Q. I’ve been using a Nokia 6600 since last year. I want a new phone with the following features:
1) Clamshell form factor
2) Expandable memory
3) FM Radio
4) Good battery life
Please tell me which models are available in the market. Should I buy a Sony Ericsson, Nokia, or Motorola? Assume no budget constraints.
Nagesh Deshpande
A. Motorola has several clamshell models that will suit your needs. Look at the Motorola RAZR V3xx. It’s a reliable phone with all the features you need. Since price isn’t a factor, also spare a glance at the new KRZR K3. This is a clamshell model with a 2.0-inch display, a gorgeous resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, and it also sports a 2-MP camera.
50 – 30 = ?
Q. I want to buy a new digicam on a budget of Rs 10,000. In your digicam shootout, you’ve mentioned the best camera being the Sony DSC W50. What is the difference between this model and the DSC W30?
Deobrata
A. The Sony DSC W50 is a good camera, and its price has fallen since the time we tested it. Also available at a very good price of Rs 14,000 is the Canon A710IS. The special thing about this camera is the inclusion of image stabilisation and a 6x optical zoom. The Sony W30 is a model launched officially for the Indian market, and there is a single difference between the two technically-the W30 has a 2-inch LCD viewfinder, whereas the W50 has a 2.5-inch viewfinder. The DSC W50 should cost approximately Rs 11,500 in the grey market.
80K-Game Away!
Q. I want to upgrade my PC to a fast gaming rig. I currently have a 915GM motherboard with a Pentium IV and 512 MB RAM. My budget is Rs 80,000.
Via e-mail
A. With a budget of 80K, I suggest you sell off your old system, and invest in a new set of components. My recommendations are in the table below. That configuration totals up to Rs 76,450. Such a rig will easily see you through all the games and applications you can throw at it. The graphics card I’ve suggested is DirectX 10 ready, so upgrading to Vista will be a snap. If you want more processing power, look at the E6600 (2.4 GHz) with 4 MB of L2 cache as opposed to the E6400’s 2 MB, for around Rs 5,500 more. You could also buy another hard drive and opt for a RAID 0 storage solution, which the motherboard supports.
Go For Gold!
Q. I want to buy a DVD-Writer; my budget is Rs 2,000. In your December and January issues, you have suggested the Sony DRU-830 as the best buy. In the February issue, you tested DVD-Writers, but the Sony DRU-830 wasn’t mentioned. You said the Lite-On LH-20AIP and LH-16AIP were the winners. Since all of them cost the same, I am confused about which one to buy.
Rakesh Biswas
A. The Sony DRU-830A was the former best performer; it was outperformed by the two winners from Lite-On if you look at the comparative scores. The build quality is quite similar. Choose the Best Buy Gold in any of our tests if you’re looking for the best performance-to-price buy.
Stuck On AGP
Q. I have a Pentium IV 2.8 GHz with 768 MB of RAM, and a 15-inch monitor. My motherboard is an Intel D865GBF. I want to buy an AGP graphics card for my PC, but am confused about brand and model. Would a 128 MB or 256 MB card be better? My budget is Rs 3,000 to 4,000.
Debjyoti Dutta
A. Since you haven’t mentioned your usage, I assume you are interested in speeding up your PC a bit, and aren’t interested into serious gaming. In this case you won’t need a “high-end” graphics card, and are limited to AGP cards. I’d recommend a GeForce 7300GS; make sure you get a
256 MB AGP version. If you are willing to extend your budget a bit, you could consider the GeForce 7300GT 256 MB, which will further improve graphics performance. Budget constraints aside, I must warn you that both these options-7300GS and 7300GT-may not be the best options to accelerate Vista. If you’re interested in upgrading to Vista in the near future, I’d suggest you upscale your budget and invest in a 7600GT 256 MB, which will cost you around Rs 8,000.
Upgrade One, Upgrade Two…
Q. I have an Intel Pentium IV 3 GHz processor with HT technology, 256 MB DDR 400 RAM, and an 80 GB SATA hard disk. I now want to upgrade my motherboard to support DDR2. Will my current processor work with DDR2? The board must also support SATA 2.0 and have a graphics card slot.
Vinay Krishna
A.You haven’t mentioned exactly what CPU interface you have-478-pin or LGA 775 type. Check your manual as to whether your board supports DDR2 or not. If not, I recommend upgrading your motherboard to a 946 platform if you are on a budget. These motherboards support the Core 2 Duo processors. A better buy would be a 965G-based board. Both these platforms will also allow DDR2 and PCI-Express graphics. Remember, you will also have to upgrade your processor and memory. If you cannot afford a Core 2 Duo (the cheapest being the E6300 at Rs 9,500), I’d suggest a Pentium D 805, or a Pentium D 920 (which will save you Rs 4,000), along with 1 GB of DDR2 667 MHz memory. This should provide an inexpensive yet powerful upgrade-best bang for your buck.