The previous article covered the core components of the Computer. In this article we shall cover the other major components of the PC.
[BREAK=Monitor]
2007 saw a boom in TFT LCD monitor sales and it still continues in 2008. Steady demand for the PC, Notebook and handheld device segment has ensured that there is very little fluctuation in pricing over the last few
months. With more HD content and with the popularity of high resolution gaming on the rise the demand for large size panels continue to heat up with LCD competing head to head with Plasma in the 40inch and
above segment.
We also saw a significant shift to the widescreen or 16:9 format displays. As HD content becomes available readily, the percentage of wide screen users is bound to increase. The budget segment is no longer filled
by conventional 15 inch screens but has shifted to 17 to 19 inch or above wide screen products.
Future refinements to the current technology is seen by way of improvements in backlighting with major
manufacturers notably in the notebook segment shifting to a LED based technology. Sony has also been actively pushing their new OLED TV panels.
[BREAK=Keyboard and Mouse]
Gamers are the most demanding when it comes to mice and keyboards. Those who are into FPS & Strategy games prefer a keyboard and mouse combo rather than the analog controllers. When it comes to the
mouse, the factor most people look into is how ergonomic it would be. Other major factors such as higher sensitivity, shortcut buttons are also considered by gamers.
Most gamers prefer mice with an optical engine rather than the laser counterpart due to laser mice suffering from tracking problems, as also the cursor’s tendency to skip on screen. The best gaming mouse from
Razer, the Razer DeathAdder uses an optical engine even though their previous high end model was using a laser engine. DeathAdder introduces 3rd generation Infrared Sensor technology. Other optical mice
preferred by gamers are the Logitech Mx518 and Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0. General users are moving towards wireless mice and keyboards. In this area, Logitech has developed a mouse which can be used on air, the MX Airâ„¢ Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse.
Keyboard manufactures such as Logitech, Microsoft are concentrating more on ergonomic keyboards along with their standard keyboards. Logitech recently introduced the Wave keyboard. Many keyboard
manufactures are also starting to provide Backlighting on the keys and more shortcut keys. Keyboards such as Logitech G15, Razer Tarantula boast these features and have got a very good response from the gaming community.
[BREAK=Audio Devices]
The Creative X-Fi series of cards continues to dominate this field by providing both a high-quality gaming and movie/music experience. However those interested only in musical fidelity will tend to divert to other
Audiophile oriented cards such as those designed by M-Audio and Creative’s E-MU.
Asus is another challenging player in the Sound card market. They will be introducing features such as triple HDMI connectivity in their Professional ‘Xonar series’ sound cards later this year – a first in the field.
[BREAK=Power Supply Unit]
With modern PC components getting increasingly power hungry, the need for higher capacity Power Supplies became almost mandatory. In response, all the major PSU manufacturers now have products that churn
out in excess of 1KW. PSU design philosophies have been fluctuating recently though. From a shift to dual and quad rail power supplies (for various reasons such as safety and better quality power delivery), diverse
power hungry components in a PC like graphics cards have forced designs back to a single rail one. Single rail PSUs tend to makes it easier to distribute power across all devices and eliminates the chances of one of
the rails in a multi-rail PSU getting overloaded.
In India we have an extensive range of products to suit the enthusiast. Premium power supplies was a domain previously dominated by Antec, but now other brands have also entered the market and established
their presence namely Corsair, CoolerMaster, Tagan and Seventeam. Home brewn brands such as Kunhar and Zebronics have some good value for money products as well. Current popular products in the market are
Corsair’s HX620, VX450 and CoolerMaster Xtreme Power 600W. At the high end of the spectrum we have Antec TruePower Quattro 1000 Watts, Tagan BZ1100, BZ1300 and CoolerMaster Real Power Pro 1000W.
[BREAK=Optical Devices]
Costs of DVD burners and media have fallen to dirt-cheap levels, and as a result people have started using DVD-writers on a larger scale. The availability of good quality media at affordable rates has made this
medium a reliable method of archiving data too. With IDE ports gradually becoming legacy devices, DVD Drive manufactures have started offering drives with Serial ATA interfaces instead of Parallel ATA.
The need for higher capacity media was answered by rival formats - Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. It looked to be an endless battle between HD-DVD and Sony's Blu-Ray. But with Toshiba graciously throwing in the towel to
end the format war, it looks like Blu-Ray is all set to be the preferred media for next-gen high capacity archiving. Blu-Ray drives and media though are still in their early stage and it will take some time for them to
achieve mass-market penetration.
[BREAK=Conclusion]
Hope this guide was helpful like the Part I of this guide. Will be writing a PC recommendation guide in a week time.
- Monitor
- Keyboard and Mouse:
- Audio Devices
- Power Supply Unit
- Optical Device
[BREAK=Monitor]
2007 saw a boom in TFT LCD monitor sales and it still continues in 2008. Steady demand for the PC, Notebook and handheld device segment has ensured that there is very little fluctuation in pricing over the last few
months. With more HD content and with the popularity of high resolution gaming on the rise the demand for large size panels continue to heat up with LCD competing head to head with Plasma in the 40inch and
above segment.
We also saw a significant shift to the widescreen or 16:9 format displays. As HD content becomes available readily, the percentage of wide screen users is bound to increase. The budget segment is no longer filled
by conventional 15 inch screens but has shifted to 17 to 19 inch or above wide screen products.
Future refinements to the current technology is seen by way of improvements in backlighting with major
manufacturers notably in the notebook segment shifting to a LED based technology. Sony has also been actively pushing their new OLED TV panels.
[BREAK=Keyboard and Mouse]
mouse, the factor most people look into is how ergonomic it would be. Other major factors such as higher sensitivity, shortcut buttons are also considered by gamers.
Most gamers prefer mice with an optical engine rather than the laser counterpart due to laser mice suffering from tracking problems, as also the cursor’s tendency to skip on screen. The best gaming mouse from
Razer, the Razer DeathAdder uses an optical engine even though their previous high end model was using a laser engine. DeathAdder introduces 3rd generation Infrared Sensor technology. Other optical mice
preferred by gamers are the Logitech Mx518 and Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0. General users are moving towards wireless mice and keyboards. In this area, Logitech has developed a mouse which can be used on air, the MX Airâ„¢ Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse.
Keyboard manufactures such as Logitech, Microsoft are concentrating more on ergonomic keyboards along with their standard keyboards. Logitech recently introduced the Wave keyboard. Many keyboard
manufactures are also starting to provide Backlighting on the keys and more shortcut keys. Keyboards such as Logitech G15, Razer Tarantula boast these features and have got a very good response from the gaming community.
[BREAK=Audio Devices]
The Creative X-Fi series of cards continues to dominate this field by providing both a high-quality gaming and movie/music experience. However those interested only in musical fidelity will tend to divert to other
Audiophile oriented cards such as those designed by M-Audio and Creative’s E-MU.
Asus is another challenging player in the Sound card market. They will be introducing features such as triple HDMI connectivity in their Professional ‘Xonar series’ sound cards later this year – a first in the field.
[BREAK=Power Supply Unit]
With modern PC components getting increasingly power hungry, the need for higher capacity Power Supplies became almost mandatory. In response, all the major PSU manufacturers now have products that churn
out in excess of 1KW. PSU design philosophies have been fluctuating recently though. From a shift to dual and quad rail power supplies (for various reasons such as safety and better quality power delivery), diverse
power hungry components in a PC like graphics cards have forced designs back to a single rail one. Single rail PSUs tend to makes it easier to distribute power across all devices and eliminates the chances of one of
the rails in a multi-rail PSU getting overloaded.
In India we have an extensive range of products to suit the enthusiast. Premium power supplies was a domain previously dominated by Antec, but now other brands have also entered the market and established
their presence namely Corsair, CoolerMaster, Tagan and Seventeam. Home brewn brands such as Kunhar and Zebronics have some good value for money products as well. Current popular products in the market are
Corsair’s HX620, VX450 and CoolerMaster Xtreme Power 600W. At the high end of the spectrum we have Antec TruePower Quattro 1000 Watts, Tagan BZ1100, BZ1300 and CoolerMaster Real Power Pro 1000W.
[BREAK=Optical Devices]
Costs of DVD burners and media have fallen to dirt-cheap levels, and as a result people have started using DVD-writers on a larger scale. The availability of good quality media at affordable rates has made this
medium a reliable method of archiving data too. With IDE ports gradually becoming legacy devices, DVD Drive manufactures have started offering drives with Serial ATA interfaces instead of Parallel ATA.
The need for higher capacity media was answered by rival formats - Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. It looked to be an endless battle between HD-DVD and Sony's Blu-Ray. But with Toshiba graciously throwing in the towel to
end the format war, it looks like Blu-Ray is all set to be the preferred media for next-gen high capacity archiving. Blu-Ray drives and media though are still in their early stage and it will take some time for them to
achieve mass-market penetration.
[BREAK=Conclusion]
Hope this guide was helpful like the Part I of this guide. Will be writing a PC recommendation guide in a week time.
