Whether
you're a seasoned computer expert or completely new to the game, sooner or later
you'll ask...
Whether
you're a seasoned computer expert or completely new to the game, sooner or later
you'll ask...
by Garfield Lucas BA,
Informatics Adviser to Postgraduate Dental Dean
Trouble is that today one is spoilt for choice, manufacturers claims are often difficult to understand or substantiate and prices are tumbling so quickly that no sooner than you take your PC home, you see the same model, with more extras, selling for twenty quid less than you just paid for yours!
This is where we try to help you out. For most users, there are two basic choices: a "desktop" or a "laptop" PC. Laptops are smaller, more portable and more convenient for people on the move. The downside is that you pay roughly half as much again as you would pay for a desktop for any given specification.
For those who are considering the purchase of a new desktop computer and who want good value for money, we believe the following draft specification offers plenty of bangs per buck! For more information about purchasing a desktop PC then why not attend on of our Choosing & Using a PC courses?
Component |
Specification |
Approximate Cost* |
|
Processor |
Intel Pentium (or AMD equivalent) 2000 MHz or better. |
|
|
Motherboard |
Super 100 MHz with AGP. |
|
|
RAM |
At least 256MB (recommended 512MB or greater). |
|
|
Hard Disk |
80 gigabyte or greater. |
|
|
Floppy disk |
Standard 3.5"( 90mm). |
|
|
CD ROM |
If cost is an issue then buy a DVD compatible "combo" type that reads & writes CD's and reads DVD's. Better, buy a DVD rewriter. This will read and write both CD & DVD. If you specify a DVD rewriter make sure it writes all "+R", "-R" & "DL" type DVD's. |
|
|
Keyboard |
"Win 95" type with special 'Windows" key. Linux users may prefer an electronically identical but visually slightly different keyboard featuring a "penguin" key instead of a "Windows" key. |
|
|
Mouse |
Choose one that you find comfortable. |
|
|
Monitor |
17" XGA or better (0.26mm dot pitch) 1024x768 pixels resolution or better. |
|
|
Sound Card |
16 bit SoundBlaster compatible. |
|
|
Speakers |
Mains powered speakers. |
|
|
Case |
Tower case leaving 5.25" & one spare 3.5" slot. |
|
|
Operating system |
At the moment you will probably want to use Windows XP Professional. |
|
|
Network Card |
PCI auto-switching 10/100 megabits per second with RJ45 connection. |
|
|
Modem |
56k BPS internal fax modem - unless your PC will get internet access via a local area network or a broadband router. Dental professionals needing more information about configuring a home or office broadband solution are welcome to attend one of our Setting up Broadband courses. |
|
| USB | At least two USB version 2 sockets. | |
| FireWire | If you intend doing any digital video work, then a FireWire card is almost essential. | |
|
All the above… |
£450.00 |
Laptops have many "lifestyle" advantages over their bigger desktop cousins. But remember you are paying roughly half as much again as a desktop PC for a similar specification. You pay for the compactness. You can of course save money by lowering your specification. However this can prove to be a false economy. For a laptop to be as useful as a desktop, it needs to be as well specified. For more information about purchasing a laptop PC then why not attend on of our Choosing & Using a Laptop courses?
Component |
Specification |
Approximate Cost* |
|
Processor |
Intel Pentium or AMD equivalent 1000 MHZ or better. |
|
|
RAM |
At least 256MB (recommended 512MB or greater). |
|
|
Hard Disk |
60 gigabyte or greater. |
|
|
CD ROM |
If cost is an issue then buy a DVD compatible 'combo' type that reads & writes CD's and reads DVD's. Better, buy a DVD rewriter. This will read and write both CD & DVD. If you specify a DVD rewriter make sure it writes all "+R", "-R" & "DL" type DVD's. |
|
|
Floppy disk |
Standard 3.5"( 90mm). |
|
|
Keyboard |
Win 95 type. |
|
|
Mouse |
ALPS or Synaptics type touch mouse. |
|
|
Monitor |
14.1" XGA or better |
|
|
Sound Card |
16 bit SB compatible. |
|
|
Speakers |
Built-in. |
|
|
Case |
Should be as robust as possible. |
|
|
Operating system |
At the moment you will probably want to use Windows XP Professional. |
|
|
Network Card |
Built-in auto-switching 10/100 megabits per second with RJ45 type connection. |
|
|
Modem |
Built-in 56k BPS fax modem. |
|
| Wireless Networking | Should be to IEEE 802.11G standard - permitting data transfer at 54 megabits per second. More information about wireless networking can be found by attending one of our Setting up Broadband courses. | |
| USB | At least two USB version 2 sockets. | |
| Firewire (IEEE1394) | If you intend doing any digital video work then a FireWire socket or a mini-DV is almost essential | |
| PCMCIA or CardBus slots | These are not as significant as they once were. However you generally need one CardBus slot for camera card adaptors. | |
|
All the above… |
£700.00 |
In addition you must have some sort of back-up device. For detailed information about this subject you might find one of our Files & Filing courses helpful. These are the devices we are currently using...
Component |
Specification |
Approximate Cost* |
| External USB Hard drive | Capacity depends on your data requirement although for most users, 110GiB is more than adequate. These should connect either via USB2 or FireWire - if your computer has FireWire. The old USB 1.1 standard is generally considered too slow for backing up large datasets. Many of the principles of removable hard drives are documented in archived an article entitled "Tale of Two Hard Disks". | £100 |
|
CD or DVD Rewriter |
External USB CD or DVD rewriter (only needed if your PC doesn't already have one built in) |
£70.00 |
| solid state memory | Consider something between 128MeB and 4GiB - this comes in many forms including the 'CompactFlash' and SmartMedia chips used in digital cameras. This requires a card reader connected to your PC. Alternatively tiny chips that look like a door key with a USB plug on the end are widely available from most PC stores. | £40.00-£300.00 |
If cash is in short supply, you might consider one of these cheap and cheerful devices. However they are considered very old-fashioned and far too small by today's standards…
Component |
Specification |
Approximate Cost* |
|
Zip Drive |
250 MB Iomega Zip drive |
£100.00 |
| Super Floppy |
120MB super floppy drive |
£100.00 |
Page updated 2005-09-04