 Chris Goh's "On the Net"
What to look for in a new computer…
When I review computers it usually sparks a response from readers. The responses range from people expressing their own preferences, to the fact that my suggestions may not be available from the dealer.
What you should always keep in mind is to buy a PC for your current needs. Don't buy the fanciest computer just because you think it's going to last you a long time (though if you have too much money, it's probably not an issue...).
If you have a computer, but don't know whether to buy something faster, here are some reasons why you may want to consider:
1) You play a lot of games and you need the greatest and latest to make sure you're still hanging in there.
2) Business applications, particularly anything graphical like desktop publishing, CAD, are slowing down on your current machine (and I don't mean pasting clip art for desktop publishing).
3) Your machine precedes a Pentium 133 or 686.
What you are aiming for as the minimum requirements for an average user is a Pentium 166 or above with 64MB of RAM, a 4GB hard drive, CD-ROM, a decent screen and Windows 98 (now that USB support has improved).
This will keep you going for another 12 months – unless you're a kid who'd find this a bit inadequate for your Mech Warrior.
If you don't have the RAM or hard disk it's an easy upgrade, but if you don't have both and your screen isn't looking too healthy either, it may be cheaper in the long run to purchase a new system.
Although I have to say that in the current climate, it isn't a great time to buy a new computer. Why? The Pentium III is about to be phased out and the Pentium IV is just not up to scratch at the moment – although Microsoft has announced it will tune XP (its new Operating System) to take advantage of Intel's new chip.
The Itanium has begun to enjoy market acceptance, and I believe the next big step for the home PC is a 64-bit processor – although it will take about a year to settle in.
But if you want to buy a computer now, here are some considerations.
On option is a notebook/laptop. For around $2400 you can get a decent notebook with portability and reasonable processing power.
I've given up the desktop race, because I realised the technology gap when you buy a new computer makes upgrading inefficient and having an older laptop is more useful. Plus it keeps its price better than a desktop PC.
If you do buy a notebook, where possible take the extended warranty, because it comes in handy from my experience (with three notebooks). There are a couple of other reasons why I'd recommend a notebook – especially for people who like buying brand names.
The IBM, Compaq and Toshiba notebooks are the best value for money from the brand name companies, especially when compared to the desktop equivalents. But on the down side, notebooks aren't designed for upgrades, and anything but RAM is difficult. If you're not worried about upgrading it once you buy it then notebooks are worth the investment.
Back to the desktop. Look for expandability and avoid PCs with integrated video and sound cards. You'll find integrated motherboards in cheaper models, especially Celeron and Duron. It's worth the extra $50-100 to not have an integrated board – unless you don't plan to upgrade.
The Pentium III 866 is the base model. If you're aiming for a lower end PC, then the Duron has a much better chip than the Intel Celeron.
A 10GB drive is pretty standard nowadays, with ATA100 on the motherboard. Good hard drives include the IBM Desktar series and Western Digital Experts. Seagate, Quantum and Fujitsu are okay.
For video, an AGP card with 16–32MB of RAM is the go. Make sure it has a genuine NVidia Chip. If it's a Geforce, even better.
Now I have a soft spot for AMD's Athlon, because the motherboard it's on is adjustable, including overclocking features (not that I recommend it). The new Athlon 4 has shown that Intel's Pentium IV has a long way to go.
Don't compare MHz (Millions of clock cycles per second) between AMD and Intel. Intel processors may be rated at 200MHz more, but they're outperformed by AMD chips at the lower speeds in real tests.
So for a decent computer, what would you pay? If you get a clone the sort of machine I've described will probably set you back about $1700. You could get one for as low as $1400, or a brand name at around the $2000 mark.
As for a CD-ROM burner, the new range is around $350. They're fantastic – from AOpen and Acer with 10x write. Changing from a 4x burn, I can tell you these drives are heaven. A CD can now be burned in less time than it takes me to finish a cup of coffee and the accuracy is so much better. I haven't had any new CD-ROM coasters since installing the new drive.
Next week, I'll take a peek at Arthur C Clarke's new computer. The 85-year-old visionary and author of 2001 Space Odyssey has put his weight behind a new computer system. Spookily, it's called HAL.
And why do I always end up laughing when I hear the term ‘artificial intelligence'?
Hotnews
Raphael Gray, the English teenage hacker who used Bill Gates' credit card details to purchase and send him a bottle of Viagra, was found guilty of fraud last week. Raphael posted credit card numbers on his website to show how easy it was to obtain them from numerous databases. It also cost both Visa and Mastercard around $3 million. The lad has been sent for psychiatric treatment and has a job when he comes out. You would think at 19 with a criminal conviction it would be hard to find a job.
Five months ago a computer glitch wiped out all of Fiji's financial records for the last fiscal year. Fiji's Finance Ministry has only just admitted the problem. I suppose that's one way of wiping off foreign debt.
In a surprising joint venture, Telstra and Coca Cola have been trialing new soft drink vending machines at Central railway station in Sydney. When thirsty mobile phone users ring the number of the vending machine, it releases a can of soft drink and the $2 cost is charged to the phone account. It's been such a success, that Coca Cola and Telstra are planning to place more machines at other stations.
Apple's G4 Cube with its innovative design but bad ventilation (especially if you had a messy desk) has been taken off the market. Apple cited low sales as the reason.
Hotsites
wwww.allaboutjazz.com/
If you're a jazz lover, you'll appreciate this site. And if you just want to learn more about jazz, it provides a good education – with a large listing of artist biographies and timelines.
www.thenationalparkportal.com/
The National Parks Portals has a comprehensive list of the world's national parks, though you have to dig in to find the one you want.
www.graysonline.com.au
Grays recently hosted the OneTel auction. And while it was a normal auction, the catalogue was available online, and Grays are also holding a growing number of online auctions.
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