Hardware bargains o'the day

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.

PCWorld just launched what is probably the cheapest PC on the market with a TFT LCD monitor. At £399.99, the Emachines 2230 undercuts the competition by a substantial amount. And the configuration of the machine is far from being sacrificed. The Intel Celeron D 325 running at 2.53GHz is grossly equivalent to a Pentium "Willamette" 4 2.2GHz and as such should be sufficient for most tasks. 256MB memory are provided out of which up to 64MB can be shared with the onboard video module - an Intel Extreme graphics 3D module. You also get a 40GB hard disk as well as a CDRW/DVD combo. What makes it so special though is the Proview 15in LCD TFT screen which itself might cost more than £150. For the rest, the specs are pretty standard - six USB ports, one free AGP, three PCI - thus probably a microATX motherboard. You also get onboard sound but oddly no LAN as well as speakers, keyboard and mouse. Windows XP Home is provided with it and of course, you can collect it from any PC World thus saving you up to £30 as compared to some online companies.

Another spectacular offer from PCworld is this Packard bell Athlon 2600+ laptop for only £569.99. Running at 2.13GHz, the C3300 can easily replace most desktop PCs and keep you mobile. You get 256MB memory with up to 64MB shareable - but keep it as small as possible. You also get a 40GB hard disk and quite surprising at this price, a dual format DVD rewriter. The large 15.1in monitor can display up to 1024x768 pixels. The motherboard is based on a SIS740 chipset so that the video module is a SIS305. You will also find a modem, a sound module, onboard LAN and three USB plus one Firewire connection. Its NiMH battery will get it running for just above two hours which should be sufficient for most and at 2.6Kg, it should be easy to move around. Software provided include Windows XP Home and Internet Security. In comparison, you get an Athlon 1400+ with a 14in monitor and a CDRW/DVD combo for £30 less at Tiny. All laptops from PCWorld come with free delivery.

Looking for a laptop for your child? Then try this Acer Extensa 500 which costs only £99+VAT at MCScom. It comes with a Pentium 233MHz - a snail by today's standard but nonetheless perfect for running Windows 95 ... if you can find one. You also get 64MB memory and a 3.2GB hard disk, which will easily accommodate an OS, a couple of applications and an office suite. The 12.1in TFT screen is susbtantially smaller than what you will get on the market. But again, you get what you pay for and at 800x600pixels, it is still very usable. Other features include a Neomagic video module, onboard modem, LAN and sound, a CDROM and a modem. Most importantly, you get a user manual and a carry case, the AC adaptor as well as a battery which should last more than one hour.

This must be UK's cheapest 17in LCD monitor at £157.37+VAT. The AG Neovo F417 is something of an alien in this category. It offers high end performance at a very low price. Its 17in diagonal will match most 19in CRT for a beginning while its 250cd/m2 brightness and 450:1 contrast ratio put it firmly in the "average category". Display resolution is nothing to shout home about at 1024x1280. But then a three year warranty coupled with a response time of only 16ms and a slim weight of 5Kg pulls it out of the crowd. 45 buyers gave it a five on five. Most were ecstatic about it and would recommend it for their friends. Mark Harris, one buyer, says of it "Straight out of the box it was a crisp delightfull image. Running at 1280 X 1024 75hz, no dead pixels and no problems with the image delivered. Dragging windows around the screen created no shadows or ghosting. Playing FPS games such as Soldier of fortune and waving the mouse around again bought a smile to my face. In short, professionals may have given this a poor rating for picture quality with their reviews but seeing many different types of TFT, I am very pleased with my quid spent". 'Nough said.

A Digital camera from Fuji for less than £50? No joke. The Fuji Q1 is a 2MP digital camera from Woolworths and it is currently selling for £49.99 - it was launched one year ago at £99.99. It has an effective resolution of 1600x1200 and comes with a 1.5in colour TFT screen and an automatic flash with red-eye reduction, a rarity at this price range. Accessories include a 16Mb xD picture card, neck strap, a CDROM and a USB cable. It has a 4x digital zoom and will fit in most hands. The camera differ from other models buy its pear shaped body which apparently should provide with a better grip. You can also capture some movies though they will be without sound and therefore frankly useless. One last thing. You don't get any optical viewfinder and no tripod stand. Meaning that basically you'll have to use the LCD screen to take all your shoots. Ther picture produced by this camera is probably the best of its category. "To sum up, an excellent first timer camera made by a proper camera manufacturer".