UK Search Results for Bread Maker from Amazon.co.uk

When shopping for an item such as a Bread Maker, you can find a wide variety of options: different manufacturers, different prices, and different places to purchase. Of course, a serious UK shopper will want the item that best meets her needs and falls within the alloted budget.

RatingsWorld gives you a great selection at a glance. Searching over 400 UK online stores, many of which are well known high street shops. Now, to make your search comlete, when you search for a specific item RatingsWorld will also perform a Search of Amazon.co.uk and add these search reults to the results page.

The RatingsWorld shopping search engine makes it easy to buy specific items with a clear display of products and prices which can be filtered by category, brand, price,and store. The search results can also be sorted by price (low to high and high to low), popularity, relevence and alphabetically.

The results are displayed in a format specifically for shoppers and are proving a much better shopping tool than most popular search engines.

UK Search Results for Bread Maker from RatingsWorld.co.uk

Sapphire Radeon 6970

There are many reasons to build your own computer and for me it is the abilty to specify exactly what I want. An added bonus is that I generally get a more powerful system with better componets for less money.

You can use a company like Dell which will let you get pretty close to your desired specification, but you will be limited by the components that Dell is currently using.

A simple example is the choice of case and power supply. There are some great cases from Corsair and Coolermaster with features that make adding and removing components a lot easier than fiddling about inside a major manufacurers chosen case. Is your manufacurer using a power supply that is gold certified or powerfull enough to handle multiple Graphics Cards? Will they use the standard Intel core i7 2600 which cannot be overclocked? You can choose the Intel core i7 2600k which you can very easily overclock in the range 4.2GHz – 4.8Ghz. Giving you a minimum 25% improvement in processor speed.

To aid our comparison I selected and costed the following specification from the Dell website a few days ago.

Component DescriptionDell XPS 8300 Chassis
Dell XPS 8300 Power Supply
Dell XPS 8300 Motherboard
Intel core i7-2600 3.4GHz Processor
Dell Air Cooling
8192MB Dual Channel DDR3 1333MHz Memory
1GB ATI® Radeon™ HD 5770 graphics card
2TB Serial ATA (7200RPM) Hard Drive
6x Blu-Ray Disc™ RW (BluRay/DVD/CD read & write) Drive & 16X DVD+/-RW
Sound : Integrated 7.1 with THX® TruStudio
Altec Lansing FX3022 black speaker system
Dell 24″ ST2420L Full HD Widescreen Monitor
Dell™ USB Entry Keyboard – UK/Irish (QWERTY)
Dell Laser Mouse USB (6 buttons scroll) Black
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64Bit OEM
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010
McAfee® Security Centre – 15 Month Protection – English

Dell XPS 8300 Configured Cost without Speakers £1,610.00
Altec Lansing FX3022 black speaker system £52.08
Total Cost Excluding VAT £1,662.08
VAT at 20% £332.42
Total £1,994.50

I then decided to put together a similar system without being held back by a major manufacturer telling me what I could and could not have in my system.

This is what I found:

file:../excel/computercomponentbuild.htm

The first thing you will notice is that my custom build is more expensive. Why? I have added a super fast 240GB SSD drive and upgraded the video card to the awesome Sapphire ATI Radeon 6970. Of course to return to a similarly priced box you can remove the SSD drive and use a Radeon 5750 video card.

One comment I hear is that there is no warranty, or that I am no good with hardware.  There are many companies out there which specialise in custom builds. You can find some here.

Now what if you want to build your own computer, but need some help. Here are some videos which you may find useful.

January 2011 Most Popular

Thursday the 13th January was a great day. It was the first day in 2011 that our path and driveway were clear of snow and we did not have to get our snow shovels and go out shovelling snow.  The severity of this winter did mean that many of our most popular products were related to the weather.

Of course Laptops, Winter Clothing, HD Televisions, Kinect for the xBox, family games and small home appliances also proved popular.

So here is our 10 most popular list for January 2011: 

1. Michelin Easigrip Composite Snow Chains.
2. Bulldog Snow Shovel.
3. Garant Collapsible Emergency Car Shovel.
4. ACER ASPIRE 5742-I5 Laptop.
5. Barbour Flyweight International Polar Quilt Jacket, Black.
6. Sony KDL-40EX403U 40″ LCD Full HD 1080p TV.
7. Kinect Sensor and Kinect Adventures Game for XBOX360.
8. Cranium WOW Game.
9. BREVILLE VTT269.
10. Tefal Actifry Fryer.

Top 12 Toys for Christmas 2010

According to the toy retails association these are the toys we will all be rushing around to find this christmas:

1. Lego City Airport
2. Fireman Sam Deluxe Fire Station Playset
3. FurReal Go Go Walking Pup
4. Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear
5. Kidizoom VideoCam
6. Monopoly Revolution
7. Moon Dough Barn
8. Nerf N Strike Stampede ECS
9. Paper Jamz Guitar
10. “Pumpaloons” – action game
11. Sylvanian Families Motorcycle and Sidecar
12. ZhuZhu Grooming Salon

 Now if only we just needed to click on one of these top 12 toys listed and find the best price we could have our christmas shopping done in no time.

Windows 7 Ultimate

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (Part One) – Options selected for Dell Computer 

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (PartTwo) – Components for Self Build – Ultimate Version 

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (Part Three) – Build Videos 

In part two we built what was pretty close to the ultimate computer for gamers or developers, but at a cost. Approximately £3,000 including VAT at current prices. Let’s face it very few of us are going to have that kind of budget, but most of us would really like the performance. So we set ourselves a couple of challenges: 

1. Build a computer of similar performance using quality components but at half the price, around £1,500 including VAT.
2. Build a computer for under £1,000 including VAT giving the best performance using high quality components.

How did we set about selecting the components for the high performance computer for around £1,500? Well, firstly, we knew that we were going to need to drop the gigantic and expensive Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD9 motherboard. In its stead a Gigabyte X58A-UD3R was chosen, which permitted the use of a smaller case: the Coolmaster HAF 922. A reliable power supply is essential to any computer system and here we usd the Coolermaster Silent ProGold and stepped down from a 850W supply to a 700W supply. (Note: I like to use a good power supply and both the Corsair and Coolermaster Gold Versions are acceptable).  All of this still allows us to use the awesome Intel i7 930 processor running at 2.8GHz. Although overclocking is not going to be on the agenda for this computer we kept the Corsair H70 water cooling system to ensure lower temperatures and long running stability. The Memory specification was kept exactly the same except for a drop from 12GB to 6GB. Probably the most significant change to performance is the change to the graphics card dropping down from a Saphire ATI Radeon 6970 to a Saphire Radeon 6850. The Hard disk and the Blu-Ray DVD devices are kept exactly the same. The Creative soundblaster sound card was dropped so that we could use the onboard sound system. The only other change we made was to select the Home and Student version of Microsoft Office 2010 instead of the Home and Business version, this means no Microsoft Outlook. 

Overall, the specifications and the performance of this machine was kept high and would probably still kick the butt of the £2889.98 including VAT Dell machine. 

Here are the full details of the High performance £1,500 machine:

The next challenge was to take the £1,500 high performance machine and produce a system for around £1,000 including VAT. This becomes increasing difficult as each system includes over £400 of what may be considered extras: High Spec Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse; Windows 7 Ultimate; Microsoft Office; and Kaspersky Internat Security. Therefore we are building a high spec computer system for under £600 including VAT. The first decision was to keep the same case as we used in the previous build, but we chose to drop the power supply requirements to a Coolermaster 600W as we would not be using an Intel i7. Instead we chose an intel core i5 760 quad core running at 2.8GHz attached to a Gigabyte GA-H55M-S2 motherboard and using the stock heatsink supplied by Intel with the processor. Memory is 4Gb of CorsairDDR3 1333MHz. We again compromised a little on the graphics card with a Sapphire Radeon HD 5570 1GB GDDR3 instead of the 6850 in the previous build, but this is an easy future upgrade if required. The hard disk is now a less expensive Hitachi Deskstarme and less expensive speakers(Altec Lansing BXR1221 2.1) and monitor(Dell 20″ Monitor Widescreen IN2020N ) were used. We have used the same keyboard and mouse in all three builds. Micorsoft Office 2010 Home and student is still included as is Windows 7 Ultimate and Kaspersky Internet Security. 

The final product represents excellent value for money for any developer or gamer wanting the best bang for his buck with a budget around £1,000 including VAT:

Both system specs were updated on 7-Jan-2011. Some components were updated and the VAT rise is included in the pricing. 

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (Part One) – Options selected for Dell Computer 

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (PartTwo) – Components for Self Build – Ultimate Version 

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (Part Three) – Build Videos

June 2011 – Build your own computer using Intel core i7 (Sandy Bridge) Processors

Back around July-2010 Pete Brown and Scott Hanselman decided to build the ultimate developers PC, they also were kind enough to do their builds live on video, even getting help from people watching them as they built their systems.

So, if you still think that it is going to be too complicated take a look at these two videos of Pete Brown’s Build:

Ultimate Dev PC Bench Build Part 1

Pete’s description: “Unboxing and introduction of parts, initial build, me forgetting to take plastic off heat sink bottom (could have been a disaster!) Intel 980x 6-core 3.33ghz, Gigabyte UD9 motherboard, 12gig memory, ATI video card.”

Ultimate Dev PC Part 2

Pete’s Description: “Installed Windows 7 from USB key. Total install time, even with a wasted reboot was under 9 minutes.”

You can also read Pete’s blog posts about the build here.

———————————————————————————

The next two videos are slightly shorter and use different components, a different case and a different mother board, but none the less they are also very informative and definitely worth watching

Obsidean Series 800D System Build Part 1: Main Component Install

Obsidean Series 800D System Build Part 2: Cable Routing

Build your own Computer or buy from Dell? (Part One) – Options Selected for Dell Computer.

Build your own Computer or buy from Dell? (Part Two) – Components for self build.

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (Part Four) – Components for Budget Builds

June 2011 – Build your own computer using Intel core i7 (Sandy Bridge) Processors

Build Your Own Computer or Buy from Dell - Part 2

In part 1, we specified a pretty decent system from Dell for £2,459.56 + VAT. In part two we will see what we can get for the same money when we choose to build our own system.

In order to build our own computer to the same (or better) specification as the Dell, we are going to need the following components:

1. A Case
2. A Power Supply
3. A Mother Board
4. A Processor
5. Cooling solution for the processor
6. Memory
7. Graphics Card
8. Hard Disk Drive
9. Optical Drive
10. Sound Card
11. Speakers
12. Monitor
13. Keyboard
14. Mouse
15. Operating System
16. Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business
17. Kaspersky Internet Security

This is what we have come up with:

Note: Prices and component availability will change over time. (Last updated 4-Jan-2011 to include VAT rise to 20%).  Some components have been updated since the original article. (Monitor Upgrade, New Graphics Card, Corsair H70 instead of H50)

This is a little over budget, but only because we substituted an Intel Core i7 950 CPU with the i7 980x, which is currently the fastest processor available. , and although this processor has a nominal clock speed of 3.33MHz, you can comfortably over clock it to 4.2MHz.

This is probably one of the fastest machines you could build and the only improvement I would like is the addition of 1 or 2 SSD drives.

The point is that you can definitely build a superior product yourself for the same amount of money that you would have spent on a Dell.

Have fun.

Build your own Computer or buy from Dell? (Part One) – Options Selected for Dell Computer.

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (Part Three) – Build Videos.

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (Part Four) – Components for Budget Builds

June 2011 – Build your own computer using Intel core i7 (Sandy Bridge) Processors

Build-You-Own-Computer-or-Buy-from-Dell-Part1

In part one, we will consider the buy from Dell option; and in part two, we will build our own. Remember we are building the best machine we can so note that this is an expensive build. Of course in both cases you can tone down some of the components to stay within your budget. 

Over the last 8 years, I have purchased all my computers from dell. This has included 4 desktops and recently one laptop.  My own computer is now getting pretty long in the tooth (2004 vintage). It still runs (walks really by today’s standards) and runs Windows XP SP3. 

I like to get the best specification I can and run the computer for at least 4 years. If you get a minimal spec machine it tends to run out of steam much quicker. 

The last three Dell desktops have all come from the XPS range. I go to the dell web site and select desktops and workstations for small and medium businesses. I then select the shop XPS button and choose the Studio XPS 8100, the 7100 model uses AMD processors and the 8100 uses Intel processors, at least they do as I write this. 

Now comes the bit I really enjoy and why I like to buy from Dell, I get to configure the box exactly as I want, at least within the limitations of Dell’s options, so I click the [Customise] button. 

Currently the best processor on offer from Dell is the Intel core i7 880.  The best processor currently on the market from Intel is the Intel core i7 980x, an extreme performance processor which can be over clocked (with the right cooling options) for even greater speed. 

If you are going to buy or build the ultimate PC then you are going to want the ultimate operating system so here I choose Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. 

One item that I like to have on my PC is Microsoft Office. I chose Microsoft Home and Business 2010 which includes (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and One Note).  If you don’t need or want Outlook then choose Microsoft Office Home and Student version. 

As I stated earlier, I like my computers to run for 4 years. I really hate the time it takes to move everything across to a new computer. So I opt for Dell’s 4 year next day hardware support. 

It annoys me that Dell doesn’t give you a choice of Anti-Virus provider and insists on installing McAfee.  I would much prefer for the computer to arrive without Anti-Virus protection and to add my own preference (currently Kaspersky Internet Security). So I just opt for the minimum term. 

I already own Adobe Photoshop Elements and if you need photo editing software then this is a good option. 

Your choice of monitor is going to depend on how you use your computer:  Games, Internet, Work, Social Networking, or Graphics. Me, I am a developer, I like a large screen so that I can see as much code as possible. I also want to display HD movies. So a screen resolution of at least 1980 x1080 and for me personally, I think somewhere between 20” and 24”. I will select the 21.5” ST2220L Monitor. 

Memory, I like to have many memory hungry applications open at once: Visual Studio 2010 (maybe several instances); Expression Blend; Adobe Photoshop Elements; SQL Server management Studio; as well as Internet Explorer and Twitter. So 12MB will keep these going nicely. 

I don’t want a Raid 0 system, so a generous 1.5TB 7200RPM drive will suffice, although I may look at an SSD drive in the self build if budget allows. 

The graphics card is going to be important depending on if you play games or want to control multiple monitors, so here we will go for the best that Dell have to offer:  the 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 460. 

Optical drive, I chose the Blu-Ray combo. 

The standard Dell multimedia USB keyboard and mouse is perfectly adequate for my purposes. I also prefer my keyboard and mouse to use a cable connection as there is very little you can do if these are not working. 

My computer is plugged directly into the LAN socket of my NetGear DG834G wireless router, but depending on where your router and computer is situated you may want to add the Dell 1525 Wireless PCIe Network Card 802.11n. 

For a small amount I will add the Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module – to allow any future mobile phone connections. 

No, Dell may not call me to pass the time of day asking silly questions. 

I don’t want any printers or a TV tuner, but I will add the Logitech X540 Speakers. 

I will also add the Soundblaster X-Fi Titanium sound card (using PCIExpress slot). 

Today, that little package will cost £2,459.56 + VAT and shipping. 

Build your own Computer or buy from Dell? (Part Two) – Components for self build.

Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (Part Three) – Build Videos.

 Build your own computer or buy from Dell? (Part Four) – Components for Budget Builds

June 2011 – Build your own computer using Intel core i7 (Sandy Bridge) Processors

Canavan creates a wonderful fantasy world devoid of the usual high-fantasy clichés, in other words: no farmboy of destiny. What you do have is a rich, full-bodied reading experience with deep characters and believable conflicts. There are elements of the world with which any experienced fantasy reader will be familiar: guilds, a University for magic, lords and ladies, thieves and slums, but never once did I feel I was on too-familiar ground.

The story follows Sonea, a girl from the slums with emerging magical powers in a world where only children from wealthy families are tested for ability. One day her powers emerge publicly in a way the Magicians Guild cannot ignore, and they begin to hunt her down. Aided by the Thieves’ Guild Sonea goes on the run, while her uncontrolled magical abilities begin to put everyone she loves in danger.

Resolutions of the individual books in the series were satisfying, so readers will be happy about that, although a short epilogue at the ends of Books 1 and 2 will hint at future conflicts. I dislike books with too much of a cliff-hanger between novels, so this structure was welcome indeed.

As soon as I finished The Magician’s Guild, I was eager to move on to Books 2 and 3: The Novice and The High Lord. All three have proved to be an easy read with many unexpected twists and turns, an entertaining magical adventure with deep and believable characters.

Overall rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

Find The Magician’s Guild on Amazon USA
Find The Magician’s Guild on Amazon UK
Find The Magician’s Guild on RatingsWorld UK

Book Review by India Drummond
Reprinted with permission

I just finished reading Chemistry In Death by Simon Beckett. It’s about a forensic pathologist who loses his wife and daughter and out of dismay, quits his career and moves to a small town near Norfolk to become the village GP. This book is first in a series about the same protagonist.

Goriness 5 Stars

Smuttiness: 0 Stars

(sadly…I like a bit of smut in books sometimes)

Ease of Figuring Who Dunnit: 1 Star

(Unlike some serial killer type books, this one had a limited pool of who could be doing it. Because it was set in a small village, the villagers knew it must be someone who lived among them.

Believability of Who Dunnit: 3 Stars

(I honestly had no clue, but there was a surprise at the end that made me go, “huh??”)

Overall: 4.5 Stars

I liked the protagonist, there was good texture to the book, and a good emotional range, if you get my meaning.

Conclusion: If you like crime novels that scare the bejeebers out of you, this one is a good one.

–

Find The Chemistry Of Death on Amazon UK
Find The Chemistry Of Death on Amazon USA
Find The Chemistry Of Death on RatingsWorld UK

====================

Book Review by India Drummond
Reprinted with permission