Features

• Compatible with Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98/98SE
• 128 MB DDR memory to generate the most detailed and immersive gaming experiences without sacrificing frame rates
• 256-bit memory interface delivers bandwidth for real-time 3-D visuals and barrier-free performance
• 8-pixel pipeline architecture doubles the rendering power of any competing product currently on the market
• Supports Direct X 9

Reviews (15)

SAVE YOUR MONEY
First off, the people that rated this card with 3 or more stars obviously have not used this card.Their reviews are a textbook review I have seen on many websites.

Secondly, before I bought this card I doubted reviews saying, I never have a bad experience with drivers, so I bought it. It was fine for 2 weeks, I got the most "updated" drivers and my games (Doom 3, GTA Vice City, NFS: Underground, and many more worked great).Then the troubles began; my computer would freeze every 45 minutes or so, depending on how much load was on the card itself. So, TV watching was limited, gaming was out of the question, but DVDs actually played without the card quitting on me.

Also free phone support is limited to 30 days after you buy it.Well, since I bought it from a private seller on Amazon who didn't get me the card until 31 days after I paid for it, the FREE phone support was useless.

I knew I wasn't going to pay the 2.99 or 3.99 a minute charges for help, because they would just give me answers to general problems from a list that they have in front of them.Also, going to the website for help is pointless too.E-mailing ATI for support only gives you a response of (once again) general problems with certain situations that have nothing to do with your problems.

I will only give this video card one good mark.The input connector for connecting a VCR to show VHS tapes on your monitor is great with no quality loss at all, the tv quality was pretty decent, and the one touch recording for tv programs was easy as well.I actually programmed the remote control so that I could even turn off my computer from my bed after watching tv or a dvd, just to make me that much lazier.For the people who gripe about having to update the tv listings every week, don't you get tv listings in the paper every Sunday? Enough said.

Lastly, I broke down and bougt an ATI(I'm not against ATI, just the AIW 9800 pro)9550 AGP 256mb video card and a TV wonder pro that camewith the video imput device so I still can watch VHS tapes on my computer.Those 2 items were cheaper than what I paid form the AIW and after leaving my computer running all day and watchng tv and doing the normal stuff I do on my computer, I have had no problems at all.Save your money and just buy the 2 cards separetely.

Have a nice day!

Not the best option
If you want a real PVR option, don't buy this card.Buy the video card and TV card separately.I've had an AIW card for a year and wish I had spent a few extra bucks 11 months ago.

Don't get me wrong.I have another computer equipped with a 9800 Pro without the AIW features.It's an excellent card.I'm still using the AIW card in this machine, but only as a video card, not as a TV tuner...and it works just fine.

The idea behind a video capture card is that you can pause, rewind and record live TV.By far the best way to do this is to buy a separate video capture card with hardware encoding.This way, the card converts the video signal into a format that can be saved on your hard drive (mpeg2).

Otherwise, your CPU must do the work.That's what ATI All-in-Wonder cards do.While ATI makes great video cards, integrated cards like the AIW cards rely on the CPU to do all the dirty work.

Video is somewhat jerky when you have TIVO capabilities enabled (pause/rewind live TV).You'll notice it especially when watching sports -- because the card drops frames due to the heavy CPU load.

Their TV software is pretty decent -- and actually has some pretty great features.

But their guide software (Guide Plus+) leaves much to be desired.You have to manually iniate guide updates and it only downloads the guide a week at a time -- so you have to remember to update the guide.Other available packages download the guide automatically, daily, and two weeks at a time.

I have an AMD Athlon 2600 CPU with 512 MB of RAM and two 80GB hard drives and I still encountered all these problems.I spent a year trying to get better performance and finally broke down and bought a card with hardware encoding (the Avermedia UltraTV 1500 MCE).I now have two 1500 MCE cards installed in the same machine...and the performance is still much better than the single AIW card.I can record one show and watch another, or record two shows.Still, pause/rewind live TV works flawlessly.

The picture is better, the sound is better, TIVO capabilities work without compromising system performance or dropping frames.I started using Snapstream BeyondTV software to view and record shows and I couldn't be happier.

In short, spend an extra $20 and skip the video/TV tuner combo cards and you'll be much happier in the long run.

Features

• Fits 3.5-inch bay
• 200 GB Ultra ATA/100 internal hard drive
• 7200 RPM, 8 MB buffer
• Up to 100 MB/s burst transfer rates; data protection enhancments
• 40-pin EIDE

Reviews (7)

questionable quality
I used this for a few months before parts of the disk started to become "bad".The bad sectors started as 10MB and progressive grew to 60GB.I had to return it before the end of one year, and they sent me a new "refurbished" one.Don't know how long this one will last...

Large and cheap, but need at least Service Pack 1
I got this one from amazon 2 months ago for $89 dollar. Work excellent with Windows XP Service Pack 1 or 2.

Features

• Socket A for AMDR Athlon XP/ Athlon / Duron 600MHz ~ 3000+
• Maximum of 3 GB unbuffered PC3200/PC2700/PC2100/PC1600 non-ECC DDR RAM Memory
• 1 x AGP Pro/8X (1.5V only); 5 x PCI expansion slots
• Back Panel I/O Ports: 1 x Parallel, 1 x Serial, 1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse, 1 x Audio I/O, 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x S/PDIF out + 1 x Surround L/R audio jack + 1 x CNTR/LFE, audio jack, 2 X RJ45
• ATX Form Factor: 12" x 9.6" (30.5cm x 24.5cm)

Reviews (5)

A7N8X Deluxe now mostly works on Debian Linux
I'm running a Debian GNU/Linux server on this board and with the latest 2.6 kernels there is built-in support for the two on-board ethernet jacks. I've had a little difficulty getting the on-board sound working, but I'm no whiz at that and others on various forums say it is possible to even take advantage of this board's surround sound features under Linux. Basically, for my purposes, this board has worked without a hitch for about a year now. There's a reason it and its close relatives by Asus are so popular. It rocks!

Customer and Warranty Service
Very good board but if you encounter a problem like I did watch out.I updated the Bios and then could not get the computer to post.After several fixes I decided to sent it in to Asus for repair.I was very careful with the removal of the board and the packaging.A short time later they sent me an email with 2 photos of physical damage on the board.I could not make out what they were showing me in one of the pictures but the other looked as if someone had taken their nail, dug into the board and pulled away.Physical damage that was not there when it left my house and could not have happened in transit.I believe Asus damaged the board so the would not have to repair it either because they could not or it was their way of soaking the customer for more money.I contacted Monarch Computers (Very good company to have build your computer) to see if they could do anything.They could not, they did tell me that Asus and PNY rejects most if not all warranty work.So buyer Beware.

This is the motherboard your Mom warned you about.
Dee-luxe.This motherboard is a winner in nearly every sense; even the one minor shortcoming does nothing to affect its overall score or the argument that this is your best pick for an AMD chip.

Goodies?Try this: on-board SATA; on-board Firewire (IEEE 1394); on-board USB 2.0 (up to SIX connections possible); on-board audio (Dolby 5.1 decoding, 6-channel output); on-board Ultra-ATA; CPU and fan monitoring; fully configurable BIOS (can you say "overclock"?); all the cables you'd ever want; all the hardware you'd ever need; and a driver CD that enables you in a snap.

I do love the Asus retail bundles, because they reflect attention and consideration to the consumer that only Sony seems to match.They supply you with the device cables, the audio connectors, the motherboard hardware, the interface adapters, and good drivers.I think they realize that home builders can get those parts on their own, but why inconvenience your users?It builds loyalty in a positive way, and reflects well on Asus.

However, there's one minor gripe that took me a day to figure out, and it's something Asus should've included in the documentation.This is an AthlonXP motherboard, designed for dual-channel memory.It's a hot motherboard and offers superior performance (the nForce2 chipset is your best choice for AMD chips, bar none).Knowing this, and knowing what kind of components will be used for this motherboard, the least Asus should have included is a chart detailing how to setup the BIOS for various CPU/ memory combinations.The combinations are not limitless, nor are they hard to develop.Still, I had to run over to ask.amd.com and figure out how to optimally set my BIOS to use the full power of my CPU and memory.I'd expect Asus to bring that to the table, so that left me flat.

I got over it quickly, because my Ultra-ATA 133 Western Digital hard drive was now tearing up speed records (no more adapter card!), I had two network jacks built in (one 3COM, one nForce) so hooking up the cable modem was a two-second task, I had my Sony DRX-500ULX ready to go with one connection, and my ATI 9700 AIW card was pushing pixels at 8x.This motherboard made my system a real fast machine, and expandable to the max: I have absolutely ZERO need for the PCI slots, that's how much on-board connectivity is available.

Reviews (4)

YEs it come with fan and heatsink
I just bought this CPU and it came with fan.
great deal, I am happy.
Before I had Athlon 800MHz, big difrence in performance.

Boxed item?
The description for this item does not
say if it includes the cooler and fan,
and therefore the 3 yr. warranty.
Amazon did not know. Thanks.

AMD ATHLON XP 2800 512K CACHE
Ok folks, bought my Barton 2800+ awhile ago, and I've just recently gotten this system up and running and at a good place, so I'll let you know how I did. Specs are as follows:

EpoX 8RGA+
ATI Radeon 9600XT 128MB
1 Gig Corsair TwinX PC3200LL
80GB Western Digital Special Edition
Innovatek Water cooler (set5)
Enermax case with the Enermax logo side window (mid-tower)

Features

• Allows you to work at distances of up to 100 meters with 0 to 20 dBm output power
• Built-in security uses 128-bit encryption and authentication
• Supports Microsoft Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000, and XP
• Compatible with Mac OS S v10.2 and higher

Reviews (29)

The dreaded "license.dat" error...
This device is not easy to install. The error "Your license does not permit use with this device" is entirely misleading because the problem is actually that the Microsoft generic drivers have been installed instead of the Belkin set. The other symptom is that the Bluetooth Configuration control panel won't work. The following is for those familiar with the Device Manager:

If the drivers fail to install properly, the instructions say to install through the driver update pathway by pointing to the bin folder in the Belkin program folder. This will not work in XP. There are a number of threads on the Internet but they boil down to: 1. In Device Manager, right-click the "Belkin Bluetooth Adapter" and select "Update driver" 2. Select "Install from a list or specific location Advanced)" -> Next 3. Select "Don't search, I will choose the driver to install" -> Next 4. There should be two options: "Belkin Bluetooth Adapter" and "Belkin Bluetooth Device". "Belkin Bluetooth Device" is not digitally signed. Select it and click Next.

The software worked properly after this maneuver but it took hours to get there.

100 inches, not 100 meters
Don't waste your time or money.I can't belive this adapter is rated to 100 meters.I tried 2 different units, and neither worked beyond 10-15 feet.I do have a wirless mouse, but I swapped it out for a wired one with no difference, so interference wasn't the problem.

In addition, the setup is a pain.Not really Belkin's fault, but XP home "hijacks" the installation process and installs Microsoft drivers without giving you the chance to install the Belkin driver.

You may or may not get "invalid license" errors, in which case you have to uninstall and reinstall.

Finally, I got a consistent "network cable disconnected" error icon in my systray.Please explain where this disconnected "cable" is in a Bluetooth network.

Editorial Review

Enjoy the flexibility of being able to read from and write to just about any type of existing optical media using Sony's DRX-500ULX external dual-format (DVD/CD) rewriteable disc drive. It supports all popular DVD formats, from standard DVD-Video to DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, and DVD+RW. Now you can choose the DVD recordable media having the optimal compatibility with your playback hardware.

The drive offers high-performance CD-R/CD-RW burning, too--perfect for authoring your own custom music mixes or for transferring your home videos to video CD for easy sharing with friends and family.

Included is a powerful software bundle of industry-standard applications for creating and editing DVD-Video discs from camcorder and VCR footage, backing up your valuable data, storing and sharing large files, and watching DVD movies on your PC.

The drive, which you can mount either vertically or horizontally, supports both USB 2.0 and i.Link connections (IEEE1394/FireWire-compatible).

Features

• Reads CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MMC, SC cards, and xD cards
• Transfer files from digital cameras, video camcorders, MP3 players and personal digital assistants
• Streamlined portable design makes it easy to carry
• Connects to computer through USB port
• Transfer pictures without turning on camera

Reviews (4)

Does not work on all cards
This memory reader is not compatible with ATP secure digital cards; this is a major brand that Lexar should have tested on their product.

It does all I need ! (CF II, SMC, xD and even more)
Not the first multi-format card reader that I have, but it's the first one that really works for me ! I tried microdrive, smc and xd cards on it using Dell 8300 with Win XPpro. Everything works great no freezing PC, no strange errors! And on the top data tramsfer is really fast with USB 2.0 and you don't need to install any drivers at all on Win XP, it's just plug and work...

Features

• Photo lightfast technology helps photos last approximately 25 years
• Up to 4,800 by 1,200 dpi color, 600 x 600 dpi black
• Prints up to 22 ppm black, 14 ppm color, 4-by-6-inch photo in just 48 seconds
• Microscopic 2-picoliter droplets
• 4 individually replaceable ink tanks

Reviews (122)

Figured out how to do 5X7 prints
This printer turns out excellent photos, and the print head hasn't died yet, but I haven't used it as much as some people might.I tried all day today to figure out how to do 5X7's and discovered that if I put the jpeg photo into Photoshop and size it to 5X7, it will print at that size on a "letter" sized piece of photo paper.However, you end up wasting a lot of paper because you have to cut the 5X7 from the paper.What was I thinking, buying a printer that didn't print 5X7's?What was Canon thinking, making a printer like that.I'll be darn sure next time that I have the flexibility I need in a printer.

Worst money on a printer you can buy
I purchased this printer a year ago at Best buy for around 150 dollars. Since then it has worked fine and i was happy with it, up until now. Today it starting printing some weird streaks all over pictures, and i ran the clean print head option at least 6 times and it still prints the ugly green lines across the page.
I thought Canon would make a decent printer, but they have provem me wrong and I will never purchase one again.

Editorial Review

The Epson Perfection 1240U is a flatbed color image scanner that's easy to use, is fully automatic, and operates with one touch of a button. Precise and clear images are produced as a result of its 1,200 x 2,400 dpi hardware resolution and Micro Step Drive technology. True 42-bit color depth brings colors to life. The plug-and-play USB connection makes setting up a breeze.

Editorial Review

Features

• New and improved ball-free, cordless, battery-less three-button Graphire2 Mouse, complete with scrolling wheel
• Cordless, battery-less Graphire2 Pen, complete with programmable DuoSwitch, eraser and 512 levels of pressure sensitivity
• Graphire2 Tablet with removable pen stand and transparent tracing overlay, USB connection, compatible with both PC and Mac
• Edit and improve photos (when using a digital camera); inking and handwriting capabilities; draw, paint and sketch; or sign your name and annotate documents

Reviews (31)

Sweet Pen! Needs some getting use to
I believe I got my money's worth with the pen. It was easy to install, put the cd in then plug in the tablet and your done. Only thing kind of annoying is differece betwwen an ordinary mouse and the pen. It hard to explain but if you get You'll know what I mean. Right now I still getting used to it but I've only had it for a couple of hours. Its pretty easy to draw with, its like using a pencil write with one end and erase with the other but this only works in photoshop. However is does it automatically without any changes made. Another good feature is using it to web browse.

My Favorite new Tool!
I bought my Graphire a few days ago and I'm absolutely in love with it! Don't make the mistake of thinking that 4x5 inches is too small - it's not at all.I'm a graphic designer by profession and also do hours worth of high-res photo/illustration work in Photoshop every day, and this little baby keeps right up.

Best [money] I've spent in a long time.:)

Features

• Internal EIDE/ATAPI drive for installation in Mircosoft Windows operationg system environment
• Blazing fast 48x max. CD-R burning, creates a full CD-R in about 3 minutes
• 16x DVD-ROM speed allows for playback of DVD movies
• Power Burn conformed buffer underrun protection feature for smooth, reliable burns
• Full featured software suite for Mastering and Packeting Writing needs

Reviews (1)

Pleasant surprise for me.
I have always owned two CD-ROM drives, because I believe in redundancy and efficiency: two hard drives, spare floppy drives all over the workroom, and dual-CD setups since I can remember.So when I bought the Sony DRX-500 as my workhouse/ high-end burner, I was looking for an internal backup.I picked up one of these as part of a bundle, and what a nice surprise.

I got a bare drive, not a kit, so I didn't get a software bundle or screws or even an audio cable.This isn't a problem for me because I have spare parts for everything, but for anyone else, check to see that you're getting a complete kit if you expect it.

Features

• Listen to tunes on the road with the integrated MP3 audio player and optional Memory Stick PRO media
• View native Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and PDF documents
• Write letters naturally with Decuma handwriting recognition software
• High resolution color display produces over 65,000 colors for amazing clarity
• Stay organized and entertained--at home or on the road

Reviews (20)

Sony CLIE PEG-TJ35/U from Tech for Less
I recently returned my reboxed Sony CLIE PEG-TJ35/U from Tech for Less.PalmOS 5.1 caused some of my repair tracking programs to not work so I returned it within four days.Tech for Less charges a 20% restocking fee; fair enough but I asked to defer that until I can research which older Palm OS will work.

It seems that PalmOS 4.1 works with my program but now Tech For Less says that I had to take store credit at the time so no deal on credit the $19 that they charged for restocking fee towards a older Sony Clie PEG-T665C.

Oh well, they loose and another seller on Amazon .com got my business.

I wish this could be a better review...
I bought my TJ35 about 6 months ago.As others here have said, I am a true Sony fanatic.I researched carefully before choosing this item, and felt as though I got the best PDA for my money.Considering I use my PDA about 4 hours a day, that is saying a lot!

Let me say that I love the screen of this unit.It hardly scratches, is crystal clear, and the picture is very sharp.The software bundle is very robust.The flip cover is cheesy and the telescope stylus drove me nuts, however!

IMPORTANT: The batter will last a long time for any PDA if you do this one important thing: in the Prefs general section, look for the item labled "beam receive" and turn it off.I think it is under the general section, but I'm not positive.This will vastly improve your battery life!!!

All worked well until about 45 days later when the unit suddenly stopped hot synching and charging.I mean, I literally hot synched the unit, installed another program 10 minutes later, and nothing would work.I tried everything I knew, but couldn't get it to work.As I built the three computers in my house and have an IT degree, I feel that I did an extensive amount of troubleshooting.I called the company and had to go though the "Did you reboot your computer" steps with the person for 45 minutes just to get a ticket to send the product back.Then I had to wait 17 days for Sony to send the item back to me.

This is where it gets interesting.They determined that they couldn't fix my brand new device and sent me a refurbished model.I called up the company to complain, stating that I didn't want someone else's rejected model, I wanted a new one like I sent them.Especially with all the backlight problems the model has had.I was assured that the model sent to me had no backlight issues.

Wrong.Less than 30 days later, the backlight goes out.I call up customer service again, demanding that I receive a new model, since this is the second defective one I've received.No go.I told them I didn't want to go without a PDA for three weeks every two months.I was told by a supervisor that he didn't care how long I had to go without my device.

After more than 25 phone calls to Sony Customer support, I finally received a service return box in the mail.And then another.And then another.With three different return authorization numbers.These boxes came the week I moved, so of course I didn't have time to send the item off then.And after that, I became seriously ill and was diagnosed with a significant long-term condition that has left me barely able to leave the house.So now I will send the PDA and the three authorization forms to Sony and see what they will do.Probably nothing, because it's obvious that the company cares little for the insignificant hard-working customers who shell out two week's worth of grocery money for their product.

Who knows, maybe next Christmas one of my family members will buy me a Tungsten!

Editorial Review

McAfee VirusScan 7.0 protects your PC against a wide range of viruses, Trojan horses, and other rogue programs. With so many viruses being transmitted by e-mail, you absolutely need an antivirus program to protect your PC and, more importantly, your data.

McAfee VirusScan 7.0 installs easily from the CD-ROM and immediately checks your PC for any viruses that may already have infected it. As soon as you connect to the Internet it downloads the latest updates to ensure you are up-to-date with all the newest virus signatures.

To enable it to work effectively, McAfee VirusScan 7.0 operates on many levels. The new Hostile Activity Watch Kernel (HAWK) constantly monitors your PC for viruslike activity and integrates well with many different e-mail clients. The VShield feature runs constantly in the background, checking files as you open them. Even if you choose to disable VShield, the program still protects Microsoft Office files by checking them before you open them.

Another common way hackers infect PCs is by using scripts in e-mails. McAfee VirusScan 7.0 works well here, too, by looking for suspicious behavior in scripts such as those trying to open, write, or delete files. Anything suspect is stopped immediately.

For users running Win 98, 98 SE, and Me only there is a Safe & Sound function that makes copies of your documents and keeps them safe in case they get damaged by data corruption or virus activity. Note that this does not work on Windows 2000 and XP.

Some of the latest viruses can stop antivirus programs from working properly once they have infected a machine. If you suspect this has occurred, you can boot your PC directly from the McAfee VirusScan 7.0 installation CD-ROM, ensuring a clean environment for it to work in. You can also create a boot floppy to do the same thing.

Like the other products in McAfee's security range, McAfee VirusScan 7.0 uses Instant Updater, which constantly checks for product updates and automatically downloads these when you are online. Of course, any antivirus product is only as good as its ability to stop viruses from infecting your system. Happily, McAfee VirusScan 7.0 has been given a 100% rating by Virus Bulletin (although this assumes you do keep your product up-to-date with Instant Updater).

Features

• Easy-to-use wizards to create e-mail newsletters and printed marketing materials
• More than 20 preformatted business reports
• Analyze and manage business information using Access databases
• Exchange data with other systems using enhanced XML technology
• Control information sharing rules with enhanced IRM technology

Reviews (29)

Simply Awful
Office 2003 is quite simply the worst pile of bloated crapware I have ever had the misfortune of installing on my computer.Its slow, costs too much, eats up way too much precious hard drive space, and is difficult and unintuitive to use.Absolutely the worst experience I personally have ever had with "productivity" software.Do yourself a favor, go to openoffice.org, download their suite and use it.You won't be disappointed.Sometimes, I truly wish there were a "zero star" option from Amazon in rating a product.If anything deserves it, this garbage does.

Dear XMLers...
I am primarily an Excel user; this review is intended for those who primarily use Excel...

If you work with a development team that has the ability to produce XML files, and you want to get away from using gigantic flat databases for references, Office 2003 is your solution.Copying and pasting will be no longer necessary; just query a URL.It's proven to be an indispensible tool for us.

So, if you're in the serious business of producing reports, and you have a development staff that can produce dynamic XML pages, this is the product for you.With the previous version, you could Web Query; XML provides so many more possibilities --especially if you're coding.The code is much simpler.

Other than that, the program is not much different from 2002.Many other features that people want were still not implemented, such as extending the columns beyond 256 and the rows beyond 65K+.Word still has the same ole quirks (you know what they are if work with it often), and Access is just about the same.For the latter two programs, the only noticeable difference is the 'feel,' or the look of them.