AKSYSTEMS - Computer systems for the masses.

YER!

Just a quick boast that AK Computer Systems is currently undergoing a bit of a refurb. And for those of you who have not heard of AKS its our main business 2 business portal for servers, communications products and other Blue Chip related stuff.

We are hoping to finish the updates before the end of May, God willing, but who knows. Should the local Tesco Express increase the strength of the coffee in its vending machines then it could be ready this time next week.

The Dog.

Graphics cards - Whats the best one?

Hi Again,

Life can be a pain. Two things in life that cause me grief are:-

I often get customers asking, "What’s the best graphics card to buy"?
I also sometimes get a bad case of piles.

Both of these problems have a very simple solution.

The latter can be cured via some horrible smelling ointment which when applied to the area of discomfort, soothes and relieves the pain.

The former can be cured by telling customers to buy an Xbox for gaming unless they can find 400 pounds for a graphics card which offers better performance.

Ok, so maybe im being a bit harsh. :)

Simply, it’s not about "what is the best graphics card", its more about what you can afford and the level of your existing hardware specification. In truth you can spend a hell of a lot of money on a computer to make it play games and in the end you have to ask is it not worth buying an Xbox 360 instead?

OK! So whats the minimum I would spend and what specification?

I suggest (at a touch under £100) Radeon 9600 XT for AGP ports or MSI GeForce 6600 256MB for PCIX motherboards.

Comments and questions please?

The Dog.

PCI Graphics cards

Hi,

Just a quick note today on PCI graphics cards. Yes we can still get them, no they wont let you play couterstrike and yes its probably time you upgraded :)

A typical PCI graphics card would be a low end Sapphire ATI Radeon 9250 128MB DDR retailing at about 40 UK Pounds. Its processor is capable of rendering 3D graphics to a point but the PCI interface is the bottleneck. An AGP version of this card would be twice as fast.

:)

Build your own computer.... Save money....

Its a fantastic idea in principle, you buy the bits and build it yourself saving money.

In only one day this week I took two such computers in for repair.

One Un-named customer buys over 700 pounds worth of computer components, assembles them correctly to a point but missing one minor thing... the copper spacers that sit between the board and the chassis... resulting in a severe short circuit. Total cost of damage = one dead Radeon X1800 All in Wonder costing £225 +

If your going to build your own computer (and your doing it for the first time) please dont practice on hundreds of pounds worth of stuff. Play around with something cheaper and second hand first.

:)

The Dog.

April Fools

Dearest Readers,

Who’s the fool?

April fools day has passed and yet I see that we are being made fools by computer retailers in the high street and online.

A brochure dropped through the door, advertising a certain mail order computer company, offering brand new laptops from under 300 pounds. I get a little suspicious but Jo Public will continue to be duped by such advertising.

Let me break this down.

If a laptop (notebook, call it what you will) is offered for sale at £279 you should check the small print. Simply this price does not include VAT, delivery, handling charge and full warranty. I don’t want to drop any names here but let’s be honest, handling charge?

I was prey to such advertising only a few years ago. But if common sense prevails then I should have stopped to think a little harder before handing over my cash.

Handling Charge?

If you open a sweet shop, you intend to sell sweets. Why charge customers for handling those sweets? Would you quote prices excluding the paper bag to put them in? I suppose that if you sold sweets and someone requested some fruit, you would then be in a position to charge for handling, because it’s something you wouldn’t normally deal with.

But surely you will get fantastic tech support and excellent warranty?

Not true. Call centres, long waiting times, under trained staff.

Ok, so what if you think the handling charge is acceptable?

Finance is "subject to status" and "Free double memory is only valid for a short time". Oh and "free antivirus is on select models only" and then “only for a limited time”. I see the words “Image for illustrative purpose only", which means in plain English "What you see IS NOT what you get".

So if you’re looking for a new computer, beware, be very aware of what you’re buying. Sometimes things are not all they seem, or in this case, things are not at all what they seem.

Other things I could mention.

Did I mention that we get these computers in for repair quite often? Did I mention how disgruntled the customers were when I told them what they had purchased could not be upgraded? Did I mention that customers had not been given a copy of important software on disk such as Windows XP? Did I mention that finding important software like device drivers on the internet was very difficult for the majority of computers coming from such big companies? Did I mention £1 a min tech support lines?

Do you agree or disagree?

We always welcome your comments here! :) And we won’t be critical. If you think a computer company has bent over backwards to make sure your experience was a pleasant one please let us know!


The Dog