Doom 3 Buyer's Guide

MAINSTREAM Doom 3: System Summary

Hardware	Component	Price
CPU & Cooling	AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (Socket 754) Retail	$290
Motherboard	MSI K8N Neo (nForce3-250Gb) Socket 754	$123
Memory	1GB (2 X 512MB) Crucial PC3200 Ballistix	$267
Video Card	256MB nVidia 6800 GT	$389
Monitor	PHILIPS 201B45 21" CRT Monitor	$389
Computer Case	IN WIN Black/Silver ATX Mid Tower Prescott CAG 1.1 with 430W Power Supply, Model S564T.430BFD2BDA ($69 plus $19 Shipping)	$88
Sound Card	On-Board	$0
Speakers	Logitech Z-5300 5.1 THX Certified Speaker System	$143
Networking	Onboard 10/100/1000 Ethernet	$0
Hard Drive	Seagate 200GB 7200RPM SATA (8Mb) (STORAGE)	$131
DVD/CD-RW	Lite-On 12X DVD±RW Drive, Model SOHW-1213S	$75
Bottom Line	$1895

Our selections for the Mainstream Doom 3 system total a much more mainstream $1895. They include one of the fastest Athlon 64 processors in the 3400+ and a motherboard that will provide all of the unique nForce3 features. The system also includes the best-buy nVidia 6800 GT, which is basically the same card as the 6800 Ultra at a lower clock. Sound is still excellent, with the proven Logitech Z-5300 THX Certified 5.1 surround system. We have actually been playing Doom 3 with this speaker system running off an on-board ALC850, and we don't think that you will be disappointed with Doom 3 in this setup.

Also upgraded is the DVD burner, to a 12X model, and the memory is the Crucial Ballistix, which proved to provide 2-2-2 performance at DDR400 on an Athlon 64 board, as well as overclocking capabilities to DDR500+. You can check out how the Crucial performed in our recent =F-A-S-T= DDR Memory: 2-2-2 Roars on the Scene. A Doom 3 system also deserves all the monitor that you can give it, so we opted for a good value 21" flatscreen CRT. With the richness of detail in Doom 3, you will appreciate every extra square inch of a 21" CRT.

Because this system almost says "Please overclock me", we upgraded the Case and power supply to a new Inwin case designed to feed and cool a Prescott system with a decent 430 watt power supply. The use of large fans and the attention to details in the Inwin case will please many of you.

The Mainstream Doom 3 system is well-balanced to deliver the best Doom 3 experience for the money, which spells value. If $1895 is still a bit much, you can certainly drop to a 3200+ or 3000+ and save $70 to $115. The monitor can also be down-sized to 19" to save another $200. Substituting a 3000+ and 19" monitor drop the total to $1580. You can also go with the cheaper Logitech 5.1 speakers used in our Value Doom 3 system and save another $90, which still keeps the 5.1 speaker setup that Doom 3 supports. This gets the Mainstream total to $1490. Below this point, you should really take a look at the Value Doom 3 system.