Choosing a PC is never easy, and making it fit your budget in these lean times can often be even harder. There are a dizzying array of colors and sizes and the options to mix and match can be staggering.  Time and time again we’ve heard from students that they want something that works and it needs to be inexpensive.  And finding it shouldn’t be hard. 

So, to make navigating the options a little easier, we’ve put our heads together here in Redmond and brought you a special, student version of our popular PC Scout tool: Student PC Scout.

Just let us know what you want out of your new laptop and we’ll give you some recommendations from our pool of tested PCs. After you land on the Student PC Scout page, here’s how it works:

Click on Let’s get started

Start the Crash Course

Then tell us what you already know about processors, RAM, storage, video cards, portability and operating systems. Each page looks like the one below and contains additional information if you need it.

 

Then the real fun begins. I highly recommend you click “Get me a recommendation” on this page. You can always go back and browse through the pool of PCs later, but having a recommendation will help you compare.

Start by telling us how you’re going to use your new laptop.

 

Then let us know how often you’ll be lugging it around campus.

We’ll also want to know how much you’re willing to trade off between screen size and battery life. Remember, in general, bigger screen size means shorter battery life.

The next two screens will let us know how much you want to spend and your tech needs.

 

Then you’ll see 4 recommended PCs that fit your criteria. Based on what you told us, these are the best selections from our favorite laptops. On this page you can also see how they compare, get more information on each PC, see detailed pictures, revise your specs and explore even more options. If you see one you like, just click on it and go to the retailer to order.

If you use the Student PC Scout to buy your next PC, hit me up here or on Twitter @winashbrown and let me know what you think of the tool.

This new notebook from Samsung, the Samsung NC10, has been leaked in the past weeks and for Russians, they get the first chance to check out just how good it is. Add to the fact that it supports Wimax technology and you will certainly get other people craving in envy as to when they can get their hands on this laptop locally.

Samsung NC10 adheres to a class of netbooks - light, compact and inexpensive computers that simplify the usage of the Internet. Weighting just 1.33kg, NC10 is capable to run up to 9 hours 40 minutes on battery power. An integrated 1.3 megapixel digital motion camera allows NC10 users to hold video conferences backed by a high-speed (up to 10 Mb/s) Yota network.

Samsung NC10 4G netbook features a 10.2″ widescreen display (WSVGA 1024×600 SuperBrightc) of the highest quality and a normal-size, notebook PC style ergonomic keyboard. NC10 has a durable scratch-resistant case built using an innovative Samsung Duracase technology. The keyboard of NC10 coated with nano-sized silver ion powder, which prevents living and breeding of bacteria.

NC10 incorporates the smallest and lowest power processor, Intelr AtomT, which makes it capable to tackle the majority of modern computing tasks while keeping an ultra-compact size and small weight. The pre-installed MicrosoftT Windowsr XP Home operating system and 160Gb hard drive make NC10 a powerful instrument, while the built-in Mobile WiMAX module allows unlocking the full potential of the device.

In addition to WiMAX support, Samsung NC10 4G netbook comes with a vast set of networking capabilities - both wireless and wired. The device carries a number of modern networking technologies, such as Atherosr 802.11b/g, 10/100 Ethernet LAN and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. NC10 packed with a 3-in-1 multimedia card slot, VGA output, microphone-in, headphone-out and three USB ports.

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Kingston has been around and is really known as a reliable distributor of memory chips and units throughout the years. And to prove that they are indeed making great progress in keeping up with their niche, people just have to look at their 2008 performance to undermine that Kingston is indeed up and about as far as memory unit distribution is concerned.

Kingston Technology Corporation, the independent world leader in memory products, today announced that in 2008, it achieved a record 41-percent increase in total memory units shipped over 2007 volume. Despite oversupply, average selling price erosion and a weakened global economy contributing to a down year in the memory industry, Kingston gained significant market share in both DRAM and Flash memory. The company’s global sales totaled $4.0 billion U.S., a $500 million decrease from record-setting revenues in 2007.

Despite the drop in overall revenue, Kingston posted substantial increases in unit volume in all product lines: Flash memory, Branded memory, ValueRAM(R) industry-standard memory and HyperX(R) for gamers and enthusiasts. Kingston first reached the $1 billion mark in global sales in 1995, surpassing it with $2 billion in 2004 and $3 billion in 2005.

With that piece of information, expect Kingston to continue to come up with better products and broaden its distributing efforts in delivering quality memory modules aimed at the techie geeks of today.

Founded in 1987, Kingston Technology Corporation offers a wide range of quality memory products and services designed for increased productivity and overall system performance.

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Adding new memory chip modules may be able to hold off buying a new server for now and that is precisely what Samsung has in mind. Unveiling their new memory chips, the 4Gb Chip which assure 32 GB DDR3, companies that make use of advanced servers can make use of their old servers for now until such time that the economy picks up.

The development of this low-power 4 Gb DDR3 chip will help in reducing data center costs, improving server time management and increasing overall efficiency.

Designed to be low-powered, the 4 Gb DDR3 DRAM operates at 1.35 volts (V), thereby improving its throughput by 20 percent over a 1.5 V DDR3 chip. Its maximum speed is 1.6 gigabits per second (Gbps). In a 16 GB module configurations, the 4 Gb DDR3 chip can consume 40 percent less power compared to the 2 Gb DDR3 chip because of the formers higher density.

Buying a new server is something that many companies are trying to pass up to save on costs. A familiar practice is to turn to other components, and the memory chips are certainly something that can help them sustain efficient business operations while staying away from additional business costs as far as their IT requirements are concerned.

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New memory chips will be available in the market soon thanks to the efforts of the developmental team of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a known brand name in the world of memory chips in the computer industry today. Their latest memory chips, an ultra-low latency HyperX DDR3 SO-DIMM, is expected to hit the market soon, targeting initially the laptop and notebook users. The new features of this new memory module is the new metal aluminum heatspreader that dissipates heat better than any other metal, for added consistent performance.

We all know that when chips heat up, a slow down on processes occur and while we find the proper ways to provide ventilation for them, it seems that the overheating issue is far from being addressed. But leave it to the memory module manufacturing companies to make the necessary adjustments and Kingston has become the first to address the heating memory chips issue.

End users tend to use their notebooks more and more for intensive performance applications such as video editing, photo manipulation or running multiple programs simultaneously. This slows the computer down and thus requires a high performance memory configuration running at high speeds.’

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So with that said, improved computing may be in store for all laptop and notebook users who extensively use their gadgets for personal and professional use. Backed with a lifetime warranty, it makes you wonder if Kingston would introduce a similar memory chip module for the desktop users. Knowing for a fact that desktops have their share of users, it should not be surprising if they do. Besides, many are sure to be waiting for that as well!

At times, PC parts such as our video cards, sound cards and network cards can have a bearing if they are not properly plugged in. Especially if your computer is not the traditional packaged computer set which we normally get from vendors like IBM or Dell, chances are there will be errors or overlooked placements when we assemble or buy cloned PCs.

To some, it may be a matter of checking out the loose peripherals but at times, they do have a bearing as far as blue screens and PC crashes are concerned. There is no definitive explanation but perhaps one aspect that contribute to it is the conductive nature. If the slots are not properly fitted towards the cards we install, chances are the processors and the software we use will malfunction due to erroneous reading or even because of lose threads that need to be properly installed to function properly.

It may sound mediocre in nature but they do have a part. When you notice your PC hanging or suddenly showing you the blue screen, you are limited only to the software or hardware issue. Most of the time it points to the software for most as pirated or bugged software can really be a pain in the neck. But after successive installations and you still get the same errors, open your CPU and start checking those pins and slots. The problem may be because of some loose connection that you have failed to consider in the first place.