One question when building or upgrading a gaming system is of which CPU to choose - does it matter if I have a quad core from Intel, or a quad module from AMD? Perhaps something simpler will do the trick, and I can spend the difference on the GPU. What if you are running a multi-GPU setup, does the CPU have a bigger effect? This was the question I set out to help answer.
Entry Level Buyer's Guide, October 2005
The quest for the best bang-for-the-buck continues. How low can we go without sacrificing necessary features?
35 by Jarred Walton on 10/14/2005Price Guides, October 2005: Video Cards
The card to buy this week is the X800GTO². We've got some analysis on this card, plus some details on GeForce 6600GT's allocation, X800GT/GTO, and tidbits about ATI's...
14 by Anand Lal Shimpi & Howard Johnston on 10/1/2005Mid-Range Buyer's Guide, September 2005
Looking for a system that will last you several years? Our latest Guide for a complete system should help you out!
56 by Jarred Walton on 9/19/2005Price Guides, September 2005: Motherboards
Chaintech news, ULi's M1695 and new boards from MSI, ASROCK and Biostar!
8 by Anand Lal Shimpi & Howard Johnston on 9/16/2005Price Guides, August 2005: Labor Day CPUs
New "E6" Venice chips, Turions, Socket 939 Opterons, and more dual core chips than you can shake a stick at inside!
16 by Anand Lal Shimpi & Howard Johnston on 9/4/2005Price Guides, August 2005: Storage
500GB hard drives are now available in the retail channel. We also have details on SAS, LightScribe and new Western Digital SATA IO drives!
14 by Cara Hamm on 8/28/2005Price Guides, August 2005: Video Cards
NVIDIA's 7800GT series enters the channel on time, resulting in a shake-up of prices all across the NVIDIA high end. Meanwhile, ATI's subtle introduction of the X800 and...
23 by Anand Shimpi & Cara Hamm on 8/14/2005Price Guides August 2005: Motherboards
AMD's new X2 3800+ shifts the dual core advantage back into AMD's court; and with nForce4 prices as cheap as they are, motherboards never looked so good.
15 by Kristopher Kubicki and Howard Johnson on 8/6/2005Price Guides - July 2005: More 64-bit CPUs
Socket 939 Opterons, 64-bit Pentium 4s, 64-bit Semprons, and a low budget dual core Athlon 64 very soon! Come one, come all, CPU details this week inside!
26 by Derek Wilson & Manveer Wasson on 7/23/2005Entry Level Buyer’s Guide, July 2005
We have updated recommendations for the budget sector in this Buyer’s Guide.
57 by Jarred Walton on 7/20/2005Price Guides, July 2005: Storage
More SATA IO drives, SAS previews and big deals on old PATA hardware. Read on for more...
8 by Anand Lal Shimpi & Manveer Wasson on 7/10/2005Price Guides, June 2005: Video Cards
What better time to have a video card price guide than just a few days after NVIDIA launched their new graphics generation. We have the low down on...
18 by Kristopher Kubicki on 6/26/2005Price Guides June 2005: Motherboards
What dad wouldn't want a new motherboard for Father's Day? New Intel chipsets plus details on ATI's Crossfire inside. Socket 754 motherboards have bottomed out, and nForce4 prices are...
12 by Kristopher Kubicki & Larry Barber on 6/19/2005Buyer's Guide: Mid-Range to High-End, May 2005
Our latest Buyer's Guide takes a look at the moderate to extreme price and performance segments, starting at around $1500. For those who aren't looking to build a...
60 by Jarred Walton on 5/23/2005Price Guides, May 2005: Processors
Inside this week's edition: dual core AMD chips, second generation 90nm Athlon 64s, 64-bit Intel processors, and some details on Intel's upcoming release schedule.
23 by Kristopher Kubicki on 5/22/2005Price Guides, May 2005: Storage
SATA II drives are available now, and they are competitive. How does SATA versus PATA stack up this month? Details inside!
16 by Kristopher Kubicki on 5/8/2005Price Guides, April 2005: Video Cards
Did you get a fat IRS refund? Isn't an X800 XL the best $300 gift that you could give yourself?
41 by Kristopher Kubicki on 4/23/2005Price Guides April 2005: Motherboards
nForce4 for Intel isn't shipping yet, and probably for good reason. Also, we look at nForce4 on Socket 754. Intel 945 and 955 boards ship real soon - is...
22 by Kristopher Kubicki on 4/10/2005Price Guides March 2005: Processors
Intel has six new processors since our last look at their lineup, and AMD counters by introducing a new Mobility initiative.
11 by Kristopher Kubicki on 3/27/2005Buyer's Guide - Entry Level to Mid-Range, March 2005
After several months of stasis, there are finally some noteworthy changes in our budget PC recommendations. We cover the recommendations from the basic PCs up through moderate...
59 by Jarred Walton on 3/15/2005