In this tutorial we learn how to install a primary hard drive. The primary drive is your main drive, not a secondary drive. Installing a secondary drive is similar but you will have to configure your drive differently. Be sure to have your documentation handy at all times.

Learning how to install computer components like a hard drive is not hard, but proper preparation is the key to making it a smooth experience.

Before beginning you should completely shut down your computer. Also be sure to switch the power supply switch into the off position and pull the AC cord from the wall outlet.

1. Remove the Case and Set Your Drive Jumper

The first order of business is to open your computer case so that you can install the hard drive. The method of doing this varies, but most modern cases use a mini-tower design and have side panels that are screwed onto the chassis.

You will need to find the panel that sits above the motherboard and remove the screws in the back to slide the panel out. If you have an older computer design, you may have to remove all of the screws in the back and then slide the chassis out.

Next you must configure your hard drive. To install hard drive components properly you will need to set your drive jumpers. On the back of your drive you will notice pairs of metal pins pointing to various positions. There will be a jumper over the pins in one of these settings.

Consult your documentation. Basically, if you are installing the first and only drive you will set the jumper to “Cable Select.” (If you were installing more than one drive, you would choose “Master” for the main drive.)

2. Insert the Drive into Case

Once the drive is configured you are ready to insert it into the case. Examine the design of your case to see what your options are here.

Inside your case there is what is known as a drive bay. Some of the new-fangled case designs offer a removable version of this drive bay or cage. If you have that, consider yourself lucky. It’s much easier to know how to install computer components when you don’t have to poke around in the case the whole time.

If you have a removable bay, then remove it now. Align the mounting holes on the drive bay with the mounting holes on your hard drive, and then screw them together. When you are done, insert the drive bay back into the case and screw it back on.

If, however, you don’t have a removable bay, then all is not lost. Just insert the hard drive into the drive bay, align the mounting holes together, and screw it on. It’s not that difficult; it’s just a bit of hand and eye coordination.

3. Attach All Cables

Of course to install hard drive components, or any other components for that matter, you will need to attach cables somewhere. In the case of the hard drive you will need to attach an IDE cable from the motherboard to the motherboard, and then attach the power cable.

First, install the IDE cable to the motherboard. For your added convenience the IDE cable is color-coded for you. It is usually blue at the bottom and also has a red stripe on the side. This cable is to be inserted into the motherboard at the IDE0 (Primary) or IDE1 (Secondary) connector.

As an added check, make sure that the side of the cable with the red stripe lines up with the back of the motherboard labeled “Pin 1.” Once you’re done, connect the other end of this IDE cable to the hard drive. Connect the black controller and be sure that the red stripe is aligned with “Pin 1” on your hard drive.

Finally, plug the four-pin connector from your power supply into the back of your hard drive, and you’re done!

4. Close Up and Power Up

Now it’s time to close up and power up. Restore the case panel you removed earlier or slide the computer chassis back into the computer case.

Screw it back on, flip the power switch to the on position and attach the AC cord. Turn the computer back on. At this point your system BIOS is going to detect that a new hard drive has been attached.

You may have to configure the BIOS to properly detect the hard drive or at least supply some specific settings. As we always say, consult your documentation and follow their instructions. Much of our tutorials on how to install computer components apply across the board, but you still need to tweak some settings depending on your manufacturer.

Conclusion

Learning to install hard drive units is not hard from a mechanical standpoint. It can be done very easily.

However, it’s more than an installation. The drive unit needs to be properly configured. Jumper settings need to be set properly, and then afterwards the BIOS must detect your new drive. Afterwards, you will then need to format your drive and install your operating system.

As you can see, beyond the basic installation there are a number of additional details. That’s why we encourage you to have patience and follow these tutorials step by step—and as always, read the instructions!

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at Build-Your-Own-Computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

If you are running out of space on your computer or find that programs load a little slow, or that big files take a long time to open, it may be time for a new hard drive.

Making a more careful decision about the hard drive can mean a much longer working life for the hard drive. Better reliability, allowing the hard drive to run for many years without mechanical failures or the worst of all, losing your precious data to errors on the drive.

Obviously the main thing that people think about when getting a new drive is size. Although a 400GB drive sounds great, there are very few people who actually use this much space. Only if you save DVD movies to your hard drive, or if you do serious amounts of video editing will you need this much space. The smallest size drives available today are about 40GB and will suffice for all your needs. However if you want the latest technologies, bigger sizes are inevitable.

Over the years the speed at which hard drives work has increased. One of the main technologies to improve is the connection between the hard drive and the rest of the computer. It passes the information back and forth from the hard drive, the faster it is the faster information can be passed, and so speeding up the programs you use and the files you use.

There are 2 main varieties for this connection:

The old IDE kind, which comes in 4 flavors: ATA33, ATA66, ATA100 and ATA133, each number corresponding to the transfer rate in MB/s, the bigger the faster. This type is pretty standard. If your computer is older, you may only be able to use this kind, and depending how old will determine which speed.

SATA is a newer kind. It uses a different cable and allows much faster information transfer. The slower kind is 150MB/s and the faster is 300MB/s, so they are much faster than IDE.

A newer technology called Native Command Queuing (NCQ) speeds up how fast things are found and done on the hard drive. Just briefly, it orders the read and write commands given to it in such as way as to get the tasks done quicker and with less delay.

Drives are most often separated by their size and this is a big factor in the pricing of a drive. The smallest drives today are around 40GB, you can get a little smaller, but no point really. The largest of 400GB will be enough for a really long time.

The other thing that affects pricing is the rotation speed, which is the speed at which the big disk spins inside the disk drive. The faster it spins the faster information gets found. Look for rotation speeds of 7200RPM as standard and 10000 for the fast end.

With all of this it may be hard to decide, but here are my suggestions.

For a main drive, which has your Windows and programs on it, go for something faster, but bear in mind that even for me my ATA66 drive is fast enough for my uses. But a faster one will speed up how fast your programs go. It might be a good idea just to go for one big, fast drive.

Brand name drives are often worth getting, as manufacturers like Seagate, Maxtor and Western Digital are well known for long lasting quality products, which will not make any difference in the short term usually, but will pay off with long life and reliability.

If you want or need two drives the second one can sacrifice speed for size, as that’s what’s most often needed for a second drive, which usually stores all your information.

You should now have enough to make a smart choice in your next hard drive purchase. A good one can be kept for a very long time and minimize any hassles in the future.

Peter Stewart is a computer enthusiast, his interest in computers and focus on practicle down to earth advice inspired his two websites.

http://www.computer-buying-guide.com - Practical buying tips

http://www.computer-reviews.net - Fair and honest reviews and opinions

In this article we discuss how to install a desktop power supply. In learning how to install computer components, this is one of the easier tasks—yet also one of the most dangerous. The power supply delivers juice to your desktop, so follow the safety precautions below before you start.

Also, if you’re building a computer from scratch—as we assume—you’re probably doing a fresh install of your power supply, and not replacing an old one. So we’ll skip any explanations about how to remove an old power supply, although we think you’ll figure that out after completing this lesson.

1. Safety Precautions and Opening Up the Case

Knowing how to properly install computer power supply units begins with a review of safety. Your new power supply has plugs that will power the computer as well as various devices in your desktop. Handle it with care, and be very careful not to poke around in its vents with any objects.

Your power supply also has the ability to retain electric charges even after you’ve unplugged it. It’s good to know these things in advance so we don’t make any foolish mistakes.

Now the first order of business is to remove the case. The method for doing this will vary depending on your system. If you have a mini-tower, then unscrew the side panel above the motherboard and slide it off. Set the screws in a safe place. If you have an older model of computer, then you will probably have to unscrew the whole back cover, and completely slide the chassis out.

2. Align and Secure the Power Supply

The next step in learning how to install a desktop power supply is to align it with the case and then secure it properly. This part can be very tricky. Basically, your power supply has four mounting holes that match the four mounting holes on the back of your computer case. You will also notice that the power supply is a somewhat heavy, lumbering unit.

You will need to get the power supply into the computer and align its mounting holes with those of the computer case, and then use a screwdriver to screw it in. Of course, we realize that you won’t be able to do this at the same time. You will probably have to screw the first two top mounts first—making sure to hold the unit steady—and then screw the bottom holes.

Some computer cases have ledges which you can set the power supply on, making the job easier. Learning how to install computer components takes a good bit of patience as well as some dexterity on your part.

3. Set the Voltage Switch and Plug the Power Supply into Your Motherboard

If you’ve ever traveled abroad, you probably realize that some countries use 220v for their outlets—and so do their computers. For this reason, power supplies come with what is known as a voltage switch. Locate it on the back of your power supply. It may be a pink-colored switch—it’s meant to stand out for a reason.

Learning to install computer power supply units correctly means that you can’t ignore this one vital step. You need to set this switch to the correct voltage for the country you’re living in. Now, it may have already come preset to the country you’re living in. If so, fine, just make sure before you continue. Otherwise you will have serious problems.

Next you will plug the power supply into your motherboard. Look for leads from your power supply that will connect to your motherboard. The most common type of these are the ATX connectors; these are the standard 20-pin cables. If you have newer Pentium 4 computers, you may also need to connect a 12v 4 pin connector to the motherboard as well.

4. Connect Power to Internal Devices

It would be useless if you chose to install computer power supply units without connecting them to any of the internal devices of your computer. Your power supply actually powers up several devices in your computer.

You will notice that there still seems to be a lot of loose cables hanging from your power supply, looking for a plug to insert into somewhere. The most common destination for these hanging threads are your optical drives—your CD and/or DVD-ROM drives. The connectors are the four pin-variety, commonly known as the ‘molex’ connectors. Find these connectors and install them into your drives.

Consult your documentation to see if there are any additional devices that require power, and plug connectors into them as well.

5. Close Up, Plug In and Power Up Your System

You are almost done. Check the connections between the power supply and the units it will be supplying power to. Also examine the lead between the power supply and the motherboard. Make sure that all of these connections are secure. If so, you’re ready to close up, plug in and power up your system. Close

your computer case by placing the cover back on, and screwing it tight. Make sure your AC cord is not attached to an outlet yet. First, plug the cord back into the power supply and flip the power supply switch back on. Then attach your AC cord to the wall outlet and turn on your computer.

If you’ve followed these steps in order, you’ll hear the reassuring whir of the power supply fan as it supplies electricity to your system. Check your system, including your CD ROM and DVD ROM drives to ensure that they are working properly.

Conclusion

You’ve learned how to install computer devices like a power supply in this tutorial, and it’s an accomplishment you can be proud of! Knowing how to install a desktop power supply can be challenging to a beginner, but we trust we’ve made it simple for you. It requires a little bit of mechanical skill and patience. But in the end, learning how to do-it-yourself is far cheaper than paying someone else to do it. It’s also a lot more gratifying too. Additionally, we believe that you can take what you learned and learn how to replace an old power supply if you need to.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at Build-Your-Own-Computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

So you bought a new computer but you don’t have serial ports?

It’s surprisingly common these days - you find an awesome machine that does everything you want it to do, but then you get home and find out that amongst the lightning-fast processor and terabyte hard drive, you’re missing something - a serial port.

Most laptop manufacturers have killed RS-232

In an effort to enforce newer standards, such as USB and FireWire, many laptop manufacturers have let serial ports fall by the wayside. They don’t take into account the millions of people and businesses that still require serial ports for one application or another.

Add a true serial port with a USB adapter

You can use a USB to Serial Adapter to easily and quickly add a serial port to your laptop. The nice thing about the adapter is that you can use multiple adapters on one machine (using a hub or an add-on card) and dynamically set the COM assignment.

Various serial devices requiring some type of serial port

Many PDA’s, GPS units, routers, printers, fax machines, etc. still require serial ports. A lot of these devices are moving to newer standards, most notably USB, but many still operate on legacy technologies (serial or parallel) because of the difficulty in rewriting drivers for the newer standards.

Preston Wily is the Director of Marketing for Sewell Direct, a retailer of hard-to-find computer hardware and accessories.

Want to know what piece of technology is changing most rapidly in the world of computer? That’s right - video cards. The rate at which video cards come out is simply mind boggling. We’re looking at a whole plethora of video cards based on graphics processors from ATI and Nvidia. Which card should you choose? Will it be good enough?

Well, this article will help you make some sense of this fast changing technology and enable you to choose the best video card for your computing needs.

The best way to see what video card to buy is to consider how you’re using your computer now. There are several categories:

There are several categories:

• Server
• Simple Applications
• Complex Applications
• General Gaming
• Hard-Core Gaming

Ok, let’s look at these in turn.

Server

If you’re using your computer as a mail server, FTP server, print server, or even a game server, you definitely do not need a high-end video card. Look for a low-end card like the Diablotek ATI Rage XL.

Simple Applications

Say you’re using the PC for simple applications only, for example, word processing, email or web surfing. Again, you do not need the best video card out there. A cheap and decent one will do the trick.

Complex Applications

If you need to perform more complex tasks like 3D computer aided design or video editing, it will make more sense to go for a heavy duty card. Screen resolution and image quality tend to be important factors for this type of work. Look for a video card whose processor which supports a high screen resolution, with ample graphics memory. A good choice would be the XFX GeForce FX 5500.

General Games

If you’ll only play simple games like Minesweeper, Reversi or Backgammon, then my advice is to save your money and just get a simple video card. No need for the latest 3D graphics gizmo.

Hard-Core Gaming

On the other hand, if you live on intense, real-time 3D games like Unreal Tournament and Battlefield 2, you’ll want to get the latest 3D graphics card like the Connect 3D Radeon X850 XT Platinum. These games require extremely powerful cards which support a variety of graphics effects like anti-aliasing, Z-buffering, vertex shaders, etc.

Conclusion

In summary, you should always consider your needs first before going out to buy that video card. Video cards, especially the latest models, tend to be prohibitively expensive. If you only need to do general computer stuff, then don’t shell out cash for the newer cards like the Connect 3D Radeon X850 XT Platinum. Go for some of the cheaper video cards like the Diablotek ATI Rage XL. Do your homework, read up the manufacturer’s online manuals before making your purchase decision.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at Build-Your-Own-Computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

Before you upgrade your PC hardware it’s best to search all options and ask for advice. Only after this you can go and buy a new component. It’s also useful to check if you really need an upgrade.

Do not upgrade your very old PC because it would cost a lot of money. It’s cheaper to buy a new computer in such cases because they are easier to upgrade later.

Upgrading the hard drive:

The majority of people do not really need to upgrade their hard disk, unless they use it for playing a lot of music, movies, and games. A 20 GB hard drive is sufficient to keep new office and internet applications, and all your files and data.

A medium sized hard drive would be around 40 GB and the maximum would be around 60 – 80 GB.

Before upgrading your hard disk it’s best to do a complete disk checkup including disk scan, defragmentation, etc. If you happen to be an average user and need more storage you can add an additional drive to the existing one. Before an upgrade, be sure to back up your files.

Upgrading the RAM:

RAM or Random Access Memory is the short-term memory of the PC. It keeps data that is being worked on now and may or may not be transferred to the hard drive that represents the long-term memory of the computer.

Current processors can perform an enormous number of operations per second. The hard drive, on the other hand, is significantly slower to handle so much information. This is where a high-speed RAM memory comes in. RAM needs a power supply to keep data. Once the power is turned off the data is lost.

Almost all PCs have 64 MB RAM and often 128 MB. If you want to run newer applications on your PC then you must upgrade to 128/256 MB RAM.

A lot of people who upgrade from 98 to Win 2000 discover that their computers lock up very often. This is because they don’t have enough RAM.

CPU upgrade:

If you choose this upgrade, you will have faster execution of instructions but it leaves the RAM and hard drive capacity unchanged.

This sis the most cost effective upgrade and can increase the efficiency of your computer considerably. Seek a professional help before you take a decision.

Motherboard:

Upgrading motherboard is not such a good proposition unless you replace the CPU and the RAM as well to achieve greater performance levels. You upgrade the motherboard either because the current one doesn’t support a faster CPU or the CPU requires a different socket. It could be very expensive. Think about buying a new PC.

Ports:

Ports are sockets at the back of your computer where you plug in external devices. Older PCs work on “parallel” ports. If you need to work a lot on peripherals such as digital cameras, digital camcorders, CD burners, and scanners then you need to upgrade to USB and Firewire ports if you are not using them already.

Both tend to be cheaper than the “parallel” and SCSI devices they replace. Always make sure that there are no compatibility problems with other devices in your PC when you plan to upgrade any hardware on your machine.

If you are planning to buy laptop computer visit Laptop Computer Center for the latest news and information.

There are many devices which can be used to store or write data in your computer system. The options include hard drives, USB/Firewire storage devices, CD writers and DVD writers. Hard drives are a very essential (and delicate) piece of equipment and are a standard feature on most computers. CD writers are also very common. USB/Firewire storage devices and DVD writers are currently getting more popular with consumers.

This article will give you some tips on selecting proper data storage devices for your PC.

Hard Drives

First, let’s cover hard drives. We’ll look at some hard drive terms like ATA and SCSI, as well as cover the factors to consider when buying a new drive.

• ATA and SCSI: Let’s get some terminology out of the way before we go further. In the hard drive world, there are two data access standards, ATA and SCSI (pronounced ‘Scar-Zee’). The ATA standard is split further into Parallel ATA (PATA) and Serial ATA (SATA). Most of normal hard drives we’re used to rely on the PATA standard. Some newer hard drives use the SATA standard.

SATA allows transfer speeds of up to 150 MBs while PATA gives up to 133 MBs. However, to use SATA, you’ll need a Serial ATA controller, a SATA drive and a SATA power cable. The speed difference between PATA and SATA is also not significant unless you have a high-end SATA drive.

The SCSI standard is a very fast hard drive standard used for professional computer systems which demand extremely fast data access. SCSI drives provide an access time of about 9.5ms - which I feel is really not needed for average home use.

CD Writers

CD writers are practically standard issue on all PCs these days. Prices are ridiculously cheap, so there’s no reason not to get one, unless you prefer a DVD writer.

• Drive Speed: For CD writers, you should generally look for a 40X record speed or faster. Anything slower will cost you a lot of time burning CDs.

DVD Writers

DVD writers are the newest rage in the consumer data storage market. They let you store up to 4.7GB on a single disc several times the amount of on a CD-RW disc. So let’s look at some factors to consider when purchasing a new DVD drive.

• Drive Speed: One factor to consider when buying DVD writers is drive speed. Most DVD-R drives write at 8X, with some older models supporting only 4X. Personally, I don’t think there is significant speed difference between a 8X and 4X drive - so don’t spend extra money unnecessarily if you don’t have to.

Compatibility There is a huge range of DVD media formats out there (DVD+R, DVD-R,DVD+R DL), represented by various brands. You need to consider compatibility of your DVD writer with these DVD discs. DVD-R and DVD+R formats are both very compatible with existing DVD players and DVD-ROM drives - so try to get a player that supports those.

Internal or External You can choose between an internal or external DVD writer. Internal drives are cheaper but it also means you need to deal with the installation hassle and non-portability. External DVD writers come with Firewire or USB 2.0 interfaces and may well be a better choice if you need to move your data around a lot.

Conclusion

To purchase a good storage device, be it a hard drive, CD writer or DVD writer, you need to consider what price you’re willing to pay for a given set of features. In my opinion, the DVD burner is fast becoming an essential item in the average home user’s PC. If you’re building a new computer, you should definitely consider buying a DVD writer on top of your standard hard drive. Favorite Picks

Upgrade Your Computer Skills with This Video

If you want to learn how to build your own computer or troubleshoot general PC problems, you should check out this computer training video. Besides showing you the exact steps for installing new hardware components, this video provides important tips for repairing and upgrading your PC. These tips include little gems like how to create boot disks, configure your BIOs or format a hard drive.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at Build-Your-Own-Computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

There is something good about esr meter because besides electrolytic capacitor it can be use to measure other type of capacitors such as the non polarity capacitor. From esr meter specification, it is usually mentioned only checking the electrolytic type. When i began to experiment with the Dick Smith ESR Meter i found that it have the capabilities to check other type of capacitors as well.

However it is limited to checking capacitor in the higher value only such as .1uf(104), .22uf(224), 1uf(105) and etc. Lower capacitance value don’t get any reading from the esr meter due to it can only read until 99 ohms. Perhaps other esr meter such as the B & K esr meter have the range to check it.

You will even be surprised to see that the dick smith esr meter can check the non-polarity capacitor in-circuit (without removing the cap).

True case example-Monitor came in with display jumping horizontally. You can see a bunch of horizontal black lines across the top display (picture). From experienced it will tell you that vertical section have problem. I begin to troubleshoot the vertical section. Supply voltage checked ok, vertical driver and oscillator IC replaced, all components connected or nearby vertical driver and oscillator ic have been checked ok. By the way I used digital capacitance meter to check the non-polarity cap and esr meter to check the electrolytic cap. The problem is still there and can’t be solve!

When i use Dick Smith ESR Meter to compare the esr value of a non-polarity capacitor located near the vertical driver ic, i noticed that there is a big different in the esr value. The good esr value for a .22uf non-polarity cap is between 6.5 to 7 ohm but the spoilt one have a value of 14 ohm! Almost double the value, that’s why the display jump. The good thing is i discovered the culprit while the capacitor still in the circuit which mean this esr meter can check non-polarity cap in-circuit. However my recommendation for you is to solder out one leg and check unless you already have the experienced in checking components on board. Replacing the cap solved the display problem.

Conclusion-In order to accurately test a non-polarity capacitor, besides checking the capacitance value and using analog meter to check the charge and discharge to see if it has develop any short circuit when under load, you are also required to check the esr value as well.

Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer. For more information about electronic repair please visit his website at http://www.noahtec.com/electronic-repair-articles.htm

Are you looking for a computer monitor? Monitors are your window into the computer - everything that happens in your software and applications happens via the monitor. It is hence very important to choose a good monitor to go along with your new PC.

Traditionally, CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors have been used for desktop computers. However, these days, LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors are selling like hotcakes. It’s easy to see why: LCD monitors are easier on the eyes, have very crisp image quality and yes, they’re sexy and cool. Laptops also use LCD screens - so we’re slowly beginning to see CRT monitors being phased out.

Which type you choose depends on your requirements. If you’re a graphics professional, you may prefer a CRT monitor because they are said to show more realistic colors. However, the latest high-end LCDs can also give equal color quality. If you with text most of the time, a LCD is a good choice because the various pixels that you find on a LCD will have nicely defined edges. This gives sharp and focus letters on the screen.

To help you choose a monitor that’ll meet your needs, this article will step through the factors to consider when buying a LCD or CRT monitor.

LCD Monitors

Let’s first look at the various factors you need to think about when purchasing a LCD panel display.

CRT Monitors

Now let’s take a look at some things you need to look out for when purchasing a CRT monitor.

• Tube Size and Viewable Area: The tube size and viewable area of a CRT monitor is of utmost importance. The tube size helps you judge how much room you’ll need for the monitor on your desk. It is expressed in inches measured from one corner of the monitor to the opposite corner.

The viewable area (also measured diagonally) indicates how much you’ll be able to see on a screen. The viewable area of CRTs can range from 15 inches all the way up to 22 inches.

Conclusion

I hope the above has helped you understand what factors to look out for when buying a LCD or CRT monitor. One thing to always remember when buying a new monitor - don’t throw away your old one! Re-use it for an old PC or give it to a friend who needs one. By not dumping that old monitor, you’ll certainly help to save the environment.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at http://www.build-your-own-computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

Overview

As "generic", "remanufactured", and "new compatible" inkjet printer cartridges and laser toner cartridges creep deeper into the printer accessories market, the choices become varied and often confusing. It is estimated that by the year 2004 the aftermarket share of the inkjet and toner cartridge market will exceed 11% of the estimated 12 billion dollar printer accessory market [source: CART magazine, March 2001] Here’s a look at what all these terms mean, and an examination of the upside and downside of using non-"brand name" printer cartridge products in your printer.

Terminology

First, let’s examine the terminology. When shopping online for a new inkjet or toner cartridge for your printer, you’ll likely encounter these terms:

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or brand name products

A "brand name" inkjet or toner cartridge is just that - it’s a printer cartridge that carries the brand name of the manufacturer on it, usually the same as the printer manufacturer, for example, Epson, Canon, Hewlett Packard, etc.

New compatible, off-brand or generic products

A "new compatible", "off-brand" or "generic" inkjet or toner cartridge is manufactured by a company other than the original printer manufacturer. There are a large number of these "new compatible" manufacturers, and it’s quite true that the quality of their product can vary (more on that a bit later). In the case of inkjet cartridges, "generic" cartridges are completely new. In the case of toner cartridges, to qualify as "new compatible" the toner drum must be replaced with a brand new drum, as well as all major parts serviced and replaced as needed.

Remanufactured products

A "remanufactured" inkjet or toner cartridge, by definition, is a cartridge which has been serviced, cleaned, refilled with toner or ink and possibly had a few component parts repaired or replaced. In many cases, remanufactured toner cartridges do not have new drums; they instead refurbish the original drum and send it out for another cycle.

An Important Note About Toner Cartridges

The relatively unknown truth is that almost all laser toner cartridges, including most of the original brand name "new" cartridges, have been remanufactured to some extent. The defining point is to what degree they have had component parts repaired and/or replaced. For example: check the box for a brand new Hewlett Packard Laser Jet 4000/27X. Brand new, right? Well, it is. But check the fine print, which says: This newly manufactured product may contain parts and materials recovered from the HP planet partners recycling program. This means that the product, while "new", is possibly not completely new; it’s quite probable that components of this cartridge have been used before, and have been recycled.

Quality vs. Cost

It’s a fact: the cost of brand name inkjet and toner cartridges can be exceedingly high in comparison to generic or remanufactured inkjet or toner cartridges. In many cases, new compatible inkjet cartridges can be as much as 70% less than the cost of brand name cartridges. New compatible or remanufactured toner cartridges on the whole tend to be as much as 50% less in cost than their brand name counterparts. For example, an Epson T013201 black inkjer cartridge, used for various Epson Stylus printers, sells for $17.09 direct from Epson. The same cartridge, compatible, at an online retailer, Abacus24-7 (http://www.abacus24-7.com), sells for $4.95. The difference….70% in savings.(Prices as of August 2005)

What’s the catch?

Well, there really isn’t one, if you find a quality off-brand product you can purchase from an online merchant you can trust, one who stands by their product in those rare cases that generic or remanufactured products don’t perform as well as you expect. Brand name cartridges cost much more than generics primarily because of the marketing and advertising budgets most OEM manufacturers spend in promoting their products; a cost most smaller manufacturers don’t have. And then there’s the issue of your printer warranty - we’ll discuss that issue a little bit later.

Inkjet Cartridges: Performance

Generic or new compatible inkjet cartridges are in general highly reliable and perform as well as, or nearly as well as, brand name cartridges. Latest technologies and adherence to ISO 9001 codes (internationally recognized standards for quality assurance) by most producers of generic cartridges has increased the overall reliability of these aftermarket products in relation to your typical brand cartridges. In particular, Epson and Canon new compatibles are highly reliable, as the technology required to duplicate the performance of their cartridges is minimal (with the exception of the very latest Epson cartridges with the "computer chip"). In terms of print life (how many pages they print) generics stack up pretty well - usually within plus or minus 5% of the life of your typical brand name cartridge.

High quality photographic printing is the one area where generic cartridges are occasionally suspect. The quality of the inks used by the manufacturer play a significant role here - lower grade ink which doesn’t have the same density or brilliance and consistency of color can produce inferior results in the most high-demand cases. Although most manufacturers of generics have moved away from inferior inks, we recommend you ask your online merchant about the quality of the inks used by their supplier, if you are doing this kind of high-quality photographic printing. In particular, the inks should be made in the U.S.A.. With good ink your results should be just fine.

Remanufactured Inkjet cartridges are another subject. Primarily you will only find remanufactured Inkjet cartridges for Hewlett Packard, Lexmark and Dell, as these companies have meticulously patented (and subsequently filed suit against anyone who tried to duplicate) their inkjet cartridge designs. There are no true "generics" for HP or Dell inkjet printers.

Remanufactured cartridges are a huge cost value over new cartridges - usually over 50% less - and for every day printing work just fine. The failure rate of remanufactured cartridges is slightly higher than new product, however, and so it’s important your online merchant guarantees their product to cover the occasional return. For typical printing, remanufactured inkjet cartridges can be the right choice over new ones. Lately, Dell computers and printers are increasing in popularity. Dell’s popular models include the Color 720, and All-in-One a920, a940, and a960 models. Direct from Dell, one can buy an OEM cartridge, for example the color cartridge (X0504) for the Dell a940 printer for $34.99 from www.dell.com. The same cartridge, yet remanufactured, sells online for $23.95 at Abacus24-7 (http://www.abacus24-7.com).(Prices as of August 2005)

Laser Toner Cartridges: Performance

As with generic or new compatible inkjet cartridges, new compatible toner cartridges are for the most part highly reliable and provide a noticeable cost savings over brand new toner cartridges. Again, ISO 9001 standards have greatly increased the consistency and reliability of the aftermarket toner product in recent years. Further, many new compatible toner manufacturers increase the volume of toner in the cartridge, providing for a longer print life. Quality new compatible cartridges will have new or replaced mag sleeves, wiper blades, and magnet tips.

Remanufactured toner cartridges in general have a less stringent set of criteria applied to them, and as mentioned before may not contain a new toner drum. Be sure to ask your supplier. It is our humble recommendation that you go with toner cartridges that have a new aftermarket drum, as opposed to a refurbished or recycled drum. Lastly, ask if the new drum is "high density". You want that.

Color laser new compatible toner cartridges are just coming to market, and although early feedback seems to indicate a positive outlook, an evaluation of these cartridges is premature at this time.

Good for the Country, Good for the Environment

If you care about recycling or the good of the Country’s economy, consider these facts:

- 99% of new compatible toner cartridges are manufactured in the USA; most "OEM" brand cartridges are manufactured overseas

- Nearly 40,000 tons of plastic are saved from our nation’s landfills each year, by remanufacture of inkjet and toner cartridges

- It takes on average 2 quarts of oil to manufacture a Brand New Toner cartridge but less than half of that amount to manufacture a new compatible toner cartridge

Your Printer Warranty and You

A legitimate concern of many people is whether using generic or remanufactured cartridges in their printer voids the printer’s warranty. The answer is no. The following is a partial quote of the text of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, which deals with this exact question:

MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT

United States Code Annotated

Title 15 Commerce and Trade

Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties

15 Section 2032

… (c) No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection be waived by the commission if:

1) The warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and

2) the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest.

In English, this means that no warranty may be voided by use of aftermarket products unless the manufacturer acquires a waiver that clearly shows such voidance would be in the public interest, or that their product will only function properly if the specified manufacturer parts are used.

There is one catch, however: the manufacturer (in this case your printer manufacturer) is not compelled to repair their product under warranty if damage done to the product occurred as a direct result of using aftermarket parts. In other words, using generic cartridges is fine, and if your printer ever fails under conditions which have nothing to do with the cartridge you are using, no problem. However, if the damage is directly caused (however unlikely) by the use of a generic cartridge, the warrantor may elect not to repair it, although the warranty would remain in effect for all other warranty issues.

Conclusion

In general, aftermarket generic and new compatible or remanufactured printer cartridge products are an excellent way to cut significant costs from your every day small business or personal printing expense, while maintaining quality printing results. Those who need extremely high quality printing (such as photographers and artists) can, with a little trial-and-error testing of different generic cartridge products, find a product which provides the quality results you need.

In all cases, be sure to buy your cartridges from an online supplier who 100% guarantees their product without question, and isn’t afraid to answer your questions when it comes to the quality and reliability of their products.

Written by David Amerman also published by About.com