These are the components that are essential in a complete and up-to-date system. We have recommended two products in most categories, reflecting the two distinct systems that are taking shape in our search for the ideal PC. In all cases, we first introduce the product we recommend for 
the average user’s system, and then go on to introduce the product recommended for the more demanding user. The distinctions between the two is often one of price, but not price alone –we have only chosen a more expensive product for the higher-end system if it demonstrated an appreciable superiority in performance. In some cases, we have recommended the same product for both systems, and in yet other cases, we have mentioned other products in addition to those recommended. These other products may be considered possible alternatives to the recommendation.

CPU
 

By now, everybody should be familiar with the overclockability of the Celeron 300A. Many users have successfully reached 450MHz with this CPU, but at the same time, quite a few people have reported problems reaching and maintaining 450MHz. In view of this, we felt we should recommend the $110 Celeron 366, which is a little more expensive than the 300A but which can, however, reach 458MHz with no problems at all, once you set the FSB speed to 83MHz on your motherboard (5.5x83MHz = 458MHz).

We are not saying the Celeron 300A is inferior in any way – we have quite successfully reached 450MHz with this CPU and so have many others, but the fact remains that a fair number of people have complained about stability at 450MHz with the Celeron 300A. Hence, while the 300A still has the better price-to-performance ratio, the 366 may be a more stable –if somewhat more expensive- way of passing the 450MHz mark. This makes it a good choice for the average user, as long as he or she has no qualms about overclocking. 

For the more demanding user, we recommend the Celeron 400, overclocked to 500MHz by setting your FSB to 83MHz (6.0x83MHz = 500MHz). This way, you only spend $160 to reach 500MHz, which is an offer you simply cannot turn down. Once you reach this speed, you’ll be among the elite of computing speeds, and not even a certified speed freak need sneer at that.
 

Motherboard There is really no question: the Abit BH6 is the best motherboard for average users and overclockers alike. All you spend is $105, and you’ll be in business in no time. Overclocking is rendered childishly simple with the jumperless setup and the SoftMenu II feature.

Meanwhile, if you demand still more overclocking capability and future compatibility for upcoming Celerons and the Pentium III, the recently introduced $130 Abit BX6 version 2.0 is exactly what you need. While this board is generally quite similar to the BH6, it has somewhat more features for overclocking.

Memory
 

For the average user and the high-end user alike, we recommend Corsair 128MB of PC100 CAS-2 memory from a recognized manufacturer. This will cost about $250, which is a little on the expensive side but is nevertheless worth the expense, because these modules are of high quality and are very stable for overclocking.

We recommend you buy a single 128MB memory module rather than two 64MB modules as this will leave memory slots free for future upgrades. And rest assured, there will be future upgrades when you’ll be glad you did.