As you likely already know, technology
never rests. The following are noteworthy technologies worth
looking forward to.
ATI’s answer to the GeForce 7800?
Currently unrivaled in performance,
nVidia is sitting smugly atop the graphics mountain. In the
meantime, ATI is brewing up its latest Radeon R5xx chip
“Fudo” built upon 0.9 micron technology and some very
impressive specs. If you aren’t burned out on the graphics
race yet, it will be interesting to follow ATI as they play
catch-up with nVidia.
Windows Vista
Just entering beta phase, Microsoft’s
latest OS is getting closer to completion. While there’s no
solid deadline for the operating system’s retail debut, we
can expect at least another year and a half before it hits
the shelves. Once dubbed Longhorn, Vista will offer a host
of new features and a completely redesigned user experience
built from the ground up. Vista will encompass Redmond’s
latest vision of Windows PCs into the next decade.
Definitely keep your eyes on this one, as it has already
been a wild ride to the finish line. And from the looks of
things, our high-end system guide may just barely meet the
recommended specs?
Blu-Ray Ultra Capacity DVD
storage/drives
An extension of current DVD technology,
Blu-Ray will introduce us to DVD media possibly
topping 50GB+ in capacity. Expect to see Blu-Ray media
and drives hitting the market in late 2005 / early 2006. If
current DVD burners are any indication, we can expect a high
price premium during the initial launch followed by a quick
tumble in cost as the technology matures.
Synopsis - Putting it all together
Outrageous? Nah. Jaw dropping? But of
course! This spare-little-expense PC is perfect for the
person who’s looking for a killer setup, but isn’t looking
for ridiculous ideas or tons of unnecessary hassle and
outrageous cost. The price may be a bit stiff for some, but
if you want the best you’ll be putting your credit card to
good use soon. For the more budget cognizant, it is very
simple to skim about $500+ worth of fat off of this porky PC
but keep it just as fast. Read below for more information
about making the configuration skinnier.
Premium
High-End System
~ $4100 plus tax and shipping
As always, the prices are subject to
change (you can click for updated information):
Despite the finalized price tag,
reducing the cost by about $1000 without compromising
performance was as easy as:
Sacrificing some 10-15% in gaming 3d
performance.
Downgrade the 24” LCD (About $400
savings).
Removing RAID option in favor of a
single raptor or large capacity drive (about $130-$170
savings).
Settle for more modest set of
speakers.
For those of us with more sense than
cents, updates for the budgeted buying guides are just
around the corner. Make sure to check back for new mid-level
& low-end guides as I pick through the best, post-summer
buys to build a great performing PC on the cheap. Take care
and if you have any comments, please direct them my way or
to our forums.
