Gartner just laid down the boom and said PC sales are going to completely tank by almost 12%. Of course, news like this makes computer and computer component manufacturers completely freak out.

The computer market at this point is saturated. Proof of this is not hard to find because said honestly, how many people do you know that do not have a computer these days? Probably not that many, if any at all.

What does the predicted (keyword there) sales drop mean to you?

Continued

Some good news for our gamers out there: Microsoft has dropped the yearly fee of the "Live Gold Subscription Card" to $29.97 yearly (from $49.99). And back in July ‘08 the Live service was made free to PC users.

For those of you out there that think paying for gaming on an Xbox (or any console) is a bit ridiculous, it isn’t. This is a natural progression of gaming where the "replayability" of games these days heavily depends on the ability to play with friends. This is part of the reason why older games like Counter-Strike (where the stats speak for themselves), Starcraft and Diablo II still command a huge audience. Without the team-play ability from the internet, none of these games would be played as much as they are now. The fact you can connect up to the internet and have team-play is a huge attraction.

$30 yearly is a good sweet spot for this type of gaming (i.e. console gaming). It translates to $2.50 monthly and that’s a bargain.

If the subscription cost was a source of concern for you concerning the Xbox console, that’s definitely not the case any longer.

Gearlog reports that over the weekend Intel adjusted prices for Core 2 Duo processors. This is indicative that newer/faster procs are right around the corner, however, the fact you can get a 3.16GHz for 31% less now ($183) is a sweet deal, and it will stay current for several years.

If you were looking to dive in and build a new box with some Intel Core 2 power, now is the time to buy.

From my personal experience: I’m impressed with my 1.8GHz Core 2. It’s fast. The 3.16GHz is no slouch. You’ll like it – guaranteed.