Given the extensive price decreases on both AMD and Intel processor lines, not to mention the emergence of the i845-SDRAM platform, we are now able to move up quite a bit on the CPU scale. The biggest shift is in regards to the Intel system, which can now be outfitted with a powerful Pentium 4, rather than choosing a Celeron or Pentium III.

The deep price cuts to the AMD line of Athlon processors has allowed us to select the powerful 1.33 GHz (266 MHz DDR) processor. AMD pricing has served to shrink the gap between the lower and higher-end Athlon processors, which means we are able to go higher on the speed chart than ever before. Just be sure to nab a 266 MHz part, as AMD produces both 200 and 266 MHz versions for most of their Athlon line. Although the Athlon 1.4 GHz is almost within reach of our $1K value system, its actual price on available stock puts us a bit over the limit. If you want to spend the bit extra needed for 1.4 GHz, you will get a slightly faster CPU and a bit faster performance. For our budget and gaming purposes, however, 1.33 GHz is more than fast enough.

Now that the i845 is a reality and SDRAM can finally be used in a Pentium 4 system, we're updating our selection most appropriately. In terms of over price-performance ratio, the Pentium 4-1.4 GHz is the best pick for a value system. It is fast, reliable and at 1.4 GHz, even offers a bit of headroom for potential overclocking. Since OEM and Retail prices are very close, we are also going with the retail version to save a bit of money on the HSF unit. This helps us alleviate some of the cost we incur when choosing the higher-priced Pentium 4 over a Celeron or Pentium III.

Since we have moved dramatically up from an 1.0 GHz to 1.33 GHz Athlon, it is time we rethink our cooling options. At this speed, it really isn't recommended that you go too cheap on a HSF, so we're choosing the excellent Thermosonic ThermoEngine unit. This is a highly-recommended cooler that will more than do the job at 1.33 GHz or higher, and also comes at a reasonable price.

High-end Pentium 4 CPU coolers can get quite pricey, and the Pentium 4 itself is still priced at a upper end of our value budget. So in choosing to spend a few bucks more on the retail CPU, we are also going with the included HSF. These units are actually quite good and are hefty enough to cool a Pentium 4 (especially at only 1.4 GHz) without any trouble.