Digital Storm's first Steam Machine will be a $1,469 gaming PC

Boutique PC maker Digital Storm today revealed plans for its first Steam Machine, which it plans to officially launch at CES in January. With a starting price of $1469, it won't be console-priced, but Digital Storm is pitching this as far more than just a games machine. With options for an Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan, up to a 700W power supply, advanced airflow thermal management, and liquid cooling on the CPU, this Steam Machine offering will have the ability to dual-boot SteamOS and Windows.
 

Digital Storm has a Steam Machine too. The boutique gaming PC manufacturer has just announced its own take on Valve's formula for a Linux-based game console, and it just goes to show how diverse these computers will be when they hit the market next year. Instead of trying to compete with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 like iBuyPower's $499 rig, the new Digital Storm computer will start at a comparatively pricy $1,469.

"Rather than try to compete with console pricing, our system takes aim at the high end of the market and capitalizes on PC gaming's biggest advantage, raw performance," the company's statement reads.

While details are scarce, it will come with liquid cooling for the CPU, an advanced thermal-management system of some sort, and can optionally dual-boot both Windows and SteamOS so gamers can play games for both operating systems. Options include a GeForce GTX Titan graphics card and a 700W power supply. At 4.4 inches wide, 14.1 inches deep, and 16.4 inches tall, it's a good bit bigger than an Xbox One, but it should hopefully still be able to fit into a home entertainment system lying down. We should get more when Valve announces the full lineup of Steam Machines at CES 2014 next month.

Read More

Web Design

Every good business needs a great website. It's a sure-fire way to get ahead of your competitors! An ideal website should be eye-catching, informative and easy to use.

An informal survey we conducted reveals that many people prefer to contact service providers and shop online, rather than searching for phone numbers and making countless phone calls.

Website design services for your business.

So whether you're a plumber, hairdresser, own a gym or sell clothing online, give us a call.
Our expert designers can help to develop a design that suits perfectly within your brand to ensure you make a great impression online with perspective customers for your business.
Having under taken many design projects over previous years we can work to your budget, your goals and help you to bring your dreams to life.
We have experience of creating websites for a huge range of industries, and we will work with you to get the desired outcome. Call now for an obligation free consultation and quote!

Web design projects more often than not include website development and programming services and our team can cater a price to handle all of your online IT needs.

Read More

Server repairs, maintenance & servicing.

Our technical team can help you to manage, troubleshoot and isolate problems in your server.
We can also address issues relating to server performance, network performance and shared resources / file sharing.

Server management & repair services

We have experience in most areas of server management and can help you to set up remote access facilities, email management, active directory and general user management.
Our expert computer technicians can also build your business a fantastic new server to suit your specific needs and budget.
If you have data on a RAID disk that appears to have failed please speak to our technicians about our professional data recovery services.
Please contact us to discuss how we can help you with your business networking & server today.

Read More

Full Computers Service Repairing

Need help recovering lost data (as long as the hard drive is functional)? Tired of viruses, adware or malware infecting your PC? Need to implement system recovery after these issues? At an hourly fee, we can provide on-site repair and troubleshooting. We can also pick your computer(s) to provide offsite diagnostics and repair at a flat fee, in addition to any required parts. Don’t worry – We’ve seen it all!

Read More

Buy or Repair

As a computer technician and IT guy, I often get asked, “Should I repair (or upgrade) my computer or just get a new one?” Sometimes, it’s obvious that the person is itching to buy something shiny and new. Other times they’re trying to hold on to what they have for as long as possible.
Here are two rules of thumb that I offer up to clients:
1) Buy a new computer if it’s older than six years. High-quality computer will last you six good years before you’ll need a replacement. Just don’t buy the cheapest option out there. If your computer is younger, it can be upgraded and last up to five more years if it is a laptop and up to six years more if it is a desktop PC – all depending on how much you upgrade.
At minimum you’ll spend $80 – 200 in upgrades to ensure your computer lasts six more years. The cost rises if you want even more performance. Simple upgrades may include memory (RAM), hard disk drive (or Solid State Drive), operating system and software. Upgrades are often a more cost-effective solution than investing in an entirely new computer.
2) If your computer does not have a dual-core processor, then buy a new computer. A processor is the heart of your computer and dual-core will give you more processing power compared to a single-core. It leads to faster speed and overall performance. How do you know which you have? It’s simple:
• Click the Start button
• In the box “Search programs and files” type CMD and press enter
• In the command prompt window type “WMIC CPU Get /Format:List” and press enter
• Find “NumberOfCores” this will tell you how many cores your processor has.

If your computer is not working – or eventually gets to that point – give me a call. We can quickly rule out its age and processor type if that’s not the case, and I will give your PC a thorough check and estimate on repair costs. I can even give you some personal guidance on the best PC to purchase for your needs if you go that route. You may have a computer now that doesn’t really fit your needs. If you stop and ask yourself what you use the computer for and what you plan on using it for in the next few years most of the time you can come to a simple conclusion.

Read More

Network Hardware

Linksys to resume building network hardware for small- to medium-size businesses

If Cisco thought it was unloading a consumer brand that no longer fit with its enterprise focus by selling its Linksys business unit to Belkin, Cisco’s in for a surprise: Belkin is embarking on an ambitious campaign to once again make Linksys a major player in the SMB networking market.
“Linksys had been successfully selling SMB infrastructure products into the marketplace for more than 20 years,” said Ben Thacker, global vice president of Belkin enterprise business. “Linksys was one of the largest suppliers of switches and routers into the 5- to 99-seat environment. Now under the Belkin International organization we know the Linksys brand can be successful again catering to this environment.”
Indeed, Linksys had significant shares of both the consumer and SMB markets when Cisco acquired it in 2003. But Cisco rebadged Linksys’s business-oriented hardware as Cisco products and used the Linksys brand solely for consumer devices. A source inside Linksys, however, tells me that many of the Linksys business-unit engineers remained and came over to Belkin as part of the acquisition.

 

 

Belkin initial SMB offerings will include Linksys-branded gigabit unmanaged ethernet switches, ranging from 5 to 24 ports in size.

Belkin, meanwhile, is best known as a consumer-electronics manufacturer, selling cables, smartphone and tablet cases, outlet strips, webcams, and simple home-automation devices. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find that Belkin has a robust line of business-oriented products, too, ranging from KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) hardware for controlling rack-mounted servers to the hulking racks those servers are mounted into.

Belkin's IT infrastructure offerings go a lot deeper than you might think.

Belkin’s first Linksys-branded products after the acquisition were aimed at consumers, but starting in November and continuing into 2014, the privately held company will launch a host of new Linksys products into the SMB market.
The first wave, which Belkin will announce in November, will include a line of unmanaged gigabit switches with between 5 and 24 ports. Dual- and single-WAN VPN routers are the next item on the roadmap, and these will be followed by single- and dual-band 802.11n wireless access points, and dual-band 802.11ac wireless access points.
The Network Magic software that Linksys acquired from Pure Networks a number of years ago will also apparently be returning to the limelight.
In January, Belkin intends to ship Linksys-branded indoor and outdoor IP surveillance cameras, along with a two-bay network video recorder. In the March/April timeframe, Belkin plans to announce a line of managed gigabit switches in configurations ranging from 8 to 52 ports, as well as some PoE (power-over-ethernet) switches.

Belkin is planning an ambitious roadmap for its Linksys brand.

Later in 2014, Belkin will introduce cloud-management solutions (although the company revealed few details as to what that will entail). This will be followed by an office-automation initiative that will include Belkin’s existing WeMo product line for power management and lighting controls with some new products the Linksys team is working on.
The Linksys divestiture ended Cisco’s involvement in the consumer market, so one has to wonder if the company’s management imagined they’d end up competing with their former business unit in the business market. This should be fun to watch.

Read More

Safe Computing Information

You protect yourself from colds, crime, and things that disturb your way of life: why allow your computer to become infected? Computer protection is very important for all active internet users.

Recommended Anti-virus Software

ResNet recommends and supports Microsoft Security Essentials or AVAST to help protect your computer from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

Tips for Safe Browsing

Web browsers are one of the most prevelant ways of accessing information on the Internet. They have become one of the most popular applications that one will find on a computer. However, due to the way web browsers work as well as their popularity, they have become targets by hackers and other malicious users who would like to take control of your computer and steal your data (including bank account information). Below, you will find several tips to help you safely browse the Internet. Since you can't depend on your browser being completely secure, your browsing habits have to be more secure!

1. Protect your online passwords by using different passwords for each site you are registered with. At a minimum, do not use the same password you use at work or at your bank for sites that are not as important (e.g. a newspaper site requiring registration).
2. Store and generate your online passwords in a password storage tool.
3. Make sure that you are running an up-to-date antivirus application.
4. Make sure that your browser, extensions, and plugins are up-to-date.
5. Do NOT give out personal information (identity and financial) unless absolutely sure that you need to. In that case, make sure it is over an encrypted link (https instead of http in the browser navigation bar).
6. Do NOT click on links in email. Sometimes a malicious site address is hidden in the link. Don't click on any links from people you don't know, and copy/paste links from email to your browser from people you do know.
7. If you are using a web browser from a public computer (not your own computer), like the ones you find at an Internet Cafe, do NOT put any passwords or personal information into the browser. The information could get logged and saved to that computer.
8. And remember... if it looks to good to be true, it probably is.

Read More

Computer Services

 

Are you having computer problems? Suspect that your computer has a virus? Getting any confusing errors? Is your computer running slowly in general? Bring your computer into the Lisbon Computers Office and we'll repair it for you!

Troubleshooting

Before you bring in your computer, here are some steps you can try on your own to fix some common problems:

• If you're looking to speed up your computer's performance, running a Disk Defragmenter and a Disk Cleanup tool can prove effective. On Windows, these tools can be found under Accessories -> System Tools in the Start Menu.
• Many third-party tools, such as disk cleaners, registry cleaners, and malware removal tools can be found for free on the 'net. CCleaner and MalwareBytes are two free programs that can fix a lot of common problems.

If none of the above steps fix the problem, bring your computer into the Lisbon Computers office and we'll take a look at it.

Read More