Component
|
Minimum
|
Preferable
|
Notes
(Sites open in
new window)
|
| Mother- board
 Note: prices can change daily!
|
3 PCI slots
1 AGP slot
|
5 PCI slots
1 AGP slot
|
ATX
Compatible
to CPU.
AGP 4x support
Need more than
2 DIMM slots for upgrade
Must offer
upgradeability to newer chip
Great buy: Asus
|
| RAM Memory |
256 MB
|
512 MB or more
|
DDR SDRAM min. 333 MHz
Start with
256 MB, upgrade to 512
Expandable
to 1024 MB
|
| CPU Processor |
1.8 GHz
|
2.4 GHz or more
|
Great buys: Intel
Celeron or AMD Athlon
|
| Hard Drive |
80 GB
|
100 GB
|
Ultra ATA 100
try to get
one that is silent!
7200 rpm or
faster
|
| CD ROM |
48 x
|
52 x
|
Speed gain not really noticeable
Error correction more important than speed (due to cheaply
produced CD's)
Slot-in better
than drawer
CD-RW burner essential for backup
|
| DVD-ROM |
5 x
|
16 x
|
Slot-in better
than drawer
DVD burners
not yet recommended
CD-RW essential for backup
|
| Graphics Card |
64 MB AGP
|
128 MB
AGP
|
Play games? Get a fast 3D graphics card like NVIDIA GeForce or
ATI Radeon
Great buys: Matrox
|
| Sound Card |
Soundblaster Audigy
|
Soundblaster Audigy
2
|
Cheap sound cards are usually sufficient.
If you like
music get a 3D card
Great buy: Soundblaster Audigy!
|
| Speakers |
Anything over
$25
|
3 way 80 W/120
W peak
|
Cheap speakers are usually sufficient
If you like
music get a 3-speaker system with subwoofer (starting at $40)
Great buy: Cambridge Sound
Works or Altec
Lansing
|
| Modem |
56 K
|
Cable
or
DSL
|
Modem must support V.90 standard
Get broadband if you can afford it and it is available
get an integrated 10/100 Ethernet network card to hook into networks
|
| Backup System |
32X12X40
CD-RW Burner
|
48X24X48
CD-RW/DVD Combo
|
Backup is extremely important! A good CD-RW burner is a must.
Recommend CD_RW/DVD
drive
DVD burners
not yet recommended
|
| Floppy |
Optional
|
3.5" 1.44 MB
|
Optional - depends on your usage
|
Body Casing/
Tower |
ATX case (medium/
midi)
|
ATX case (midi
or tower)
|
Ports: 1 audio, 1 game, 1 parallel, 1
ps/2 mouse, 2 serial, USB, 1 VGA
PC can be turned
on by pressing key on keyboard and turn off by shutting down windows.
|
| Monitor |
17"
|
17 - 19" flat
screen or TFT LCD display
|
Do not skimp here, this is where you need quality. Get a flat screen.
TFT (active matrix)
LCD displays are the best
.28dp or better
85 Hz at 1024x768
minimum
Great buy: Sony or
NEC
|
| Keyboard |
104 key
Windows 95
Keyboard
|
Ergonomic 104
key
Windows 95
Keyboard
|
Consider an ergonomic keyboard if you type a lot (> 4 hours/day)
Don't get a
compact keyboard
|
| Mouse |
Optical Mouse
(300 dpi)
|
High resolution
Optical Mouse
(500 dpi)
|
Great buy: Logitech
Pilot 3-button
an optical mouse is better - no mechanical clogging
|
Look for "sweet spot", best price to quality ratio
