I think it is time to carry on the series about buying components for a home build PC. In this and the next post we will move on to another very important component the processor or CPU.  This is the engine for your computer and is the component that will be doing the majority of the hard work when you ask your computer to run your applications.  So it generally follows that the faster your CPU the better, but like most things it is not always as simple as that as amongst other things we have multiple processors to consider like the Core 2 Duo processor or even the Quad Core .

Multiprocessors

Back in March we  talked about the benefits of the Core 2 Duo and the whether it was worth going for a Quad Core processor. Both those posts are still valid today, and if you are building your own my advice is that you have to be buying one of these  or the AMD equivalent.  They provide some substantial benefits to the user in the areas of multitasking, such as running two programs at once as each of the two processors can handle different things at the same time. Multiple core processors  can also take advantage of any software that is coded to utilise multiple threads, i.e. Software that needs to different jobs, or needs to do the same thing multiple times, and has been programmed to allow this to happen in parallel.

Value sweet spot

The best value for money can be achieved by buying a CPU that is in the value sweet spot. Huh!, what is he on about?  Well just like for a lot of things you will often have to pay a significant  premium the top of the range product. For a CPU it is just the same, you will usually be paying a lot extra to get your hands on the top processor  and at the bottom end you will  find cheaper prices but obsolete technology and low performance.  The value sweet spot is generally the third or fourth CPU down from that top of the range model, assuming of course it is still utilises current technology.

An Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Dual Core is an example of a processor that I feel is sitting in that sweet spot. Do you have a good example! In the next post we look at all the things you need to consider when buying a CPU.

There have been a number of recent reports in the UK press about a potentially huge number of unsafe chargers, for all sorts of consumer devices, presently available both online and on the high street. The concern is that these devices are prone to overheating potentially leading to fires or are badly wired leading to a risk of electrocution. Another concern is that they are often sold without standard UK plug fittings which means that they do not fit well in UK wall sockets or require a dodgy set up with some sort of adapter.

Buying safe chargers online

So what are some of the ways that you can mitigate the risk of buying a low quality and potential dangerous charger online?

• Firstly I think that where possible you should only buy a charger that comes with a standard UK 3 pin plug if you are go to plug it into the mains (obviously different if you are buying a car charger). This will at least ensure that they fit properly in the plug socket.
• Secondly buy your charger from a trusted manufacturer or retailer. Either from the original manufacturer of the device you want to use the charger with, or if that is not available a well known specialist manufacturer or retailer. The quality processes of these companies will be better and this will significantly reduce the risk. An example might be the Griffin Tech AC adapter/charger for the iPod.
• Thirdly be prepared to spend a little bit more money. We are only talking about something like a tenner here, you won’t miss it once it is spent and you don’t want to end up regretting making a cheap purchase.
• Lastly it is probably a good idea to also make sure you buy a good quality travel adapter for when traveling overseas.

Following these rules should help but you actually might find it is harder than you think! Anyway if ever find your charger appears to be getting much too hot, or it rattles when you shake it, indicating something is broken. Then throw it away and get another one, it is not worth the risk.

Have you any ideas on how to safely buy chargers online?

In this post I am going to continue the series of posts on building your own PC and today we are going to look at the motherboard. You will only really buy a motherboard if your building your own PC or upgrading an old one and for both of these situations the things you need to consider are the same.

Choose something that fits you needs

The most important thing is to buy a motherboard that fits your needs.  You need to decide  whether you building a media PC, an office type PC for using business applications or a top of the range gaming rig.  Whichever of these it is, will mean different features will be more important to you than others, so make sure you focus on those.

Things to consider when buying a your motherboard;

1. Form factor and size - Just as we discussed with the cases some thought needs to go in to the size or form factor that you will need as this will effect the choice of both case and the motherboard you will eventually choose.
2. Processor support - Your choice of processor will have some determination on which board you can go for. For most applications at present this is likely to mean that it would to support an Intel dual core processor as this will get you the best performance for your money.  The major exception to this is if you are building a media PC where the processor is generally not required to be such a high performer.
3. Graphics - A lot of motherboards can provide a graphics capability on the board. This should be perfectly good enough for a standard PC.  For a media PC is can be useful as long as it is up to the heavy work required for playing back video.  A gamer will more likely add a specialist graphics card so is not required on board.
4. Memory - Ensure the motherboard you purchase will provide you with enough memory.  My recommendation is for as much as you can afford but no less than 2 GB.  The other consideration is the type of memory. I would stick with the standard DDR2 memory at the time of writing as this will keep  your memory costs down.
5. Other Features - Last but definitely not least is everything else provided by the board, such as overclocking capability, networking, sound, USB connectors etc.  These are slightly less important than the other aspects but could be important for your specific needs.

Just to finish off with an example the ABIT IP35 Pro is one of the highest rated motherboards on PriceGrabber.

What do you think are the most important aspects to consider when buying a motherboard?

Are devices like this mouse above about to become extinct? There was an interesting article on the BBC Technology web pages yesterday reporting on how a Gartner analyst was forecasting the death of the computer mouse.  The gist of the analyst’s argument appears to be that, because of all the progress that has been made with new interfaces such as multi-touch and the innovations we are seeing from the gaming world, within 3 or 5 years we will have seen the mouse disappear.

Well I do agree that we are seeing a growth of new and successful ways of interacting with our computers, especially in gaming, the enormous success of the Nintendo Wii is testament to that.  But no one has used a mouse with a games console from the start, and I can’t yet see a 3D mouse being significantly more effective than a standard 2D mouse.  Multi-touch interfaces are now becoming more mainstream and readers of this blog will know that I am a fan of Apple’s touch interface.

Multi-touch makes sense on a consumer devices like a phone which has a flat surface, but on vertical computer screens it actually does not make too much sense. I do not want to be continuously lifting my arms to jab at a computer screen.  I believe that it is not the input devices alone that will have to change it is the computer as a whole that will need to evolve, including screens, input devices and the software.

So my feeling is that a computer mouse will be on yours and my desk for a long while yet.  The Logitech MX Revolution Cordless laser being my favourite at the moment.

What do you think? Is the computer mouse going to become extinct soon?

In yesterdays post I looked at some of the things you need to consider when buying a case for a home build PC.  Today I thought I would just take a quick look at a few examples that shows  the range of cases that are available.

First off is the highly rated Antec Nine Hundred which is squarely focused at the gaming market. A gaming system will use high level components that generate an awful lot of heat so this product is designed with cooling in mind and provides  no less than 4 fans, one of which is a large exhaust fan (blows hot air out of the case).

A second example is the Asus TM-21 Mini Tower which is a nice case if you looking for something with a smaller footprint  in which to build a good functional computer. This is an example of where the size of the case will mean you will have to buy a Micro ATX form factor motherboard as the standard ATX form factor will not fit. The 300w power unit will need to be considered if it is sufficient for your proposed system and what it is going to be used for.

The last example is a case aimed specifically at those people interested in building a media centre PC. In these cases the focus is usually on consumer appliance looks and quiet running to ensure that the PC does not look out of place in the living room.  A good example of this is the Antec Fusion v2 430 Media Center which again uses the Micro ATX form factor.  This case also provides more of the things a media centre would need, like a front LCD and IR receiver for the remote!

Have you bought a computer case recently?

As discussed in the previous post I thought we would look at some of the things you need to think about if buying components to build your own PC.  In this post I will start with the things that you need to consider when looking for a case.  So here are my top 5 in no particular order.

Things to consider when buying a computer case

1. Form factor and size - What size of computer are you looking to build? This is important decision that needs to be made early on, as it will effect the choice of both case and the motherboard you will be choose.  Be aware that you will need to make sure your motherboard of choice will fit into your case of choice. So for instance if you go for a standard ATX motherboard you will need a case that can except it and will not allow you to go for a smaller case that only excepts miniATX.
2. Power Supply - The power supply is an important part of your computer system and they should be powerful enough to meet the demands of your design.  Most cases will be come with a power supply but you should always consider its capability. You can always buy a separate power supply if necessary
3. Cooling - Heat is a big problem for computers components especially with the CPU and graphic chipsets that are being created today.  Your case will need to have good fans built in or adequate space and grills for you to add your own.  Cases often come with heat fins as well. If you are looking to build a high end system consider cooling carefully in your design.
4. Ease of Installation - When building your own computer, how easy your case makes it  for you to get inside and work is an important consideration, trust me!
5. Style - Last but definitely not least is how your case looks. A huge range in terms of look and feel is available on teh market from systems with clear side panels and built in LEDs  to the standard beige tower of yesteryear. This where you can let you artistic side run riot!

As an example of high end case that might make a good choice for a high end system have a look at the ThermalTake Tai-Chi, which even supports water cooling.

Have you bought a case recently?

One of the reasons that the standard IBM PC became such a success story was the fact that it was essentially put together with fairly generic components. This made it easy to clone and produce when compared to the more proprietary produced computers available at the time.  Essentially you could source all the components you needed and assemble your computer and sell it. New companies were born who built either the computers or the individual components. You still needed the operating system and software and hence Microsoft and others were also born, but that is another story.

This is of course a bit of an over simplification of the history of the PC,  but the point being that because all the components were available to buy off the shelf, building your own PC also became a realistic proposition too.  I talked a little bit in a previous post about my geeky past when I used to build and tweak my own PC’s.  Well I think quite a lot of other people are also into the same thing, since the individual computer components such as power supplies, disk drives and memory are consistently some of the most popular and highly rated computer products on PriceGrabber.

I thought I would start a series of posts on the important components that you need to build your own computer.  I  will  start with the shell or case which seems like a basic component but actually does need some thought, but thats for the next post. A case does provide good potential for showing off a bit though, have a look at the Thermaltake Armor Black tower case which looks like a serious bit of kit!

Are you interested in building you own computer?

There has been a lot of noise in the news this past few days about the release of Apple’s new 3G iPhone (unfortunately still not available here in Dubai).  While the second generation iPhone improves nicely on the previous version with its cheaper price and 3G capability, from a computing point of view I find the launch of Apple’s new App Store is a lot more interesting.

App Store

Why? Well I believe that the iPhone and the iPod Touch provide a newer, more advanced mobile computing platform than anything that had been available previously. But perhaps more importantly,  what is it that gives any computing platform its power? The applications!  By providing the software development kit (SDK) to attract developers and leveraging the App Store and iTunes to distribute the applications means that there will be many more applications available than Apple could ever manage alone, which is only going to strengthen the platform further. Some of the presently available applications may seem a waste of time,  but others will definitely enhance an already impressive platform. The iPhone is more than a phone and iPod Touch is now way beyond just being a MP3 player with a bit of a nifty interface.

iPod Touch

Now if you still think that iPhone is too expensive , it is not available where you live, or you are happy with your existing phone then my recommended way to move to this platform is with an iPod Touch. All the benefits and hey you where going to upgrade that iPod anyway!

Rivals

Now of course Apple isn’t the only game  in town and Nokia for instance has provided a mobile applications store for its Symbian platform for a while already, but I think that Apple have taken everything to a new level.  The good thing for all of us consumers is that Microsoft, Nokia, Google and the like are not going to just take all this lying down. So expect some great things in mobile computing in the near future.

Have you tried the Apps Store?

We talked a bit in the last post about data storage out in “the cloud” that is the Internet. Well of course “cloud computing” is not restricted to just data storage, as it also includes all the online applications that are available on the Internet.  This includes email applications like Gmail (my personal favourite) and Yahoo mail etc., but also all the online office applications like Google Docs and its various and growing number of online rivals.

I am a great fan of some of these applications, and Gmail has become my de facto home email client and I rarely now use an email  application like Outlook or Thunderbird.  This is not the case at work where the email client is standard, and I have no choice.  With Gmail though I have always had one gripe and that was that although I regarded Gmail as my default mail client my computer didn’t! So when ever I clicked on a mailto:  link on a website my browser would always try and start an email client and not use Gmail.

Well today I found a tip on the Google Mail blog which shows a new feature in Firefox 3 which means I can set up the browser to always use Gmail as the default email application, meaning I will no longer have this problem.  This should will also work for you if you use another email application either on your computer of in the cloud!  Great huh!

Do you use online applications a lot?

In the past on this blog I have talked about the need for an external hard drive for backups or in case of the Asus Eee PC for some decent storage space.  I have even looked even a purpose built server to help manage all the data that we are all accumulating at an ever increasing rate.  But what if you your data requirements are such that you need something substantial but you don’t really want to go for something as meaty as the HP MediaSmart Server.

Buffalo LinkStation Live

Well in that case you only really have two options,  the first is to use the cloud, and the second is to look for something like the Buffalo LinkStation Live 500GB Network Hard Drive which is something, sort of in between what we have previously looked at.

The Cloud

Lets look at the cloud first. “The cloud” is becoming one of the standard ways of referring to the Internet. So if you store and publish photographs on Flickr for instance you are storing them in the cloud. The cloud refers to the fact that you don’t actually know where the computer your photo’s are stored on, is physically located. Your photo’s are just out there on the cloud, but importantly it is easy to find them. There are now plenty of online storage options available, just search for “online storage”.  Online storage does actually have some advantages, your data is probably safer out there, rather than on your non backed up laptop hard drive, and of course you can access your stuff from anywhere and on any computer anywhere in the world as long as it has a Internet connection.

Network storage

However a lot of people are often a little uncomfortable about putting their data out there, and so the Buffalo LinkStation is a good alternative providing a good amount of network storage. This can free up space on your laptop or provide a backup solution.  The LinkStation also has the added attraction of being able to integrate nicely with iTunes and stream media to your PC.

How do you store all your stuff?