Back to School PC bundles

UK
When it comes to computer bundles, Tiny.com is very difficult to beat, especially, if you have to build up that system yourself. The Tiny Home Office 3200 offers outstanding value for money at only £499, all inclusive. The computer is powered ny one of the new Intel Celeron D with the Prescott Core. The 320D is a 2.4GHz model which should perform more like the old Pentium IV 2.4Ghz - Northwood Core, rather than a good'ol Celeron. With a 533MHz FSB and a larger 256KB cache, it should be quick enough for most daily chores. One module of 256MB of PC2700 memory from Hynix is included.

A good thing especially since the motherboard has space for only one more module. Shame though that the memory is shared with the graphic module. A free AGP slot is included while onboard video is courtesy of the now-obsolete PM266 chipset AKA SIS315. Don't count on it to play DOOM III. The motherboard comes from Microstar, one of the big three and has two free PCI slots and one free CNR. Onboard ports include an Ethernet port, parallel and two PS2 as well as five USB2.0 ports. Sound is managed by the onboard VIA 6-channel chipset.

A matching 17-inch CRT monitor is provided with good The Hayes modem provided is "optimised" to run on Supanet network. Go to Supanet's website to return it back to normal. The hard disk supplied is a surprisingly large 80GB 7200rpm model, not one of the slower and smaller hard disk. Secondary storage was even more surprising with the inclusion of a 8x Multiformat NEC DVD-/+RW writer, the ND2500. Other hardware include a floppy dsk drive, two tiny speakers, a corded multimedia keyboard and scroll mouse as well as a 250W PSU ATX black Casing with five drive bays. If that was not enough Windows XP is included as wll as MS Works V7, a trial version of MS Office 2003 and Cyberlink Power suite to make good use of your DVD. If you are lucky enough to be amongst the first 800 buyers of this system, then, get yourself a Lexmark X1180 Printer/Scanner/Copier, a four-megapixel Opus 4000 Digital Camera, a USB gamepad and loads of software. µ

USA
For less than $925, Tigerdirect offers what can be considered as the best all-rounder back to school bundle. We first start with a refurbished emachines AMD XP3000+ system. Though it is no longer bleeding edge, I simply don't care. The amount of firepower this baby can deliver is simply astounding for the price, a mere $397.99.

For that price, you get an AMD XP3000+ CPU, 512MB PC2700 memory to be upgrade to a full GB for only $59.99, a 160GB hard disk drive, a DVD-ROM and a CDRW drive, integrated 5.1 audio - Realtek ALC650, integrated 8X AGP graphics - a nForce Geforce 4 MX , LAN, a pair of speakers, Windows XP, three month warranty, a keyboard and a ball mouse. More importantly, it has one free AGP slot and two free PCI slots. The system is very sleek and "feels" very provessional. It has four external bays plus two internal bays. Five USB 2.0 ports are available. On top of that a floppy disk drive as well as a 7-in-1 media reader are provided.

A modem and integrated LAN capabilities are also included in the list as are MS Works, Encarta and MS Money2003. The 300W PSU and the large, spacious casing should make upgrading more easy which is what we do now. First upgrade will be to buy a Advueu 17" TFT screen. This model can display up to 1280x1024 and has a 16ms response time. Available in silver black, it will match perfectly the ecomputers machine. At $269.99, it is still a good buy. Next, we add one more writer to it. The Norcent DWD840 DVD burner is the cheapest multi format writer available at tigerdirect for $55.99 only, it comes with Sonic MyDVD and Cyberlink Power DVD. It is a speedy drive capable of 8x/4x/40x/24x speeds on DVD+R, -R, CD-R, -RW formats respectively.

The Epson CX5400 All in One printer will be our peripheral of choice at $79.99. It is an upgrade of the award winning CX3200 and features the Durabrite technology which provides water resistant printing at supersized resolution - 5760x1440 dpi. It can print up to 22 ppm in black and 11 ppm in colour. This indicates that the printer is based on the same engine as the C86 printer series. Also the CX5400 includes a superb high resolution scanner and a very handy easy to use interface. Last but not least, the printer can deliver borderless printing. An Apex Digitrex DSC3000 digital camera with a 3.2MP resolution rounds up that bundle at $59.99.

It has a 4x digital zoom, an LCD display and although it might be a little bit too amateurish, it will easily beat other similarly priced cameras when it comes to quality. If you think you can best this from a single seller, please tell me. µ

France
Carrefour Multimedia has launched a base unit PC available, the Powernet Typhon A3204 for only €499. For that money, you get an Athlon XP 3000+, a hot favourite for building budget all rounders. 256MB comes on top of that with a 80GB hard disk, a 6-in-1 reader, a 16x DVD rom, a DVD-RW writer but a integrated video card.

The rest - audio, modem and others, are integrated. A keyboard, a pair of speakers and a mouse are provided but the motherboard and the casing on themselves do not provide with much upgrading possibility though. For the screen, better go to ebay.fr and get a good second hand monitor. For example an IIyama LS902UT G 19-inch unit is on sale for less than €150. IIyama is one of the best monitor manufacturers on the market and their products are usually absolutely top-notch. The LS902 has a 0.22dpi dot pitch and a maximum resolution of 1600x1200. As for the all in one printer, we have selected the X1180 from Lexmark at €79, by far the cheapest AIO printer, making it a strong contender in budget BTS bundle. Packed in a slimline unit, it offers good value for money even though consumables tend to run on the expensive side. µ

Singapore
You are better off in Singapore buying components yourself and build one system yourself. Your best deal if you are not a power gamer is to build your computer around the D3V7-2 which offers an attractive base for your machine. Small and stylish, it will easily replace your microhifi system. The D3V7-2 comes with a KM400 chipset which offers an AGP slot, 6-channel audio, ethernet, six USB 2.0 and one Firewire. One PCI slot is available for upgrade but apart from a TV Tuner, there is little that you can add.

The EZ-buddie comes with an external power supply as well as its own proprietary HSF. From hardwareplace, we have selected the ECS D3V7-2 barebone at $245 together with an AMD XP3000+ boxed CPU at $299, a superb CMV CT-722D 17" LCD screen at $535. From videopro,512MB PC3200 memory at $132, a 160GB 7200rpm 8MB cache Western Digital hard disk at $164, a floppy disk drive at $12, a Benq Air touch Elite Wireless KB and wheel mouse at $39, a multifunction printer, the Lexmark X75 at $99. From Storage Studio, a $99 DVD writer which we have already covered two days ago. µ