Cheap ATI cards, cheap SFFs, cheap monitors

MAINSTREAM CARDS are what make the graphic world go round. ATI and NVIDIA might all brag about their top graphic cards in gaming benchmarks but they all rely on those lesser powerful cards for their economic survival. In the UK, probably one of the better deals is a Powercolor Radeon 9600XT codenamed R96T-TC3 Bravo on sale for £93 inc. VAT.

Built around the 130nm process 9600 GPU, it has four pixel pipes giving a pixel fill rate of over two Gigapixels per second and a 250Mtriangles. The Powercolor Card is built by TUL corporation. Its core is clocked at 500MHz while memory frequency is 680MHz, well above the 600MHz of ATI's reference card. Other features include a superb HSF which will also cool the memory, 128MB 128-bit DDR SDRAM memory, a stripped down red PCB - which drives down costs, DX9 compatibility, a DVI port, VGA, S-Video and TV port as well. The latter being powered by the famous ATI Rage Theater.

The software bundle is impressive - Big Mutha Truckers, InterVideo WinDVD 4, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Warcraft III Reign of Chaos, Tomb Raider, Colin McRae Rally 3, ToCA Race Driver, BREED. Overclocking is a treat, with core averaging 18% increases in some cases - 590MHz while memory gets a healthy 133MHz overclock. Performancewise, it slots itself in between the Nvidia 5700 and the 5700 Ultra, with a much lower price.

It also beats the Radeon 9800SE on most benchmarks. Hexus.net gives it an 8 out of 10 and adds "Whatever the state of play, we rekon the PowerColor 9600XT Bravo 128MB card is a safe bet. Recommended." If you do not want to risk your money on cheaper and more powerful second hand cards on Ebay, then this is the card to shoot for.

3M is known mainly for its office products but lately, it has ventured in the field of LCD projectors with a bit of success. The 3M Digital Projector S10 is probably one of the cheapest of its category at $719 at Compuplus. Being cheap though doesn't mean that it doesn't cut the mustard. Far from that. Firstly, it has a killer looks and has been chiselled by a famous designing firm, Pininfarina. It looks like the head of one famous robot which was the star in a B-grade film back in the 80's. Its swivel base makes it easy to setup and you won't need to screw up or down any projector feet any more.

At 6.4Lbs, it is quite light as compared to others and include cabling and a remote control. It supports aspect radio of 16:9 and 4:3, making it ideal to use as a home cinema projector and for computer output where its maximum resolution of 1280x1024 will make it shine out. The display technology used is the tried and trusted polysilicon LCD. Quality wise, its contrast ratio of 300:1 gives it a superior rendering. Its lamp has a lifetime of 2000 hours and consumes 130w. PC Magazine tested it and said that the "Bravo S10 has attractive styling, innovative design features, excellent image quality, and a competitive price."

64-bitness is still new in our 32-bit world but thanks to some pretty aggressive pricing, it seems that the reign of 32-bit technology is going to end up in a couple of years. For example, cheap 64bit small form factor - SFF - computers are becoming more common every day. The Biostar iDeq 200P is the cheapest yet more powerful model in Singapore, on sale for only $520 at Storage Studio Singapore - £142+VAT.

The feature and specs list is quite long - based on the acclaimed nForce 3 150, it has two DDR 400 memory slots on top of four USB 2.0 ports, SPDIF I/O, microphone, one Gigabit LAN, two firewire ports thanks to a VIA VT6307 chip, two PS2, microphone, Line in/out etc. It has a Serial ATA RAID feature as well as two IDE channels. The audio department is managed by a Realtek ALC650 which supports 5.1 channel. Its small dimension makes it perfect for those on the move. Last but not least, it features the Biostar's iDeq patented technology. Physically, it looks like an overgrown girls jewel box with a brushed black finish and a perfect stylised front. Its latest drivers are available here. It also allows for two externally available bays 5.25in and 3.5in with two more internal ones.

IIyama monitors have often featured on top of monitor reviews worldwide. Mistergooddeal has a bargain in its hand. It is selling the LS902UT from Ilyama for only €129.90. This monitor is a 19" FST screen - a viewable diagonal of 45.5cm. It is a refurbished monitor with three month warranty. It achieves up to 1600x1200dpi and offers an almost flat screen. With a dot pitch of 0.26dpi, shadow mask technology and a top class manufacturing from Ilyama, it rivals many larger models. Furthermore, it offers It is on sale in other places under the name Visionmaster 1451 and is apparently, Ilyama's first venture in the entry-level world. Compatible with Apple mac as well, it consumes a maximum ot 130w in use. Its design is on the bulky side with a bulge at the back - a 17" at twice the price will offer a slimmer body.

However, if you are, like me, on a budget and want a more than adequate screen for Windows or games, then look no further than that Ilyama model if you are in France. µ