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T
he GigaWorks S750 speakers ($500, http://www.creative.com) bear
the Creative badge, but their Cambridge SoundWorks heri-
tage is evident the moment you crank up the volume. That’s
not to say Creative doesn’t make good audio products, just that
its SoundWorks division knows how to design and build awesome
speakers that are as easy on your ears as they are on your wallet.
The two additional two-way surrounds in this 7.1-channel sys-
tem make a huge difference in positioning audio events around your
head, and the thundering subwoofer, with its beefy 210-watt BASH
amp, serves up scrumptious bass that punches you in the chest.
These attributes render this speaker system absolutely perfect for
gaming, listening to music, and watching movies on your PC.Creative GigaWorks S
Bring some boom into your room
SPEAKERS
MAMAMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUMMPPPCCSEPTEMBER 2007
Say boo to crappy onboard audio
A
s long as we have breath in our nerd lungs, as long as there
is sound in our ears, and as long as we have a slot to fi ll, we
won’t accept noisy, host-based onboard sound—which in
this case, is about as bad as can be thanks to the EVGA board’s
damned EAX-cheating RealTek chipset. For DM ’07, discrete audio
is essential. Don’t believe us? Plug a pair of earphones into your
mobo’s audio, then try the X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional
Series (reviewed April 2007, $120, http://www.soundblaster.com)—you’ll
never want to go back. The subtle sound changes of a vehicle’s
acoustic signature as it moves through different environments will
give you reason enough to ditch onboard.Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro
DISPLAYS
Dual Dell 2707WFPs
Two screens, one heck of a panorama
SOUNDCARD
I
t’s true that Dell’s 2707 (reviewed May 2007, $1,400 each,
http://www.dell.com) sports the same 1920x1200 resolution as its 24-
inch sibling, but it’s a big step up as far as we’re concerned.
Perhaps it’s our advancing age, but we like how everything from
text, to icons, to thumbnail views gets a size boost on the 27-inch
screen. That greater visibility comes in handy when your dual-dis-
play desktop spans nearly four feet from side to side!
Other niceties include the 2707’s stylish aesthetics, its accom-
modating ergo options, a plethora of inputs, a built-in four-port
USB hub, and a 9-in-2 media reader. Shoot, one of these screens
is decadent. Two are indeed the stuff of dreams.