Sommaire pour December 2019 de Computer Shopper

Ayear ago, I set up a code club at my children’s school, after seeing first hand how limited the students’ access to actual computing is during the course of a normal school day. The club is still running, and more than half the school has since had the opportunity to get to grips with programs such as Scratch and start understanding the back end of a website. But they’re now moving away from software, and on to the insides of a computer. At our latest session, the children were amazed at seeing a tiny micro:bit and starting to understand that a computer is not just the beige box on their desk (this is a school ICT suite, after all – no flashy all-in-one PCs around here), but all the various…

Software guru and Shopper legend letters@computershopper.co.uk THE OTHER DAY, I caught sight of my to-do list in Outlook, and realised that most of the items had been languishing on there for months, if not years. In my defence, this is my personal to-do list rather than my work-related one, but it did make me think I really ought to do something about my procrastination problem. Fortunately, by the time I’d watered the greenhouse, hung out the washing, had a cup of tea and played a couple of games of Spider Solitaire, the feeling had dissipated. LOTUS POSITION For ‘real’ work, I use the calendar in Outlook, but that doesn’t really work for the sorts of tasks that don’t have a due date. Personally, I still mourn the loss of Lotus…

SAY WHAT? 5G IS HERE, but it’s only really available in a limited number of smartphones. And those phones, such as the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G and Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, are flagship devices with expectantly high prices. As such, while 5G networks are being rolled out and expected to cover more cities and areas as 2020 comes around, there isn’t a vast number of smartphones accessible to all that can tap into the speeds and bandwidth the next-generation network promises and seems to be delivering so far. But Qualcomm hopes to be the firm that helps turn that around. At IFA 2019, the chip maker noted that it will be bringing its 5G modem chips to its 6- and 7-series Snapdragon system-on-a-chip ranges. If you currently want a Qualcomm…

£1,209 • From www.dell.com VERDICT There’s much to appreciate about this professional laptop, but a dull screen and awkward keyboard get in the way IT’S USUALLY WORTH paying attention when Dell launches a laptop; the premium XPS range contains some of the best clamshells and convertibles ever made. The Latitude 5500 is a lot more businesslike, but its focus on security could still make it shine. At 359mm wide and 20mm deep when closed, this is a chunky notebook by modern standards. That means there’s room for a numberpad next to the keyboard, but considering both the dimensions and the 1.8kg weight, it’s far from ultraportable territory. LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES Even so, it’s been put together well enough. With the exception of the plastic underside, there’s aluminium bodywork throughout, minimal flex…

£80 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT This AMD-only cooler is skilfully designed, but its actual cooling performance is nothing special JUST IN TIME for a whole new generation of AMD Ryzen processors, Deepcool has launched the Fryzen air cooler, which ignores the usual platform-agnosticism of third-party coolers to cater specifically for AMD sockets. In fact, it’s as friendly towards the enthusiast Threadripper series of chips as much as it is the mainstream Ryzens, if not even more so. The contact plate is wider than usual, to fully cover the enlarged heat spreaders of Threadripper chips, and all the mounting kit you need for the TR4 socket is included alongside the AM4 socket parts. Often, coolers will claim to support TR4, but make you order a separate mounting kit for it. COVER…

£87 • From www.safe.co.uk VERDICT You can scan around a room to see what’s going on, but a fixed-lens camera is more practical for security MOTORISED SECURITY CAMERAS used to be all the rage but recently they’ve been replaced with cheaper fixed-lens models. It’s interesting to see the DCS-8515LH, which is comparatively cheap and gives a full view of your room, thanks to its motorised body. ON THE TURN Controlled through the clunky but functional mydlink app, the DCS-8515LH takes a couple of minutes to set up and get connected to your network. Once added to the app, the first thing the DCS-8515LH does is take a panoramic photo of your room, moving the camera through its entire 340° horizontal range. The photo is used to let you tap the…

£230 • From www.currys.co.uk VERDICT A well-designed, feature-packed smart speaker, but its underwhelming sound quality doesn’t justify the price WITH A STYLISH design and features to spare, the Pure DiscovR sits at the premium end of the smart speaker spectrum. It’s also unusual: unlike most Alexa-powered speakers, the DiscovR has a built-in battery, allowing you to move it around the house or take it into the garden without needing a mains socket. This no doubt contributes to its high price, but there’s no disputing the DiscovR looks smart for the money. Its square enclosure is made of matt aluminium with a non-slip rubber base and is softened by heavily rounded edges. Encased within is the speaker housing, which rises smoothly from its aluminium shell when you push down on the…

£90 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT This dreadful slate only serves as proof that a low price and good value are not synonymous £90 FOR A 10.1in Android tablet sounds too good to be true – and it is. The MatrixPad Z4 is a miserable product that struggled to complete our benchmarks and, astonishingly, manages to feel even cheaper than its extremely low cost of entry. At a glance, the Vankyo MatrixPad Z4 is a pretty standard-looking tablet. The bezels are a bit thick, and it’s made of plastic, but there’s nothing immediately untoward considering the price. It’s when you pick it up that the first signs of doubt appear. The plastic is smooth, but it feels insubstantial, as if the whole thing were hollow. Also, if there’s one thing you…

01 A basic PC costing around £350 will be able to run everyday office, multimedia and education software and will easily cope with surfing the internet. It might even be able to run some modern games. Many PCs can be sold either with or without a monitor. If you don’t like the display the manufacturer is offering, you can always use your current one, or buy another one separately. 02 If you want to play games, you’ll have to upgrade the graphics card. Budget cards such as the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 will cope well with many 3D games, but to play the latest 3D games smoothly (and enjoy the best-quality graphics) it’s worth upgrading to a more powerful card such as the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070. 03 All modern…

01 It’s essential that you buy the right type of motherboard for your processor. For example, Intel’s Skylake, Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake processors all use the same LGA 1151 socket, but because each CPU generation introduced new chipsets, you’ll need to get a Z370 motherboard for a Coffee Lake chip, a Z270 board for a Kaby Lake chip and so on. 02 All current Intel processors have built-in graphics chipsets, so if you want to use your chip’s built-in graphics, make sure the motherboard has the video outputs, such as DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. If you want to play the latest games, you’ll need to fit a dedicated graphics card in the motherboard’s PCI Express x16 slot, although this may block one of your other slots. 03 Normal tower…

01 Laser printers used to be much more expensive than inkjets and were typically restricted to offices. They are now much more affordable, however, and offer several benefits over inkjets, including lower per-page printing costs and faster print speeds. 02 A decent laser printer will typically cost around £80, and will happily print hundreds of black-and-white pages per hour. If documents are your priority, you’ll want a high minimum speed and low print costs. However, you’ll probably be limited to black-and-white printing at this price. 03 Although you can still buy single-function laser printers, multifunction peripherals (MFPs) are now far more common. These models can scan and photocopy documents as well as print them, and some of them also have fax capabilities. Laser MFPs start from around £200. 04 Heavy-duty…

01 A smartphone’s operating system (OS) dictates its basic features and which third-party software you can install. There are three main contenders: Apple’s iOS, which is found on the iPhone, Google’s Android, which is used by various handset manufacturers, and Windows Phone, which has few options, especially since Microsoft has discontinued support for its OS. Apple iOS and Google Android both have thousands of apps available. 02 All smartphones have colour screens, but their resolutions vary. Basic models have 1,280x720 pixels, but text can be indistinct. Look for a display that has at least 1,920x1,080 pixels so it’s easier to read text and watch Full HD videos. Don’t worry too much about built-in media players or Office document editors; you can always install apps to replace these with better versions…

01 Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes and sizes, so you’ll need to decide what you want to do with the speaker before you buy. If you don’t plan to take your music outdoors or around the house, look for a wired speaker. These are typically cheaper than speakers with built-in batteries. If you do want a portable speaker, however, pay particular attention to how much it weighs. Ruggedised models should be able to survive accidental drops, water spills and unexpected rain showers. 02 Many of the cheapest Bluetooth speakers use the lossy A2DP Bluetooth protocol, which is prone to compressing your music and discarding detail compared with the original recording. It’s hard to tell the difference when listening to pocket-sized speakers, but if you’re looking for a speaker to…

01 Wearable tech can include anything from chest-strap heart-rate monitors to augmented reality glasses, but the two most common types are smartwatches and fitness trackers. Both are designed to sit unassumingly on your wrist, and are almost always meant to be used in tandem with a paired smartphone. 02 Smartwatches are typically more complex and expensive, though more closely resemble a traditional wristwatch. You can use them to receive and reply to text messages and emails, quickly check maps and even play games – like a smartphone, most smartwatches allow you to install your own choice of apps. 03 Fitness trackers are much more dedicated to healthy pursuits. Step counters, heart-rate monitors and even sleep tracking are all common, and the data collected is fed back to you so you…

£277 • From www.printerland.co.uk VERDICT Brother’s MFC-J5945DW is a fast and economical choice for A3 printing IT’S NO SECRET that inkjets have been slowly replacing laser printers in small and home offices, and Brother’s MFC-J5945DW shows why. This MFP can print, scan, copy or fax one- or two-sided A4 pages. It can also print single-sided A3 pages, though not A3+. It has two 250-sheet input trays in the base and a 100-sheet multipurpose feed at the back, all of which support A3. There’s also a 50-sheet A4 automatic document feeder on top. The MFC-J5945DW supports wired and wireless networks, and is controlled via a colour touchscreen. It’s an easy printer to install and use, but setting up involves a nine-minute wait for ink priming, and a 300MB download of the…

£310 • From www.printerbase.co.uk VERDICT Epson has built an inkjet to beat cheap mono laser MFPs, but it’s lacking some key features EPSON’S ECOTANK INKJET printers ditch cartridges in favour of refillable ink tanks, reducing hassle and plastic waste while dramatically cutting running costs. Until recently the range included only home devices, but the ET-M2140 is one of three models introduced earlier this year that target small businesses and home offices. Mono only, it’s ready to pick a fight with entry-level mono laser MFPs, while the ET-M1100 (USB-only) and ET-M1120 (USB and Wi-Fi) are gunning for single-function mono laser printers. At this price you might expect a few bells and whistles, but the ET-M2140 is surprisingly basic. There’s a 250-sheet paper input tray, and it can duplex-print on both sides…

£98 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT HP’s LaserJet Pro M28w is small and simple, but limited. We’d rather have an inkjet IF YOUR IDEA of a laser printer is something too big, hot and noisy to share a desk with, HP’s LaserJet Pro M28w might be a pleasant surprise. It’s a multifunction peripheral built around a basic mono laser printer, and the end result is about as compact as a typical home office inkjet MFP. With no vents to spew hot air, and a slow-ish 18ppm print engine keeping the noise down, it’s as easy to live with as laser devices get. Politely, we’d suggest that ‘Pro’ is something of a misnomer for this strictly no-frills device. It has no automatic document feeder for multipage copies, no automatic double-sided printing, no…

HUAWEI 5G was the theme of Huawei’s IFA 2019 plans. Unusually, these began with something that’s already available in the UK, with the Chinese firm giving us another look at the Mate 20 X 5G (right). This is likely to become obsolete soon, however, as Huawei’s main event was the reveal of its Kirin 990 smartphone processor. This is the first 5G-capable 7nm SoC on the planet and, unlike on the Mate 20 X 5G’s Kirin 980, the 5G modem is fully integrated: it’s not a conventional SoC with an added-on modem. This helps it stay smaller and more power-efficient. The Kirin 990 will first find a home in the Mate 30 series, which will have been revealed at a separate event in Munich by the time you read this.…

At first sight, astronomer Jerry R Ehman’s task at Ohio State University’s radio observatory didn’t sound too enthralling. All that changed in August 1977. As usual, he’d been analysing the huge volumes of line printer paper from the observatory’s IBM 1130 computer, when something caught his eye. This particular signal was so arresting that Ehman circled it in red, writing Wow! against it. To this day, it’s called the Wow! Signal. The radio observatory had been built as part of the University’s SETI programme. And that signal looked nothing like anything anyone had ever seen before. The signal lasted 72 seconds, it was 30 times stronger than the background noise, and it appeared to be a signal that couldn’t have been generated on Earth. Needless to say, scientists have looked…

Send your problems to help@computershopper.co.uk In need of directions I’ve had my Volkswagen Tiguan for more than a year, and we’re about to use it on a family driving holiday to France. In the UK, we tend to use either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to navigate, but we’re concerned that doing so on holiday will blast through our data allowance and land us with big roaming charges. Instead, we’ll use the car’s satnav, the maps for which needed an update. Unfortunately, when attempting to refresh them, I seem to have broken the system. I downloaded Volkswagen’s DiscoverCare software, which didn’t seem to offer the same Europe-wide mapping that’s already on the system: instead, I had to choose from map bundles with partial coverage. The software backed up the satnav’s…

letters@computershopper.co.uk Windows update fix @ I have a lovely little Intel NUC PC running Windows 10. There was a persistent problem whereby Windows Update was not working. In advanced settings, ‘Automatically download updates’ was off and refuses to be set to on. On numerous occasions, I manually updated Windows using the Microsoft Update Catalog, hoping it would fix the problem. It didn’t. I tried switching Kaspersky internet protection off, but this didn’t enable updates. I searched on the web for the problem and error codes, but although it seemed to be a common fault I didn’t come across a straightforward fix. I downloaded and tried WUMT, but still no benefit. And then, as if by magic, the latest issue arrived through my letterbox (Shopper 381). I studied your ‘Keep Windows…

Bye bye, Windows 7 We explore the options if you want to keep running an unsupported operating system, and whether the features in Windows 10 mean it’s no longer worth running an old OS Christmas sorted Our round-up of the best technology gifts for everyone from kids to commuters, and foodies to technophobes Graphic design We go in search of the best budget, mid-range and premium graphics cards, with full tests of AMD’s and Nvidia’s latest GPUs Telling the future We explore the world of computer simulation, from its vital role in developing life-saving drugs to why it’s not always so successful in weather forecasting and economic modelling COMPUTER SHOPPER ISSUE 383 ON SALE IN NEWSAGENTS FROM 7th NOVEMBER…

Ultrabook oomph Razer’s Blade Stealth ultraportable now comes with Intel’s 10th-generation Ice Lake processors and an optional Nvidia Geforce GTX 1650, making it a genuine gaming ultraportable Apple’s aces Apple has launched the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. The former is a decent upgrade over the iPhone Xs, while the latter models pack in a triple camera array and a slick Super Retina RDX display Helping hertz OnePlus has taken the covers off the OnePlus 7T, which now comes with a 90Hz display, triple camera array and Snapdragon 855 Plus chip Robo rumba A strip club in Nantes, France, has added two new dancers to its line-up: robots with a camera for a head to make punters think about the nature of voyeurism…

£485 • From www.ebuyer.com VERDICT Avita’s UK debut brings an affordable and surprisingly decent ultraportable to the market AVITA ISN’T LIKELY to be a laptop brand you’ll have heard of, as the Hong Kong-based company has only just launched in the UK, with its Liber 14 laptop leading the charge. This is a lower-end Windows 10 ultraportable, powered by an eighth-generation Intel Core i3 laptop-grade processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD storage and a Full HD display; hardly a spec to get the heart racing. Still, it is truly affordable, something that can’t often be said of recent ultraportables. LIVERY LAUGH LOVE Where the Liber 14 really stands out, however, is its design, with the aluminium chassis coming in a choice of striking finishes: Pearl White, Angel Blue, Ornament…

£330 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT The Nitro VG270UP is an outstanding gaming monitor that won’t break the bank EVEN TWO YEARS after its release, the Acer Predator XF270HUA is still one of the very best gaming monitors you can buy. Times move on, however, and the Nitro VG270UP has a very good chance of supplanting it. Acer’s newest monitor is cheaper, but very similar to the XF270HUA on specs. These include a 27in IPS panel running at a sharp 2,560x1,440 resolution, a fast 144Hz refresh rate and support for both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. There’s even a comparable, although not identical, three-sided borderless design. FIXED POINT Admittedly, this design doesn’t exhibit the same degree of quality as that of the XF270HUA; the stand in particular is made of flimsy…

£269 • From www.samsung.com VERDICT These headphones’ noise cancelling isn’t the best, but their sound quality just might be AKG’S LONG HISTORY in studio headphones is well established, but it’s not quite as well known that the brand is today part of Samsung-owned Harman. That’s why you’ll see AKG-tuned earbuds supplied with Samsung’s top-end smartphones, and it’s a relationship that has helped the firm gain a foothold in the high-tech headphone market. This is where its latest AKG N700NC M2 headphones sit. They’re the latest attempt by Samsung/AKG to dislodge the Bose QuietComfort 35 II (Shopper 362) and the Sony WH-1000XM3 (Shopper 375) from their positions as the best noise-cancelling headphones money can buy. WELL WORN As a direct rival to those most popular of headphones, it shouldn’t come as…

£278 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT The Galaxy A50 is yet another long-lasting Samsung success, and it’s incredibly good value, too AS EXCELLENT AS the Galaxy Note 10+ is (page 38), Samsung’s smartphones don’t begin and end with its high-end models. Just last month we saw the brilliant mid-range Galaxy A70, and now it’s the turn of the even cheaper Galaxy A50. Like the A70, the A50 gets off to a good start by essentially copying the Galaxy S10’s design. That means there’s virtually no bezel to speak of, save for a very small chin at the bottom, and although the curved back panel is made of plastic, it’s comfortable enough to avoid feeling too cheap. Most excitingly for a handset of this price, the fingerprint reader is built into the…

£55 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT This fitness band isn’t the most accurate at tracking, but for the low price it’s still a good buy THE HUAWEI BAND 3 Pro has nearly everything you could plausibly want in a fitness band, including GPS, a heart-rate monitor and a vibrant AMOLED screen. More importantly, it does this at a price where you’d get change from three £20 notes. There are no physical buttons on this otherwise conventionally designed wearable. The closest thing is a single touch-sensitive button under the main screen. Although we like the clean, symmetrical look, we also wouldn’t have minded one or two extra buttons on the side. Touchscreen controls can get tricky to use when sweating, swimming or just out in the rain. STRAP ARTIST Even so, using…

01 A basic laptop costing around £300 will run everyday office, multimedia and education software, but it won’t be suitable for 3D gaming or processor-intensive tasks such as video editing. Many laptops at this price have a 15.6in screen and weigh over 2kg, so they’re best used around the house and for occasional journeys. 02 If you want to play modern games, you’ll need a laptop with a dedicated graphics chip such as the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060M. Good gaming laptops tend to have large 15.6 or 17in screens and weigh around 3kg, so they’re best suited to use at home. 03 If you want a laptop that you can take everywhere, look for a model that weighs less than 2kg. For the best portability, buy one that has a…

01 Building your own PC is often cheaper than buying a pre-made system, and gives full control over the components. You don’t need any special computer knowledge: just a few spare hours, a screwdriver and your choice of parts. Even things such as liquid-cooling systems can be found in user-friendly, easy-to-install packages, and for the most part it’s as simple as inserting each component into a particular slot. 02 Arguably the most important component is the CPU. These days you can get a quad-core chip even on a tight budget, which should provide more than enough brainpower for simple tasks such as web browsing, but hexa-core and octa-core chips are better for tougher jobs such as media editing, gaming and content creation. The CPU will also determine which motherboards you…

01 Wireless routers each use a number of Wi-Fi standards, so you shouldn’t have any trouble connecting your computer or phone wirelessly if you get an 802.11n or 802.11ac router. Nearly all routers support 802.11n, so even a cheap model should provide decent performance. You can expect a transfer speed of around 40Mbit/s at a distance of 10m from any modern 802.11n router. The very latest routers use the 802.11ac standard, which provides tremendously fast transfer speeds. Some devices still don’t support the 802.11ac standard, so check the specifications before you buy. 02 If you subscribe to an ADSL broadband service, you should buy a wireless router that has a built-in ADSL modem. This will cost more than the equivalent cable router, but it allows you to connect your router…

01 All tablets rely on an operating system (OS) to run apps. You have three main choices: Apple’s iOS, which runs on the iPad; Android, which Google licenses to various manufacturers; and Windows 10, which has become common in hybrid tablets and convertibles. If you own an Apple or Google smartphone, you can download your apps, music and so on to a tablet that runs the same OS, so it makes sense to stick with a compatible device. 02 It’s important to pick a tablet that has a good-quality, high-resolution screen. Many budget tablets have 1,280x800-resolution displays, but better tablets have Full HD 1,920x1,080 panels, and we’re starting to see tablets that have even higher screen resolutions. Some are as high as 2,560x1,600 or even 4K. Entry-level tablets typically use…

01 Media streamers have come a long way from the hard disk-based set-top boxes of a few years ago. They now come in two main forms: flash drive-sized dongles that plug directly into the HDMI port in the back of your TV, and larger microconsoles that sit under it. Whichever model you choose, it will stream content from the internet rather than storing media files locally. 02 Most streamers use their own operating system, which you can navigate with a bundled remote control, but Google’s Chromecast dongle requires a paired smartphone, tablet or laptop to stream content on the big screen. If you’re looking to set up Netflix for someone who doesn’t have a smartphone, buy a standalone streamer such as a Roku or Amazon Fire TV device. 03 A…

HOME INKJET CANON Pixma TS205 The Canon Pixma TS205 is slow, loud, lacking a scanner and not particularly cheap to run. This doesn’t sound like a recipe for a successful printer, but for just £29, the normal rules don’t quite apply. Even if it does trundle along at a relaxed pace, print quality exceeds expectations set by this rock-bottom price, and because it’s quite frugal with its ink usage, you won’t have to buy replacement cartridges so often. If you only need something to print the occasional document, it’s an attractive alternative to more fully loaded MFPs. CREATIVE INKJET CANON Pixma TS6250 Further up the range is the Canon Pixma TS6250, which is much better for printing and scanning photos and artwork. It cleverly uses different types of black ink…

£29 • From www.ebuyer.com VERDICT It may be basic and slow, but if you’re after a cheap printer, the Pixma TS205 is a bargain YOU MIGHT NOT expect much from an inkjet printer that costs less than some cartridges, but don’t be too quick to write off Canon’s Pixma TS205. There’s no denying it’s basic; it’s easier to mention that it has a USB port than to detail the lack of networking, scanner, display, duplex printing or other features. Still, it’s under £30, and if you’re realistic with your expectations the TS205 is unlikely to disappoint. It’s very light, and there’s a flexible and approximate feel both to its trays and covers and the way the print cartridges slot into place. The paper input and output trays are basic, and…

£406 • From www.printerland.co.uk VERDICT If you want the benefits of a mono laser MFP, Epson’s EcoTank ET-M3180 is a good pick THE EPSON ECOTANK ET-M3180 is the latest model in a range of inkjet devices designed to compete with entry-level mono lasers in small and home offices: a range that also includes the EcoTank ET-M2140. As we’ve just seen, that MFP’s strengths were diluted by the lack of essential office features, such as an automatic document feeder, network interface and fax modem. The ET-M3180 has them all, so does that make it strong all round? EFFICIENCY SAVINGS While a competing laser device might cost less than a third as much to buy as the ET-M3180, its higher running costs would soon leave you worse off overall. This MFP’s sole…

£111 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT A mostly good home office MFP, albeit one that comes with frustrations THE HP OFFICEJET Pro 6970 is an inkjet MFP all-in-one that prints, scans and copies. It comes with a number of smart features designed to make life in a busy home office a little bit easier. Its home office bias is reflected in sensible features, such as a 225-sheet paper tray in the base, a 35-sheet, duplexing automatic document feeder on top, and ink supplies rated for up to 1,500 black pages, or 825 in colour. At the front is a USB port for direct printing, although this is less well suited to the demands of an office. You can only print photos from an inserted USB drive, not PDFs or other documents,…

Before you can do anything else, you need to have your motherboard ready. You should remove the board from its packaging, but it’s worth keeping the anti-static bag that it shipped with. You can use this to stand the motherboard on while you get on with the initial job of preparing it. We often stand the motherboard on the anti-static bag, on top of the motherboard box, just so that the more delicate solder joints on the underside aren’t on a hard surface. As far as possible, it’s worth working on the motherboard before you put it in the case, as this will give you a bit more room. LINE UP THE REAR I/O SHIELD In the box of accessories, you’ll find the rear I/O shield (a metal plate with…

Unless you’ve gone fully M.2, chances are that you’ll need to fit traditional storage: hard disks, SSDs and maybe even a DVD drive. Here, we’ll show you how to fit traditional storage devices. FIT A 2.5in SSD If you’re using a 2.5in SSD, you should find that modern cases will have bays especially for this type of storage. Look at the rear of the case to see if there are vertical mounts; these keep the SSD out of the way for a neater finish. For vertical mounts, you’ll have to remove the mount (typically with a thumbscrew), screw the SSD into place underneath and then reattach the mount on the rear of the case. If you have traditional 2.5in drive bays, slide the SSD into place, with the connectors pointing…

There can’t be many more quoted people from the 20th century, even though his question ‘Are we alone in the universe?’ isn’t one of his most well known. For while this individual is regarded as one of the world’s foremost statesmen, his role as a scientific thinker is less well appreciated. This was the title of recently discovered and unpublished essay that was written on the eve of World War II. Its author was Winston Churchill. Speculation about intelligent life else where in the universe can be traced back centuries and millennia. But while much of the early debate was philosophical or theological in nature, Churchill’s paper was written at the time when the subject was just starting to be addressed by the scientific community. It would be several more…

Active SETI, otherwise known as Messaging to Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (METI), is a somewhat controversial alternative to the SETI approach discussed in this article. Instead of looking for signals from extraterrestrial intelligence, its aim is to announce our presence to any civilisations that might be interested. While opinions on the wisdom of this approach differ in the SETI community – with some arguing that agreement should be obtained from the worldwide scientific, political and humanitarian society before any such attempt is made – METI initiatives have already taken place. The first and most publicised of these was the addition of a plaque to the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft that were launched in 1972 and 1973, and have subsequently become the first man-made objects to leave the confines of the solar…

Clive Webster has been tinkering with computers ever since Windows 98 forced him to manually install his drivers clive@computershopper.co.uk A LOUD PC will also be a poorly cooled one. Not only is that whine annoying, but it could indicate that your computer could overheat, crashing randomly or even leading to component failure. Thankfully, there is a whole range of options to resolve this serious problem. Crack open your case, however, and you might be baffled by all the metal, fans and cables. Ask the internet what to do, and you’ll get as many different answers as web pages you visit. Fortunately, Shopper is here to provide clear advice. POOR COOLING MAKES for a very annoying PC. Whirring fans are distracting whether you’re working or trying to enjoy some music or…

Alexa emergency @ The recent guide on Amazon Alexa (Shopper 378) prompted me to write this in respect of the Make calls and Send message application. I purchased two Echo devices, a Plus to use in the lounge and also a Dot for the bedroom. I expect that very many households have a requirement for through-house entertainment, but I would like to see more mention from publishers and manufacturers of the potential benefits of buying these from the point of view of calling for aid if people, in particular the elderly, find themselves in a situation where they are unable to reach the phone in an emergency situation. Friends, neighbours and family could encourage and indeed help those at risk to install these devices and encourage single or people at…

Tech pioneer and all-round good egg letters@computershopper.co.uk I AM SITTING in a branch of the Wetherspoons pub chain and I am unhappy. This matches the condition of everyone else in here. I am in an unfamiliar city and I need a place to sit down, charge up my laptop and drink a coffee, before meeting a lady and two gentlemen in a nearby office with whom to do business. By the look of it, this Wetherspoons may once have been a dancehall, or an abattoir, which in my day served much the same purpose. It is one of 900 similar establishments under the control of Tim Martin. I have never met Tim Martin, but I don’t like the cut of his jib. I don’t like the cut of his hair.…

Whistleblowing Edward Snowden faces a civil lawsuit in the US alleging material in his memoirs breach non-disclosure agreements he had with government agencies NAS-ty security risks Cyber security researchers found a mix of 13 routers and NAS devices, including those from Lenovo, Netgear and Zyxel, contained flaws that could expose them to remote hacking Blundering broadband Zen Internet has found that a fifth of internet users in Southampton and Glasgow are fed up with their broadband service because it’s slow and unreliable, leaving local residents feeling stressed Pricing out of this world Samsung’s folding phone, the Galaxy Fold, is now on sale, but EE is the sole seller in the UK and the handset will cost a hefty £119 a month, or £2,856 over the course of a two-year contract…

“It’s clear that we fell short of our high standards in making it easy for you to understand how your data is used, and we apologise”Google promises it will no longer listen in to audio from its Assistant users, unless they have agreed to human review “Very few people are talking about this, but if we are not careful one or more of these weapons, these killer robots, could accidentally start a flash war, destroy a nuclear power station and cause mass atrocities”Ex-Googler Laura Nolan worries about AI starting a war “We had to walk away from some low-end mobile share as well as some channel desktop share”Jason Grebe, Intel’s Cloud Platforms and Technology Group general manager, basically notes the chip-maker has lost market share to AMD “Human speech to…

£1,250 •From www.palicomp.co.uk VERDICT Both the CPU and GPU shine in this versatile and eye-catching PC, which is pretty good value, too AMD FINDING SUCH great success with its third-generation Ryzen CPU chips also seems to be bringing out the best in pre-built systems: Palicomp’s AMD Navigator is the third Best Buy-winning, Ryzen-powered desktop to grace these pages in as many months. Specifically, it uses the same mid-range Ryzen 6 3600X as the PC Specialist Inferno R1 (Shopper 380), but overclocked from 3.8GHz to 4.3GHz. It also shares a GPU with the CCL Paladin (Shopper 381), the 8GB Radeon RX 5700 XT, along with an up-to-date X570 motherboard, 512GB SSD and 240mm all-in-one CPU watercooler. That’s a lot of PC for £1,250, and it’s all wrapped up in a refreshingly…

£390 • From www.ebuyer.com VERDICT The RX 5700 is cheaper and the RX 5700 XT is faster, but this is still a powerful and well-designed graphics card NVIDIA AND AMD’S endless GPU tango continues with the GeForce RTX Super series. These upgraded refreshes of the RTX 2060, 2070 and 2080 are Nvidia’s response to AMD’s excellent Radeon RX 5700 and 5700 XT (Shopper 380), with the RTX 2060 Super targeting mid-range system builders that might otherwise be tempted by the RX 5700. This Zotac model we’ve been testing is a beauty. It’s short enough to fit in most microATX and Mini-ITX cases, but still crams in two good-sized open air fans for better cooling. Most of the casing is plastic, but has a convincing matt metal effect, and there’s a…

£279 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT DJI’s first proper action camera isn’t an awkward first attempt – it gives even GoPro a run for its money DJI IS RIGHTLY famous for its drones, but it’s also been quietly building a reputation for standalone cameras of late. It’s now gone all in with its first full-on GoPro rival: the DJI Osmo Action. This is no token gesture. Not only is the Osmo Action a direct challenger to the flagship GoPro Hero 7 Black (Shopper 372), it also pretty much matches it feature for feature, with 4K recording and an advanced, built-in electronic stabilisation algorithm DJI calls RockSteady. That’s not the only exciting feature about the Osmo Action, however. It also has two full-colour screens, voice control and built-in waterproofing, and it can…

£999 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT Bigger is best for the Note 10+, a luxury phablet that excels in almost every area THAT PLUS SYMBOL isn’t a typo; there really is an even bigger version of Samsung’s annual phablet update, so if you don’t fancy spending £869 on the Galaxy Note 10, you can drop £999 on the Note 10+ instead. That’s quite the surprise for Samsung to keep up its voluminous sleeves, especially as this is the firm’s best-looking smartphone to date. It has an enormous 6.8in display – with a higher resolution than that of the 6.3in Note 10, at 3,040x1,440 – as well as a glossy Gorilla Glass rear, rounded silver-tinted edges and corners, and four cameras neatly arranged in a vertical line on the back. WAVING THE…

£220 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT There are a few fancy camera tricks on this budget phone, but its real value comes from the essentials MOTOROLA HAS, LIKE Samsung, been on a strong run of smartphone form recently, although its latest effort, the One Action, doesn’t appear to makes things easy for itself, appearing on the market for the same price as the Moto G7 (Shopper 376). Why bother with this when there’s already a good budget handset, from the same manufacturer, for the same price? The answer lies, at least in part, in the design. This could much more easily pass for the premium flagship than the Moto G7, adopting a taller 21:9 display with a pinhole camera cutout in the top-left corner. The contoured glass chassis is extremely swish…

£829 • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT A tiny camera that shoots the best stills and videos you’ll get from something this size MASS MARKET COMPACT cameras may be in decline, but Canon is betting that the high-end combination of a small, convenient body with good image quality might show there’s life in them yet. The PowerShot G5 X Mark II is therefore designed to lure in travelling photographers, or perhaps professionals looking for a take-anywhere camera that shoots better images than a smartphone, without the hassle of a DSLR. The G5 X Mark II follows the 2015 G5 X, and keeps things interesting by redesigning its predecessor as it heads out to pasture. Gone is the faux DSLR shape with the electronic viewfinder (EVF) hunched over the middle of the lens;…

01 A network-attached storage (NAS) device lets you store documents, media, and other files on its hard disks so you can share them with other devices on your network. Some have disks already installed, while others are empty enclosures into which you install your own disks. Buying an empty NAS can often be the more cost-effective option, as they’re usually less expensive and give you the freedom to add disks at a later date. You should buy one with a Gigabit Ethernet interface, as these provide the highest transfer speeds. To use a NAS device at these speeds, you’ll need computers with Gigabit Ethernet network adaptors and a Gigabit Ethernet switch or router. Computers with Fast Ethernet adaptors can still access the NAS device, but only at the much slower…

01 A basic 24in LCD monitor costs around £100. It will be fine for typical Windows work but is likely to have poor viewing angles, so you’ll need to sit straight on for the best picture quality. Its colour accuracy may not be very good, either. 02 A VGA input lets you use the monitor with any PC, but the quality may not be as good as it is over DVI or HDMI. Both are digital connections and require a compatible graphics card but they avoid the need for digital-to-analogue or analogue-to-digital conversions, which can reduce image quality. A digital connection achieves the best picture automatically, so you won’t have to adjust clock or phase settings as you do with analogue connections. Many DVI and all HDMI connections support HDCP,…

01 A smart thermostat can save you a lot of money by intelligently controlling your heating. Most smart heating devices are designed to be used with hot water central heating systems, with the boiler directly controlled by the system. These typically require a relay to be wired into your boiler, with a wireless thermostat giving you direct control. Smartphone apps then tie into the system to give you remote control. While it’s possible to fit controls yourself, you may want to pay an experienced plumber to do the job: expect to pay around £150 for a typical installation. If you have electric heating, there are very few choices, and the big names (Nest, Honeywell and so on) do not directly support these systems. 02 Want smart hot water control? If…

01 A 32in Full HD TV costs around £200, but premium larger 4K models can be closer to £2,000. TVs look much smaller in the shop than in your home, so measure the space available before you buy. Curved TVs are becoming increasingly more common, but bear in mind that these typically take up more floor space than a traditional flat set. 02 A 1,920x1,080-resolution TV can display a 1080p image. You can still buy TVs with a 720p (1,366x768) resolution, but they’re no cheaper and the image won’t be as sharp. 3,840x2,560 Ultra HD resolution, or 4K, TVs are finally available at reasonable prices, although you’ll still pay a premium for one over a 1080p model. 03 Consider the number of inputs you’ll need to connect the rest of…

01 A basic digital camera will suit someone who wants to take pictures to view on their computer and create 7x5in prints. It should cost around £80, but there may be hidden downsides such as slow performance and very basic user controls. 02 Spend a little more and you’ll get a higher resolution. A 16-megapixel sensor has the potential to produce sharp prints up to A3 size, but only if it and the lens are of a suitably high quality. Very high resolutions in compact cameras tend to boost noise more than detail levels, so many of the best models strike a sensible balance by using a 12-megapixel sensor. Back-illuminated CMOS sensors tend to produce less noise than CCDs, but check our reviews to find out how a particular model…

Chat and Communication Evernote 6.20.2.8626 Store your notes, ideas and plans in the cloud, and synchronise them between computers. UPDATED Mailbird 2.6.10.0 A free desktop email client for Windows. Miranda IM 0.10.80 Chat with friends across multiple messaging platforms, including AIM, Facebook, IRC and MSN, all from one simple interface. UPDATED Skype for Windows 8.51.0.92 Make internet voice and video calls for free, and buy credit to make calls to mobiles and landlines. UPDATED Telegram 1.8.4 This free IM app synchronises your conversations across multiple devices, and can spruce up chats with stickers and GIFs. UPDATED WhatsApp Desktop 0.3.4479 A free PC and Mac version of the popular messaging app, letting you chat from your desktop. Customisation iolo System Mechanic Free 18.7.3.176 Speed up your system with iolo’s PC optimisation…

£91 • From www.printerbase.co.uk VERDICT If you’re after an inkjet MFP for the home office, Brother’s MFC-J491DW doesn’t quite hit the mark BROTHER’S MFC-J491DW IS an inkjet MFP primarily aimed at home office use, so there’s Wi-Fi, duplex printing, a fax modem, and a 20-sheet automatic document feeder for unattended faxes, scans and copies. As a fairly lowly model, the MFC-J491DW is keenly priced. It does without a touchscreen, but its button-controlled menu is straightforward. Brother appears to have cut down on the orange plastic that once protected its ink cartridges, but it’s yet to introduce physical keying to prevent you inserting them in the wrong slot. There’s a seven-minute thumb twiddle while the printer primes its ink system; you can’t join a wireless network first, so you can’t use…

£100 • From www.printernet.co.uk VERDICT A smart yet straightforward MFP for home use – and it’s not too expensive, either THE PIXMA TS6250 is a mid-range model from Canon’s latest line-up of home inkjet multifunction peripherals. Like the rest of the range, it’s compact and smart, and wouldn’t look out of place next to a stack of considerably more expensive audio-visual kit. It comes in two colours: the black TS6250 pictured here, and the white TS6251. This MFP is aimed at home users, with a bias towards creative tasks. While there’s no fax modem or automatic document feeder for multipage copies, you can connect and share it over a wireless network, working easily from PCs and mobile devices, and even printing from or scanning to the cloud. In the base,…

£100 • www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT Epson’s XP-6100 is a brilliant MFP for creative home use, but it could be cheaper to run THE EXPRESSION PREMIUM XP-6100 is a mid-range inkjet MFP, designed for everyday and creative use at home. It can print, scan and copy, and you can share it among users on a wireless network. There’s support for automatic duplex printing, although if you want to fax you’ll have to look elsewhere. While Canon’s rival Pixma TS6250 uses a touchscreen, this MFP partners a colour screen with a small group of buttons. It works well enough, and the XP-6100 has plenty of other neat features. In the base there are two trays for up to 100 pages of A4, and 20 sheets of 6x4in or 5x7in photo paper. Tidied away…

£199 • From www.printerbase.co.uk VERDICT The Xerox B215 is a decent mono MFP, if you don’t mind its hefty running costs THE B215 IS part of Xerox’s new B200 series of mono devices for home offices and small businesses. This is the top MFP model of the bunch, distinguished by a sleek colour touchscreen and duplex printing capability. The cheaper B205 MFP has no screen and makes do with simplex (single-sided) prints, while the B210 single-function printer has duplex printing, but no scanner or display. The B215 has most of the features a small office could need. In its base there’s a 250-sheet paper input with a single-sheet manual feed slot. On top there’s a 40-sheet automatic document feeder for the scanner, although this can only scan one side of…

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