ASUS
EN8800GTX GeForce 8800 GTX: $649
www.asus.com

finally, real vista readiness is upon us! nvidia recently unveiled its “G80” GeForce 8800 graphics processor, complete with DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, and NVIDIA's own Quantum Effects Technology. ASUS' interpretation of the GeForce 8800 takes form on its EN8800GTX board, an absolute behemoth—even larger than ATI's latest Radeon X1950 XTX cards. The board packs plenty of power, though. A 575 MHz core and 768MB of 900 MHz memory on a 384-bit bus propel it. Support for 128-bit HDR and 16x anti-aliasing top the list of features enthusiast customers will immediately want.

The card's power demands are a bit lofty, as two six-pin PCI Express connectors are required. Obviously, anyone looking to sling a pair of EN8800GTX's together in an SLI configuration will want plenty of stable power. And because ASUS is asking more than $500 for each EN8800GTX, everyone with the money for two cards will probably be buying a high-end PSU as well. Pricey though it may be, a single EN8800GTX puts down numbers similar to what you might have expected from a last-generation dual-card setup, tearing up the latest gaming titles even at 1600x1200 under heavy anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering loads.

OCZ
PC2 8000 2GB DDR2 Platinum XTC Memory Kit (2GB):$409
www.ocztechnology.com

CUSTOMERS PAY MORE FOR high-end memory because it gives them something they can't get from value-oriented modules. Lifetime warranties are ubiquitous and tech support goes underutilized. In the case of OCZ's dual-channel PC2 8000 kit, that extra “something” is enough headroom to hit frequencies up to 1,000 MHz—higher even than Intel's 975X chipset officially supports. The elevated ceiling is perfect for overclocking enthusiasts eager to peg new benchmark records. Despite the seemingly dangerous implications of memory running at 1,000 MHz using 2.2V, OCZ protects the Titanium XTC kit with a lifetime warranty and dolls it up with special honeycomb heat spreaders.

Intel
Core 2 Extreme QX6700: $999
www.intel.com

When it comes to generating a buzz, nothing beats high-end hardware. Intel's Core 2 Extreme QX6700 takes all of the glory wrapped up in dual-core processing and doubles it, literally, giving your enthusiast customers a new trophy over which to drool. The package features a pair of Core 2 Duo chips manufactured at 65nm, enabling a total of four cores, 8MB of L2 cache, and the same high-performance 1,066 MHz front side bus used on previous Intel platforms. There's no rivaling its performance in multi-threaded applications.

Intel pours on the features, too. Execute Disable Bit, Intel 64 support, and Virtualization Technology are all standard extras. Enhanced SpeedStep technology serves to help counteract the complex processor's 130W thermal design power, and an improved thermal diode allows better response to changes in temperature.

Despite astounding specifications, the Core 2 Extreme QX6700 isn't going to be for everyone. There's the near-$1,000 price tag, for starters. But you also have to remember that the chip is designed to churn through heavily threaded software. Throw a barrage of games at the processor and your customer will probably be disappointed to see frame rates similar to cheaper, single-core CPUs. Start demonstrating video encoding software, professional rendering apps, or more workstation-oriented scientific programs, though, and the Core 2 Extreme QX6700 lays down seriously formidable results.

The real value here is performance per socket. Price out a quad-socket workstation or dual-socket machine capable of handling dual-core processors and compare it to Intel's quad-core Core 2 Extreme QX6700. Factor in the fact that the QX6700 is backwards compatible with the 975X chipset and a great number of existing motherboards. Clearly, even at $999, there's a strong case to be made for value in a machine with Intel's Core 2 Extreme QX6700.

Plextor
PX-755UF External DVD Writer: $159
www.plextor.com

performance isn'T always the premiere consideration when your customers begin their search for the right optical drive. Road warriors, most notably, need the ability to burn discs anywhere, and most built-in laptop drives are forced to prioritize form factor over speed. As a result, you'll notice that many laptop drives lag behind their desktop counterparts technologically.

Plextor's latest external powerhouse, the PX-755UF, enables all the hottest recording features, sports a convenient external housing, and boasts an extremely reasonable price tag, especially considering its Plextor pedigree. The drive is fast, first and foremost. It's able to write to DVD media at up to 16x speeds and CDs at 48x rates. Dual-layer support is introduced at unprecedented 10x speeds, too. Enabling that degree of performance requires comparably fast communications interfaces; the PX-755UF offers IEEE 1394 and USB 2.0, giving mobile users a little flexibility.

A long list of media compatibilities and a $159 asking price look good, as well, but discerning customers spring for Plextor products because of features and quality. The PX-755UF includes a suite of proprietary extras, such as PlexEraser, a data destruction utility used to render discs unreadable; SecureRecording, for password-protecting CD-R media; and, and GigaRec, facilitating 900MB writes to 700MB CDs.