PC World February 2003
- — 15 January, 2003 09:58
COVER STORY
Cheap Champs: Great gear for next to nothing
A really compact drive? A supersmart mouse? Here are 12 PC accessories to please your inner geek — all terrific, and starting at just $25. From the loads of inexpensive accessories for desktop PCs, notebooks, and PDAs on the market, we selected some favourites that make computing easier and more productive.
FEATURES
Web & you: World class sites
Getting ready for a new school year? Get online! Kids of all ages (and adults) will find a wealth of education-focused information on these sites. We break them down by the age they’re aimed at, and also offer some super search tips so you don’t waste your time sorting through the irrelevant stuff.Faster for free: Get more from your megahertz
These slick tips and tools are like a no-cost PC upgrade. Windows is full of settings and utilities that, if properly applied, can boost your system’s performance without costing you a cent. And the Internet is chock-full of free and inexpensive utilities that can help you squeeze a little more juice from your system.Ready to serve: Server buying guide
They may not be the hottest item on the technology list, but servers are an essential part of an office or expanding home network. This month, PC World offers some advice for choosing the right server for your setup.Full exposure: Top 10 digital cameras
Grab your shades, because the future looks bright for digital camera enthusiasts. Bigger features, smaller prices — whether you’re a special-occasion snapshooter or a serious shutterbug, you can find a new camera with your name on it.Pocket power: Storage to go
Who says size matters? Portable storage devices may be tiny, but they pack plenty of megabytes. There’s a whole world of pocket-sized storage with plenty of capacity, and this month we explain the different options and help you decide which is best for you.
FIRST LOOKS
Hardware
O2 Xda
Vcomm Data Power Link, Adaptec VideOh DVD
Iomega HDD 120GB, Creative MegaWorks THX 5.1 550
Minolta-QMS Magicolor 2300, HP Color LaserJet 2500L
iRiver iFP-180TSoftware
PartitionMagic 8.0
McAfee Firewall 4.0 (2003), Norton Personal Firewall 2003
Norton Ghost 2003, Virtual PC for Windows 5.0
Cubase SXQuick Takes
HARDWARE: Electrovaya PowerPad 160, LaCis Big Disk, ViewSonic Wireless Smart Displays, VIA Mini-ITX Motherboard range, Swann PenCam, Teleadapt SIMbackup, Vibrant VL5A9DL 15in LCD, Freecom Beatman Flash MP3 Player;
SOFTWARE: InterVideo WinDVD Recorder, Canopus Imaginate, Diskeeper 7.0
HERE’S HOW
IN DEPTH: Custom PC modification
WINDOWS XP HOME: Home networking
WINDOWS XP PRO: Move settings and data to a new PC
MAC OS: Using OS X 10.2’s Mail application
LINUX: Help is at hand
AUDIO: Get DOS sound under NT, 2000 and XP
GRAPHICS: Photos for TV and DV
HTML: The fine detail of images
PHP: Objects and PHP: Part II
DIGITAL VIDEO: Working with DivX
HELP SCREEN
BEST BUYS
Tech.Files
A matter of sizeSweet Spot
CPUs
Graphics cards
Motherboards
System RAM
Optical drives
Hard drivesPCs: Over $4000
Dell Dimension 8250
Australia IT AIT T5 Series
Metalbox Systems BeF
Altech Computers Blue Hurricane
Plus Corporation Argon T17
Plus Corporation Dezign I23
Xenon Systems Nitro 855PCs: $2001-$4000
PC Direct Grunt Master
Trinity International Computers P4 Deluxe Home Pack
Infocom Infomod
Infocom Gaming Beast
Australia IT AIT M2 Series
Acer Veriton 7200D
Plus Corporation Stealth G14
Peripherals Plus Athlon MP1900+
PC Direct Elite MBSPCs: Sub-$2000
PC Direct Home Entertainment
Trinity International Computers P4 Home Pack
Infocom Multimedia PC
Plus Corporation Inteq R27
Altech Computers Silver Raid
AcerPower Sd
Altech Computers Viper XP 2200+
Altech Computers Viper XP 1900+
Altech Computers Sputnik Pro
CWS QuamPro 5007Notebooks: OVER $6000
Dell Precision M50Notebooks: $3001-$6000
Dell Inspiron 8200
IBM ThinkPad T30
Hi-Grade Notino R5400
Sony Vaio PCG-GRX5P
Toshiba Satellite 5110
Toshiba Satellite 2410
Compaq Evo N1000cNotebooks: Sub-$3000
Twinhead Efio 2617
Toshiba Satellite 1410
AOpen 1846
Targa Traveller M1
Twinhead Efio 2312
Hi-Grade Notino 4400
IBM ThinkPad R31
DEPARTMENTS
- EDITORIAL
- NEWS
- LINUXWORLD.COM.AU
- READERS’ FORUM Plus Dilbert
- BACKBYTES: Book Review, Skills, Web Review, Gadgets and Gizmos, Games, Bytesback
- ADVERTISERS INDEX
