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I  plan to buy a Dell Computer. I would like  to hook up my new computer, which will be in my study, to my NEC plasma display, which will be in my living room. Is there a particular video card I need? I understand there are two leading card makers - Nvidia and Maxtor. Which do you recommend?

ASHOK DASWANI

I believe you may be referring to Matrox, the maker of video cards, not Maxtor, the maker of hard disks. Nvidia would seem to be the clear favourite for most PC makers. The card, however, is not the problem because most plasma displays have a scan convertor to smooth the image.

Why you should want the computer in one room and the monitor in another is something I do not understand. Where do you intend to keep the keyboard and the mouse?

You could try a company named StarTech. It has a 100-foot cable and, despite the problems often associated with long video cables, the firm claims there is no 'ghosting' with it.  The cables are available at http://www.cdw. com/shop/products/default.asp? edc=238172 and cost US$89.21 plus shipping. The company also has shorter cables.

Another, perhaps more useful, solution is one based on wireless technology.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced a solution for such a device at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. He suggested the technology was something his company would be adding to Windows XP.

However, connecting a monitor wirelessly to a computer ought not be that difficult. I suggest you keep your eyes open in the year ahead if you are not in a hurry. Others will no doubt offer products to enable PC users to do this.

A wireless keyboard and mouse are easier to find. It can get expensive, but these technologies have been around for a while. The wireless mouse has helped people with PowerPoint presentations for some time.

One site that has information about this is: www.wireless-com puting.com.

Questions to Tech Talk will not be answered personally. We reserve the right to edit letters. E-mail techtalk@scmp.com



Cable puts roaming monitor in touch