plus no balls to clean. |
Speakers
(RM690) |
Creative Dtt2200 5.1
One of the latest offering by Creative in its 5.1 Digital Entertainment series. Features a 17W subwoofer, 5 satellites with 5W of power each. No Dolby Digital decoder box though. Paired with the excellent Soundblaster Live! Platinum, get ready to wake your neighbours. |
Total | RM8899 |
* Optional
This is a no-holds-barred spec. Its like a dream system for most of us. Again, these are recommendations only. For example, you may opt for the more expensive Creative DTT3500 speakers with Dolby Digital decoder box, or even the luxurious Klipsch Promedia 4.1. It's up to personal preference. |