The computing relics unearthed in the PC Pro Labs

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

The PC Pro Lab is a dark, dingy place full of cardboard boxes, benchmarks and more motherboards, processors and PCs than we care to count, but it’s also home to a variety of kit that’s slipped through the net –  some of it even dating back to before PC Pro launched in 1994.

From iconic machines like the IBM PC to the silliness of Sony’s £1,190 netbook, we’ve scoured the darkest corners and blown dust off some of the oldest, oddest and rarest kit we can find – starting with a true icon of the industry. (more…)

Ultimate PCs (part two): £400 speakers, keyboards with fans and a triple-screen PC

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

This month’s Ultimate PC Labs has been an exercise in excess, as Monday’s picture preview demonstrated, and today’s selection of pictures doesn’t let the side down.

They’re from some of the systems not featured in our first post, and come with a range of features designed to whet appetites and empty wallets. All have at least two graphics cards, some have bespoke water-cooling systems, and there’s even one that’s been designed with input from BMW. And that’s before we’ve got to keyboards that have their own cooling fans. (more…)

Ultimate PCs (part one): water-cooling, dual-graphics and more

Monday, August 8th, 2011

It’s been two years since an Ultimate PC group test found its way into the pages of PC Pro, and this year’s selection showed exactly what we’ve been missing. Seven systems arrived to fight for the title and, with every single one boasting an overclocked processor and dual graphics, we knew we were in for a fierce battle before we’d even unpacked.

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The 8-bit computer that’s been built by hand

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Us tech folk take pride in building our own computers, but these days it’s easy, isn’t it? As long as you’ve got a motherboard with the right socket and the right type of memory, you’re good to go: lock down the processor, snap in the RAM, pop in the graphics card and plug in the hard disk. Voila, a computer.

Not everyone follows this traditional route, though. Programming enthusiast Jack Eisenmann has constructed his own PC from scratch using TTL chips and, presumably, plenty of patience. (more…)

Glossy vs matte screens: why the PC industry’s out of touch

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

The following charts neatly encapsulate exactly how out of touch the PC industry is on the issue of glossy vs matte screens.

We asked PC Pro readers which type of screen they prefer. They answered as follows:

And this is the type of screen used on the nine ultra-value laptops from our recent Labs in issue 200:

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A letter on behalf of the world’s PC fixers

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

I was going to contribute to Stewart Mitchell’s request for horror stories about computer repair people; then I was completely diverted by a panic phone call from an old friend, which helped me to realise that I was far more of a repairer than a customer of repairers.

That 72 hours of raw-edged panic was quite enough for me to focus on the sins of those who come and ask for help, which can be every bit as difficult as the sins of the fixers. So pardon me while I abuse the Pro blogs to let my friend know how I felt about her approach to the whole sorry matter.

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Are PC stickers really on their way out?

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Listeners of this week’s PC Pro podcast will know that we devoted a good few minutes to the seemingly trivial topic of PC stickers – those “Intel Inside” or “Powered by Windows” labels that are cemented to the wrist rest of the average laptop.

The conversation was triggered by my spontaneous thought that one of the reasons AMD might only now have decided to ditch the ATI brand was because it could suddenly get away with slapping AMD stickers on new laptops.

Let me explain: companies such as Intel and Microsoft pay PC manufacturers to have those stubborn little stickers welded to their machines. It struck me that the big, bad Intel of yesteryear – the one that was paying PC manufacturers to ignore AMD processors – wouldn’t have been too chuffed to see AMD stickers appearing alongside its own, and may have threatened to pull those payments if PC manufacturers sidled up to the enemy. (I stress this is merely a theory; I have no evidence that Intel ever threatened to do anything of the sort. But it wouldn’t be entirely out of character.)

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How to connect your PC to your hi-fi

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

It appears there’s some confusion, even among a few of my colleagues, about audio and PC speakers and amplifiers and stuff like that. Specifically, whether you can plug a PC into normal stereo speakers, whether it will work if you do and how to do it. We’ll start with a few simple facts in handy question-and-answer format.

Can I use normal living-room stereo speakers with my PC?

Probably not directly, but essentially yes. There’s no fundamental difference between PC speakers and normal speakers, except that PC speakers have a built-in amplifier. To use standard hi-fi stereo speakers you just need an amplifier to drive them. So, either get yourself a separate hi-fi amp and speakers, or take the cheap option and plug your PC into the stereo in the living room.

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A hidden hazard of eBay

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

A few days ago, this arrived for me. It’s my £250 Challenge PC, as packaged up by the seller and delivered to me by Parcelforce.

If you look closely (click on the picture for a larger view), you may notice that it didn’t actually arrive in pristine condition. The box was clearly battered and crushed in transit, developing a big split up the side through which the contents could easily have fallen out. (more…)

My pre-built PC: The final shortlist

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

I’ve trawled the internet for bargains, customised more online PCs than I can count and consistently found the same few components to be most suited to my £250 price limit. I’m now left with the final decision: from a shortlist of three, which system offers the best return for my budget?

Option 1:

Asus’s little Eee Box PC is limited in its everyday functions due to the Atom inside, and on the optical front it doesn’t even stretch to a CD-ROM drive, but it does have its merits. For a start it’s tiny, quiet and consumes little power when on. It looks good, will fit snugly into any nook or cranny of a desk, and the cheapest I could find it in stock was £245.94 including VAT and delivery – within my budget.

• 1.6GHz Atom N270, 1GB DDR2
• 160GB hard disk
• Windows XP Home

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