Firstly lets learn what’s the difference between the two cards:

• Internal TV Tuner card: These are PCI based cards, which are inserted in a free PCI slot of your motherboard. After inserting the card, you’ll need to install its driver and software which is provided in the CD. So now you can start enjoying the TV on the Computer. Some functionalities offered by internal TV tuner card are recording, schedule recording, timeshift, snapshot capture, remote, FM radio, etc. The minus point of these tv tuner cars is that you’ll need to wait for the Windows to load and then start the software. Below is a picture of internal tv tuner card.

• External TV Tuner card: These are tv tuner which sit on the table, maybe beside monitor or speakers. You don’t need to insert them in the CPU. Just place it near monitor, connect all the wires to it and then just ON the adapter which came with that card and start enjoying the TV. You’ll need to connect the monitor’s cable to this TV Tuner first, and then it goes to the CPU. Other connections are speakers, adapter and TV cable. So connect all these and then you can start viewing TV without even loading Windows. This will also save the electricity. It also comes with remote, just like internal cards. The only minus point that I can see in external TV tuner cards is that you can’t record TV and capture snapshots. If you are thinking to buy this then look out for tv tuner card that has 1680 x 1050 resolution. Below is a picture of external TV Tuner card.

So now I think it must be clear that what’s the main difference between these two. If you are confused now also which one to buy then ask yourself, do you want to record TV, capture snapshots, if yes then go for internal tv tuner card and if you think that you won’t be recording TV and don’t want to wait for Windows to load everytime then go for external one. Its that simple.

Viewsonic, a leading provider of Monitor announced that it will be launching its VX2739wm, World’s first 27″ monitor with 1 ms response time.

Sean Gunduz, senior product manager of Viewsonic said “”We have been in the monitor business for more than 20 years, and every day we continue to innovate and push the limits of what is possible. We are proud to announce that our new VX2739wm is the world’s first and only 27″ 1080p entertainment monitor to offer a 1ms response time. This is truly an industry-leading display experience.”

This sexy beast has a resolution of 1920 x 1080, 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and also has inbuilt SRS premium sound speakers. This monitor is ideal for gamers and movie bluffs. Ofcourse it will also have HDMI, VGA, DVI, and a 4 port USB Hub. This one also has a Eco mode feature and through this you can save up to 35 % of electricity. Neat feature I would say.

Its available for pre order but the sad part is it will cost you some $349 and now you can order it from online stores like Amazon, Newegg and PCMall.com. Commercial availability will start from May 6. So what are you thinking, its a 27″ LCD, wanna game or see a movie ?

Netbooks are the latest buzzword. Nowadays who don’t know what a Netbook is. Its becoming the talk of the town because it’s affordable, small in size, longer battery life, light weight, etc. So there are many plus points of Netbooks, but one must think before buying a Netbook, is it for him ? Should you buy a Netbook or a Notebook. So don’t get confused read on to find what to look out for in a Netbook and is it for you or not.

Processor:

Netbooks contain Intel’s Atom Processor. The plus point of this processor is that it consumes less battery. Its a very power efficient processor and therefore some Netbooks  claim to run 7 Hours non stop. Mind it that no laptop or Notebook can run for 7 Hours, therefore Netbooks have this huge advantage of extended battery life. Typically a Netbook has Atom N450 processor. Some may even have Atom N280.

Hard Disk:

Mostly all netbook comes with 160 GB hard disk and some may even have 250 GB. And they are having 5400 RPM. So look for a minimum 160 GB hard disk.

RAM:

Again here also, Netbooks have 1 GB DDR2 RAM. And if you want then you can insert one more GB of RAM.

Graphics:

You won’t be playing games in a Netbook, so don’t expect wonders here. They have integrated graphics like Intel GMA 950.

Display:

The minimum display size should be 10.1″. Don’t buy one which is having a 7″ screen size, they are old and passe. The resolution would be 1024 x 600 and they are LED backlit. 10.1″ is the minimum screen screen which you should buy.

Battery:

The standard battery which comes is the 6 cell lithium ion battery.

Other things to look out for:

Some other important things to look out for are Microphone, Webcam, Ethernet port, Wifi, Bluetooth, Card reader, Genuine OS like Windows XP SP3 or Windows 7 Starter Edition.

Future:

Nvidia has also launched ion based chipset which will be good for playing HD in a netbook. Also in future, Intel is going to release Dual core Atom processors. We can expect new and new innovations in Netbook market in the coming time. However if you are planning to buy right now then Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and Samsung N140 are some good choices which you can choose from.

Let’s start by seeing the Technical Specifications of Dell Inspiron 1564:

Processor: Core i3 – 330M (3MB Cache, 2.13 GHz)
OS: Windows 7 Home Basic Genuine (64 bit)
Display: 15.6″ WLED (Resolution: 1366 x 768)
Optical drive: 8X CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
RAM: 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1 x 2GB)
Hard drive: 250 GB, 5400 RPM
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
Sound: High Definition Audio 2.0
Wireless: Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card
Battery: Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
Network card: Integrated 10/100 Network Card
Camera: 1.3 Mega Pixel Webcam (With facial recognition)
Microphone
Bluetooth
HDMI + VGA
3 USB Ports
Memory card reader
Full Size Keyboard

Core i3 Processor details:

Launched on January 2010
Codenamed: Arrandale
Cache: 3 MB L3 Cache
Socket: mPGA-989
Manufacturing process: 32 NM

Performance:

It’s core i3 so you can expect good performance from this laptop. It’s very good for normal home and office use. Tried running Internet Explorer with 6 tabs, msic playback and a movie, this laptop can surely handle this all with no problem. Also the inbuilt IGP is capable of running Full HD movies without any problem. When tested by running Need for Speed: Carbon, the game didn’t ran too well. The game was running with the smallest resolution and was also centered. So you can say that this laptop is not meant for gaming, but it can run some old games. The heat vent is in the left hand side and sometimes it throws out really hot air, so never try to block this heat vent. The keys sometimes become somewhat hot but then again this happens in mostly all laptops, so it’s normal. Wi-Fi reception is also very well, and never faced any problem in the reception.

Colors:

It’s Dell, therefore you can customize the configuration and color also. The color choice includes Obsidian Black,  Passion Purple, Ice Blue, Promise Pink and Cherry Red.

Screenshot of CPU-Z:

Battery:

Total battery running time is approximately 2 Hours and 45 Minutes (Tested by running Internet and Microsoft Office).

Display:

This baby rocks in this regard also. It has a resolution of 1366 x 768, which is a HD (720P) resolution. Watching HD videos is a pure pleasure, it’s crisp and clear.

Price:

This is where this Dell Inspiron 1564 hits the sweet spot. It’s price in India is 32,799 Rs (Which includes all taxes and delivery charges). Again I should say it’s very reasonalby priced.

Included in the system:

• 5 Disks (Which includes application install CDs and Windows 7 Reinstallation DVD)
• Charger
• User Manual

Pros:

• Core i3
• Gorgeous looks
• HDMI
• Full size keyboard
• Fantastic price

Cons:

• Prone to finger prints
• Small arrow keys
• Windows 7 Home basic is just too basic (No aero effects)
• No e-SATA
• No Wireless N draft

Conclusion:

This small baby can handle it all, just try throwing everything. But again I would like to say that it’s not meant for gaming. But it can handle Full High Definition movies very well without any problem. It’s the best bang for money laptop. This laptop would be a great buy if Dell coupled this with 3 GB DDR3 RAM and 320 GB hard disk. If you are thinking to buy a new laptop with good performance then this one for you.

Are you in a search for a budget Quad Core Processor? Then your search ends here. AMD Athlon II X4 620 is here to your rescue. This is the first Quad Core Processor which is under 100 $. AMD is truly listening to budget conscious customers. But does it really perform well, is it worth buying, lets do a short review.

So now lets take a look at Athlon II X4 620′s technical specifications:

Codename: Propus

Cores: Quad (4 cores)

Series: Athlon II X4

Operating Frequency: 2.6 GHz

Hyper Transport: 4000 MHz

L2 Cache: 4 x 512 KB

Manufacturing Technology: 45 nm

Virtualization Support: Yes

64 bit: Yes

Thermal design Power: 95 W

Socket: AM3

By looking at the specifications, you must have noted that it does not have L3 cache. The lack of L3 cache shows the main difference between the Athlon II and Phenom II processors.Also the clock speeds are less in Athlon II processors.

Athlon II X4 620 has four cores, each having 512 KB L2 cache. It supports 64 bit Operating system. So you can install your 64 bit OS on this without thinking. If you are thinking to insert this in an AM2+ motherboard then BIOS upgrade is necessary. But if you are buying a new motherboard better buy a new AM3 motherboard in which you can insert DDR3 RAM. But just take a note here that there are motherboards in the market which even support DDR2 RAM. So refrain from buying DDR2 RAM based boards if you are buying this processor.

Pricing: This processor is really a great VFM (Value for Money). Yes, its priced $99 on newegg and I think in this price range, its a deal breaker. AMD fans rejoice here. If you are in India, you can find this processor for Rs 5000. Now lets see its Pros & Cons.

Pros:

• Quad Core
• Virtualization & 64 bit computing support
• Low power consumption, compared to other Quad core processors

Cons:

• No L3 Cache

Conclusion:

AMD Athlon II X4 620 is not a speed breaker. It performs well with applications optimized for multi core architecture. So it certainly performs well, but don’t expect wonders with this processor. If you compare a Core 2 Duo with some high clock speeds, then that is certainly a better choice, as for now many applications are optimized for Dual Core architecture and not multi core architecture. Mostly Games are not optimized for multi core architecture, so they fail to utilize all four cores of this processor. Afterall, what can you expect from a $ 100 processor, but I am saying this, expect more :) So if your budget is very limited, then buy this, without thinking twice, you won’t regret.

So after inquiring at some places and dealers, I found 3 power supplies worthy to purchase under 2.5k budget. First one was Gigabyte Superb 450w. This was not available at my place. Actually this is a 400 w SMPS and I didn’t found some good reviews even after searching much on Google. I did found just one review & therefore this was out of my list. Next comes Zebronics power supplies. I am talking about the “Pro” series in Zebronics. But then again this was not available locally. So finally I settled for not much known brand and that is “VIP”. And I bought this VIP Gold 500W PSU and thought I would do a review for budget conscious buyers.

The local dealers insisted much to me to buy this power supply. So I thought to try this out. Below is the screenshot:

Yes, its all GOLD. After opening the box you’ll just see the GOLD color. Mostly power supplies are in silver color, but this one is according to its model number. Also notice this fan (120 mm). This is a huge fan, and after inserting this in your cabinet, you’ll notice that this fan will point towards the motherboard. At the back side there is just a power socket, to insert your power cable. My previous power supply had its fan at the back side. But this one has a fan which will point downwards.

Expandability wise, this power supply is very good. It has following connectors:

1 x 20+4 Pin motherboard connector

1 x 4+4 Pin +12 V CPU connector

1 x 6 Pin PCI – Express connector (For graphic cards)

4 x SATA Power connectors

2 x Hard disk connectors

And ofcourse a power cord. Some another features written on its box are, high efficiency, low noise, short circuit protection, etc. I doubt whether to believe all this or not.

If you are thinking to buy a graphic card then this 6 pin PCI-E power connector will come to the rescue. You can be future proof if you buy this. But some high end graphic cards needs two PCI E connectors, so take that also into consideration. Till now this power supply is working very smoothly, I have installed it before two days. And it is also very silent. I have not installed any graphic card yet, but I will in the near future.

Pros:

• Really a great VFM(value for money) power supply
• Very silent
• PCI Express connector
• Many power connectors

Cons:

• Only 3 years warranty as opposed to some other companies which has 5 years warranty.
• Only One PCI E connector

Final thoughts & Conclusion:

I’ve got this power supply for 2200 Rs. So I think its really a great VFM product. It has only 3 years warranty, whereas some companies offer 5 years warranty, but then what can you expect in a so tight budget. So those on a really tight budget can go for this power supply.

The prices include all the taxes. However, the prices may differ, depending on your State. So check out the latest Indian Computer Hardware prices by clicking  here.

Some of the features to consider before buying a hard disk dock are:

• Should be compatible to any 2.5” or 3.5” SATA I/II Hard Drive.
• Should be compatible with different Operating Systems. (Mostly they are, because they have USB interfaces)
• eSATA interface
• Package should contain USB cable, User manual, Power adapter, etc
• If the package contains SATA to eSATA Bracket, then that would be a plus point.

Now lets take a look at Vantec hard disk dock. A quote from its website

The Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock is a complete and easy way to add or swap hard drives to your computer. It gives you the flexibility of connecting any SATA I/II hard drive to your computer via USB 2.0 or eSATA connection without opening up your computer case or installing into an enclosure. Simply just insert any 2.5” or 3.5” SATA I/II hard drive into the NexStar Hard Drive Dock and you are ready to transfer, copy, or backup files.

Inserting the hard disk is simple. You just insert your hard disk with the connectors facing downwards. And then connect the power adapter and the USB / eSATA cable. Thats it, you’re ready to use your new massive hard disk. Its that simple.

Do note that you can’t insert PATA hard disks in this dock. Ofcourse nowadays, you cant even find PATA hard disks, but if you are thinking to buy this dock, just to connect your old PATA hard disk, then dont buy this dock. You will be able to connect your SATA hard disks without any problem.

This Vantec Hard drive dock has a blue hard disk activity light , it will glow when you will transfer your files or when the hard disk is being used. This is a very good plug and play device. Now you dont have to insert the hard disk by opening your cabinet, just use this dock. And yes, the transfer rate of eSATA is also very fast. I recommend to use eSATA interface only, as this interface is very fast, compared to USB. Thats it, enjoy your new storage device and keep expanding your data, afterall thats what we all do :)