Dell computer accessory

Welcome to the brand-new A-List. Here you’ll find our picks for nearly every facet of your digital life—products that we use ourselves and think are nifty. The Strategies section has died and gone on to that great big place up there where all good and faithful former sections go. If you are really itching for some strategies, do what everyone else does and go find them online.

Our prices are taken from a variety of sources, including Pricegrabber .com. Prices can and will fluctuate by the time this shows up in print, so just accept these numbers as good estimates. Since we’re always looking for the latest and greatest, check back every month for our new favorites.

Computers

There are these funny little boxes out now that let you do “wacky” things like surf the Internet, play games, and write articles. Which ones are tops in our book?

High-End Pick

Dimension XPS

$3,126

Dell Computers

Dell’s 3.2GHz Pentium 4 rig sports a stylish case, quality components, and reputable customer care. It’s not good for upgrading—the motherboard and power supply are proprietary—but the monitor is outrageous.

Budget Pick

Area 51 Performance

$1,587

Alienware

Alienware’s 2.8GHz Pentium 4 system offers stability, speed, and that slick alien head–style case for a price that won’t break the bank. Just probe your way through the features in this budget-minded rig, and you’ll be pleased.

AMD-based system

High-End Pick

PC 51

$5,000

VoodooPC

The Voodoo PC 51 outdid everything in Wil’s Ultimate Gaming Machine roundup. The overclocked Athlon 64 FX-51 CPU and GeForce FX 5950 graphics card help the unit push the limits of speed. It will also push the limits of your wallet.

Budget Pick

Assassin SE

$1,879

Vicious PC

When you want to squeeze the most out of your price to value ratio, the Vicious PC Assassin comes in a winner. Even if it isn’t the fastest, the components are smart and the power is impressive—especially for the price.

LAN boy rig

PRODUCT WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT

HIGH-END PICK

Doll

$2,500

VoodooPC

Voodoo’s small form factor PC is built around a Shuttle case, but they push it to its limits by including an Athlon 64 3200 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a Radeon 9800 XT graphics card. Nice.

BUDGET PICK

Fragbox

$995

Falcon Northwest

The average shelf life of a gaming rig is what, two years? If you want your power to go (and on the cheap), the Fragbox not only has a great portable design, it also has the juice you’ll need to play the current crop of games.

Peripherals

devices.

Until the day comes that you can directly jack your head into a computer, peripheral makers can breathe a sigh of relief. For now, check out these game-friendly—and useful

Speakers

Why You Should Buy It

PRODUCT WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT

HIGH-END PICK

Z-680 5.1 system

$350

Logitech

MID-RANGE PICK

Keyboard

PRODUCT WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT

Gamepad

PRODUCT

I-Trigue L3500 2.1 system

$100

Creative Labs

BUDGET PICK

Z-640 5.1 system

$80

Logitech

Not everyone needs five channels of discrete audio. Creative’s awesome 2.1 setup boasts excellent sound as well as a wired remote that can attach directly to the company’s Muvo line of USB MP3 players.

So you want a quick and easy solution that won’t force you to eat ramen? This 5.1 speaker set offers great bang, especially when you consider how few bucks you’ll need to sacrifice to obtain it.

Keyboard

WIRED PICK

Elite Keyboard

$30

Logitech

Honestly, it’s hard to wax on about a keyboard—it has buttons, it’s black…what more can we say? But the Logitech Elite is reliable, and the accessory buttons are well designed and laid out.

WIRELESS PICK

Wireless Desktop Elite Keyboard/Mouse

$80

Microsoft

Microsoft’s latest wireless desktop offers side-scrolling action that’s awesome for surfing and spreadsheets. The keyboard has a “leatherette” wristpad that’s super-comfortable, and the bevy of programmable buttons is a power user’s dream.

Gamepad

OUR PICK

Wireless Gamepad

$40

Saitek

Keyboards are going wireless. Mice are going wireless. So why not gamepads? The Wireless Gamepad offers up an excellent solution, with a charging base station, a good control feel, and an agreeable price.

A-List Peripherals

Mouse

WIRED PICK

MX 500 Optical

$45

Logitech

WIRELESS PICK

Wireless Intellimouse Explorer 2.0

$50

Microsoft

The sleek design of this Logitech mouse makes you look cool...OK, not really, but between the full complement of mouse buttons and the stylish look, this is one mouse that will dress up your desktop nicely.

Essentially the same mouse that’s in the Wireless Desktop, this mouse has a side scrolling feature as well as five fully programmable buttons. Also, unlike older wireless mice, this baby doesn’t “fall asleep” on you.

Why You Should Buy It

Headset

OUR PICK

PC150

$70

Sennheiser

There’s a reason you play games: to avoid the outside world. Want to guarantee that cone of silence? Then grab these headphones. They not only sound great and have a serviceable mic built in, they’re also comfortable as hell.

Joystick

OUR PICK

Extreme 3D Pro

$35

Logitech

Racing wheel

Along with their flight sim brethren, joysticks have dropped out of the public eye. While there are some wireless joysticks entering the market, the heavier weight of the Extreme 3D Pro suggests you accept the cord to save some money.

OUR PICK

MOMO Racing

$100

Logitech

If you can find one of the deluxe MOMO steering wheels, the stitched leather steering wheel will let you think you’ve got your own Italian race kitten. The MOMO wheel is an awesome peripheral for all racing fans.

Displays

Desk-hogging but inexpensive CRT monitors or sleek, sexy, and pricey LCD panels? It’s your call what you have room for—these are our recommendations.

CRT Monitors

HIGH-END PICK

21-inch MultiSync FE2111SB

$600

NEC

CRT monitors are still the cheaper, more-bang-for-your-buck solution for your rig. And this NEC monitor gives you a nice sharp big picture, perfect for when you’re plotting to take over the world in Rise of Nations.

BUDGET PICK

19-inch E90fb

$260

ViewSonic

14-inch screens used to be the default entry-level monitor—which is way too small for comfortable gaming. Thanks to technology evolution, 19-inch monitors, like this excellent offering from ViewSonic, have become far more affordable.

LCD Monitors

PRODUCT WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT

HIGH-END PICK

17-inch AS4315UT

$600

Iiyama

LCDs are generally more expensive and have refresh rates less than traditional CRTs, but Iiyama’s offering keeps the trailing blur to a minimum, making this monitor a capital choice for gamers anywhere.

BUDGET PICK

15-inch 152T

$360

Samsung

LCDs are coming down in price. On average, the 15-inch screen, while a little small for a fulfilling gaming session, runs $200 less than its 17-inch brethren, which is why Samsung’s 152T is a standout compromise.

Components

If you are scratching your head wondering why we don’t also have a fatherboard section, then you are probably not a do-it-yourself kind of guy.

Processor

HIGH-END PICK

Athlon 64 FX-51

$733

AMD

superfast.

The Athlon 64 FX-51 is currently the top dog when it comes to gaming processors. Forget about its 64-bit pedigree: All we care about is the fact that it runs 32-bit applications—like Max Payne 2

BUDGET PICK

Pentium 2.8GHz

$300

Intel

If you’re building a Pentium system, you can’t go wrong with a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 processor. While not quite as badass as the 3.2GHz model, it’s still more than capable of running any game to come your way in the next couple of years.

Motherboards Soundcard

HIGH-END PICK

SK8N nForce3

$225

Asus

Asus’ SK8N nForce3 main board is the board of choice for the AMD Athlon 64 FX-51 processor. It has support for dual-channel DDR 400 memory as well as SATA RAID. Of course, it also sports Nvidia’s 6-channel audio.

BUDGET PICK

D875PBZ

$169

Intel

Intel’s D875PBZ isn’t so much “low-end” as it is flexible. Constructed around the i875P chipset, it has built-in SATA RAID support, and it makes a great backbone for an affordable Pentium 4 system.

HIGH-END PICK

Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro

$250

Creative Labs

Remember when it was outrageous to have rear speakers for computer gaming? Well, the ante is up—now we’ve got the Creative Labs Audigy 2 with a whopping seven speakers of audio driving power.

BUDGET PICK

Onboard audio

Free

The most affordable option among soundcards is just to pick out a quality motherboard with built-in sound. All of the drivers will come with the motherboard, and the sound quality is fine for most ears.

xA-LIST COMPONENTS

Videocard

HIGH-END PICK

Radeon 9800 XT

$400

ATI Technologies

Hard drive

PRODUCT WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT

Optical drive

PRODUCT WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT

Case

PRODUCT

The Radeon XT was originally supposed to come packaged with Half-Life 2, but unfortunately, the game’s release date slipped. Still, this is one offering that will assuredly be geared for the inevitable second coming.