Ready for some action? A power gamer today really needs video cards with PCI Express x16 interface (huge amount of bandwidth) but if they still have AGP 8x motherboard that can work as well.  Cards in this category would normally range from $150 up to $500 or more and offer more powerful, cutting edge graphic processors but also extra software and game bundles that add value to the package.

Recommend in this range are NVIDIA 6800 and 6600 series, ATI X800/850 series video card, all the way up to a single Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX (currently the fastest single card solution available for 3D gaming). With any of these cards you can blow away space aliens faster than you can click your mouse!

Top Power Performance Gamer picks:

SKU 35497 - ASUS EN6800GT 2DT/256MB GF6800-GT PCI-Express DDR DVI+DB15+TV-Out Retail

SKU 38194 - ASUS EN7800GTX 2DHTV/256M GeForce 7800GTX PCI-Express 256MB DDR3 VIVO 2ND VGA OUTPUT 256-BIT, VIVO CABLE, DVI ADAPTORS, POWER CORD RETAIL *Top Performance

SKU 36658 - Sapphire ATI X850XT AGP8X 256MB DDR CRT DVI TV VIVO Retail PLATINUM EDITION (pictured below)

Both technologies require specialized motherboards with dual PCI-Express slots and chipsets that support the new technology. Both can improve performance dramatically over a single card by combining their graphics rendering capabilities. Like dual CPUs, two video cards can split the graphics rendering and then recombine the results for faster processing of intense 3D scenes. Between NVIDIA and ATI there are several different rendering options available, some that users can control and choose themselves, others that have been preset by the manufacturers into gaming profiles which have been lab-tested to insure the best quality gaming experience for the user.

Here is a list from NVIDIA of SLI compatible hardware: http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build.html 

Top Extreme Gamer SLI capable video card picks:
(SLI requires two SLI cards and SLI capable motherboard):

SKU 40937 - ASUS Extreme N7800GTX TOP/2DHTV 486MHz 256MB, PCI-E x16 256MB DDR3 Dual-DVI, VIVO with HDTV -out support, SLI ready, Overclocked, with a monster retail bundle

SKU 38978 - XFX GeForce 7800GTX Overclocked 490MHz 256MB Dual DVI VIVO PCI-Express DDR3 SLI mode.

SKU 38980 - EVGA 256-P2-N538-AX GeForce 7800GTX PCI-EXPRESS SLI 256MB DDR3 VIVO HDTV-Out/2DVI PLUS this card also comes bundled with the hit new game Battlefield 2! Or use SKU 38185 same card but no game.

AMD has recently introduced it's Athlon 64 X2 series of processors, the X2 designating their new Dual Core Architecture. AMD's dual-core desktop processor has been turning heads in the PC world for it's remarkable benchmark scores and overall gaming goodness. Basically, the Athlon 64 X2 is the desktop version of the AMD dual-core Opteron Server / Workstation CPU which should work in many current motherboards with only a BIOS upgrade needed to make it work correctly. The difference between the Opterons and the new X2 processors being the hyper-transport links (the X2 only has one since it's designed for single socket systems while the Opteron has 3).

Pentium Processor Extreme Edition or the AMD Athlon 64 X2 are the recommend dual-core processors that reign supreme over their single core counterparts. Both have extreme performance and top of the line benchmark numbers due to dual cores, large cache sizes, and performance optimizations. Dual core CPUs will allow you greater overall multimedia and multitasking enjoyment out of the system.

Top Extreme Gamer Picks:

SKU 37375 - Pentium Processor Extreme Edition LGA775 (840) 3.20GHz 800FSB L2=2M (1MBx2)  90nm SKU 37944 - AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64 X2 (2.4GHz) 2 x L1=128KB 2 x L2=1MB  90nm Retail

Top Power Gamer Picks:

Also at the top end of the scale, the Pentium 4 (670) or the AMD Athlon 64 4000+ are the recommend single-core processors. While their numbers might not be quite as high as their dual-core brethren, either one would provide more than sufficient power to run any current game at the best performance levels available.

SKU 35584 - Pentium 4 Processor Extreme Edition supporting Hyper-Threading Technology LGA775 3.73GHz 1066FSB L2=2MB 90nm - with a super fast core, 2MB of L2 cache, and support for Hyperthreading this thing really rocks!

SKU 40258 - AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ (2.8GHz) L1=128KB L2=1MB 90nm Retail - In a class by itself, designed specifically for gaming

Top Extreme Gamer / Power Gamer picks:

SKU 40945 - 1GB Kingston HyperX 667MHz. DDR2 (2x512MB) (KVR667D2N5K2/1G)

SKU 41179 - 1GB Kingston HyperX 675MHz DDR2 (2x512MB) (KHX5400D2K2/1G)

SKU 38924 - 1GB Corsair XMS2 1000MHz DDR2 (2x512MB) (TWIN2X1024-8000UL)

SKU 30548 - 1GB Corsair XMS2 675MHz DDR2 (2x512MB) (TWIN2X1024-5400C4)

As with most things you will find in computing, more is better. 512MB is the bare minimum that we recommend for anyone running Windows XP, for gamers that should be bumped up to 1GB minimum. If you have the means, 2GB is probably what you should aim for in a serious gamer rig. This will provide generous amounts of RAM for your game to play with while allowing Windows overhead to use whatever it needs without getting in your way. 

While RAID arrays used to be the exclusive domain of servers and workstations, many high end desktop systems now take advantage of the speed and data protection offered by multi-drive systems. Using striping on your drives (RAID 5) offers high speed read and writes and fault tolerance for all of your data. While requiring 3 disks at a minimum might seem to be a bit costly, the cost of data recovery is much higher.

The phrase "speed costs" used to be used mainly in the automobile world, but in the past few years it's become a mainstay in the computer industry. Without the outlay to purchase the high end hard drives with large cache and as many as needed for your RAID array, you'll quickly find your storage system to be a pretty significant bottleneck in your gaming rig.

SKU 39330 - Hitachi SATA 3G 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache 8.5ms
SKU 41451 - Hitachi SATA 3G 250GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache 8.5ms
SKU 25229 - Western Digital SATA 74GB 10,000RPM 8MB Cache 4.5ms

Top Extreme Gamer Picks:
 

On the High end of the chipset spectrum is the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset, (which can be used on the Intel or AMD platform motherboards), and the Intel 955X chipset. The NVIDIA nForce4 SLI now comes in two flavors, the standard SLI and the SLI X16 which, at introduction, was strictly a Dell only option, but is now making it's way to other motherboard makers. The X16 option offers two X16 lanes for the SLI video cards which gives you full blown SLI support, which is something that hasn't been available. With many SLI capable setups currently available, you are only actually getting X16 speeds if you use a single card, it gets cut in half if you're running SLI. While X8 PCI-E is still pretty sweet, true X16 bandwidth on both cards will be a welcome sight.

The Intel 955X chipset also makes an impressive choice for gamers. With it's proprietary Memory Pipeline Technology (Intel PMT), the 955X delivers enhanced system level performance by allowing higher utilization on each memory channel. Dedicated data paths and specialized arbitration allow the data transfer between the PC processor and the system memory to be increased resulting in extreme gameplay for the user. With features such as PCI-Express X16, Matrix Storage Technology, and High Definition Audio (Intel HD Audio) support, this chipset is rich in features and saves the user money by not having to invest in a high end soundcard since it's already available onboard.

ASUS has taken full advantage of the power of the Intel 955X chipset with their P5WD2 Premium / WiFi-TV Edition motherboard (ASI SKU - 37883). As part of the ASUS AI Life series of products, the P5WD2 Premium board is designed to bring lifestyle and personal computing together. Integrating your computer into your digital entertainment world with functions like TV, FM radio, and WiFi all together in one easy to use package, access to your digital media has never been easier.

Intel, not to be outdone, has produced the D955XBK motherboard, (ASI SKU - 37347), which features support for the newest and most powerful Intel CPU's (up to 1066MHz system bus speed), up to 8GB of DDR2 system memory, Gigabit LAN, and Intel HD Audio (just to name a few features). A fairly impressive software bundle comes with the D955XBK board, which hasn't been a strongpoint for Intel in the past, but with the digital media age here to stay, I think that they are making a good decision in doing so. Make no doubt about it, even though the Intel package for this motherboard doesn't scream it, this motherboard has "Gamer" written all over it. 7.1 Digital surround sound, massive memory support, 1066MHz FSB... you can't really ask for anything more. For those BTX fans among you, Intel also makes this motherboard in a mBTX form-factor, the D955XCS, (ASI SKU - 38907).

Top Power Gamer Picks:

For power gamer, the Intel 945P chipset is still a great choice. While being a bit more friendly to the wallet, motherboards based on this chipset still include great features like Dual-Core 533MHz - 1066MHz FSB CPU support, Hyper-Threading, Dual-channel DDR2 support, PCI-Express x16 interface, Intel HD Audio, improved Matrix Storage Technology, and SATA 3G support. You don't get SLI support with this chipset, but for the gamer who wants to play, but doesn't want to go broke doing it, this isn't the most important feature anyways.

Response times are critical for the gamer because without very quick response, there is a good chance that your games will experience ghosting. Ghosting is a phenomenon which strikes LCD users with less than optimal response rates. During game play the user will experience vertical lines, or a trail behind objects going across their screen when quick movements cause the action to change faster than the pixels are capable of changing colors. Lower response rates help to control, or eliminate this entirely. 16ms or less is recommend. The lower the response rate, the better for gaming.

Top Extreme Gamer Pick:

ASI SKU # 35743 - ViewSonic LCD VP231wb 23.0" Widescreen LCD Monitor 1920 x 1200 250cd/m2 Black (Thin bezel)

The most exciting monitor for gaming use would be this huge 23" ViewSonic model. Total immersion and high levels of realism are possible for this versatile monitor that is geared toward video professionals but perfect for any application.

Yes it is expensive but the experience will speak for itself when using a high-end widescreen 23" LCD with 1920x1200 native resolution (non-interlaced), 250-nit brightness, a 500:1 contrast ratio, and 12ms response time. While not the lowest response time it overwhelming makes up for this by sheer size and picture quality. On top of this it supports an ultra-wide 176º viewing angles (horizontally and vertically), multiple HDTV resolutions, analog RGB and digital DVI-I inputs, and can reproduce rich images with vivid color and sharp text. The ultimate monitor for anyone!

Top Power Gamer Picks:

ASI SKU 37166 - ViewSonic 19" VX924 LCD, and ASI SKU 38047 - ViewSonic 17" VX724 LCD are the LCDs of choice for serious gamers. The industry leading 3ms response rate can't be beat. The display features a 1280x1024 SXGA anti-glare screen with a 550:1 contrast ratio. High brightness and contrast ratios, wide viewing angles, and proprietary ViewSonic specialties like Dynamic Structure and Amplified Impulse technologies make this a serious gamers monitor.

Another very good choice for the avid gamer is the ASI SKU 40510 - Viewsonic VP930B 19" LCD, While the 8ms response time is slightly slower than it's new sibling, the VP930B still shines with it's 1000:1 contrast ratio and it's 250-nit brightness level. With an ultra thin edge bezel, this is the perfect monitor for those who intend to run multi-monitor set-ups. The same Amplified Impulse Technology that is in the new VX924 also is included with the VP930B which increases grayscale transition speed for superior motion video and gaming capabilities.

X-Fi stands for "eXtreme-Fidelity" and that's just what you'll get with the raw power behind the latest of Creative's audio processors. Professional quality 24-bit converters process your audio better and faster then any soundcards that have ever come before it. Their new 24-bit crystallizer processing technique boosts the quality of any digital audio source by boosting dynamic range, richness, and fidelity. This time around Creative has released 4 flavors of their latest creation, each geared at a different high performance segment.

Top Extreme Gamer Audio Card Picks:

SKU 40871 - Creative Labs SoundBlaster X-Fi Elite Pro (w/ X-Fi I/O Console)
SKU 40473 - Creative Labs SoundBlaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS (w/ X-Fi Fatal1ty I/O Drive)
SKU 40869 - Creative Labs SoundBlaster X-Fi Platinum (w/ X-Fi I/O Drive)
SKU 40310 - Creative Labs SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeMusic

All but the X-Fi XtremeMusic model come with I/O breakout boxes for added control and connectivity. The Elite Pro and the Fatal1ty FPS both include 64MB of X-RAM which is specifically dedicated to higher gaming audio quality and performance.

Speaker System

For a matching 7.1 Surround Sound speaker system the editor's choice is The Creative Labs S750. The 7.1 speaker system is THX certified and comes with a chest-thumping 210 Watt subwoofer.

SKU 24967 -  Creative Labs Speaker GigaWorks S750 7.1 Speaker System 700W

Top Power Performance Gamer Audio Picks:

The audio system and card for a power gaming system must be able to create real sonic impact without overly expensive setup. This is best achieved with a three speaker system (two power front speakers and a subwoofer). A four, five or six speaker surround sound system is also a higher end option for the power system.  

SKU 30194 - Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value Internal PCI Card 24bit 7.1 Retail

SKU 25016 - Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Gamer Limited Edition SB0350G Retail (includes full versions of several popular games)

For the gamer who wants to save a few bucks, but still get some of the best possible audio available, it's possible to kill two birds with one stone. For the customer who purchases one of the motherboards with Intel's 955X or 945P motherboards, they may include the new and improved Intel® High Definition Audio (Intel® HD Audio) Version 2. Intel's built-in audio chip supports up to eight channels at 192 kHz/32-bit quality and is able to support all the Dolby technologies, including the latest Dolby Pro Logic* IIx, which makes it possible to enjoy older stereo content in 7.1 channel surround sound. Intel® HD Audio also enables high quality speech recognition and Voice Over IP for those who use their PC's for more than just music and gaming functions.

Speaker System

The minimum speaker system for a power gamer is two powered left/right front speakers and a subwoofer box. This might be upgraded to surround sound 5.1 speakers which are supported by many current games. Creative, Logitech, and Altec Lansing all offer high quality multimedia speaker systems

SKU 35826 - Creative Labs Speaker Systems GigaWorks ProGamer G500 5.1 310W Black Retail -  impressive package features excellent sound quality; 5.1 channel audio, separate Rear, Center, and Subwoofer volume control, a dedicated control module with headphone jack, and is THX certified.

D-Link offers the Industry's first dedicated gaming router. The wireless 108G Gaming Router, the DGL-4300 (ASI SKU # 37105), with "GameFuel" technology was released at the end of last year, and has been gaining steam ever since. "Game Fuel?"What initially sounds like a drink from SoBe is actually a proprietary technology which automatically prioritizes gaming packets over other network traffic and also fragments data packets into smaller chunks so it can be sent out quicker. Uninterrupted, latency-free gaming is what every online gamer dreams about, and now it is truly available.

Featuring four 1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports and wireless connectivity up to 108Mbps, this router helps you game at full speed, no matter how you're connected. In addition to being the ultimate PC gaming router, the DGL-4300 has also been optimized for use with both the XBOX and the PS2.

I also wouldn't bet against seeing some future improvements to insure that your XBOX360 and PS3 experiences are simple and lag free as well.

While it stands to reason that everyone who owns a computer must own a computer case, things have changed in the chassis business over the past several years. What once was just a necessary place to house your PC components is now a statement on your PC savvy and an integral part of the computers cooling system. It is very important to have a good case that will cool all the components, TAC 1.1 (thermally advantaged chassis) certified cases are the best, plus the combination of high quality third part heatsinks such as those from Thermaltake, Vantec, or Zalman.  Special "mod" cases may also be purchased or customized.

A few examples of the high quality cases that ASI carries for it's customers come from Thermaltake.

One of Thermaltake's newest additions is the "Armor" VA8000 series chassis. While being designed for ATX systems, Thermaltake also offers the BTX option for those opting to go to the newer form factor. The unique design of this case is apparent at first glance when you notice the metal wings, (or flaps), on either side of the case. This feature not only looks really cool, but has the added function of protecting the front of the case. The drive bays sport mesh grills on the front of them to increase airflow through the chassis, so protecting these covers is a pretty necessary thing to do. The case is fairly good sized, sporting 13 drive bays, enough for any power user. Cooling is handled very efficiently by the use of the 3 included fans, a 120mm fan in front and back, and a 90mm fan on top.

Thermaltake silver "Shark" case - ASI SKU 32813 (or black - ASI SKU 32812)
Another popular choice for a gaming case is the Thermaltake Shark case. Slightly smaller than the Armor chassis, the Shark sports a mere 12 drive bays, (5) 5.25" exposed, (2) 3.5" exposed, and another (5) 3.5" hidden. A very aggressive exterior is highlighted by some cool hidden blue LED's and the interior is built with the assembler in mind.