Today's Hardware Bargains

IF YOU know of any good value IT sales (auctions, rebates, one-off, clearance, surplus, classified ads) going around in the United Kingdom, France, USA or Singapore, don't hesitate to contact me, at least 24 hours before the sales end.

France
Mid range cards are possibly the most boring thing around. Manufacturers offer so much options now to adhere to the divide and rule tactics that consummers do get lost from time to time. The MSI FX5500-T128 on sale at LDLC.fr for €64+VAT - £43+VAT illustrates this point. First, it does not even appear on the Microstar French website. We might therefore guess that this product is either a stealth one or part of a surplus stock being. It features a GeforceFX 5500 chipset, which is a NV34B in disguised, itself stuck between the Geforce 5200 ultra and the Geforce 5600Se.

The card has a S-Video and a normal D-sub connection as well as 128MB memory. It is a half height low profile video card and supports AGP8X. It features most of the GeforceFX new technology including Dual 400MHz ramdacs, Intellisample, CineFX shading and Digital Vibrance Control. On the low side, it has a 64-bit memory interface - ouuch - while sporting a 256-bit graphic core and therefore we might expect its performance to be quite low, on par with a GeforceFX5200 ultra.

If you want slightly more power without the price, then go for a no-name 5700LE at topachat.fr for €84+VAT or £56+VAT. It is based on the newer NV36 and uses a finer 130nm silicon process. With TVO and DVI, it will appeal to LCD screen users. Few manufacturers can release graphic cards at this price. Galaxy, Inno3D and XFX are some of them. Fortunately, it seems that the FX5700LE will not be available with 128bit memory interface. Core speed is lower than standard and ultra versions at 250MHz while memory is clocked at 250MHz. Overclocking the core might prove to be a good idea if you can achieve it since the 5700LE is basically an underclocked 5700 coupled with a slow memory. µ

UK
Retekdirect.co.uk is selling a refurbished ATI 9700Pro with 128MB for only £75+VAT, for a card only including a 30 days RTB warranty. It has 128MB memory and is still damn fast. With a 256bit memory architecture and 8 pixel pipelines, it churns out 2.6Gpixels/sec. THe R300 GPU has 107 million transistor and is build using an older 150 micron technology. Engine clock is 325Mhz while memory clock stands at 620Mhz.

The card features a DVI and a TVO port. The memory chips are not covered with any ramsink while the GPU itself is hidden under a sizeable HSF. The red color PCB means that it might be a Crucial board. Bear also in mind that this baby is DX9 compatible and not that old after all. That baby still achieves an impressive 48 frames per second or fps on Halo Combat evolved for example compared to 60fps for a R9800XT and 28fps for a 9800se. Another example, it scores 121 frames on call on duty while the 9800xt scores 141 and the 9800se, a lowly 83 frames. And this does not take into consideration overclocking with apps like Radeonator for example with 370Mhz/670 pretty much the norm. The card is not that much long but needs more power through the floppy connector.

With the low price in mind, a quick tour on price comparators show that a Radeon 9600XT would sell more than the £75 demanded and would perform worst on all benchmarks. µ

USA
If the Mustek PVR-A1 brought video to your pocket, then surely the following product will be much more appealing to you. The Bantam BA800 is one of the smallest Multi Format Digital Audio Player around with a color image viewer. It has 256MB integrated memory and its shell features an exclusive color variation morpher - known as coolights - which can change automatically with the music being played. Our good friends at computergeeks.com are selling them for $90.50 only, less than £50+VAT, a third of its ordigital price. The device also offers a 1.8" color LCD which displays gorgeous colors at 312x230 pixels with 18-bit color depth.

The 256MB memory helps to store up to 8 hours of CD quality music. The BA800 is also compatible with MP3, WMA, HOEG, BMP, GIF and TIFF formats. It would be very interesting to know whether it is can view video files natively or through any hack available - the BA880 webpage mentions about compatibility with "future formats" though there is no firmware available right now. Video playing would make it a geekers deam. It does have a 4 way navigation button and a USB interface as well. It also comes with a beefy earbud headphones, USB cable, AC adapter and a rechargeable stand, a rarity at this price. Sizewise, it is quite compact around the size of a wallet and weighs in only at 86g.

It is compatible with Secure Digital memory which means that you can add another 512MB SD memory from computergeeks for only $79, bringing the price to $170. One full charge will get the Bantam running for half a day most probably. Overall an excellent product that should be get a second chance. The SD slot might be its saviour here. SD 2MP Digital Cameras or SD Digital TV tuners are on the brink of being commercialised, making the BA800 even more appealing. µ