BN2012

So, you’ve built your all around home PC. The hardware is in there. Everything is in place. Its now time to install te software that will serve the purpose of building your machine.

You’ve looked at all the options. You’ve surfed for all those commercial software out there. Then, after a few browsing, you’re shocked at the prices that you’re eyes are looking at your favorite software vendor. You wonder if you’ll ever have the money to buy all that you really need.

Never loose heart. BN2012 has been browsing the Internet for sometime now for good software that’s free. If you’re using a Windows operating system, here’s a suggested collection of free software to download for your all around home computing needs.

I. For Document Viewing and Editing

1. OpenOffice
2. OxygenOffice

II. For Internet Browsing

1. Firefox
2. Safari
3. Chrome
4. Opera

III. Music Players and Editors

1. Winamp
2. Audacity
3. Music Editor Free
4. Other music software

IV. Video Player and Editors

1. Wax Video Editor
2. ZS4 Free Video Editor
3. Jashaka Video Editor
4. Virtual Dub
5. VLC Media Player

V. Free Online Games (Internet Connection required)

1. Ikariam
2. Ogame
3. Miniclip

VI. Photo and Graphic Editing

1. Photoscape
2. Photofiltre
3. Picasa
4. Logo Designer

VII. Internet Messengers / Audio/Video/Text Chatting

1. Yahoo Messenger
2. Skype
3. Pidgin
4. Paltalk

VIII. PIMs, Contact and Email Management, PDA and Other Hand-held Unit Synchronization

1. Octopus City (Online and Internet Connection Required)
2. Reach A Mail
3. Thunderbird

IX. Free Antivirus Software

1. Avira Antivirus
2. My Free Antivirus
3. AVG

X. CD/DVD/Blu Ray Burning Software

1. BurnAware Free Burning Software
2. Free Easy CD DVD Burner
3. Deep Burner Free Portable

XI. Miscellaneous Software

1. RarZilla – for unzipping Rar and Zip files
2. Soldier Under FIre – a first person shooter game that’s freely downloadable
3. Advance SystemCare Free – System Optimization

While there are other free software in the Internet that you can find if you’ll dig a little harder than usual, BN2012 thinks that the list above is pretty comprehensive when it comes to your daily computing needs. It is best to read more information on each software before downloading and installing it.

An all around home PC is a computer built to address all your home computing needs. Though buying an average PC set will probably cost you a little less, you can be pretty sure that building a unit like this has far more better rewards in terms of overall performance.

An all around PC will be able to do all these tasks:

1. Connect and browse the Internet
2. Create and edit documents
3. Act as a Home Stereo by playing MP3s and other music file formats
4. Act as a mini Home Theater where you can watch DVDs and other video file formats
5. Play most of the recent PC games available
6. Basic and intermediate photo and graphic editing
7. Scan and print photos and documents
8. Video chat with friends and relatives from virtually anywhere through YM or Skype
9. Synchronize with your mobile gadgets like cellphones, PDAs, PSPs, and more
10. Transfer video files from your DV Cam and edit the video as well
11. With the proper software and hosting services, you could even create and edit a website just like BN2012.com or at least a family website of your own

And here’s the list of what you should buy:

1. A motherboard that supports Intel Core 2 Duo processors and has a 4 gigabyte or more of RAM support. This motherboard should also have an onboard LAN, sound or audio, USB ports, and a multiple card reader.
2. An Intel Core 2 Duo processor that at least has a minimum of 2 Gigahertz processing power.
3. A hard disk that has a 250 Gigabyte worth of storage. 1 terrabyte is strongly recommended if you plan to store thousands of Mp3s, photos, and videos.
4. 2 x 2 Gigabyte RAM sticks (a combined 4 Gigabyte of computer memory) but go for 3 x 2 or 4 x 2 Gigabyte of RAM sticks for more computing power if you can afford it.
5. A 128 or 256 bit video card that has 512Mb memory. Make sure that it is DirectX 10 / HD compatible. A 1Gb of memory is much better also if you can afford it.
6. A DVD Writer that supports all of the DVD formats including Dual Layered discs.
7. A PC case that matches your motherboard’s size and has a minimum of 500 watts power supply.
8. A 22 inches LCD monitor for a bigger desktop workspace and for better viewing pleasure when watching videos.
9. A 3 in 1 Printer, Scanner, Copier machine.
10. A 2.1 stereo speaker system (2.1 means 2 satellite speakers plus a sub-woofer)

Note that it is much better to buy all your parts from just a single PC store as this will always come with a free keyboard, mouse and an Auto Voltage Regulator. You might also get a free USB flash memory stick or something else as a promo give away from the store.  Plus, you will have the convenience of having them assembled all the parts so that you’ll never have to pay someone else to do it for you. Once the PC is assembled, you can also have the privilege of testing the unit to see if there’s any bad part in it.

For Philippine shoppers, a setup like this will cost you around Php35,000 on various PC stores such as PC Corner and PC Gilmore. If you’ll change the motherboard to adopt an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200 processor, then the cost will go down to approximately Php30,000.

Without the 2.1 speaker and the 3 in 1 printer, scanner, and copier, the Intel Core 2 Duo setup will only cost you around Php30,000 and Php25,000 for the AMD Athlon 64 set up. You could always buy the speakers, printer, and scanner later on if you first chose to build your PC set without them.

Others called it the CPU. But its actually more than that. The tall tower case beside your monitor, or under your computer table, might look just like an ordinary PC case. But what it really is can be much like the hood of a car. And however the hood looks, what really matters is what is under it.

A PC user should be somehow knowledgeable of what’s inside the case. It will help him a lot to know the basic components of his machine especially when he’s upgrading. So let us pop up the hood and let us take a closer look on the parts in which your system is made of… Read the rest of this entry »

December is fast approaching and the shopping spree season is soon to start. You might not want to be left out with those people who’s not planning to reward themselves for a year’s worth of hard work and you’re probably eyeing on that new laptop that is being displayed on your favorite computer store.  Here are  four sure tips for you to get the most of what you’re paying for when buying a new computer.

1. Buy a little more than what you need.

One of the most important things you can do when buying a new computer is make a list of the things that you will be using it for. There are so many different models – with different capabilities – that you can easily buy more, or less, than you really need if you don’t. Read the rest of this entry »