overclocking media PCs simply because "cool and quiet" also describes our preferred operating state as well as AMD’s trade name for its temperature controls. System Hardware Socket AM2 Processor 4600+ Athlon 64 X2 AM2 processor (2.4 GHz, 65 nm, 1 MB L2...

However, a good Zalman or Thermalright AM2 cooler won't cost you more than $50-$60. AMD System Hardware Socket AM2 Processor 4800+ Athlon 64 X2 AM2 processor (2.5 GHz, 65 nm, 1 MB L2 cache) 6000+ Athlon 64 X2 AM2 processor (3.0 GHz, 90 nm, 2 MB L2 Cache0...

Gigabyte boards are pretty good at returning to defaults if you overstep the bounds of common sense and decency. AMD System Hardware Socket AM2 Processor 6000+ Athlon 64 X2 AM2 processor (3.0 GHz, 90 nm, 2 MB L2 cache) RAM Corsair Dominator TWIN2X2048-8500C5D...

• -Each Component Considered, Continued

PC included: Components and Operating System Case Nmedia HTPC 500 case (Black, retail: $160) DVD burner Plextor PX-716-SA SATA DVD burner/player (retail $121) Socket AM2 Processor 4600+ Athlon 64 X2 AM2 processor (2.4 GHz,...

• -Building A High-End Media PC

noisier. The m7580n motherboard The m7580n houses an ASUS A8M2N-LA micro ATX motherboard. The board is based on the new socket AM2 by AMD, which allows AMD 64 bit processors to utilize memory with faster clock speeds. The m7580n comes equipped with 2 gigabytes...

• -HP m7580n: Athlon Dual-Core Dorm-Room HTPC Powerhouse

Gigabyte’s MA78GM-S2H motherboard, based on AMD’s 780G chipset, does all of those things and fits nicely into our In Win chassis. The microATX board sports a Socket AM2+ interface, so it goes well with any of AMD’s 95 W Phenom CPUs. Its four DDR2 memory...

SATA 1 DVD burner As modern systems go, this one is certainly adequate but by no means a screamer. We'd expect those who own Core Duo or Core 2 Duo systems, or Socket AM2 based systems with 4200+ processors or better, to experience at least 20% better performance...