The E8000 series has a 6MB L2cache, which is 50 per cent more than the E6000 series, and a new instruction set called SSE (Streaming SIMD Extensions), to accelerate the creation and processing of digital content, including images, video and audio - an increasingly common task for the modern PC.
While the average user probably wouldn't have been able to detect the average 6 per cent performance improvement at each level, the improved power management and cooler operating temperatures might have saved on operating costs, and given him a quieter PC.
We're going to specify the slowest of the trio - the 2.66GHz E8200, which we sourced at Computer Parts Land for $239 – for this quarter's workhorse PC, although at $255, the 3GHz E8400 is very tempting indeed.
We're sticking with our recent preference for Gigabyte motherboards, with the P35DS3 getting our vote at $135, although the DS3P model offers some additional features which could be worth the additional $30.
We recommend a 2GB kit of RAM, and you can pick up a branded version from Kingston for $65.
Another area where technology advertisements skip important details is hard drives. Retailers tend to neglect to mention the model numbers, and the size of the cache, which can boost performance.
Although they're mostly regarded as a commodity item, a little more research could give many users the benefits of recent advances in storage technology.
We've been recommending Western Digital drives for some time now, because we've found them particularly robust and innovative, and because the local distributor, Westan, provides good service, and a good deal of information through its Web site.
The Green Power technology in Western Digital's enterprise-level RE2 drives, which reduces power consumption by about 40 per cent, has recently been extended to some of their desktop models, which carry the GP designation, rather than the KS (16MB cache) and JS (8MB) versions of the SATA (Serial ATA) models which high-volume retailers tend to stock.
Its AV drives are designed to withstand the higher temperatures generated by always-on streaming digital audio/video environments such as media centres, PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) and DVRs (Digital Video Recorders).
If you're looking for that particular combination of Green Power with an AV drive in a 16MB cache/500GB configuration, you need to specify the model number WD5000AVCS. Precision is essential, because the WD5000AVJS, for example, doesn't have Green Power, and only has an 8MB cache.
We'll stick with a 320GB Western Digital SATA drive (16MB cache) at $95 for our workhorse, but depending on your usage, you might choose a different version, and you're likely to have to source it through Westan.
We've been a little more generous than usual with the graphics card, this time choosing the 512MB version of the NVIDIA 8600GT card from Gigabyte, which uses "Silent Pipe" cooling technology, for $119.
You can pay a lot more to get better video performance for gaming, but the PC is rapidly losing its appeal as a gaming platform, so you might be better off putting the extra into a good console.
An Asus SATA DVD-RW drive for $39, Logitech mouse/keyboard for $75 and a 20-inch Philips 200WS8FB LCD screen for $249 looks like good value, completes the package, with the exception of a case and power supply.
This quarter we've decided to specify a more rugged power supply in the Cooler Master Extreme ($69), and the same company's case at $109, which brings the total to $942. If you add the screen, it's $1191.
Components:

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 $239


• Motherboard: Gigabyte EP35-DS3 $135


• RAM: 2GB Kingston $65


• HDD: Western Digital 320Gb (16MB) SATAII $95


• VGA 512Mb 8600GT Gigabyte $116


• LCD: Philips 200WS8FB $249
  
• Optical: ASUS 2014B1T 20x SATA DVD-RW $39


• Mouse/keyboard Logitech $75


• Case: Cooler Master CM690 $109


• PSU: Cooler Master Extreme 500w $69