Monitor For the average user, we recommend the ViewSonic PS775, one of the best 17-inch USB monitors that money can buy, with a maximum resolution of 1600x1200 and a maximum vertical refresh rate of 160Hz. What’s more, the monitor has a 0.25mm dot pitch and digital onscreen controls, making it by far the best 17-inch monitor we have seen. For a 17-inch monitor, its picture quality is incredible and fully justifies its $420 price tag.

For the high-end user, meanwhile, there is no other option but a 19-inch monitor. In this case, the obvious choice is easily the Hitachi SuperScan 753 (familiar to most of you through the recent incident with BuyComp). This monitor also offers a maximum resolution of 1600x1200, a maximum vertical refresh rate of 160Hz and digital onscreen controls, plus a 0.22mm dot pitch, making it the equivalent of a professional 21-inch monitor and easily worth every cent of its $590 price tag. This monitor is very highly recommended.

Modem

For an estimated $115, you can get your hands on one of the best 56K modems on the market, the 3Com/US Robotics 56K V.90 Voice/Fax/Data internal modem. This modem is recommended for both average and demanding users.

Hard drive
 

If you’re an average user who is not particularly interested in spending hundreds of dollars on SCSI hard drives and controllers, there are quite a few good Ultra EIDE drives available. One of the better drives is the 13GB Caviar Ultra ATA/66 hard drive. Although this drive is a 5400rpm drive, it outperforms many 7200rpm drives. At $230, we recommend this drive as a viable and inexpensive alternative to SCSI.

 

Meanwhile, if you’re a demanding user and money is no object, there  is no reason why you shouldn’t opt for a better deal, namely the  Maxtor DiamondMax 4320. This drive is a 17.2GB 5400rpm drive, and it's a fast one for which you'll have to pay $300.So if your looking for size and performance this is the drive for you.