Computer Hardware Bracknell
Here you will find information on computer hardware components and peripherals. From monitors to printers to trackballs, this section provides everything you need to know about computer hardware.
What should you look for when buying a gaming laptop in Bracknell? Here are four main factors you should check before your lay down your hard-earned cash.
The XS available in Bracknell took 21.7s and 25.4s to read and write our 650GB file but, again, the Maxtor was a more consistent performer, taking 22.1s and 22.7s to complete the same tests. Performance when reading and writing our 1.5GB file was also patchy: the Freecom was almost half a second quicker when reading the file, but four seconds slower when writing it.
Dell Studio One 19 may lack the 24in full-HD display of the XPS One 24, but this smaller all-in-one has a gimmick to compensate: a 19in capacitive touchscreen with specially designed interface to match. Read on to learn more about the product in the martket in Bracknell.
Unless gaming on a strict budget is your top priority, the AdvanceTec is outclassed in most regards: the Cyberpower is similar but far cheaper and the Mesh a better overall package, aside from the GPU. Read on to learn more about the product in the market in Bracknell.
Acer Aspire Revo R3600 pairs an 1.6GHz Atom 230 with Nvidia's GeForce 9400M graphics, resulting in a far more capable core specification than the Asus Eee Box. Read on the following article to learn more about the product in Bracknell.
Is your monitor giving you tunnel vision? We put 6 TFTs through their paces, looking for a wider horizon. Read on and you'll learn more.
Whatever cute photos or widgets you stick on a computer desktop to spice things up, nothing can change the fact that it's still a very limited flat area that pales beside a real, physical workspace.
Techniques for displaying 3D images date back over 100 years, when graphics was a field which had more in common with magic and optical illusions than technology and silicon. While graphics today is altogether more serious, with geometry shaders replacing the kaleidoscope, one area of graphics is still a niche activity: conveying a 3D image that looks three dimensional.
From the outside, the CS-188AF looks decidedly interesting for a budget case. The front is sleek, with an attractive, well-made door.
The Abit AB9 Pro is one of the oddest motherboards we've seen. Where most would have a third PCI or PCI Express slot, there's an IDE connector and two SATA headers. Another SATA header sits near the CPU socket, but this is a throw-off from the external SATA port you can see on the I/O block.
Nvidia chipsets haven't always been the first choice for low-cost micro-ATX motherboards with integrated graphics, but Abit's I-N73HD shows that there are a few reasons why they could be a good option for a media PC. This Intel LGA775 socket motherboard supports 1,333MHz FSB Core 2 processors, and has precisely the right blend of features for an audio/visual entertainment system.
People who want every performance-enhancing feature that Nvidia has dreamed up for its AM2 boards, such as LinkBoost and SLI memory support, will have to buy a pricey nForce 590 SLI-based motherboard, as these features aren't present on the mid-range nForce 570 SLI chipset.
Acer's Aspire 6920G has a large 3.3kg chassis and so is best suited for desktop use. Basic mobility is possible, but the weight becomes uncomfortable on longer journeys.
As part of Acer's Timeline range, the 4810T makes a good initial impression in Bracknell. Slim and clad in sombre grey plastic, it's a surprisingly good-looking machine for the money.
The Aspire is fully equipped to entertain home users. There's a hybrid TV tuner that benefits from the excellent Acer Arcade software. This will let you browse your media files as well as play back DVDs or schedule TV recordings for recording to the 100GB hard disk. The notebook is also capable of playing modern games, although you'll need to reduce the detail levels to get a smooth frame rate.
The following article provides some detailed information about Acer Aspire 5935G available in Bracknell, including its features and system specifications. Read on to learn more.
After teasing our curiosity over the past couple of weeks, Acer has finally revealed its new range of Blu-ray equipped Aspire Gemstone laptops. The UK launch was a pretty understated affair, and perhaps suitably so, with the restrained styling of the Gemstone Blue range contrasting wonderfully with the gaudy modernity of the Soho Hotel.
Acer takes on the Eee PC with the compact linux-based Aspire One. Sasha Muller finds out if it can replicate the Asus machine's phenomenal success.
Acer Aspire Revo R3600 pairs an 1.6GHz Atom 230 with Nvidia's GeForce 9400M graphics, resulting in a far more capable core specification than the Asus Eee Box. Read on the following article to learn more about the product in Bracknell.
The c530 is more compact than a normal PDA and is closer in size to a smartphone. It also has a 2.8in screen rather than the usual 31/2in.
If you want a projector you can use with the lights on, but you don't want to spend a fortune, the H5350 is a great choice. It's a worthy winner of our Budget Buy award, but don't forget to check that its throw ratio is suitable for your living room.
With the laptop market in rude health, several companies are pushing the boundaries of what can be done on a tight budget. In the past, this might have meant noticeable compromises but, on paper at least, the TravelMate 3273WXMi makes you hunt for the compromises, offering a good specification, excellent screen and comparatively low weight.
The Veriton does have some more business-focussed features elsewhere and squeezes in some intelligent and helpful design. The front of the case might look boring, clad in austere grey and black plastic, but it is well-equipped with a card reader that accepts SM, xD, SD, MMC, MS and CF memory card formats, as well as three USB ports, microphone and headphone sockets.
Acronis' True Image is held up by many as the paragon of backup software design, and it's obvious that StorageCraft subscribes to this view. The applications look very similar, on the surface at least.
Unless gaming on a strict budget is your top priority, the AdvanceTec is outclassed in most regards: the Cyberpower is similar but far cheaper and the Mesh a better overall package, aside from the GPU. Read on to learn more about the product in the market in Bracknell.
The company claims its 5511 is the cheapest Centrino 2 notebook on the market today, and at just £451 (exc VAT), it's not hard to believe it. Predictably, at such a low price, the Advent squeezes in at the bottom end of the specification band that Intel requires from Centrino 2 laptops, with a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7350 processor, an adequate 2GB of RAM and a par-for-the-course 250GB hard disk that gives enough room for most users.
Advent's latest budget laptop only costs around £50 more than many netbooks. The 5612 comes with a 15.4in screen with a 1,280x800 resolution, Windows Vista, a dual-core processor and an optical drive - features not found on any netbook in our last group test.
Although there are two vacant 120mm fan mounts - one at the front and one at the rear - the biggest selling point of the Hi-Tech 7 Pro is the Jupiter-sized 400mm fan on the left side panel.
It's fair to say that reference coolers for graphics cards cut corners in order to keep the overall cost of the card as low as possible.
You might not have considered replacing your graphics card's cooler, but there are several reasons to do just that. The fan on your existing card might be noisy, or it may have failed. Akasa's brand new Vortexx Neo fits most modern cards, including those with GeForce 8800 GT, 8800 GTS, 9600 GT and 9600 GTX processors, plus those based on the Radeon HD 3850 and 3870 chipsets. As long as your card has four mounting holes 53.2mm apart, there's a good chance it will fit. Cards with two graphics processors aren't compatible, though.
The stunning overall score of 231 in our application benchmarks makes Dell's XPS M1730 (What's New, Shopper 242) and M1530 (What's New, Shopper 243) seem slow by comparison, scoring 180 and 170 respectively. This is thanks to the Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000, the first mobile Extreme processor we've seen. It's hugely expensive, though - a £543 upgrade from the base 1.8GHz T7100 processor.
Alienware laptops pop up in unusual places: Lex Luthor in 'Smallville' uses one and the bad guys in '24' use them too. An Alienware laptop seems to be the portable PC of choice for villains.
The Area-51 M9750 is therefore aptly named, as it has an equally impressive secret weapon buried inside its chassis - SLI graphics.
The latest quad-core processor turns up in frighteningly powerful gaming laptop
The Athlon 64 FX 7-series (also known in some circles as the Quad FX platform) arrived too late for last year's CPU Labs megatest.
The first Athlon 64 X2 may have been pipped to the post in the race to be the world's first dual-core x86 CPU by the Pentium Extreme Edition 840, but it was a far more desirable chip, thanks to a good combination of performance, overclocking potential and low heat output.
With Intel's Core architecture grabbing all the headlines, AMD's position as the CPU manufacturer of choice for most enthusiasts is under threat.
The Athlon X2 7850 and 7750 Black Edition are dual-core processors. Like the original Phenoms, they have a 512KB L2 cache per core and a 2MB shared L3 cache. You will find more details about the product in the market in Bracknell if you read on the following article.
The Athlon X2 7850 isn't intended for a high-performance role: it's an unapologetically mid-range processor, with enough power to waltz through everyday tasks. For more information about the product in the CPU market in Bracknell, please read on the following article.
The 9600's four cores run at 2.3GHz, and each has 512KB of L2 cache to play with. The new L3 cache is available to any or all of the cores. Although the chip will work in AM2 motherboards, you'll need an AM2+ board such as MSI's K9A2 (opposite) to get the most out of the Phenom.
It has a similar architecture to the X4 920 available in Bracknell but is also compatible with the smarter AM3 socket. This means it can be used in both DDR3-based AM3 motherboards and DDR2-based AM2/AM2+ boards.
After impressing us with its new quad-core Phenom X4 processors earlier this month, AMD has followed up by finally delivering the industry's first triple-core x86 processors, which it originally promised last September .
At one time, there were more than seven different Semprons from which to choose, but the range has been cut down to just one model - the 3800+. This uses the same Socket AM2 packaging as other AMD CPUs, but has only one physical core, which is clocked at a miserly 2.2GHz.
We've been impressed with Antec's Fusion for several years now. Despite its challengers, the Fusion remains a very good choice. The hi-fi-style volume dial on the front is just one of its great media PC-friendly features.
The Elite-listed Antec P180 midi-tower case (see Issue 32, p86) has always been a favourite of ours, but it's remained reassuringly expensive throughout its lifespan, still costing 100 pounds despite the fact that its replacement, the P190, is imminent. Before the P190 arrives, though, Antec is launching another new case, the Nine Hundred, which comes in at the cheaper price of 71 pounds.