Sound card

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
Although it's trendy for enthusiasts to bash Creative, and we've certainly led the charge in that regard, the Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS really was the best all-around sound card of 2004. Cards based on VIA's Envy24 sound chip were the only real competition for the Audigy 2. Despite strong Envy-based offerings from M-Audio, Philips, and others, it's hard to get around the Envy24's lack of hardware acceleration for 3D positional audio. The Audigy 2 ZS's hardware acceleration yields tangible performance benefits, and for gamers looking for smooth frame rates, that's hard to ignore.

Of course there's more to a sound card than just gaming performance. Audio quality is also important, and the Audigy 2 ZS delivers there, too. With support for 24-bit/192kHz audio from its inputs through 7.1 output channels, the Audigy 2 ZS offers precision to rival the Envy24. The Audigy2 ZS does have a slight vocal bias, but the card's music playback quality is right up there with cards like M-Audio's Revolution 7.1. We still prefer Envy24-based solutions for non-gaming applications, but the Audigy2 ZS's blend of playback quality and hardware acceleration made it the best all-around sound card in 2004. Heck, even driver bloat isn't an issue anymore.

Hard drive
Western Digital Raptor WD740GD
Although NCQ-capable hard drives started to pick up steam towards the end of 2004, the year belonged to the second coming of Western Digital's Raptor Serial ATA hard drive, the WD740GD. The Raptor redux doubled capacity to 74GB, improved seek performance, offered surprisingly low noise levels, and maintained the 10K-RPM spindle speed and five-year warranty that made the original such a hot commodity. The WD740GD also brought Tagged Command Queuing (TCQ) to the table, although TCQ went largely unsupported in 2004—not that the drive needed it. The WD740GD easily laid waste to its Serial ATA-based competition even without Tagged Command Queuing.

The Raptor WD740GD is an excellent example of enterprise-class hardware that works really well in an enthusiast system. With a Serial ATA interface that plugs right into most modern motherboards, the Raptor has a distinct advantage over 10K-RPM SCSI drives that require an additional controller card. In the end, the Raptor's only real detriment is its relatively limited 74GB capacity, but that's still plenty of space for a speedy system drive.