Wednesday daily cheapo hardware buys

UK
Savastore is proposing a refurbished PC, an XP3000+ system for only £307+VAT. It is only a base unit but comes with some very good components well worth the money. You get an Athlon Barton XP 3000+ CPU covered by a generic HSF, 256Mb PC2700 memory - which can be increased of course, a MSI K7N2GM-IL motherboard - the board is a microatx model powered by an nForce2 IGP chipset with an integrated TV encorder. It does have an external AGP port, three PCI bus slots and one CNR slot. The motherboard also has a Realtek ALC650 software audio module, six USB2.0 as well as a LAN controller. Also in the basket is a 120Gb 7200rpm 2MB hard disk. Not your usual entry level hard drive. You also get a Sony 4x4x8x Dual format DVD writer as well as a 16x DVD ROM drive and a set of matching keyboard and mouse. A cheap bargain by any measure. No OS though.

Want to buy a DVD writer combo? Try the Umax/Yamada DVR-8000 DVD recorder combo set at only £189.99 inc VAT. You will be write up to 8hr VHS quality per DVD. Compatible with Dolby Digital and DTS, it offers S-Video IO, Composite Video IO, Component YUV/Out, Scart IO, Stereo IO, Coaxial IO etc. You can have up to 20 programs, 125 cable channel numbers and 69 air channel numbers. You will also have a 5.1 speake set comprising of five satellites and one sub woofer. As you can guess, the build quality of the speakers is a let down as well as as the fact that there is no tuner. Overall though, you get a very good deal especially when compared to others plus five DVD+RW disks.

Singapore
You could almost mistake it for a colour vPod - Video Pod. After all, that product also features a wheel similar to Apple's iPod. The MMV VP6300 though is a different beast. It is a portable 20GB 1.8in hard disk that allows you to transfer all your files onto it. It has a built in 2in LCD display that allows you to view JPEG photos - up to 4096x4096 pixels - or MPEG and Apple's MOV videos - 352x340 pixels. You can also use it as a Music Jukebox as it supports WMA and MP3 files. its internaal battery allows up to six hours of continuous usage. The product is on sale at Top Universal for only S$728+GST. You can connect it to your PC using the USB2.0 port available. The MMV VP6300 is compatible with CF, Microdrive, Memory stick normal, Duo and pro, MMC, SD, Mini SD, Smart media and XD. An infra red remote control is available. In addition the on screen interface is very user friendly and will give you ample control over your files. I/O include Analog RCA AV-out and earphone jack. The device weighs only 230g. There are 28 grams to the ounce, last time we looked.

US
Yet another free offer from Tigerdirect. After rebate, This $19.99 card reader will be yours free. The I-Rocks IR-5200 is an illuminated card reader that can read up to 11 media without any external power needed. Compliant with USB 1.1 and 2.0, it is probably one of the most versatile readers around. It fits in your palm and has four card slots though you won't be able to read from them all at the same time. It has a blue led which will indicate data activity. Maximum data rate is 3.2Mb per second.

From Newegg comes one of the cheaper Windows XP tablet enabled PC. The Vison V800XP at $889 might be powered by a slow Transmeta Crusoe running at a paltry 800MHz and feature only a 8.4in TFT screen, but it has received 100% feedback from 27 voters. What sets it apart from other tablet PC is its sheer functionality. Instead of the usual tablet PC, you get an elegant soft case with an integrated keyboard. You can either use the tablet PC or the keyboard to enter information. Granted that the screen resolution - 800x600, 8.4in - is insufficient but the manufacturer has probably made the right choice.

After all, no one would choose to buy an A3 tablet PC. The V800XP comes with 256MB memory and a 20GB hard disk. It also has a modem, a wireless LAN module and integrated Ethernet LAN. Sadly though but altogether understandable, it does not feature any optical or secondary storage. You do however get two USB ports as well as a four in one card reader. The Li-Ion port will give you up to three hours full charge while its light weight 2.6lbs will allow you to carry it around without any fatigue. Last but not least, it also features a smallish CCD camera which would be perfect for some video conferencing on the move. For your information, the next tablet PC at Newegg costs twice the price of this tablet.