The Grand Experiment is a solid system that should be able to handle a little bit of everything, but its specs aren't exactly drool-inducing. For that, we have our high-end build, a machine that avoids hefty price premiums while packing enough hardware to make you the envy of the next LAN party.

This build is probably closest to what TR's editors would choose for themselves in order to get the most value for the dollar in an enthusiast's PC. Most of the components are chosen because they're in that proverbial "sweet spot" for price and performance—hence the name.

Processor
If you've taken a gander at our previous system guides, you'll know that we've "downgraded" from a quad-core processor to a dual-core one this time around. That's a much more sensible move than it may seem at first glance. As we pointed out a couple of pages back, the Core 2 Duo E8400 has a higher clock speed and superior performance per clock versus the Core 2 Quad Q6600—our previous recommendation for this system. Because of these advantages, the E8400 outperforms the Q6600 in virtually any task that's not optimized to make full use of more than two processor cores, including most of today's software. The E8400 is even more desirable because 45nm process technology gives it great power efficiency and formidable overclocking headroom.

Those who do need to run quad-core-optimized tasks are welcome to pay a little extra for Q6600, and we've included it in our alternatives list on the next page. Like we said earlier, we may opt for a quad-core chip again once Intel releases its 45nm Core 2 Quads. However, the E8400's overall performance advantage in everyday tasks and its other qualities make it the best choice for most folks right now.

Remember, availability on the E8400 is tight, so you may have to hit our price search engine to find one in stock.

Motherboard
We were pretty happy with Abit's IP35 Pro when we reviewed it back in June. This board packs two PCI Express x16 slots (in a x4/x16 lane setup) with CrossFire support, eight Serial ATA ports (including two eSATA ports at the back), two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and heat pipe-based chipset/voltage circuitry cooling. Overclockers will also enjoy the board's µGuru overclocking, tweaking, and fan-monitoring tools.

Memory
We're going with the same 4GB Mushkin DDR2-800 kit we used in the Grand Experiment, largely because higher-speed offerings cost significantly more and the performance returns from tricked-out modules are too small for our liking. If you have extra cash to burn, you'll benefit more from spending it on a bigger hard drive, a faster graphics card, or a nicer monitor.

Again, you'll want to run a 64-bit operating system to take full advantage of 4GB of RAM. A 32-bit OS won't let you use all this memory without complicated workarounds, and now that Vista x64 has matured and gained improved support from software and hardware makers, we recommend hopping on the 64-bit bandwagon. Check out our operating system section on the second-to-last page of the guide for more information.

Graphics
Thanks to our choice of a cheaper processor in this iteration of the Sweet Spot, we've been able to upgrade our graphics card recommendation from a GeForce 8800 GT to the faster GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB. Both cards are based on the same G92 graphics processor, but the GTS features 128 stream processors instead of the 112 on the GT. For the extra $50 or so, the eVGA 8800 GTS 512MB also brings a 670MHz core clock speed and 970MHz memory speed, up from the 640MHz core and 950MHz memory speeds of the XFX GeForce 8800 GT in our Grand Experiment build. The GTS 512MB's dual-slot cooler should mean quieter operation, too. This eVGA card is also covered by eVGA's "Step-Up Program," and it has a lifetime warranty.

Storage
We've traded the 750GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 hard drive from our previous guide for one of Samsung's new 750GB SpinPoint F1s. We were very impressed with the 1TB SpinPoint F1 in our review, so the 750GB model gets our vote here. The Samsung should be quieter and faster than the SE16, with the same warranty term and a lower price tag.

For the optical drive, we're picking the Samsung SH-S203B, since more expensive SATA DVD burners don't have anything particularly worthwhile to offer.

Audio
Creative's Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer still gets our nod for the Sweet Spot. This card provides excellent sound quality and accelerated 3D audio effects in games for a very attractive price. More expensive models don't offer a significantly different formula, so we see no reason to pony up the extra cash. There are better options for die-hard audiophiles, of course, and we've included one as an alternative on the next page.

Power Supply
An all-in-one case and power supply bundle is great if you're on a relatively tight budget, but The Sweet Spot has both a bigger budget and more power-hungry components, so discrete solutions make more sense here.

The PC Power & Cooling's Silencer 750 won an Editor's Choice Award in our enthusiast power supply round-up. Although its 750W rating might seem like overkill for this particular system, the Silencer runs about the same price as some lower-wattage offerings from other brands. This PSU also has enough headroom for folks wanting to throw in a Core 2 Quad or a second GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB. With a five-year warranty, remarkably low noise levels, very clean power delivery, efficiency that puts comparable offerings to shame, and dual 8-pin PCI Express power connectors, we believe the Silencer is a straightforward choice for the Sweet Spot.

Enclosure
Antec's P182 case is a newer version of the P180, which we've recommended for previous incarnations of this build. The P182 has the same upside-down design, composite panels, adjustable-speed 120mm fans, and partitioned cooling zones as the P180. However, it improves greatly upon its predecessor's biggest flaw: cable management. Unlike the P180, the P182 is designed to run cables behind the motherboard tray, helping to avoid tangled messes. And, of course, the case's design and composite panels enable prodigiously low noise levels, provided your processor and graphics card fans aren't too loud.