Today's ultra cheap 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.

UK
Someone on Gumtree is selling a Vosonic X's-Drive Pro VP300, what they call an image tank. Not only is it a portable storage system - it comes with a 20GB capacity thanks to a built-in 2.5in hard drive, but it can also serve as a iPod replacement as an MP3 player. Functions include MP3 player, multi language file name display etc. Its USB 2.0 port ensure that it can transfer files blazingly fast from your computers and is compatible with MAC and PC. Information are shown on an 2.5in LCD screen which unfortunately cannot be used to display any graphic file - which would have been a wonderful add-on. On top of that, you also get an integrated card reader allowing you to read CF, Microdrive, Smart Media, Memory Stick, Secure digita and MMC cards. The X'S Drive Pro comes with a pair of iPod-like earbuds and internal rechargeable batteries which take a full charge in 1.6 hours and can last for at least eight hours. At 329g though, it is slightly heavy and its 37mm thickness makes its bulky to carry in a shirt pocket for example. Curiously though the X's-Drive VP300 is not compatible with file formats other than MP3 and I don't know if firmwatre upgrades are available. Also, don't expect it to carry other features such as equalisation or random play mode. There is little it can do other than playing MP3 only. You can find some photos on it here. Ephotozine's conclusion is that "The X'S Drive Pro is a straightforward memory card backup device. It won't win any awards for speed, build or sound quality but at the end of the day it does get the job done." The X's-Drive Pro VP 300 is on sale at £100 only.

If you don't fear using refurbished components, then you can grab yourself some very good deals. For example, the MSI K7N2 Delta-L featuring the nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset is being offered on sale for only £28.31. Packed with fetures, the K7N2 will prove to be one very good motherboard for your Athlon XP processor including five PCI slots, three DIMM modules and dual channel support of course. Basically, it does not offer SATA Raid or Firewire but with DDR400 and 400MHZ FSB support you can be sure that performancewise, it will rock your AMD XP house. If you look for a motherboard that does the job and is a more than potent overclocker without breaking the bank, then you can't go wrong with the K7N2 Delta-L

Singapore
The MSI 865PE Neo3-FS just came out and it is already on sale in Singapore for S$195 at Corbell's distributors. The motherboard features that old but still going strong i865PE chipset paired with the new Intel ICH5. It supports up to four DIMM modules and has five PCI plus one AGP slot. Device connectors include Dual UDMA controllers and two SATA150 ones. Sound is controlled by a Realtek ALC850 module capable of monitoring eight channels. LAN is courtesy of a Realtek 8110S GBLan chip which delivers up 1000Mb/s. Other onboard peripherals include eight USB2.0 ports. The whole is accompanied by MSI's traditional set of features lilke Live Update 3, Corecell and Corecenter which facilitate BIOS updates via the Internet, safe overclocking and hardware monitoring. The board is well laid with clear spaces around the CPU to accormoddate any large HSF. The red coloured motherboard will be of the most pleasant effect in a modder's case with a window. As for overclocking, you can expect it to be a hell of a performer thanks to the i865PE; even though the latter is starting to show its age.

USA
Newegg is selling the cheapest 19in LCD screen in the US for $359 with a shipping of only $12. With a native resolution of 1280x1024, the Vison FV19B is quite appealing. Especially if you keep in mind that it rotates and pivots to portrait mode. Its height can also be adjsted and it has a pair of intergrated speakers. The rest is pretty standard with a D-Sub connector, a response time of 25ms and an excellent contrast ration of 700:1. The standard color is black which is great to go with your modded casing assuming you have one and it is black. The FV19B has an aesthetic to match its performance. A very good buy. If your needs are not so important, why not buy a 17 inch GEM GM-170B LCD panel for $199 from ecost - after $110 rebates. That LCD panel is quite similar to the Vison with two speakers, a beige color, a native resolution of 1024x1280 and a three year warranty. Contrast ratio though is poort at only 300:1; no sign of any reviews though for both of these LCD screens on the internet. The GEM GM-170B might not be the best LCD panel on the market but its price and specs will make sure that it suits the bill. After all, who would have believed that such quality LCD screens would come that cheap. Another deal going on is one at surplus computers. A Palm M100 PDA is on sale there for only $26.99. Granted it is not a top notch PDA, but if you are looking forward to give a gift to one of your friends, it is the perfect match. The M100 is simple to operate and comes witht basic functions that make it both attractive and user friendly to any budding geeker. It comes with 2MB memory and a grayscsle 160x160 LCD display. The processor used is an old Motorola 68238 running at 16MHz, a tortoise by today's perforomance compared to Intel Xscale for example. Operating system is Palm OS 3.5 with Graffiti as the handwriting recognition system.

Such simplicity means that the M100 can run up to two months, a period unheard on the all-colour all-powerful generation. Compatible with both MAC and PCs via a serial cable, the M100 is a personal favourite. µ