This box comes provided with a 1.6GHz single core AMD Athlon 2560e 512K, your option of Vista or XP (the chosen OS was XP), 16x DVD Burner, 1GB 800MHz DD2 RAM, 160GB 7200rpm HDD, nVidia GeForce 6150 SE Integrated video, and 1-year warranty with in-home service.

If you order this box with absolutely no options that add additional cost, the price is $249, however bear in mind there are taxes shipping charges.

Being that most people will understand how this box would work as far as speed and performance are concerned, I’m going to concentrate on setup questions instead.

How much bundled crap is in the OS?

Surprisingly little. There was a Windows Live toolbar installed in the IE browser which was annoying but easy enough to get rid of.

There were a bunch of Windows Live Essentials stuff as well, also easy to uninstall.

Trial-ware was only limited to a McAfee 30-day subscription, which I uninstalled for the freely available AVG instead.

Other than that there were a few Dell-specific support programs, and those were uninstalled as well.

Usually it’s the case where you spend hours uninstalling all this crap. But in this instance it took about 20 minutes which included a few reboots.

Does it comes with A Windows CD?

No. Dell, like many other PC manufacturers, do not provide an OS disc with lower-end models. Unfortunately this is par for the course no matter who you buy from. I wish it wasn’t.

How long does it take to upgrade?

The first thing to do with any new PC with Windows after you’ve uninstalled the crap is to run Windows Update. This is a long, tedious process, but fortunately since the OS had SP3 on it already it saved some time.

Additionally, with XP you do have to run Windows Update at least four times on a brand new OS install. The first time installs the WGA stuff, the second time is for all the critical updates, the third time is for the newest software (IE 8, Windows Media Player 11), the fourth time for critical updates to those software titles. The longest was the second.

Total time patching/upgrading was about 3 hours. It would have been faster save for the fact my father has a very basic broadband internet plan that slowed things down a bit.

How loud is it?

You can barely hear this thing running. In fact I had to specifically look at the HDD light to know if the drive was being accessed or not. It is whisper quiet.

How is the keyboard?

Very good. Dell does provide some of the best standard keyboards with their PCs.

How is the mouse?

Terrible. It’s basic, all black (and I mean all black - there’s not any other color on the entire mouse), feels odd in the hand and the software mouse options allow for almost no wheel-click control whatsoever. I had to use my father’s old Logitech optical mouse which does have those options with the MouseWare software. This wasn’t a big deal since he was used to it already.

Tip: If you have a Logitech mouse and want all the options available for it, just download the control software from here. If a Microsoft mouse, you want the IntelliPoint software (which also works perfect on Windows Vista and 7 by the way.)

How much does it weigh?

Not much. This box looks a lot heavier than it actually is.

How loud is the optical drive?

Surprisingly the DVD burner drive is very quiet. You can hear it but thankfully it doesn’t make an annoying racket when in operation.

One complaint: When the tray is open, the button to close it is blocked. You can push the drive tray closed, but nevertheless this is a design flaw.

How are the ports set up?

Four USB ports in the front mounted mid-height on the tower. Very, very convenient. This works out very nicely whether you have the box on a desk or on the floor. There are four USB ports in the back also. In front, the USB ports are horizontal 2×2. In rear, vertical 2×2.

The audio ports in rear are very plainly marked and color coded as is the video port (which is VGA by the way) and the network port.

This is a stark contrast to the way Dell boxes used to be. The user-friendly nature shows throughout. No, it’s obviously not a Mac, but this is light years better than the way yesteryear Dell boxes were.

How is the case construction?

Solid. It doesn’t feel cheap even though it is a cheap box. Even the power button feels solid.

Is it worth the cash?

I’d have to say yes. This is the lowest-priced offering and what you get is fair for the price.

This box is upgradeable, however most who would buy it probably wouldn’t do more than add in more RAM, possibly another hard drive and not much else.

There’s also a 3½ and a 5¼ bay free. You could stick one of those 13-in-1 card readers in the 3½ and whatever else you’d want in the 5¼.

Bonus: The 5¼ bay has a flap-style door in front of it, so no matter what drive you install, the box will retain it’s look. For example, if you want to add in another DVD burner, you can completely disregard the color as when it’s closed the drive is hidden by the flap. In other words, if the white drive is cheaper than the black one, go for it because it will be hidden when not in use.

What would happen if you added in some options?

The only upgrade worth getting on purchase is the AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core CPU. All other options would be cheaper to buy and install yourself.

If you tack on the best CPU available for this particular model (the X2 5600), it adds $90 to the price. However there are two others besides that which are lower, that being the X2 5000 ($60) and the X2 4450E ($30). The X2 5000 with Windows XP or (or Windows 7 later) is more than fast enough with that and 2 or 4GB RAM for daily computing purposes.

Final notes

For those wondering if this is a slim model, no it isn’t. That would be the 531s, with ’s’ for slim. I’m happy to report that the 531 is a regular mini-tower, as in the kind that’s easy to work on if you want to add things into it.

With XP this is a very good day-to-day machine. With Windows 7 it would work well also.

Just remember that this box is not meant to be a tower of power. If that’s what you’re looking for, see other models besides this one. But if you want to stay basic and cheap, it’s tough to beat the Inspiron 531.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Since there is inherently nothing exciting about USB flash drives, some companies have devised ways to make them interesting. One such company is FlashDealer.com, a producer of custom USB drives.

Now, there are many companies out there who do custom flash drives. I’ve looked into them myself, in fact, with an idea of potentially selling PCMech branded USB drives to you, my readers. Logo-imprinted drives are easy to come by. What makes FlashDealer.com interesting is because they do completely custom drives. So custom, in fact, that they must have a little army of elves in the north pole producing these things by hand.

That picture to the right is actually a USB flash drive, configured to look like a fire extinguisher. If you look on their website, they have drives configured to look like Kit-Kat bars, UPS trucks, even beer bottles.

This kind of thing probably wouldn’t be worth it for a consumer, however business owners could potentially use this type of product for promotional reasons. Like I said, I’ve thought about doing it for PCMech (and still might at some point).

Kudos to companies who make a boring product creative.

NOTE: This writeup is a sponsored post.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

According to this article, this will be introduced in the fall and set you back $399.

To be honest, I’m left scratching my head wondering how this product could be useful to anybody. I mean, yeah, browsing the internet on the printer itself, finding what you want to print, then printing it sounds cool.. but I think this printer is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.

Is HP trying to say you don’t need a computer, just your printer? Well, that obviously won’t work. People aren’t going to throw out their PCs in favor of a 4.33-inch touch screen with limited capabilities.

I do not see a legitimate home use for this, but I could see this for use in public places like libraries, coffee shops, airport terminals and so on. In environments such as those, yes this printer would serve itself well. If one of these were outfitted with a small meter where you could drop coins in (say $1.00 for 5 minutes), in public service this would work great. It would be like having a super-small FedEx Kinko’s or UPS Store all in a neat little box. After all, it not only prints, but faxes, copies and scans too.

But in the home? I just can’t see anybody going for it. That is unless I’m totally missing the point of what this printer is about?

Would you buy this thing for use in the home? And if so, why? Or why not? I’ve love to know.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

You have seven basic options for mounting tech in a car:

1. Proprietary in-dash
2. Semi-proprietary in-dash
3. In-mirror
4. Gooseneck/Bracket
5. Suction mount to adhesive plate
6. Suction mount to glass
7. Friction mount (a.k.a. "bean bag" mount)

Here’s each one of these in detail.

Proprietary in-dash

This is any tech you buy that is specifically made for in-dash use and the most expensive of the bunch. Ordinarily you’re going to spend at least $400 (installation not included) for one of these setups. Better ones have a DVD player, GPS and options to pair to your phone via Bluetooth.

The major problem with tech of this type is that it suffers from the "last in line" curse. Any tech that is current now (such as on Blackberries and iPhones) won’t be available in the in-dash units until a year or two later. And by that time the tech is already obsolete.

Semi-proprietary in-dash

The difference between this and the fully proprietary in-dash setups is that certain pieces can be taken out and used elsewhere. The one seen above has a 4.3-inch TomTom GPS device that can be removed by a simple click-in/click-out (which means it can also be upgraded easily, avoiding some of the last-in-line curse). It also has a ton of other features. If I were searching for an in-dash solution, I would take this over the fully proprietary any day.

 In-mirror

A rear-view mirror that’s a touchscreen monitor? Believe it. The operating system is Windows CE and there are mounting brackets for Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Ford, Mazda and Chevrolet.

To note: These are not easy to acquire and are usually reserved for builders who buy 100 of them at a time. We’ll see tech like this become more readily available for consumers as time goes on, possibly in the form of a super-thin OLED screen that "sticks" to your mirror without having to swap it out.

 Gooseneck mount

Mounts of this type can either be held in place via a suction to the glass or drilled into the floor. You will either love or hate the gooseneck.

Suction mount to adhesive plate

This is the most convenient option for most people. Automotive GPS makers have got this down pat. For example, when you buy a Garmin GPS, it comes with a plate with adhesive that you can stick to the dashboard. Then you mount the GPS to it with its suction mount. Works well and is certainly better than putting it on the glass.

Suction mount to glass

Whether it’s a gooseneck or other type of mount, suction mounting to glass is an imperfect solution at best, mainly due to the fact it can "take a dive" without warning.

  Friction mount (the "bean bag")

This mount setup sits anywhere and has rubber padding under it to prevent sliding from all over the place.

Which is best for you?

For those who are cheap: Suction mount to glass. Readily available, easy install.

For those who have odd-shaped devices: Gooseneck with adjustable bracket. Ham radio guys have been doing this forever, because a mobile ICOM isn’t the same size as a Kenwood isn’t the same size as a Yaesu, etc.

BONUS TIP for hams: Consider using a gooseneck floor mount that attaches to the passenger seat bolt. No drilling necessary. Takes minutes to install. Cheap and rock-solid. Looks good, too.

For those that want the easiest to use: Use the friction mount. It can be moved from car to car easily and moved anywhere you like at whim. Bear in mind friction mounts come for a variety of different mobile devices including almost all cell phones.

For those that don’t like friction mounts: Use a suction mount to a plate. This is what I use personally because the bean bag liked to jump around when going over things like bumpy railroad tracks - even at slow speed.

For those that like to show off: Use the in-mirror (assuming you can even get one) or in-dash. But remember that this is a very permanent thing. All the rest can be moved from car to car, but not this method. Not easily, anyway. Once it’s in there, it’s really in there if you catch my meaning.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

I started using this recently on my computer stuff at home, replacing my old power strip, and now I can easily shut power off completely to my modem, router, speakers, printer and monitor while leaving power to my computer. This cuts down on my ‘vampire’ power usage while not being a hastle at all. I was previously unplugging my power strip from the wall at night (since the strip isn’t easy to reach), but this is so much easier. This way, I can also keep power to my computer in the event I need to have it automatically boot up in the morning.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Well, that’s not the case at present.

Intel in a way is "pulling a Microsoft" by renaming their CPUs with titles that leave potential buyers scratching their heads.

The new chip names are simplified but not informative. You’ve got the Core i3, i5 and i7. But the problem is that the names don’t say anything about what the CPUs have for capabilities at a glance.

Quick quiz questions:

How many cores does an i3 have? You probably didn’t know it was 2.

How many cores does the i5 have? It can be 2 or 4.

And the i7? Four physical cores, eight logical.

Now I’ll confuse you even more.

What type of socket does the i3 use? Give up? mPGA-989.

And the i5? LGA 1156.

The i7? Socket B (LGA 1366).

Three different chips. Three different sockets. Each has different ways of doing cores.

This isn’t exactly simplified if you asked me.

What would work for you?

The "slowest" Core i3 will run Windows Vista and Windows 7 with absolutely no problems whatsoever. When you go from single to multi-core it makes a huge difference. Outfitted with at least 2GB of RAM, a decent video card and a modern SATA connected hard drive, the machine would be fast, no question.

But as far as what I’d recommend, a four-core Core i5 would be the better buy. This is upper-middle-grade territory. Two more cores, cheaper than the i7, and even with the "slowest" 2.66GHz version it’s still a solid speedy performer.

For gamers, well.. yeah, we all know you’re going with the i7. It pwns the most noobs. Says so in the instruction manual under "pwning".

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

From some quick research, there doesn’t appear to be a universal way to toggle this functionality, as it depends on your hardware and the respective configuration utilities. Our laptop at home uses a Synaptics mouse touchpad driver and the configuration utility has an option to disable the touchpad when the mouse is plugged in.

A quick Google search on your hardware should give you all the details you need on how to enable this if it supported.

If anyone takes advantage of this feature, please post your hardware specs to help others out.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

If you have multiple computers in the home, go ahead and name them all.

What I’m looking for here is a simple one-liner for each computer containing its specifications, monitor resolution, the current operating system on it and how long you’ve owned it.

Here’s an example using my two computers:

Custom build, 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 16x DVD Burner, EVGA nVidia 512MB video, dual monitor, 1680×1050, Windows 7 RC, 3 years

Dell Inspiron 6000, 1.5GHz Celeron M, 1GB RAM, 60GB HDD, 8x DVD Burner, integrated video, single monitor, 1680×1050, Windows XP SP3, 4 years

If you don’t know all the above info for your box, just take your best guess or put "unknown" for the ones you don’t know.

If you want to add in additional info like make/model/dimensions of components such as for motherboard, RAM, monitor(s) and so on, feel free to post that as well.

Why am I asking for this info?

A few reasons:

1. There’s going to be a swath of you considering upgrading to Windows 7 in October. If we know your specs, we can give better advice and tips because not everybody runs a super-duper-fast quad core machine.
2. For those running older hardware, this gives us a better idea of what Linux distributions to recommend to keep you modern without the need for hardware upgrades.
3. Using a laptop? Would be nice to get a general idea of how many of you have one.

Go ahead and post your specs!

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

The only thing I ever did to it was upgrade the processor from 1.6GHz to a 2.4GHz and bumped the RAM from 256MB to 512MB. Other than that, everything in it is original. I used it for a few years then gave it to my father who has been using it ever since.

Last week it finally developed a problem. The system detected that the processor coolant fan was failing. This is indicative that a major failure is imminent, because even if I replace the fan, something else will probably bust shortly thereafter. And even if nothing happened after the fan replacement, the box is just plain old and would be too much of a risk.

After nine years of faithful service it was decided to finally retire the 4400.

Contrary to my computer needs, my father only needs the basics. He is the definition of the type of user that uses a computer "for internet and email only." And the box needed to be cheap besides that. After some research I instructed Pop to call Dell and purchase an Inspiron 531 desktop (pictured) with Windows XP, no monitor and no options. The cost with taxes and shipping was a tick under $300 and it will arrive next week.

Why didn’t I tell Pop to go for a refurb? Because at present the new Dell boxes are actually cheaper. Were he to use the Dell Outlet Store it would have cost an extra $50 even with the lowest-cost offering.

I asked Pop how his experience was with Dell sales. He said there were no issues at all. There weren’t any high-pressure sales tricks or any of that stuff, so that was good to hear.

Why did I tell him to go with XP? Because as configured the box will run XP much better than Vista.

The box comes outfitted with an AMD Athlon 2560e 1.6GHz CPU (512K) with 1GB of DDR2 RAM at 800MHz, a 16x DVD burner, nVidia GeForce 6150 SE integrated graphics and a 160GB hard drive. It also comes provided with keyboard and mouse. For just under $300 that’s not bad, especially considering it has a full 1-year warranty with in-home service.

If you were to buy a pre-built from NewEgg, the cost is about the same with shipping included.

If you were to build a box from scratch, the price is also the same. Remember, you have to add in the cost of Windows XP with all the hardware - and I’m not about to put my dad on Linux. It took long enough to get him used to Windows.

Like it or not, the cheapest computer desktop box right now hovers at or very close to $300 as the final price when all is said and done (purchase price, taxes, shipping, software license, all of it).

It kind of sucks that the 4400 box had to start developing problems now, because if it had lasted until October I would have purchased this same new box with Windows 7. Vista needs a big beefy PC to run optimally. Win 7 on the other hand will run on (much) older computer hardware. This has been proven to be true.

But oh well. XP is mature, stable and will get the job done.

The low-end Dell for the money is a decent box. It’s on par with the price of from-scratch builds and other pre-built boxes with similar specs.

I can’t give it a thumbs up or down at present because it hasn’t arrived at my dad’s place yet. Once it does I’ll be stopping over to configure/update it. When I sit down to configure this thing, I’ll post what happens here. Watch for it.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

• Q/A on HowStuffWorks - This post raises an interesting analogy between your computer and TV which makes a lot of sense.
• Post on Computer Hope
• Post on World Start - An interesting take on what if your computer starts overheating while you are asleep.

From what I have seen, it seems the overwhelming majority of information out there says it is best to shutdown your computer at night. Personally, I used to run it 24/7, but about 3 years ago I went to shuting it down every night. I have not had any hardware problems and I have noticed my home office is typically signficantly cooler when my “space heater” isn’t sitting idle.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.