Date:
Thursday , June 23, 2005
Author:
Keith Dugger
Editor:
Kyle Bennett
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[H]ard|OCP 1500 Q2-05

We take $1500, pull out all the stops, and put together two systems. First, we build a full system for those needing a complete replacement, and second, we offer an upgrade system for those with a donor. Let’s see how our two distinctly different guides turned out.

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Full System: Processor & Motherboard

Processor

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One of our goals for this Full System Guide is that it must be able to handle both application and gaming duties to an acceptable standard. We wanted to build an all-around system that would satisfy most of our needs. In that vein, we felt that the multi-tasking capabilities of Intel’s Hyper Threading technology to be the only viable choice here.

The Intel Pentium 4 550J running at 3.4GHz offers us a good deal of performance for the money. Running at a slightly lower voltage than its predecessors, the 550J will run neck and neck with most of the competition at this price-point. As is our standard, we’ve chosen a retail version of this chip to capitalize on the included heat sink fan (HSF) unit. The newer OEM models of HSFs are more than capable of handling the heat dissipation required by this new generation of CPUs.

Intel Pentium 4 550J 3.4GHz Newegg Link

Motherboard

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Once we had picked a CPU for this portion of our guide, we turned our attention to the motherboard. Because we are still leaning toward keeping SLI open as an option, the ASUS P5ND2-SLI Deluxe is a great choice. ASUS consistently manufactures solid products that meet and often exceed enthusiast’s expectations. With this in mind, it wasn’t hard to land with another ASUS board for our Full System Guide.

The P5ND2-SLI Deluxe is 1066 FSB and 64 bit OS capable (and can support up to 8GB of DDR2 with a 64 bit OS) for that future upgrade path. It also supports dual channel memory and offers plenty of expansion slots for a growing system. This model offers Serial and Parallel ATA RAID options and includes the usual complement of IEEE1394 and USB2.0 connections. A unique feature is an external rear Serial ATA connection. With digital 8-channel audio as well, the ASUS P5ND2-SLI Deluxe is the perfect backbone of our Full System.

ASUS P5ND2-SLI Deluxe Newegg Link