Well, 2002 is coming to an end and there's been a lot of change in the PC market. Just a quick run down of the best upgrades you've made to your desktop in 2002, here's mine:
1) Dell 1900FP LCD. By far the best upgrade I've ever made to my PC, considering its what I stare at all day long. And what a thing of beauty to stare at. Using this flat panel has inspired me to make it the center of my home entertainment universe, and its performing wonderfully
2) Logitech MX700. Finally, cordless without the sacrifices! No lag, poor response time, skipping, short battery life, wires all over your desk....... Driver issues were a problem for early adopters, but I just never installed them. Latest mouseware has solved problems previous issues.
3) Audigy 2. Again, the senses dominate. The Audigy 2 was a huge improvement over my SB Live!, but also enabled me to do more with my PC. I've ditched my FPS2000 PC speakers in favor of a DTS receiver and 100W satellites, and the difference is amazing. Dolby Digital EX for analog sources and true 5.1 DD through the SP/DIF for DVDs....handled with ease and excellent sound quality!
4) Asus TV 880 Tuner Card. PVR, PCTV, video-in for Xbox, included PowerDVD 4.0, video capture, and mpeg encoding/decoding. This card is a key part of my HTPC build.
5) Video card: This is about where it would rank regardless. I've made 2 upgrades in a short span, a GF3 ti200 to a GF4 Ti4200 turbo, and now a Radeon 9700pro (just yesterday). Regardless of how the 9700pro performs, it would still be here on my upgrades list.
6) Windows XP: I stuck with Win2K pro to let everyone else work out the kinks...now I'm upset I didn't upgrade sooner I love this OS, its close to what I want in an OS.
7) A new desk. Got a great deal on a Z-line Eclipse Cart desk at Staples, and it allows for much better organization and placement of components.
Honorable mentions: XBox , A7N8X Deluxe, Samsung True PC2700, Adaptec ATA RAID w/ 2 Maxtor 120GB 8MB Ultras.
Duds: XP 1700+ T-bred A (early week 32), Pinnacle PCTV, WD BB 40gb HDD...hmm more when I think of em.
Happy New Year!
Chiz
1) Dell 1900FP LCD. By far the best upgrade I've ever made to my PC, considering its what I stare at all day long. And what a thing of beauty to stare at. Using this flat panel has inspired me to make it the center of my home entertainment universe, and its performing wonderfully
2) Logitech MX700. Finally, cordless without the sacrifices! No lag, poor response time, skipping, short battery life, wires all over your desk....... Driver issues were a problem for early adopters, but I just never installed them. Latest mouseware has solved problems previous issues.
3) Audigy 2. Again, the senses dominate. The Audigy 2 was a huge improvement over my SB Live!, but also enabled me to do more with my PC. I've ditched my FPS2000 PC speakers in favor of a DTS receiver and 100W satellites, and the difference is amazing. Dolby Digital EX for analog sources and true 5.1 DD through the SP/DIF for DVDs....handled with ease and excellent sound quality!
4) Asus TV 880 Tuner Card. PVR, PCTV, video-in for Xbox, included PowerDVD 4.0, video capture, and mpeg encoding/decoding. This card is a key part of my HTPC build.
5) Video card: This is about where it would rank regardless. I've made 2 upgrades in a short span, a GF3 ti200 to a GF4 Ti4200 turbo, and now a Radeon 9700pro (just yesterday). Regardless of how the 9700pro performs, it would still be here on my upgrades list.
6) Windows XP: I stuck with Win2K pro to let everyone else work out the kinks...now I'm upset I didn't upgrade sooner I love this OS, its close to what I want in an OS.
7) A new desk. Got a great deal on a Z-line Eclipse Cart desk at Staples, and it allows for much better organization and placement of components.
Honorable mentions: XBox , A7N8X Deluxe, Samsung True PC2700, Adaptec ATA RAID w/ 2 Maxtor 120GB 8MB Ultras.
Duds: XP 1700+ T-bred A (early week 32), Pinnacle PCTV, WD BB 40gb HDD...hmm more when I think of em.
Happy New Year!
Chiz