Please Also Read Our " Best Buy " Page for Our Recommendation
| Before You Start | Case | Joystick |
| CD-ROM | CPU | TV Tuner / Capture Card |
| DVD-ROM | Fax / Modem | 3D Card |
| Scanner | Completed System | Main Board |
| Monitor | Main Board ( General ) |
AT Case Vs. ATX Case
Few years ago no one hear about ATX form factor, today most of current model computers are made in ATX type, the main advance features of ATX is power management, it supports suspend to disk, softpower shut down, modem / LAN wake up, multi voltages supply etc. the ATX power on off controls are through the main board's soft power on switch, that means the main power are connected to power supply when the power lead plugs in to power point ( 24 hours x 7 days), so the ATX power supply must be better quality then AT power supply. also in AT power supply there is a power out let for monitor power connect, but in ATX power supply will not have this power out let in most of them. this is because the design of ATX soft power controls are not able to control the out let on off , so if you were using an a AT power supply to connect to your monitor before, after you change to ATX power supply you should also change the monitor power plug to connect to a power point.
MaCase is one of the most famous names in computer cases. they have been advertised on most Australian PC Magazine claimed " THE BEST CASE IN AUSTRALIA ", It has been specified in most file server use. All of the MaCase we sell comes with built in cooling fan and dust filter (note that MaCase does not supply a "badge" for the cases), giving better ventilation and air flow inside the case. the wide body model gives more room inside the case and all models have removable main board mounting chassis for easy access to internal components. (see Picture)
MaCase Sunrise Series has a flip down Front Door Design, this causes problems when we send it via post or courier, the door hinges are very easy to be broken and are not able to fixed. We suggest customers should buy this type of case only when they come to pick up. The Galaxy Series Case Can Be Posted or Courier Without Damaged.
AOpen New ATX Case -- LX-45
AOpen LX-45 Case has 235W power supply, this case is a lower end model
of AOpen
case range, instead of 1.0mm thick metal panel used in other AOpen cases, this
LX-45 case
only use 0.8mm thin panel, this is to reduced the production cost. BTW, AOpen
HX-48 (
Fitted with 300W Power Supply ) already discontinued.
Smart Shopping
Guides:
Great Gear for Gamers
Jesse Berst, Editorial
Director
ZDNet AnchorDesk
The world
is full of snobs. Wine snobs,
clothes snobs, food snobs. But one of the hardest snobs to please is the game
snob. Still,
I'm willing to bet even the snootiest gamer (and non-gamer) will say . Way
cool!. if you bestow him or her with one of the hot game controllers on the market
this season.
Today's controllers put father's joystick to shame. These flashy contraptions are great for optimizing one's gaming adventures. Many utilize force-feedback technology, making gaming experiences all the more realistic. Imagine joysticks that fight against you like a real airplane throttle and steering wheels that let you feel all the bumps, jerks and centrifugal force of real racing.
These toys are perfect gifts for the avid gamer or a great way to introduce someone to gaming. But to make a winning purchase, you've got to shop armed with a checklist. Here are the top three things to keep in mind:
Get the right fit.
Game controllers basically fall into three categories . joysticks, wheels and
yokes
and gamepads. You'll also find other miscellaneous items such as throttles, rudder
controls
and pedals. Obviously, you. ve got to get the right controller for the
games
you or the person on your gift list wants to play. A flight sim fan will find
little use
for a wheel or yoke. Most controls and games reference what they're compatible
with on
their packaging. Joysticks and pads are the most universal.
Have a price range in mind.
Prices are all over the map, so do your homework. For instance, one gamer I know
hopes
Santa will bring him an Extreme Competition Controls CDS4000 racing wheel. He
must have
been mighty good this year, because that puppy sells for $1,100. But he could
get the
Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel for $200 or a ThrustMaster Grand Prix
1 for
around $50. See what I mean about price?
Know the return policy.
Because
this can be a particularly dicey and/or expensive purchase, get the details on
return
policies. You wouldn. t want anyone you know to be stuck with a joystick
that
only brings them grief.
| Berst Impression: Green Light. Just make sure what you buy is compatible with your favorite games and comes with enough buttons and controls so you can play all aspects of all games. I recommend models from Microsoft, Gravis and ThrustMaster. |
Before you go shopping for a game controller, check out the reviews at the sites below.
GameSpot. s Gamer. s Guide to Sticks
Click
for more
GameSpot. s Gamer. s Guide to Wheels and Yokes
Click
for more
GameSpot. s Gamer. s Guide to Gamepads
Click
for more
GameSpot. s Gamer. s Guide to Other Controllers
Click
for more
GameSpot. s 1998 Holiday Gift Guide: Hardware Add-Ons
Click
for more
Computershopper.com. s Holiday Marketplace Gifts for Gamers
Click
for more
HardwareUser Input Devices
Click
for more
Awesome Gamer Gear
Click
for more
Your Gaming Dream Machine
Click
for more
TipZone: Whose Joystick Works Best With Games?
Click
for more
Quality and Reliability
CD-ROMs have been around for 10 years already. You may still be able to find some of old Panasonic/Creative CR-562/563 AT Bus I/F CD-ROM around today, but it will be hard to find a cheap brand of CD-ROM running for more than 3-4 years. I believe Quality and reliability are more important for CD-ROMs, most of the cheaper brands of CD-ROMs can only be used for 1-3 years, but a good quality CD-ROM can used for 5-7 years.
Compatibility
Many CD-ROM are not able to read CD-R / CD-RW Disc, or only read gold disc and not blue or green discs. The laser head aliment are a critical factor at this point. With Panasonic CD-ROMs, it is difficult to find one incompatible with any CD-R discs.
TEAC is a good brand for CD-ROM. The 4x TEAC CD-ROM I installed for my customers at 1993-1994 are still going today. Who else has the confidence to offer a 3 Year Warranty on a CD-ROM? So far in Australia only TEAC will do.
DVD-ROM drive are starting to become the replacement mass-media drive for CD-ROM drives for computer systems, with many standard in high-end workstations. The DVD-ROM itself is a Data / Signal reading device, similar to the CD-ROM. There is no Area Code Lock built into the DVD-ROM for speed under 4x. The Area Code is locked by the DVD Decoder Card. In most Cases, the Decoder Card has a built in EPROM, allowing a re-programmable Area Lock Code, e.g. Creative PC-DVD-Encore-2 DVD Kit. The Decoder Card has a programmable EPROM built in. The Software Driver comes with this Decoder Card allowing you to choose which Area Zone you want to use when you set up the software. After you have selected the zone code (e.g. Zone 1), you will only have 4 more chance to change the zone code. Every time you change your zone code, you will deduct another chance, until the fifth times you change the code, after then you will not be able to change the zone code any more, the lock code is writen inside the EPROM. But because it uses software to write into the EPROM, a crack program has appeared on the Internet to crack it. Creative has announced that with the new package of its DVD kit, the software program has been changed so that it is not able to be cracked any more. but until today I can only see the 5x Creative DVD-ROM ( Made by Panasonic ) are build in a firmware inside the DVD-ROM Drive to lock the zone code, ( which there are a crack file on the net can crack the lock now ) the new version of creative decode software are still crackable today, for more cracking zone code information, just do a search on the search engine and you will found a lots of them on the web. I tested the crack program a few months ago and it did work! It allows the user to change the zone as many times as you wish!
DVD-ROM can not play a DVD disc by itself. You need either a software decode program to decode (e.g. Power DVD Player, Soft DVD, etc.. requires Pen-II-300 and up, faster video card e.g. Viper V550, Riva TNT, etc.. ) or use a hardware decoder card to play back. Hardware decoders has better quality / performance of pictures. If you already have a decoder card, or you are going to use software decode only (quality may not as good as hardware docode), you can just buy the DVD drive only. If you don't have a decoder card and prefer to have hardware decode, you would be better off buying the complete DVD kit package (e.g. Creative PC-DVD Encore-2 Kit). The package contains all you need for DVD play back.
Cryix CPU -- it is good to run at windows basic application e.g. office 97..
The Celeron 266 CPU can be Over Clocked to 400MHz, Celeron 300 can be over
clocked to
450 MHz.
Many buyers will specify Celeron -266- SL2QG - Step 1 CPU to Buy, I tested with
Other OEM
Pack and found They all can be over clocked with out any problem.
Smart Shopping
Guides:
Find Your Scanner Sweet Spot
Jesse Berst, Editorial
Director
ZDNet AnchorDesk
With
some models under $100,
scanners are cheaper than ever. But do you really want another large, plastic
object sitting on your desk?
Yes, you do.
Just ask my AnchorDesk colleague Bob Guinn. His house burned to the ground when he was 7 years old. Everything was lost -- including all the family photos.
A scanner would let you convert your shoeboxes full of old photos into digital images in your computer. You could store images on discs or CD-ROMs to be tucked into a safety deposit box or sent to a relative.
Aside from preserving precious memories, scanners perform more practical duties. You can file important documents electronically or input images for flyers, brochures, custom greeting cards, newsletters and Web sites.
Scanners are available in four incarnations: handheld, flatbed, sheet-fed and slide. Be sure to choose a scanner that will meet your needs and won. t be so tricky to operate that you have to read every page of a 2-pound manual before you can get it up and running. Here are the top things to keep in mind:
| Berst Impression: Green Light. Scanner prices are astoundingly low. Just shop carefully to find a scanner that fits your needs and skill level. I recommend the bargain priced Artec Viewstation ($85) or the slick Visioneer PaperPort ($200). Another route to take is a multi-function device, such as the Hewlett-Packard HP OfficeJet 610. It is primarily a printer, but one that also scans, faxes and copies, so you get a lot for your money even though the total price is higher. |
Use the links below for more scanner info and shopping tips. Scanner junkies, please use the TalkBack button and give me your suggestions on what to look for in a scanner. I'll post the best responses beneath this article.
Computershopper.com. s Buyer. s Checklist
Click
for more
28 Super Scanners
Click
for more
ZDNet Products ScannerUser
Click for more
Get the Most Out of Your Scanner
Click
for more
Are Scanners Better Than Sex?
Click
for more
SCSI Scanner
The SCSI version of a Scanner always comes with an ISA SCSI interface card, so when you buy a SCSI version Scanner, you are buying a package. You don't need to buy any extra components to get it to work. But if you have other SCSI Devices In your System, it's better to arrange all SCSI devices to use a single SCSI controller. This can reduce the IRQ resource usage. e.g. if you are using a SCSI CD-ROM + SCSI CD-R and a SCSI HDD, maybe even a SCSI Scanner too; you can use an Adaptec 2940 card which can handle both internal and external devices, all of your SCSI Devices are only using one IRQ, this frees up the other IRQs for your system to handle other other devices e.g. sound card, network card, 3D fx, capture card, TV tuner, etc. most of high end Servers use the SCSI Interface.
Parallel Port Scanner
This is a most easy to set up Scanner. You don't need to open the case of your computer, it just plugs into your printer port, then plug the printer over to the Scanner 's printer out connecter, install the software, then installation is complete. Because there is no interface required, the cost of this type scanner is less than the SCSI version. This is the most popular type of scanner in the retail market.
What you need from the Computer
Most of today's computer buyers only do a little lettering, office work sheets, or browse the Internet. A 485/586 are able to do what you want to do. With a little extra RAM (32 MB or 64 MB), your Internet will run very smoothly. But if you need to use creative multimedia, play 3D fx Games, a super fast Computer makes a big difference on the games performance. In this case level 2 cache ram is not an important factor, I tested a Celeron-300 MHz CPU Over Clocked to 450 MHz Ruining for a month. It works excellent with 3D Games.( with Voodoo-II 3D card ).
Main Board
What You Need to Know Now About Your Next Monitor ,Cnet
Tells you all about it.
Abit's BH6 has New features specially designed for Over Clocking protection. Full details can be found from tom's hardware and Abit's web site.
Note: From Abit BH6 M/B Manual, you been noticed there is a CPU Pentium-II retention brackets ( See Page 2-15, D and page 2-14, A ) for holding the CPU with the M/B together, This retention brackets ONLY comes with RETAIL PACK PENTIUM-II CPUs, NOT Comes with neither Abit BH6 M/B nor Any Celeron CPUs. For OEM Pack Celeron CPUs ( see page 2-16, both pictures ), The BH6 M/B comes with a Celeron retention brackets ( see page 2-17, both pictures ), you should only use this celeron retention bracket when you are installing OEM Celeron CPU. Retail Pack Celeron CPU will Only Use " Retention mechanism " --( See Page 2-13 Top Picture ) to hold the CPU.
Main Board--AX59 Pro
The Aopen AX59 Pro motherboard comes in 2 flavours. A 512k L2 cache RAM one and a 1MB one. The 1 MB version will outperform the 512K one by about 3% but only if you use more than 256MB of system memory on board. This is due to the fact that the 512K of L2 cache provides basic functionality for at least 258MB of main memory, so is you have less than this amount of RAM, the difference between the 2 different levels of cache RAM will have a negligible effect on system performance.
Most Modem buyers use it for the Internet. If you only use it for fax, a 9600bps or 14.4k Fax/Modem can do the job. For use on the Internet, modems require better compatibility. It must run on high speed, not fake 56k speed, and will not easily drop the connection. for details see the market news or technical news sections.
1). what Speed and What Standard
Find out what connection speed your ISP (Internet Service Provider) runs in
your area,
what
standard they are running and whether they will change to the V.90 standard
later on or not.
If your ISP is only planning to stay at 28.8k or 33.6k speeds, a 56k modem will
not run at
that 56k. If your ISP has 56k Flex Standard now, but they will up grade to V.90
56k
standard later, then if you buy a 56k Flex modem now. You can run at 56k, but
after your
ISP up graded to V.90, you will drop back down to 33.6k speed. Now Netcomm and
Banksia
have
released a dual mode modem, you can runs 56k flex now and when your ISP Changed
to V.90,
your modem will auto detected and switch to V.90 mode. Some of 56k Flex modem
are
upgradable to V.90 by refresh the EPROM inside the modem, some of them need to
be sent
back to manufacture to replace a component or the whole circut board to up grade
it to V.90. It may cost you
money to
do so ( at lease a postage cost ).
e.g. the Acer 56k external modem
are x2 / V.90 dual mode, so if your ISP not support V.90,
your connection speed will only up to 33.6k ( V.34 )
as almost no Australian ISP support X2 standard 56k connection.
2). Internal or External
Internal modem are less messy, with less wiring. They have no need for extra power, but they need to be configured from the computer Bios and u need to open the computer to install it. It's not recommend for buyers without hardware experience. External modems are much easier to installe, almost every one can follow the instructions and install it.
To configure connection to the Internet, Most of ISPs already make up a setup disk for you and you only need to run the installation disk, all the setting will installed into your computer. If you have problems connecting to your ISP, call them they will help you with any connection problems (Some ISP's may charge a fee).
The 3D fx game card are one of the fastest developed 3D Accelerator Cards. Without it, you cannot to play many of today's 3D Games. Almost all the new 3D games are support 3D fx. The first generation of 3D fx is over. Now you need 3D fx-II to play many of the newly released 3D games. 3D fx-II configurations start from 8 MB RAM, but there are 3 newly released game titles that require the 12 MB version of 3D fx to play. The rest of them will run fine with the 8 MB version of the card.
TV Tuner Cards are built with a TV Tuner/Receiver module inside. For the Philips brand TV Tuner Module, it require a higher input signal input to the antenna input end. It's recommended that you use an outdoor Antenna to connect to this type of TV Tuner Card.
If you have a CC Camera that you can use for Video Conferencing, the Teppro TV Tuner card has a Philips CCD Camera connector built in. This will replace the capture card for CCD Camera inside the system. The benefits includes freeing the IRQ/Address used by the capture card.
The YUAN TUN-200 TV Tuner Card comes with a remote control. It is better value to have a remote control for almost the same price. Also both TV cards use the Philips TV tuner head module, so it should give the same result of TV reception.
