Buyer's Guide - March 2000

Case – Supermicro SC750-A Full Tower ATX - $150
We need a case that can handle anything we can throw at it, but at a reasonable price level.  That case is the Supermicro SC750-A full tower and is available for about $150 with an Athlon approved 300W Sparkle power supply.  A total of ten drive bays and the ability to accept an extended ATX motherboard insures that this system will always have room for upgrades. 

For more information, read our Supermicro SC750-A Review.

Sound card – Sound Blaster Live! Value OEM - $50
The choice here is simple – SBLive!, since Creative is the only manufacturer offering complete driver support under Windows 2000.  If you want to save a bit more money, go with any name brand card supported under Windows 2000.

Ethernet – Linksys EtherFast 10/100 - $20
We use Linksys products here in the AnandTech lab all the time and have never been disappointed.  Besides, at just $20 for a card with full support directly from the manufacturer under the major OS’s, including Linux and Windows 2000, the EtherFast 10/100 is a deal that’s impossible to pass up. 

Hard drive – Maxtor Diamond Max 40 Plus 40GB - $300
We couldn’t get a hold of one in time for our March 2000 Ultra ATA 66 Roundup, but the Diamond Max 40 Plus is on the way to the lab now.  Based on user feedback and reviews around the web, this is clearly the fastest Ultra ATA 66 hard drive for now.  “For now” being the operative words, however, as the hard drive industry is moving faster than ever before.  For now, our high-end professional machine will use the 40GB model from the Diamond Max 40 Plus family. 

If you’re work is disk intensive, consider going with a 10,000 RPM drive and an Ultra 160 controller.  The Atlas 10K II is widely available and is known to be one of the fastest drives available.

CD-ROM/CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Pioneer DVD-104S 10X Slot DVD - $140
Plextor Plexwriter 8/4/32 - $350
What high-end system is complete today without a DVD-ROM?  We decided to go with the Pioneer DVD-104S, a 10X DVD-ROM drive with a slot-loading interface that is just too slick.  Of course, it also reads CDs as well at a swift 40X max clip.   

If you don’t need DVD support, the Kenwood TrueX 72X will provide you with the fastest CD-ROM speed at a slightly lower cost of $120. 

Plextor is back again, this time with the fastest IDE CD-R on the market right now.  The PlexWriter 8/4/32 is their first entry into the IDE market, and it has been selling like hot cakes since its release. 

OS – Windows 2000 Professional - $250
The choice here is clear – Windows 2000 Professional is the latest and greatest OS from Microsoft that provides all the functionality of NT 4.0, but enhanced hardware support.  If you want to stick with a more tried and true solution, go with NT 4.0 Workstation.