FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  529 (29/08/06)

Q. Having downloaded Picasa by clicking on the name in your Software List, I find that it is in Spanish! Is this because I have a Spanish e-mail address, and how do I get it in English?

John Bailey, Marbella

A. Picasa uses a common Installer with support for 38 languages. When you first run the program it takes its language setting from the version of Windows that you are using. It’s not a problem, however, and you can switch it to English, or any of the other languages, by opening Picasa and going to Herramientas > Opciones (Tools > Options) and select the General tab. Select the language you want to use from the drop-down list under ‘Idoma Utilzado en los menus y los cuadros de dialogo’ (Languages used in Menus and Dialogues). then click OK. Adios!

Q. I am interested in building the Boot Camp DT MK2 computer but I specifically need a quiet system. We live in France in a little two up two down, and don't have room for a separate office. We have two systems in the corner of the sitting room and one of them is very noisy. It comes from the fan but I am sure that the case resonates and amplifies the noise. So my question is - is the box chosen for the system (which I would like to build) going to meet my noise requirements?

Geoff Howl, via email

A. I have to say that noise output was not high on the list of priorities when the computer was being designed. Nevertheless, more by luck than judgement, it has turned out to be surprisingly quiet for a desktop PC and it is very easy to live with. The fan that comes with the Intel CPU is a sophisticated design and it is virtually silent; what little noise there is comes from the fan in the power supply module (PSU), and this is by no means intrusive. However, if you did find it a problem (and I seriously doubt that you will), the PSU is a standard component and you can easily replace it with one of the many near silent and noise suppressed types on the market. The case on the prototype doesn’t resonate but there's an easy fix for ones that do and that is to apply some thick Duct or carpet tape to the inside of the panels.

Q. I’ve never built a computer before but I would like to have a go at the DT Mk II PC. However, a colleague has recommended that I should use a Core 2 processor and I have two hard drives that I would also like to use. Could you list the components that would be suitable for the Intel Core 2 Duo processor?

Regina Tam, via email

A. The ASRock motherboard specified for the DT Mk II is compatible with Intel’s ‘Conroe’ Core 2 processor so there’s no need to deviate from the design, unless you have a specific application lined up that benefits from the technology. For most users it would make little or no difference, apart from bumping up the price. Core 2 won’t do much for routine tasks like word processing, spreadsheets, web surfing, audio and video replay, image processing and editing home videos. The areas where it can improve performance include high-end video editing, demanding graphics applications and gaming, and the option is there if you need it.

As for your two hard drives, that’s not a problem either. The motherboard has four SATA channels and one ‘old-school’ PATA (parallel ATA/IDE) channel. This will support two drives, one of which is the DVD drive. If you want to add more ATA/IDE drives to your system you can do so easily with a plug-in ATA133 PCI card. A typical two-channel card, with provision for up to four hard drives, sells for between £10 and £15 from online sellers.

Q. I’m thinking about building the ‘£200 PC’ and have a query. You specify ‘two Elixir 512Mb DDR2 modules’ costing £50.05. I’m puzzled because there is a choice of two different types on the Aria web site and their total cost doesn’t add up to £50.05 (how could it?). Can you let me know which memory modules you used?

Fred Brooks, via email

A. Unfortunately the price of computer memory fluctuates on an almost daily basis and at the moment the two 512Mb modules used in the prototype (Elixir PC2-5400s) now cost £24.95 each (ex VAT). When we started the project a couple of months ago they were selling at £21.30 each (£42.60 + VAT = £50.05). Next week, who knows, the price may even go down?

The point is you should shop around. The modules we used just happened to be a particularly good deal at the time (and they still are) but the motherboard will work happily with any standard 240-pin DDR2 SDRAM module. If you don't mind sacrificing a near insignificant amount of performance then a single 1Gb module or two 512Mb PC4200 or PC3200 modules can be found selling online for under £50 (including VAT).

Q. I’m following your Boot Camp series on assembling your own PC, but what would be even more interesting would be a similar article on building a laptop. Any plans for this?

Roger Vernon.

A. Sadly not. Unlike desktop PCs, which are built from widely available and inexpensive off-the shelf parts, laptops use mainly custom-made components (apart form the hard disc drive and memory modules). In fact the only laptop parts that you can buy are spares for specific makes and models, and these are eye-wateringly expensive. However, the biggest barriers would be the complexity and the need for precision tools. All you require to assemble the DT Mk II is a Philips screwdriver, a pair of pliers and a couple of hours of your time.

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© R. Maybury 2006, 2908