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"Uni PC Equipment"

OK, I've got most of the PC stuff I'll need for Uni, but there are a few things I need.

Primarily:
- Desktop speakers (just 2 satellites, not with subwoofer or anything, but reasonable quality and power)
- TV Card (I've got one at the moment - Hauppauge WinTV - but it can't record very well at all - e.g. can't compress - and the quality isn't fantastic)
- All-In-One Printer/Scanner/Copier (something small - I'm looking at the HP PSC1205 and HP PSC1350)
- Carrying case for my huuuuge TT XaserIII Supertower case and 17" TFT monitor)

Being a student and skint already, I don't wanna spend too much, but I wanna get something of reasonable quality.

OK, I've got most of the PC stuff I'll need for Uni, but there are a few things I need.

Primarily:
- Desktop speakers (just 2 satellites, not with subwoofer or anything, but reasonable quality and power)
- TV Card (I've got one at the moment - Hauppauge WinTV - but it can't record very well at all - e.g. can't compress - and the quality isn't fantastic)
- All-In-One Printer/Scanner/Copier (something small - I'm looking at the HP PSC1205 and HP PSC1350)
- Carrying case for my huuuuge TT XaserIII Supertower case and 17" TFT monitor)

Being a student and skint already, I don't wanna spend too much, but I wanna get something of reasonable quality.

Nimco wrote:
> OK, I've got most of the PC stuff I'll need for Uni, but there are a
> few things I need.

Are you heading to Uni this September? If so, you're in the same boat as me. :)

The laptop I mentioned I'm getting in the other thread is a cheapy for programming that'll take to uni (like the web scripts, for example) and as well as this I'm planning to build a Shuttle PC later this Summer to take (leave it as long possible to get the latest kit for my money) to cater for my gaming needs (X800 XT...drool...).

Oh, and I'll be interested on people's suggestions for a TV card, as there's no way I'll be lugging a Shuttle, laptop and TV there. :)

Which uni you planning to go to/already at?

Oh, sorry I haven't been much help to your original post! :s

Hopefully York to do *cough*physics*cough*.

My PC spec so far is:

Asus K8V SE Deluxe Socket 754 Motherboard
AMD Athlon64-XP3200+ Processor
1GB PC3500 Geil Golden Dragon DDR Memory
2x 160GB 8MB Cache S-ATA Samsung HDDs
Hercules 3D Prophet 9800XT 256MB Graphics Card
Creative SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS 7.1 Sound Card
Hauppauge WinTV Tuner Card
LG 8x DVD+/-/RAM Burner
3½" Sony Floppy Drive
Zalman AlCu UltraQuiet CPU Cooler
GlobalWin Super Silent 520W Dual Fan PSU @22dBA
Thermaltake V1000C XaserIII Supertower
Belkin Bluetooth USB Adapter
Onboard GigaBit LAN

That's a damn fine spec you've got yourself there. Would've personally swapped the Samsung HDDs for Hitachi Deskstar items, and plumped for an X800 over the 9800 XT, although I 'spose that sort of graphical grunt isn't required just yet. I'm liking all the other quality components in there. :)

York hey? Bath for me. And subject? Computer Science. I know...my life will soon end.

Do you mind me asking what subjects you took and what grades you achieved at AS and A level UA?

I want to do Computer Science and I want to know what grades I'm looking at.

Thanks.

The X800/6800 graphics cards werent out when I bought mine! I built mine in the Easter hols. I got the Samsung HDDs cos they were meant to be very quiet. They're not bad, but they're not as good as I'd hoped, but then I didn't really know what to expect.

Btw, as a word of warning to anyone intending to buy S-ATA HDDs. Unless you know what you're doing and have a valid reason for going for S-ATA, stay with IDE. They're not auto-detected by sooo many things. I had a HDD problem so I downloaded the Disk Checker Utility from the Samsung website - using the link from the page about my HDD. It's DOS based and can't detect S-ATA HDDs.

I've also filled up a hell of a lot of my HDD already. Full backups just eat HDD space.

Nimco wrote:
> I've also filled up a hell of a lot of my HDD already. Full backups
> just eat HDD space.

Uh, not quite sure I follow. You're backing up stuff from your hard disks onto your hard disks, just in case your hard disks fail?

Also, don't get a 4in1 printer/scanner/dishwasher/etc, unless you really really have to. They aren't cheap, and invariably aren't as good as a seperate printer and scanner. Are you really going to need a scanner at Uni, or do you just want one because it'll look cool on your desk?

I have 2 seperate HDDs, so I keep a disk image of my C: drive (e.g. all my documents, web sites, programs - the whole lot) on my second drive, plus I have a backup on DVD.

I want an all-in-one cos I really think I would use the scanner. It could be very useful. I know the quality isn't as good as separate units, but I haven't got the space for that.

Microchips wrote:
> Do you mind me asking what subjects you took and what grades you
> achieved at AS and A level UA?
>
> I want to do Computer Science and I want to know what grades I'm
> looking at.
>
> Thanks.

At AS:
Maths - A
Computing - A
Geography - B
Physics - C (2 marks off B, grr)

At A-Level:
Dropped Physics, and am just finishing off my A-level exams now, but based on the exams I've sat this summer and the results I obtained in the January A-level exams, I should get straight A's.

In terms of what you need to get to do Computer Science at university, it largely depends on the uni you want to go to. My firm choice - Bath - is rated very highly for Comp Sci and requires me to get AAB, which must include A-level Maths (and not crappy Statistics maths, mind). To be honest, the only uni's that would have higher entry requirements are Oxford and Cambridge.
For my insurance choice - Aberyswyth - I only need BBD, but is still a decent uni for comp sci.

Computer Science, although naturally a technical subject, doesn't necessarily require higher grades than other degrees. As stately previously, it's the actual uni you want to go to that makes the difference. And having been to Bath uni a couple of times, I can't stress how important it is to find a uni you like and work that little bit harder (I certainly have this year) to ensure you get there - I'll be gutted if I'm not heading to Bath this October.

Thanks for the info.

What amazes me is that we took exactly the same subjects for AS, and I will be dropping Physics for next year too.

I have my last AS exam tomorrow (Maths P2). Everything went fine, bar maths. I'm going to have to resit at Christmas, unfortunately.