



























                        3   E A S Y   S T E P S    T O

                       B U Y I N G   A   C O M P U T E R

                                        
                                      B Y
                            
                            
                          C O M P U T E R   M A G I C

















                         Clifford L. Williams - Owner
                               110 Edelen Street
                             Vine Grove, Kentucky 
                                  40175-1512







                                    FORWARD

    
    It was around July of 1991 when I decided I needed to find out what
computers were all about.  You see I was like the many people who are, even
today, afraid to turn on a computer.  I didn't know what a megabyte was.  I 
thought it was taking a big "byte" out of a hamburger.  And then there was
these things called modems, and drives that are hard and drives that were
floppy.  Oh yes, let's not forget all the acronyms; you know things like:
EISA, PCI, BPM, DPI, MS, SX, DX and DLC, the list was endless.

    What made the situation worse is, I was about to change career fields
and deep down inside my computer illiterate soul I just knew that computers
and knowledge of the them were a must in order to get ahead.  So, it was 
then that I decided to get a computer and get computer literate.

    The first thing I knew I had to do was find out what kind of computer
I wanted and what "stuff" I wanted with it.  I can tell you with a great 
deal of confidence that this was not an easy task.  I spent hours that 
turned into days trying to figure out all the jargon, acronyms, terms,
and abbreviations, and which feature or peripherals were best.  I also
had to determine which ones I wanted.

    After about three months of research and investigation I felt somewhat
confident that I was ready to place the order.  It was now time to check
out the computer market place.  Luckily, I was in El Paso, Texas and there
was an abundance of computer outlets.  However, in 1991 they did very 
little advertising and unless I took the time to physically travel to each
store it was next to impossible to find out what my "dream machine" would
cost.

    The agony and the time consuming process of traveling to each of these
stores and repeating the specifications to each and every salesman was not
only unattractive, but downright frustrating.  That's what caused me to
come up with my "brainstorm."  I simply typed out the specifications for
my computer and mailed them, along with a cover letter, to each and every
computer outlet.

    Now, here is the shocking outcome:  I mailed 28 letters to 28 computer
outlets and I got a grand total of four replys!  That's right only four 
replys out of 28.  As if this wasn't discouraging enough, two of the replys
quoted prices for a "clone" (a computer put together by someone or some
company which may or may not be a reputable dealer).  That left me with
two good replies, right?  Wrong, one of the quotes had a price tag that 
only Donald Trump himself could afford (he wasn't in trouble then).

    Now I was down to one good quote and I can tell you that the individual
that put this particular quote together was really a "salesman."  Included
in the quote were three different machines with the specifications I stated.
The most expensive on top, then one a little less expensive was next and 
then, there on the bottom of the stack, was the answer to my prayers.

    This quote was exactly one penny less than the maximum price I quoted
and still had everything in it my little heart desired.  It was now a week
or two before Thanksgiving and I was still hesitant to put out $2999.99.
Did I make the right choice?  Do I have all the right stuff included?
Most importantly should I spend that much money.

    
    Well, I took the plunge!  The day after Thanksgiving I visited the
salesman that send me the quote, discussed the order with him, made the
down payment and then went home.  The next few weeks brought still more 
anxiety and frustration.  I still wasn't sure if I made the right 
decision.

    This frustration and anxiety keep building for the next three weeks.
Finally, three days before Christmas, I had not heard anything from the 
store or salesman about my dream machine so, I decided I had to find out 
what the holdup was.  He was considerate and compassionate; he told that 
most everything I ordered was in and the expected the rest of the order 
in that day or the next.

    It was the day before Christmas and all was well!  The salesman called 
me and said he would deliver my machine that afternoon.  Again, he was a 
good salesman!  Not only did he deliver it, he set it up, and during the
whole process he assured me I made the right choice and did everything he
could to insure I did not suffer from post purchase depression.  But, I
figured that was the least he could do for what I was paying for that 
machine.

    All is well that ends well; right?  Well this story doesn't end here!
It's Christmas day and around one o'clock in the afternoon I turn on my
dream machine and I get this message that made me feel I could cause a 
nuclear reaction if I just touch this computer.  After getting up enough 
nerve to push a button, it still just sit there with that blatantly nerve
racking message on it.

    I was frustrated, I was anxious, and I was mad!  I just laid out $3000
for a machine that would just sit there and dare me to touch it.  There 
was obviously nothing left to do but call the salesman on the phone.  
After all, if my Christmas was going to be ruined, so was his.  Again, he
was a salesman and, like most public servants, he was a salesman 365 days
of the year.

    Approximately, an hour or so after I called he showed up at the house.
He went in to the "computer room", turned it on, turned it off, turned it
on, and again turned it off.  Then he started to dismantle my 3000 dollar
dream machine in front of my very eyes.  At that point in time he could
have done surgery on me and caused me a lot less pain.

    A short time after dismantling this computer he looked up and said,
"I have some bad news and I have some good news!"  He hesitated for a 
moment and finally told me, "I can't fix it here, but if you bring it in
Monday (this was Friday) I can get it back to you in one day.  I still
thank my wife for being around that day for, if it had not been for her,
I would have probably "ate this salesman for breakfast" and told him
what to do with "his" computer.

    Monday finally came and at 7:58 a.m. I was standing at the door with
the computer.  I left it and told him where he could call me when it was
fixed; I was really looking forward to some serious "putin" that night.
Yap, you guessed it!  He called and said it was going to take another day
and that I could pick it up by 5 p.m. the next day.  Well, to shorten 
this part of the story it would suffice to say it was four days before I
regained possession of my rightful belonging.

    Now, all's well that ends well.  I can happily tell you that today,
three and a half years later I still own that dream machine.  Yes, I have
upgraded the memory and the hard drive and, I am presently considering one
of these new "hi tech" Cyrix chip upgrades.  But, it's not the only 
computer I own!  That's right I have two of them now and they are both
used extensively; one at home and one at work.

    Today, I have four shareware programs on the market, I have a 500-page
manuscript at the publisher (about to be published) and another 250-page
manuscript ready to send to the publisher, I maintained a 4.0 GPA through 
college (up to and including a Masters degree), I have taught other people
how to operate their computers as well as set them up so they could use
them with the ease-of-use for which they were intended.

    Why do I tell you this story?  The most obvious reason is to remind 
you, as most of you know, there are "ups and downs" to any major change in 
your life.  But, when it comes to technology, the "ups" far outweigh the 
downs.  No, I won't try to tell you that technology will change your life 
like it has mine, but I will tell you it can improve the quality of your 
life even if you only use a computer to play solitaire (you don't even 
have to shuffle the cards; the computer does it for).

    However, the most IMPORTANT reason I share this story is to demonstrate 
how frustrating the very first step of buying a computer really is.  Also, 
to tell you that there is someone here to help you make this decision and 
to "double check" your specifications as well as explain to you what all 
this jargon means.  As you read the following pages you will find many 
choices that are obviously dependent on your present budget.  However, it 
is also important to remember that the evolution of technology in the field 
of home owned personal computers is no longer a 4-lane highway.  It is now 
a 16-lane highway and increasing as you read this very page.  What was 
suitable for you yesterday may not meet your needs of today.

It is for this very same reason that many computers owners are whether to
upgrade an old hard drive or monitor OR just scrap it all and buy the 
machine they have wanted for years.  So, keep this in mind when you make 
your choices.  A little more money today may save you a lot of money 
tomorrow.

Another very important point to remember in making your choices is that the
one computer that's exactly right for you is a personal choice that is 
dependent on your exact needs in relationship to how you are going to use
your computer.  For this reason, we ask you, at the end of the Request For
Proposal (RFP) form, EXACTLY what you are going to use your computer for.
Please take your time and complete ALL the pertinent blocks.

The strategy for finding the perfect PC for you is very simple.  First you
must determine the highest price you can afford, determine what hardware
features you must have and compare the two.  Finally, you must decide what
corners you can cut without losing any of the main elements you desire.

So, let's get started:  the first step is to decide what hardware features 
you want.  To make your choices simply follow the instructions on the next
page....












    Whether you just want someone to assist you in making the "right" 
decision, "double check" your decision, or assist you in the purchasing 
process, the procedure is the same.  Simply follow the instructions below:



                         HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL:

1.)  Print out (or remove) the last 4 pages of this manual--the Request 
     For Proposal Form.

2.)  Read through this manual to get a clear understanding of each of the
     computer components and peripherals (extra stuff) you may want and
     complete the RFP FORM.

3.)  Once the RFP form is complete you can use it to mail to the computer
     retailers or, if you are short on time, or need assistance, I can 
     get the price quotes for you (a fee is required).


That's all there is to it!  I have made it as easy as I can.  No more
research, no more second guessing, and no more doubting yourself.  If you 
desire, I will evaluate your decision based on your needs and make any 
necessary recommendations to you (a small fee is required).  You have the 
final word about your "dream machine."



































               BUYING A NEW COMPUTER -- ONE PIECE AT A TIME:




The 486DX is today's computer dividing line between the computers of today
and the computers of yesterday.  Even though 386 class machines can run
Windows (a multitasking program--two or more programs running at once) and
memory management programs the price difference between 386- and 486-class
computers is only a few dollars.  However, the difference in processor 
speeds is the difference in an 4-lane highway and an 8-lane highway.  In 
other words, the 486 computer will give you twice as much computing power 
as the 386 machine.  The 286 class machines are just dinosaurs sitting 
around waiting to find a rest home.

Today's high-end computer technology includes the new Pentium (80686) P6
processing chip with it's 5.3 million transistors and 4 processing chips
built into ONE chip.  It includes dynamic execution and anticipatory 
instruction analysis.  But, as with all things new to a market, the prices
are extremely high.

It would appear that, at least for the time being, the 486DX2/66 will remain
the workhorse of computer power-users.  The 486DX/33 will remain the value 
choice of home owned computer-users.

As far as laptop users are concerned, the technology of the 386 will 
probably stay around for some time yet.  The primary reason for this is the 
low performance expectations and the obvious need to conserve battery power.  
The 386SL which comes from the 386SX technology includes the necessary 
features such as power-management and reduced speed in a "sleep mode" to 
conserve battery power consumption.

Before we actually get into a discussion about the different models of CPUs 
and motherboards, you must understand some basic technical terms in 
relationship to computers:
                             
What's a Bit?

Information, within the computer is handle as BITS and BYTES.  A BIT is the 
most basic unit of information in a binary numbering system (a system of 
numbers having two parts).  The term BIT comes from BInary digiT and it 
consists of two (parts) number--ones and zeros.

Computers work entirely with binary numbers (sometimes referred to as binary
code).  This allows the internal circuits of a computer to be designed to
detect and/ or represent one of the two numbers: 1 or 0.  These basic 
either/or, yes/no units of information are called bits.  Building a reliable 
circuit that tells the difference between 1 (represented by high current) 
and 0 (represented by low current) allows for a design that is easy, more
economical, and reliable.

What's a Byte?

A BYTE (pronounced "bite")is made up of eight contiguous (adjacent, or
placed one right after the other) bits.  A byte is the fundamental "word" of
a personal computer.  Storing the equivalent of one character (byte) 
provides a very basic and understandable unit of measure for computer 
storage and design.

Because a single page of double-spaced text contains about 1,375 characters
(letters, numbers, commas, periods, etc.) it would require approximately
1,500 bytes to allow for the spaces, control characters and other
information needed to return the page to it's original format.  So, you can
see that to store many large documents and programs a computer byte count
can involve very large numbers.  Many personal computers have millions of 
bytes of memory

Well Then, What's Kilobytes and Megabytes?

Because computers are designed based on this binary number system the bytes 
are counted in powers of two.  The most frequently used units are KILOBYTE
(K), or 2 to the tenth power or 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2=1024 bytes.  You can see
that a kilobyte is NOT really 1000 bytes it's actually 1024 bytes.  This may
seem a bit misleading; however, for those of us who have dealt with the
decimal system it provides a nice handle on the measurement of memory and
storage in computer design.  A megabyte (M) then, would be 2 to the 
twentieth power or 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2=1,048,576


                             MOTHERBOARD \ CPU

The motherboard and CPU (Central Processing Unit) serve the same purpose
as your brain and neuro-muscular system.  The CPU is the brain (the central
part of the computer) and the motherboard is the neuro-muscular system.  It
carries out the instructions from the CPU much like your neuro-muscular
system carries out the instructions of your brain.

From this you can understand that the CPU (a chip containing over 3 million
transistors) is the MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A COMPUTER.  It directly affects
how fast a computer runs a program, how much memory can be accessed, and 
just how complex a job can be.  The CPU is installed (in a socket) on the 
motherboard.

The MOTHERBOARD is the largest circuit board inside the computer.  They are,
for the most part, designed to accommodate the CPU installed on the mother-
board.  Motherboards are designed to accommodate the particular CPU chip 
that it will have installed.  In other words, the more modern and more 
complex the CPU the more modern and more complex the motherboard.

The number-letter combinations used to designate the different types of CPUs
may, at first, seem like Greek to the you; however, they are relatively 
easy to understand.  These number-letter combinations merely designate the 
architecture or the way computers are designed to handle information.  

8088 - DESIGN: 16-BIT, BUS: 8-BIT, OPERATING SPEED: 4.77 MHz

One of the first computers made in 1978 was the IBM Personal Computer, it 
used an Intel 8088 microprocessing chip (CPU).  These 8088s could only 
process two bytes or 16 bits (1 byte = 8 bits) at a time internally.  This 
simply means the CPU had a 16-bit word length design.  However, the external 
bus, (the pathway along which the computers signals were sent) was only 
eight bits wide.  This bus design meant that this computer required 8-bit 
peripherals (devices such as printers and hard drives that are connected to 
the computer and controlled by the CPU).

The original 8088 operated at 4.77 MHz, a speed which is now considered to
slow for business and professional applications.  Later versions of the
chip increased its clock speed to 10 MHz and these chips were used in the 
8086 CPU.  It also had the capability to access 1 megabyte of memory.

Although there are hundreds of used 8088s sitting around in homes and pawn
shops and can be purchased extremely cheap it is wise to remember that very
few computer programs will run on these CPUs.  You may be better off to 
find at least a 80286 which is still relatively cheap, but will run most of 
today's software programs.

8086 - DESIGN: 16-BIT, BUS: 16-BIT, OPERATING SPEED: 10 MHz

In 1978 Intel later introduced the 8086 processing chip (CPU).  The design 
was the same as the 8088 except the external bus was designed to 
accommodate 16 bits which made this computer a full 16-bit word length 
design.  

80286 - DESIGN: 32-BIT, BUS: 16-BIT, OPERATING SPEED: 20 MHz

This microprocessor was introduced by Intel in 1984.  It had a 32-bit 
design, and it was capable of accessing up to 16 megabytes of random access
memory or RAM.  However, the bus design was 16-bit word length which meant 
it required 16-bit peripherals.

The 80286 also had a sort of split personality.  Built into the chip was 
two modes of operation, a real mode and a protected mode.  In its real 
mode this chip could run DOS programs imitating (emulating) the 8086 CPU, 
but could only use 1 megabyte of RAM (under DOS the limit is actually 
640K).  However, under its protected mode, the 80286 could use up to all 
16 megabytes of memory but it required a special software program.

80386DX - DESIGN: 32-BIT, BUS: 32-BIT, OPERATING SPEED: 40 MHz

In 1986 Intel developed the 80386DX CPU.  The major innovations in this 
CPU included a 32-bit word length design and data bus structure and the 
capability to access up to four gigabytes(G) (G=1,000 times 1,000,000) 
of main memory directly.

The 80386, or "386," is fast becoming ancient technology.  It is perfectly
suited to word processing, but even it is generally considered slow for most
applications today.  The advantage is, obviously it's price.

80386SX - DESIGN: 32-BIT, BUS: 16-BIT, OPERATING SPEED: 25 MHz

In 1988 Intel developed the 80386SX CPU.  This CPU also includes a 32-bit 
word length design, but the data bus structure was 16-bit.  This allowed the 
use of the many 16-bit peripherals that were made for the 80286.

If you are thinking of buying a 80286 computer, you should consider a 
80386SX instead.  The prices are comparable, and the 80386SX is designed to
handle 386 software.

SLC OR DLC

The term (LC) merely designates a CPU designed for use in a laptop, 
notebook, or portable computer.  The "S" means 32-bit design and a 16-bit
data bus structure.  The "D" represents a 32-bit design and a 32-bit data
bus structure.






80486SX - DESIGN: 32-BIT, BUS: 32-BIT, OPERATING SPEED: 33 MHz

In 1989 Intel developed the 80486SX CPU.  This CPU includes a 32-bit 
word length design, and a 32-bit bus structure.  It also has the capability
of addressing 64 gigabytes of main memory.  It does NOT include math
coprocessing capabilities--a separate chip can be purchased to add this 
function.

80486DX - DESIGN: 32-BIT, BUS: 32-BIT, OPERATING SPEED: 33 MHz

In 1990 Intel developed the 80486DX CPU.  This CPU is identical to the 486
SX CPU above except that it has the math coprocessing capabilities.  

80486DX2 - DESIGN: 32-BIT, BUS: 32-BIT, OPERATING SPEED: 66 MHz

In 1991 Intel developed the DX2 chip.  This CPU is simply a faster version
of the 486DX chip.  Again, they have the math coprocessing capabilities.  
This chip uses what is referred to as "clock-doubling" technology.

80486DX4 - DESIGN: 32-BIT, BUS: 32-BIT, OPERATING SPEED: 100 MHz

In 1992 Intel developed the DX4 chip.  This CPU is also a faster version
of the 486DX chip and it also has the math coprocessing capabilities.  
This chip uses what is referred to as "clock-tripling" technology.

PENTIUM (80586) - DESIGN: 64-BIT, BUS: 64-BIT, OPERATING SPEED:  100 MHz

In 1993 Intel designed and developed the 586 chip.  It is sold under the
trademark "Pentium."  The Pentium is essentially two 486DX chips contained
in one coprocessor and contains 3.1 million transistors.  Although the 
Pentiums are the current speed demon of today's computer, it is the newest 
technology.  This simply means it is in short supply and it carries the 
obvious premium price.  A price tag that is NOT consistent with the 
additional performance it provides.

PENTIUM (80686) - DESIGN: 64-BIT, BUS: 64-BIT, OPERATING SPEED:  133 MHz

In 1995 Intel designed and developed the 686 chip.  It is also sold under 
the trademark "Pentium."  This Pentium is essentially four 486DX chips 
contained in one coprocessor.  This computer will deliver superior 
performance through a technology innovation called "Dynamic Execution."  
Dynamic Execution is a combination of Multiple Branch Prediction, Dataflow
Analysis, and Speculative Execution.  Simply put this means the P6 (80686) 
will look ahead at what steps could be processed, analyze instructions and
/or data to create a schedule of instructions, and carry out these 
instructions based on the optimized schedule.

CPU Operating Speed

The operating speeds shown above are the fastest speed for which each of 
these CPUs are designed to operate.  Once you decide which CPU you want, 
you must then decide if you want a slower speed.

Most of today's computers are available at speeds ranging from 20 MHz
all the way through 100 MHz.  However, 25MHz is fast becoming the minimum.
Again, speed directly affects the price.  If you are going to be using 
computer programs that require extensive calculations, or graphical 
animation, a faster machine will make it easier.  It almost every case,
faster is better.

CPU AND Motherboard Compatibility

The manufacturer will design and build your motherboard to match the CPU
it will use.  However, the recent trend, in leu of buying a new computer
many computer users are buying motherboards that can be upgraded.  If this
is of interest to you, than you must insure that the retailer knows you 
want to upgrade your motherboard sometime in the future.  Simply insure 
the motherboard has a "Pentium ready" ZIF (zero insertion force) socket. 
This means, when you are ready, you can purchase and install a Pentium 
chip, change a few switch settings, and you will have a Pentium computer.

What type of CPU do you need?

Shown below are the various types of CPUs with the applications that 
generally work the best with each CPU:

                ͻ
                  TYPE          APPLICATION         
                ͹
                  SX               HOME             
                ͹
                  DX             BUSINESS           
                ͹
                  DX2/4         POWER USER          
                ͹
                  D/SLC          PORTABLE           
                ͼ

Selecting a CPU

As you move from left to right across this chart, CPU performance and 
cost both increase.  Your final decision should be based on your budget 
and intended application.

     80386                    80486                  80586      80686
  SX       DX      SX      DX       DX2     DX4     PENTIUM    PENTIUM
Ĵ
            HOME             BUSINESS              POWER USERS 

   > FASTER  >


CPU SUGGESTED MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Although many 80286 and older computer can be purchased "dirt" cheap it is
suggested as a minimum requirement a 80386SX with an operating speed of at
least 33 MHz.  Also, insure that you can upgrade it using a "clock 
doubling" CPU chip.

The 386 CPU allows more freedom as far as memory management and use. The 386
also will run multimedia and multitasking software programs such as Windows
a lot better than a 286.








                              MATH COPROCESSOR

Math coprocessors are support chips that perform math computations--
specifically those using binary-coded decimals and floating point 
calculations--at speeds up to 100 times faster than the CPU alone and
software programs can run up to 500% faster.  These math coprocessors are 
designed to work with 80 bits at a time and allow for extremely accurate 
calculations.

The Intel numeric coprocessors (8087, 80287, and 80387) are designed to 
work with their CPU counterparts (the 8087 works with the 8088, the 80287
with the 80286, the 80387 works with the 80386, and the 80487 is for the 
486SX computer).

On 386 processors and SX-class 486 computers, you can greatly speed up math 
functions and calculations by purchasing and installing a math coprocessing
chip.  This is especially important for computer users who are going to be 
using CAD (computer aided design) and raytracing art software.  The DX-class
and Pentium computers have math coprocessors built into them.

MATH COPROCESSOR SUGGESTED MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The only reason you need a math coprocessor is to work with very large 
spreadsheet programs, raytraced or extremely large graphics.  If you are 
not in this category you do not need a math coprocessor.



                               BUS INTERFACE

Much of what computers do depends largely on moving data to and from the  
processing chip and the memory, getting data from the hard drive, and 
pasting picture and images to the screen.  The primary limiter in most 
computers is the input/output bus interface.

The BUS INTERFACE is what determines how your CPU will communicate with
peripherals such as hard/floppy drives, printers, etc.  Bus interfaces have 
one primary difference--how many wires they have--the more wires, the faster
data can be transferred.  The different types available are:  XT, ISA, EISA,
VESA Local, PCI, and PCMICA.

VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) LOCAL BUS has twice as many 
wires as an ISA and four more than the EISA (Extended Industry Standard
Architecture).  (Remember more wires -- more data transferred at once.) 
Therefore, a VESA LB can give you a dramatic 300-600% increase in data 
transfer.  Also, ISA and XT expansion cards will work with a VESA LB, but 
if you want the increase in speed than you must also use VESA LB cards.

An ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus interface will serve most needs 
quite well. Most computers designed with a VESA LB will have two or three 
VESA expansion slots and the remainder will accommodate ISA or XT expansion
cards.  VESA LB will give you the best results if you are going to be 
working with a large hard disk and/or a graphics adaptor.

The PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / by Intel) enforces a mechanical 
design that is much more restrictive and allows for more expansion slots.  
The new design of the PCI also gives us some advanced features.  These
features include supporting multiprocessors and a multitiered approach to a 
bus.  That is why you will find PCI interfaces in most Pentium processor 
with their two-and four-processor chip designs.

PCMICA (Personal Computer Memory Card International) is used mostly for 
laptop and notebook computers.  However, many newer model desktop computers 
are being designed to use these special credit card sized expansion cards.
The most important thing to watch for here is portables whose expansion 
slots do not conform to this "standard" for expansion slots.  If they do 
not conform to PCMCIA standards then you will only be able to use the 
manufacturers expansion cards.

BUS INTERFACE SUGGESTED MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

A VESA local bus is your best bet.  A VESA-LB can give you a 300-600% 
increase in data transfer.  However, if you are considering a Pentium
processor you should insure you get a PCI (Personal Computer Interface) bus.  
Quite simply the PCI bus allows mutliplexing or sending data both ways on 
the bus.  This multiplexing ability is also used to transfer 64-bit data 
and addresses.


                            EXTERNAL CACHE MEMORY

This CACHE (pronounced "cash") MEMORY is a special section of extremely 
fast memory chips known as SRAM chips located on a memory board.  On many 
computers, you can increase the speed by using a second level cache memory 
board. (The first level cache memory is built into the CPU chip).  Generally 
the more second level memory that is installed, the more cache-hits 
(information is obtained from the cache memory instead of the hard drive) 
you will have and the faster the computer will run.

EXTERNAL CACHE SUGGESTED MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Cache memory will have the most significant impact on a 80486DX2.  It is 
recommended that you have at least 256K of cache memory.  Although most of
these computers are designed with a 256K cache memory it is advisable to
insure they are before purchasing a 80486DX2.  Also, it is good to remember
that a small cache (64kb) is better than no cache.



                                    RAM

RAM is nothing more than memory chips / boards inside many computers that
temporarily hold data and program information.  These chips are called RAM
(Random Access Memory).  RAM is lighting fast compared to a hard drive; 
however, the CPU still has to slow down to wait for instructions from RAM.  
There is also another drawback to RAM.  RAM is electronic memory and if the 
power is interrupted, even for a moment, your data and / or information is 
lost for ever.

RAM is the computer's primary "working" memory.  It is used to store data 
and program instructions so that they are immediately available to the CPU
(central processing unit).  To allow a computer to operate at high speeds,
the computer's circuitry must be designed to allow it to obtain needed
information from memory directly and quickly.

Think of RAM as a checkerboard.  Each square on the board holding a byte of
data or instructions and, every square has an address similar to a post 
office box.  Since  each location has a specific and unique address the CPU
can go to that location directly and get the information it needs.

For purposes of understanding, consider RAM to be your desktop--the bigger
your desk top, the more documents you can have spread out over it.  The more
RAM you have the more information your computer has to work with at once.

RAM is also measured in megabytes (MB) and you can ask for the usual 1, 2, 
4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128 megabytes (see SIMMs below) or if you want to pay a 
little extra, you can get any number from 1 to 128 depending on the design 
of the computer you choose.  With the development of the "Windows" software 
program (a program designed to run more than one program at once) and the 
onslaught of "multimedia" programs (sound and visual) and the upcoming 
upgrade to the Windows program a good minimum to look for is 6MB.  However, 
it is always cheaper to get it with the computer rather than add more later.

The current method of packaging RAM is know as SIMMs or Single In-Line 
Memory Modules.  SIMMs can be purchased in 1Mb, 4Mb, 8Mb, or 16Mb 
increments.  The 4Mb modules are the most common today.

There has been a great deal of debate about RAM, specifically: Is more 
always better?  Experts have tested computers using Windows with 4Mb, 8Mb, 
and 16Mb of RAM.  The greatest improvement was realized when they increased 
the RAM from 4Mb to 8Mb.  This increase cut the processing time by more than
half.  Further increases in RAM only provided minor gains.


                                RAM SPEED

RAM SPEED is measured in nanoseconds (ns); it is a unit of time equal to one 
billionth of a second.  RAM chips are manufactured to operate at 60, 70, or 
80 ns.  As was discussed in RAM memory, RAM is lightning fast compared to a 
hard drive; however, the CPU must slow down to access RAM.  This simply 
means that if your budget can afford it:  the faster the RAM the the faster 
the CPU can operate.

Operating Systems

An operating system could be described as the computer's master control
program, or the traffic cop that keeps everything flowing smoothly and in
the right direction. It also enforces basic rules that all your other 
programs must follow. The operating system is actually a collection of 
programs used to manage files (copy, move, etc.), deal with peripheral
devices such as printers and to help you control the computer.  The 
operating system also includes basic utilities that can help you create
directories, check for disk errors, and prepare disks for use (format).

RAM SUGGESTED MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

These operating systems will also place requirements on the amount of RAM 
memory you will need. Different operating systems require different amounts 
of memory.  Also, depending how much you use your computer will determine 
how much memory you will need.  Shown below are the memory requirements for 
the various operating at various levels of use:









   
   ͻ
             OPERATING SYSTEM*               MEMORY REQUIRED (MB)           
   ͹
     MANUFACTURER      PRODUCT NAME     NORMAL USE      HEAVY USE   
   ͹
       MICROSOFT          MS-DOS             2              4       
   ͹
       MICROSOFT         WINDOWS             8              16      
   ͹
          IBM             OS/2               8              16      
   ͼ
         * - see OPERATING SYSTEMS

The "average" computer today is being manufactured with 4 MB of RAM; 
however, a suggested minimum RAM memory would be 8 MB.  The average price for 
RAM (if ordered when getting the computer) is about $50 per MB, that equals 
about $200 more.  If you were to wait until after you had the computer it 
would probably cost upwards of $75 per MB or $300 AND you would have to pay 
an installation fee of usually $35 for a total of $335.

With the expected release of the new version of Windows (multitasking and
multimedia software) and with OS/2 Warp already on the market, 8 MB of 80 
ns RAM would be the safest way to go.


                                    KEYBOARD

83-KEY OR 101-KEY

Generally, there are two types of keyboards:  "mushy" or soft touch and 
regular keyboards.  Soft touch keyboards are almost silent when you touch
them, and regular keyboards make a "click" when you press the keys.  Which
type of keyboards you use will obviously depend on your preference.

One of the primary differences between the 83-key and the 101-key keyboard
is the location and number of "F" keys or function keys.  Function keys are
simply a quick way of providing computer programs with special commands.  
The 83-key keyboard has ten function keys in a rectangular block (2 rows of
5) on the left side of the key board.  The 101-key keyboard has one row of 
twelve functions keys across the top of the keyboard.

ERGONOMIC DESIGN

The recent trend in computer keyboard design has been "ergonomics."  This 
simply means the computer keyboards are designed so that people find them 
easy and healthful to use.  Most ergonomically designed keyboards are 101-
key keyboards, but they have a large V-shaped space in the middle of the 
keyboard and all the keys that are normally used by the left hand are on the 
left side of the V.  The keys used by the right hand are on right side of 
the V.  Additionally, many manufacturers of "ergo" keyboards are placing 
wrist pads along the entire length of the base of the keyboard.

The deciding factor in purchasing one of these keyboards should be the 
amount of use they will receive.  If you are going to be "pounding keys" for
hours and hours, you should strongly consider purchasing one of these 
ergonomically designed keyboards.




KEYBOARD SKIN

A keyboard is, by most standards, the most important part of your computer
when it comes to data input and program commands; it is definitely the most 
used component.  Also, the keyboard is the most "exposed" component of your 
computer simply because it must be readily available and within reach.  It
is just this exposure that makes them most prone to accidents such as spilt
liquids (morning coffee, afternoon coke, and evening coffee).

Most keyboards can be protected from these accidents by a protective skin.
The skin is just that, a thin layer of extremely flexible, see-through
plastic that feels and acts like a skin.  However, because not all keyboards
are manufactured exactly alike these skins must usually be purchased from
the keyboard manufacturer.  If you want to PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT then you
should consider ordering a keyboard skin.

KEYBOARD SUGGESTED MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

A 101-key keyboard is suggested as a minimum requirement.  It suits the 
needs of just about all of the average computer users.  If you like the 
"click" of a typewriter it may be best to order the standard keyboard.  As 
far as the ergonomic design is concerned; if you are going to use the 
keyboard for one hour or more everyday you should consider an ergo design.


                            MOUSE/JOYSTICK

A joystick is a pointing device much like a mouse except it provides a much
more realistic control for many games (such as a flight simulator) than a
keyboard or mouse.  Joysticks attach to the computer using a cable connected 
to a game port.  Most all computers come with a game port.

JOYSTICK SUGGESTED MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Joysticks are not used for business applications like spread sheets, word 
processing, or databases.  They are used primarily for games.  If your 
primary reason for buying a computer is to play computerized games or you 
feel you may spend some time with these games it is suggested you get a
joystick with your computer.


                                MOUSE

Just about every software program written today is mouse "sensitive" (uses
a mouse to make program instructions easier to give).  Word processing, data
base, spread sheet programs and computerized games--they are almost all 
designed to use a mouse to make them easier and faster to use.  Also,
operating systems such as Windows and OS/2 makes a mouse essential.

A mouse is generally used to replace the very difficult-to-learn key 
combinations with a much easier "point and click" action.  There are almost 
as many different types and designs of mice as there are users.  Many 
software programs also give you the capability of reversing the mouse button 
functions for left handed users.  However, a review of the basic 
similarities and differences will help you get the mouse you need.

The "basic" mouse is an input device equipped with one or more control
buttons, housed in a palm size case and is designed to roll about on a table
usually next to the keyboard.  As you move the mouse, it relays signals that 
move the pointer on the screen.

The simplest of all mouse functions is to reposition the cursor (on-screen 
blinking character).  You move the mouse pointer to a new location and click 
the mouse button and the cursor is relocated.  You can also use the mouse to
choose commands from menus, select text for editing purposes, move objects, 
and draw pictures on the screen.

The mouse was developed to make computers easier to use.  Instead of 
forcing you to memorize long lists of keyboard commands, a mouse allows you 
to display a menu on-screen.  Then you can point to an item on the menu and
click the mouse button to execute a particular command.

BUS OR SERIAL MOUSE

The basic difference between mouse designs is how they connect to computers. 
A bus mouse is connected to your computer by an adapter card inserted in 
your computer into an available expansion slot.  A serial mouse is connected
to an already existing serial port on a computer.  If you plan on adding
several cards (such as sound, scanner, or modem cards) you should consider
a serial mouse since it will save the use of an expansion slot.

2-BUTTON OR 3-BUTTON MOUSE

A 2-button mouse will work well with any mouse-sensitive program.  A 3-
button mouse simply gives you a third button that (depending on the mouse) 
gives you some added benefits, but it also adds to the price tag.  One 
example of this is the Logitech 3-button mouse, when installed, it allows 
the third mouse button to be used to "double-click" when using Windows.  
This simply means that when you press the middle mouse button it is the same 
as pressing one of the buttons on a 2-button mouse twice.  Though this may 
sound extremely simplistic it can save a lot of time and energy when using a
program like Windows.

MECHANICAL, OPTICAL OR WIRELESS?

There are basically three types of mice: 1) mechanical, 2) optical, and 3)
wireless.  The mechanical mouse is the cheapest.  This mouse has a rubber-
coated ball on the underside of the case.  Sensors built into the mouse 
detect the motion and sends the signals to the computer.  You can use these
mice on just about any surface; however, a mouse "pad" of any type gives the 
best results.

The optical mouse is the next expensive mouse.  This mouse registers its 
position by detecting reflections from a beam directed downward to the 
special metal mouse "pad."  You must have this special pad and you cannot 
move the mouse off or beyond this pad.

The wireless mouse is the latest technology in mouse design.  Though there
has been a wireless mouse out for three or four years, Logitech has 
refined and improved the technology.  Their wireless mouse has a mechanical
tracking device, but the signals are sent to the computer via radio signals.
It works on basically the same concept as a remote telephone.

ERGONOMIC DESIGN

Another recent trend in mouse design in the mouse is its basic shape.  Until
recently most mice were either rectangular or oval in shape.  These shapes 
are not conducive to long hours of use and many companies have not only 
realized this, but have changed the basic design to a much more comfortable 
or ergonomic design.  An ergonomic design adds to the price tag of a mouse;
however, if you are going to be using a mouse for several hours, it may be 
wise to consider purchasing a mouse with an ergonomic design.  

To get the best ergonomic design you need to insure that the mouse you 
purchase has three basic qualities:  1) a long body and higher back end to 
fit the shape of your hand, 2) a curve design that works well for the left-
handed person as well as the right-handed user, and 3) a thicker middle 
that will offer more support to your wrist.

TRACKBALL

A trackball is an input device that generally replaces the mouse.  It moves
the pointer on the screen as you rotate a ball that is embedded in the 
keyboard or in a case attached to the keyboard.  That is all a trackball 
does, it moves the pointer.  To execute the command you must then push the
ENTER button on the key board or a special ENTER replacement button located
near the trackball.  It does take a great deal of hand-eye coordination to
use a trackball.  However, a trackball does offer the perfect pointing
solution for those who want the functions of a mouse without using as much
desktop space.

MOUSE MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

Considering the advantages of a mouse and the fact that almost every 
computer program written is mouse sensitive and easier to use with a mouse
it is suggested that you consider purchasing at least a two button "budget"
priced mouse.  Additionally, if you are going to be using Microsoft Windows
operating system you should seriously consider a mouse.  The ease of 
operating Windows and Windows based programs far out weigh the cost.



                                    CASE

There are three main types of computer cases:  portable, desktop, and tower.
Your choice of cases is best determined by where in the workplace or home 
you are going to position your computer, how much you can expand or add on 
in the future, and how easily it can be serviced.

LAPTOP, NOTEBOOK, SUB-NOTEBOOK OR PALMTOP

Portable computers include laptop (8-10 lb.), notebook (6-8 lbs.), sub-
notebook (2-6 lbs.) and palmtop (under 2 lbs.) computers.  Usually the price
goes up as the size gets smaller.  One exception to this rule is the palmtop
computer; however, they are usually extremely limited in their capabilities.
Portable cases have the obvious advantage of portability and the 
disadvantage of little or no upgrade capabilities.   

Some of these computers come with one or two expansion slots which allow you 
to extend the capabilities of your computer.  You should insure that you 
know, before purchasing one of these computers, whether they use PCMCIA 
(Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) cards or if you 
must use the manufacturers expansion cards.  PCMCIA is the "standard" for
expansion cards and if you must use the manufacturers cards instead you may 
have to pay more for one of these cards.






DESKTOP

Desktop designs have been around the longest.  Also, they are more popular
than other designs, and they cost less than a tower design.  The desktop
design is ideal for home use, as well as light-to-medium duty business
applications.  Typical dimensions for this case design are: (HWD) 6 x 21 x
16.5 inches.

SMALL FOOTPRINT

A small footprint case design saves space, but creates limitations on future
expansion capabilities.  This type of case design is primarily for home 
users or an individual workstation networked to a larger server.  It can be
expanded, but only occasionally.  Typical dimensions are (HWD): 6 x 16 x 16
inches.

SLIMLINE

The slimline case generally has a more attractive case that appeals to home 
users.  Usually this case design cannot be expanded, but they also make
excellent individual workstations in an office where they can be networked
to a server.  The interior is cramped and this makes access to the drive
bays and expansion slots (if there are any) extremely difficult.  The 
average dimensions for this design are (HWD): 4 x 16 x 16 inches.

DOCKING STATION

If you require a full-sized computer and a portable you may want to consider
purchasing a docking station, but remember that the portable computer and
docking station must be from the same manufacturer.  The docking station,
aside from keeping the portable's battery fully charged, provides expansion
slots, room for extra storage devices such as a CD-ROM, a full-sized monitor
and a built-in power supply.

TOWER CASE DESIGNS

Tower cases are more often found in heavy-duty business applications, but 
again, they cost more than the desktop.  Tower cases also allow for easy 
expansion since they usually have several expansion slots (places to add in
expansion cards such as a modem or sound/VCR card).  

MINI-TOWER

Mini-towers can usually sit on a desktop, but they cost more than a desktop   
computer.  They are an excellent alternative for home power users who have
limited desk space and want quick, easy access to expansion slots and drive
bays. Mini-towers do have more drive bays and expansion slots than a desktop 
model.  Typical dimensions for a mini-tower are (HWD): 17 x 6 x 17 inches.

MEDIUM-TOWER

Medium-towers are usually too large to sit on a desk, cost more than a 
desktop or mini-tower, but again they are usually more ruggedly built and 
have more expansion slots.  They also cost more than the desktop or mini
-tower.  The typical dimensions for a medium-tower case are (HWD) 20 x 6 x
17 inches.




FULL-TOWER

Full-sized towers, like medium towers, are usually placed on the floor which 
makes it difficult to reach various drives and other storage devices (CD 
ROM, tape backup, etc.).  However, they provide the maximum flexibility in
expansion and upgrade--they have more drive bays and expansion slots than 
any other model.  The full tower is usually used as a server; because of 
their size they are not practical for home or office workstation.  Full-
tower typical dimensions are (HWD):  24 x 6 x 17 inches.

EXPANSION SLOTS MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

Although you can not order a specific number of expansion slots because they
are based on the actual design of the case,it is important to consider the 
number of slots available (at least two)if you plan on expanding the use of 
your computer.  It is also important to remember that the larger the case 
the more expansion slots you will have.  A "full-sized" tower or desktop 
case offers you the most expansion slots at the best cost.  Smaller cases 
will have less expansion slots which will limit your upgrade capabilities. 
In other words, by staying with the standard "full-sized" case, your upgrade
options are maximized while your cost is minimized.



                                  MONITOR

The monitor and video display card (below) are the second most important 
part of your PC next, only to the CPU itself, and should be chosen very 
carefully.  Monitors are available in all different types and sizes.  The 
perfect "dream machine" would include a 20-inch monitor and a high-end 
"accelerator" card; however, the price tag for this setup is usually also 
a dream.  So, for a good, solid "Windows" work station a 17-inch monitor 
with and a good quality accelerator card are a perfect combination.  Server 
video requirements, on the other hand, can usually be met with a monochrome
monitor.  The important basic requirements you should consider when 
purchasing any monitor include:  

SIZE

What do you, as a computer user, do with a monitor?  Of course, you look at 
it!  But most people do not even consider this when purchasing a monitor.  
If you are one of those computer users who are going to be glaring at their
monitor for hours and hours it is suggested you spend a little extra money 
on your monitor.  The more expensive monitors will give you a clearer 
picture, flicker free motion, and sharper colors; all of which is better 
for your eyes.  Also, it can prevent headaches, eyestrain, and possibly 
damage to your vision.  The bottom line is:  you communicate visually with 
your computer through the monitor.  The better the quality of the screen, 
the longer you can look at it before your eyes get tired.

The size of the screen will also create or reduce eye strain; generally, the 
larger the screen the less eye strain and the larger the price tag.  Screens
are available in a size range from 14 inches up to 21 inches. This includes:
14, 15, 17, 20, and 21 inches.  What size screen you purchase should be 
determined by two basic factors--the work you are going to do with your 
computer and your budget.  




DOT PITCH

Dot pitch will influence the cost of the monitor you purchase because it 
determines the resolution of the screen.  Dot pitch is simply the size of 
the smallest dot that a monitor can display on the screen.  The size of 
this dot is determined by a metal sheet with holes in it; it is called a 
shadow mask.  The smaller the hole in the shadow mask the higher the 
resolution and the higher the resolution the more clarity you will get.  
The dot pitch range includes:  .31, .28, .26, .23, and .17mm (millimeter).
Most monitors are available in the sizes stated above and in any of these 
dot pitch sizes.  However, it is important to remember that the larger the 
screen or the smaller the dot pitch the more expensive the cost.

MAXIMUM RESOLUTION

Resolution is a measurement--usually expressed in linear dots-per-inch (dpi)
horizontally and vertically--of the sharpness of an image generated by an
output device such as a monitor or printer.  In monitors, this resolution is
expressed as the numbers of pixels (dots) displayed on the screen 
horizontally and vertically.  The maximum resolution you can get from a 
monitor is generally determined by the dot pitch and the size of the 
monitor; however, there are several software programs available that will 
change the maximum resolution of a monitor.  Some common resolutions 
available include: 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, and 1600x1280 dpi.

     ͻ
            HOME            BUSINESS         DESKTOP PUBLISHING            
     ͹
          14 inch        14 or 15 inch       17, 19, or 21 inch            
     ͹
          640x480           1024x768             1280x1024                 
     ͹
      .31mm dot pitch   .28mm dot pitch   .26mm dot pitch or less          
     ͼ
       This general selection guide may assist you in your selection.

MINIMUM REFRESH RATE

The minimum refresh rate, simply put, is the frequency with which the 
monitor is updated or "refreshed".  Most experts agree that a minimum 
acceptable refresh rate is 72Hz (72 complete frames per second)(or 
higher).  Obviously a higher refresh rate will reduce eye strain, but 
increase budget strain.  It is also suggested not to exceed a refresh rate 
of 90Hz or you may still end up with a "flickering" screen.

ANTI-GLARE COATING

Some monitors have an etched or coated glass to help reduce reflections.  
The reflections from light sources such as windows and overhead lighting 
can make viewing a screen extremely difficult.  The anti-glare coating 
reduces these reflections thus reducing your eyestrain.  External "anti-
glare" screens can be added to monitors that do not already have an etched 
or coated glass, but it is better to have the etched or coated glass.

TILT AND SWIVEL STANDS

Let's face it; all computer users are not built the same and this creates 
the need for a different viewing angle from one user to another.  A tilt 
and swivel base allows you to change the angle in which you view the 
monitor and; therefore, will make viewing the monitor much easier.

CONTROLS

Monitors are built with many controls for such things as brightness, 
contrast, and so on.  You need to insure that these controls are grouped 
together on a particular monitor, are easy to reach and turn, and are 
clearly labeled.  This generally means that the controls will be grouped 
together on the FRONT of the monitor, can be easily adjusted and are 
clearly labeled.


MONOCHROME vs COLOR

Monochrome monitors are basically black-and-white displays.  They produce 
clear, sharp text that is extremely easy to read.  However, they DO NOT
produce graphics of any real quality.  These monitors can only represent 
basically three colors--bright, normal and black.  Monochrome means one 
color, and that is what you get--they are available in amber, white, and 
green.

The best monitor to purchase to reduce eyestrain would be a paper-white 
monochrome monitor.  This monitor is basically a black and white monitor 
and does not permit graphics.  If you are only going to be working with 
word processing or other text-only applications it is the best way to go 
to reduce eyestrain.  An amber monitor also reduces eyestrain, but stay 
away from green monochrome--it is extremely difficult to focus on green.

If you are going to be working with graphics you need to consider buying 
the best SuperVGA monitor that you can afford.  Qualities that you need 
to request include:  a small dot-pitch (.28 or smaller), high resolution 
(1280 by 1024), non-interlacing, and a large screen (15 inch).

DISPLAY 

Monitors are manufactured either with a concave (rounded) or a flat screen
or display.  Concave or rounded screens usually distort the quality of the 
image, whereas a flat display will cut back on image distortion.

EPA AND VESA STANDARDS COMPLIANT

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets standards on energy 
consumption.  A monitor that meets these standards will save you money by 
using less energy.  Like everything else that meets government standards, it
will also increase the cost of the monitor.  So, it's pay now or pay later!
The VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) sets compatibility and
performance management guidelines.  A monitor that meets these compatibility
guidelines will work with just about any computer system and will not create
problems if you upgrade later on.

MPRII EMISSION STANDARD COMPLIANT

Sweden's MPRII standards mandates low radiation emission.  If you are going 
to be sitting in front of your screen for hours on end it would be a wise 
investment to insure that your monitor meets these minimal acceptable 
radiation emission standards.

MONITOR MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

In choosing a monitor, you should try to purchase the largest, highest 
resolution, multifrequency display that you can afford.  Also, you need to
shot for an accelerator card that matches up to the monitor you choose.  If
you are going to be using "Windows", you need to choose a setup that will 
deliver 1,024-by-768 resolution with 256 colors.  Look for a noninterlaced
model with a minimum refresh rate of 72Hz and a dot pitch of .28mm or less.
Some other qualities to keep in mind include:  MPRII, EPA And VESA standard
compliant with a tilt/swivel base and video control panel located on the 
front of the monitor.


                     VIDEO GRAPHICS ARRAY (Video Display Card)

The video graphics adapter card that goes into your computer has but one 
purpose:  to get video data from the computer and convert it from digital 
bits into a signal (like TV signals) that can be transmitted across wires 
to the monitor (which then converts the signals into an image the monitor 
can display).  And just like monitors, they come in all sizes, shapes, 
and price ranges. 

BRAND  

If you are planning to do graphics intensive work, then video speed will 
become an important factor.  Consider using a VESA Local Bus motherboard, 
and specify a video card brand name that will provide the necessary speed, 
such as Diamond System's Viper Video Card. 

TYPE

Graphics cards come in several different types, but the major types are 
frame buffer, fixed-function accelerator, or programmable coprocessor.  
The FRAME-BUFFER CARDS is the oldest, cheapest, simplest, and most common 
design.  This design requires the CPU to make all the calculations for 
each pixel on the screen and then send that data to the video card.  Even 
though the frame buffer design does have some features that improve 
computer performance, they are generally slower than accelerators and
coprocessors.

ACCELERATOR CARDS (chips), on the other hand, recognizes that most proces-
sing of display data makes heavy use of specific operations.  These 
operations include drawing lines or line segments, and/or filling portions 
of the screen with colors or patterns.  Accelerators are programmable
coprocessors and are designed to take control of video processing from the
computer's CPU chip.  Because of this proprietary design these accelerator 
chips can process video data as fast as the CPU itself or faster in some 
cases.  Another side benefit is that the CPU chip is relieved of this task 
and the CPU chip can process other information.

RESOLUTION, COLOR, AND MEMORY

VGA cards are available with 256Kb, 512Kb, lMb, 2Mb or 4Mb of memory.  256K 
and 512Kb cards usually go up to 640x480 (dots-per-inch) with 16 colors, 
320x200 with 256 colors.  The l- and 2-Mb cards, however will display up to 
1280x1024 resolution with 256 colors, or 640x480 with 16.7 million colors 
available.  The 4Mb cards will display 1280x1024 with 16.7 million colors or
1600x1280 resolution with 256 colors.

DRAM OR VRAM MEMORY

Dynamic random-access memory or DRAM is a memory chip that uses an 
electrical charge to store memory and; therefore, must be refreshed 
constantly; hence, the term "dynamic."  DRAM chips are the "normal" video 
memory chips; however, they are single-minded.  At any given time they can 
either read or write, but they cannot do both.  This is because they are 
designed with only one port.  Therefore, you have to wait to write new 
screen data while the DRAM chip is sending the image to the screen.

Video RAM or VRAM breaks this bottleneck with a second port, allowing 
simultaneous reads and writes.  Video display cards with VRAM and frame
buffers are often times twice as fast as those using DRAM.  The major draw-
back is they are, twice as expensive.  So, your budget will be the deciding 
factor here.

This chart shows how many pixels (dots) are displayed in the five common 
graphics modes, and how much memory you would need to display images at 16 
colors at 4-bit, 256 colors at 8-bit, and 16.7 million colors at 24-bit:

ͻ
      RESOLUTION      PIXELS    16 COLORS  256 COLORS  16.7 MILLION 
͹
 640X480 (VGA)        307,200     153,600   307,200       921,600   
͹
 800x600 (SuperVGA)   480,000     240,000   480,000     1,440,000   
͹
 1,024x768            786,432     393,216   786,432     2,359,296   
͹
 1,280x1,024         1,310,720    655,360  1,310,720    3,932,160   
͹
 1,600x1,280         2,048,000  1,024,000  2,048,000    6,144,000   
ͼ

VIDEO GRAPHICS CARD MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

As a minimum, look for a VGA ACCELERATOR card that mates well with your 
monitor and will deliver the 1,024-by-768 resolution with 256 colors, and
72Hz refresh rate needed to reduce eye strain and "keep you computing and
not waiting."

                                  HARD DRIVE

The majority of your data will be stored on a hard drive.  How much data can 
be stored, as well as how quickly that information can be retrieved, will 
depend on three factors:  The interface type, the drive capacity, and the 
access time. 

Interface Type

The type of interface your hard drive uses will determine how fast data can 
be transferred to or from your disk.  The ESDI (Enhanced Small Device 
Interface) drives are all but extinct and very few companies manufacture 
them.  The most common hard drives available are SCSI (Small Computer System
Interface) and IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) drives.  SCSI interfaces 
are faster, but IDE interfaces are less expensive and, therefore, more 
common, especially since using VESA LB on an IDE can push its transfer speed
close to that of a SCSI (that is, a SCSI drive without VESA LB--a SCSI with 
VESA LB, called "SCSI-2" is faster still).

Drive Capacity

Hard drives come in sizes ranging from 10Mb all the way up through l Gb 
(1.000 Mb!),although drives smaller than 100 Mb are becoming rare.  A 340 Mb 
hard drive is usually plenty for word processing or a home/family computer, 
but for database management or graphics intensive programs, a larger drive, 
such as 420 Mb, might be necessary.  It is not always necessary to purchase 
another disk drive if your current one is getting full.  Several companies 
provide programs that will compress the data on a disk drive and permit 
almost twice the amount of data to be stored.  Some programs, however are 
not compatible with disk compression. 

Access Time

Access time refers to how quickly a drive can find a program on the disk.  
Most drives can find a program in 8-20 milliseconds(ms), but the need for a 
faster drive can become critical when doing intensive disk read/ writes, 
such as using a database.  Also, some programs (like Windows) use disk 
space instead of computer memory to do large calculations.  This virtual 
memory can slow your computer to a crawl with drives slower than 12 ms.

Hardware Cache

Simply put, hardware caches are memory chips added to the hard drive disk
controller card.  These hardware caches are high-end adapters that cost as
much or more than the hard disk itself.  Hardware caches read ahead outgoing
--or short incoming--data requests and stores this data in memory until the 
drive is free.  However, for you as a individual user there is a drawback to
this type of cache.  The cached (stored in memory) information still has to
go across the input/output (I/O) bus which slows down the process.  Also,
software caches will, in most cases do just as well as a hardware cache, but
the cost is dramatically lower for software caches.

Software Cache

Software caches also enhance hard disk performance.  These caches intercept
disk read and writes in system memory.  During the disk write process, the
cache will store write requests in memory until the cache memory is full or
until the cache detects a empty clock cycle.  When that happens, the cache
program hands the information to the drive's device driver, which then 
writes the information to the disk.  

The only drawback to this type of cache is the amount of system memory or 
RAM you have available.  If you only have 4Mb of RAM and you are using 
Windows multitasking program and you have six or more programs open at once 
it will drastically slow your system.


HARD DISK DRIVE MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

If you are looking for a good "budget" hard drive, even using Windows, it is
suggested you consider purchasing at least a 340 Mb hard drive with an IDE 
(Industry Standard Architecture) interface and an average seek time of 15ms
(milliseconds).  Also, consider a software disk cache program to speed up
disk read and write processing.

If you are going to be a power user or a network manager and performance 
will be extremely important to you, or you need a lot of storage and 
flexibility you should look for a 1-Gb (gigabyte) SCSI-2 drive with an EISA
(Extended Industry Standard Architecture) interface.  Look for average seek
time of 12ms (milliseconds).  Also, consider a software disk cache program 
to speed up disk read and write processing.




       FLOPPY / HARD DRIVE CONTROLLER CARDS (Input/Output, I/O Cards)  

Deciding which type of I/O card to use is largely determined by what type of 
hard drive and motherboard you will have.  The I/O card is the interface 
between the hard drive and the motherboard and; therefore, must work with 
both components.  If you will be using an SCSI drive then you need an SCSI 
I/O card, but if you are going to be using an IDE drive than you must have 
an IDE I/O card.  The important point to remember is if you are going to be 
using a VESA Local Bus motherboard than the I/O card you use must be a VESA 
I/O card.  You could use an IDE card, but it will not take advantage of the 
faster VESA speed.

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE OPTIONS

Floppy disks have been and will remain the mainstay of transferring data,
files, programs, and information between computers users and program 
retailers.  Most companies will allow you to chose which size floppy you
desire; however, there is a vast array of information already "formatted"
for a particular sized disk.  In other words, a floppy disk drive is a
necessity not an option.

What type and size of floppy you decide on is an option.  Almost every
floppy disk drive available today are high-density drives.  These drives are
either capable of reading 1.44Mb 3.5-inch or 1.2Mb 5.25-inch disks.  They 
are also "backwards compatible"--they will read the lower density disks as 
well--720Kb 3.5-inch and 360Kb 5.25-inch disks.

You will need the 5.25-inch drive to ensure compatibility with older 
computers and the 3.5-inch drive to stay compatible with the notebook
machines as well as the larger storage capacity of the 3.5-inch, 1.44Mb 
disk.  There are a few 2.88Mb, 3.5-inch floppy drives on the market.  
These disks may assist in your storage needs, but the "other person" must 
have a 2.88Mb drive to be able to read these disks and very few computer 
users have invested in one of these drives.

If drive bay space is important to you, you may want to consider purchasing
a dual-media floppy drive.  This floppy drive has, BOTH, the 3.5-inch and
5.25-inch disk drive built into one drive unit.  Prices for these drives are
usually ten percent higher than if you purchased single drives, but they do
save drive bay space.

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

Consider purchasing BOTH sized floppy drives for maximum compatibility with
ALL computer media.  If drive bay space is critical consider purchasing a
dual-media floppy drive.


                               CD-ROM DRIVES

CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) drives read programs and data stored 
on removable CD-ROM discs.  These discs hold large amounts of information,
but they cannot be changed.  The discs are plastic, silver-colored platters
4.72 inches in diameter.  Although they are designed to last forever, finger
marks or scratches can damage the disc's surface.  CD-ROM drives are gaining 
in popularity in the computer world as fast as CDs made vinyl records 
extinct a few years ago.  

The disadvantages of CD-ROM players (they are read-only and they are 20 
times slower than hard disc drives) are far outweighed by their advantages. 
These players can be purchased for as little as $200, and one, single 4.72-
inch disc will store over 680Mb of data. That translates to over 300,000 
pages of text per disc, as well as sound and graphics. 

The CD-ROM marketing is also growing extremely fast.  These marketing agents
now offer everything from entire encyclopedias and phone books to home
medical references on CD-ROM discs.  Also, with the purchase of a small
"Windows" utility, a sound board, and speakers, you can play all of your 
favorite audio CDs on your computer.

EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL

CD-ROM drives can be installed internally, just like a hard disk drive, or 
externally with a cable connecting it to your computer.  CD-ROMs are 
controlled externally via your parallel port and a parallel cable, or 
internally through a SCSI interface controller card.  Most sound cards have 
CD-ROM controllers on them as well, and using a sound card to control your 
CD-ROM enables you play music CDs on your computer.

CD-ROM DRIVE SPEED

CD-ROM drives are available in four different speeds:  standard single speed 
with a transfer rate of 150 kilobytes per second (Kbps), double-speed drives
have a transfer rate of 300 Kbps, triple-speed drives are 450 Kbps, and the 
newest models are quadruple-speed with a throughput of as much as 600 Kbps.
The double speed drives are the most common and most reasonably priced on 
today's market.  If you know in advance that you will be working with 
several CDs it would be advisable to consider purchasing a triple- or 
quadruple-speed CD-ROM drive.

DESIGN  

Some CD-ROM drives are designed to use a disc caddy each time a disc is 
placed into the drive.  Although this may seem like a lot of trouble, the
purpose of this caddy is to protect the CD disc surface from scratches and 
oily fingers.  How many CDs and how much you are going to handle your CDs 
will determine if you need a CD drive designed for using a caddy.  If you 
desire you can purchase additional caddies for your favorite CD titles; 
however, they usually sell for $11 to $15 each.

The other design for CD-ROM drives is commonly referred to as the "drawer"
or tray design and is usually a little easier to handle.  This is especially
true if you are going to be switching CDs frequently. The drawer or tray 
design is just that, a drawer or tray on which you place the CD disc then 
close the drawer and the controller takes over from there.  The drawer 
design runs the risk of allowing dirt and dust to get in and disable the 
drive.

Either design works well, but whether you want to be required to place your
disc in a caddy or a drawer is the simplest way to determine which design
will meet your needs.  It may be important to remember that taking a disc
out of the caddy, then placing another disc in the caddy may be some what
awkward and take a substantial amount of time.

DOUBLE-DOOR DESIGN

Some CD-ROM drives are designed with double-door door system on them.  The 
primary purpose of having a two-piece door is to protect the internal 
components of the CD-ROM drive from dust and other contaminants.  Where you 
are going to position your computer in relationship to possible dust or 
contamination sources will help you decide whether to get this design as an 
option.

CD-ROM DRIVE FORMAT

There are several CD-ROM formats; however, there are only three that are 
personal computer compatible.  These three formats are:  CD-ROM XA (Extended
Architecture), CD-I (CD-Interactive) and Kodak Photo CD.  Also some drives
may be of a multiformat, or one drive may have a CD-I and CD-ROM XA format.  

The Kodak Photo CD is the most expensive format to purchase and unless you 
know your going to be working with CDs that are Kodak Photo CDs it may be 
wise to forgo this option.  CD-ROM drives that are compatible with Kodak 
Photo-CD, enables you to show your photographs on your computer if you have 
converted them to Photo-CD, a service available through most photo 
developing stores. 

JUKEBOX CD-ROM DRIVES

Remember the "good ol' days" when you could walk up to the jukebox and 
select the record you wanted to play, well, it's back again.  Only this 
time it is part of the new CD-ROM technology.  Often referred to as "CD-ROM
changers", these jukebox drives provide the best alternative to all-thumbs 
disc swapping.  There is one restriction to the use of these changers--they 
can still only access or "play" one disk at a time.  These changers are 
available in models that will allow for from 3 to 18 disks to be inserted
initially.

MPC STANDARD COMPLIANT

According to the MPC (Multimedia PC) Marketing Council, a multimedia CD-ROM
player must have a minimum sustained data transfer rate of 150 Kbps (Kilo-
bytes per second for each speed (i.e. a double speed drive must have 300 
Kbps).  They must also have an average seek time of one second or less and
require no more than 40 percent CPU utilization.  The MPC Marketing Council
only licenses its logo for complete upgrades and PCs, so, even though you
won't see their sticker on the CD-ROM drive it should be on the computer
itself.  One last point of interest--the Council does not test or certify
the products that bear the MPC logo.  This means you must take the 
manufacturers word that the drive is MPC compliant.

CD-ROM DISK DRIVE MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

When purchasing a CD-ROM drive it is suggested, as a minimum, to consider
purchasing a double-speed drive that is MPC compliant.  If you know you are
going to be working with, or using several CDs it would be advisable to
consider additional caddies if you chose a caddy design or even a jukebox 
drive to eliminate the need for changing CD discs.  Also, if you know you 
are going to be working with Kodak Photo CDs you need to insure the CD-ROM 
drive has that format.



                                 MODEM

The choice you make in relationship to what kind of modem to purchase will
have no effect on the operation of your computer.  Also, today's
communication technology gives you the widest range of choices that has ever
been available.  You can mix and match your choices of these features and
select a modem that matches your needs specifically.

A modem can enable your computer to use telephone lines to communicate with 
other computers.  They can be used to pay bills, transfer bank funds, send 
electronic mail, or use computer bulletin boards which permit you to do 
everything from book flights to trade recipes.  When considering a modem, 
six factors should be considered:  internal/external hardware, protocol, 
modem speed, modem standard, fax capability, and Hayes compatibility.  

Internal/External Hardware

Modems can be installed inside your computer or outside the computer in its 
own case.  Since the price on each is usually fairly close, the hardware 
choice for a modem is pretty much up to each user.  Internal modems will 
occupy a card slot, and external modems will tie up a serial port.  Internal
modems are more popular because there are usually five to seven card slots 
and only one or two serial ports.  However, for those who plan to use the 
modem occasionally, an external modem would only tie up the port when it is 
in use.

Protocol

The very first thing you should understand and decide on is which protocol
you will want to use.  These modulation protocols are what determines the 
scheme and speed for your communication sessions and they are the very basis
for ALL of your connections.  There are basically two types of communication
protocols:  1) error control protocols and 2) data compression protocols.

Error Control Protocols (ECP)

Error control protocols do just as their name indicates:  they attempt to 
control transmission errors.  This protocol is important if you are going to
be using a transmission speed of 9,600 baud or higher.  At this speed even a 
short burst of noise on the phone line can garble a great deal of data.
However, if you are going to send just short electronic mail messages and 
short files this protocol is just a luxury.

Data Compression Protocols (DCP)

These purpose of these protocols are also indicative of their name.  Data
compression protocols will shorten (compress) the data being transmitted by
detecting patterns in data being transmitted, code them as short tokens and
send these tokens in the transmission translation dictionary.  If you are
going to be doing some "heavy-duty" communications--transferring large files
or using a remote operations program--you will want as much speed as you can
get.  Compressing transmitted files will obviously add to the overall speed
of a transmission.

Modem Speed

The higher the speed of the modem, the less time it takes to transfer files, 
mail letters, or communicate data, resulting in less computer time tied up 
and lower phone bills.  The faster the modem, the higher the price.  Modem 
speed is measured in "baud;" common speeds are between 1200 and 57,600, 
although currently 14,400 baud is the most common.  The most common speeds
include:  1200, 2400, 9600, 14,400, 16,700, 19,200, and 28,800.  

Modem Standard

Each modem standard has a maximum speed for transferring information.  There 
are three modem standards available.  They include:  V.22bis, V.32, and 
V.32bis.  However, faster transfer speeds require telephone lines which are 
"noise" free.  On noisy telephone lines, some modems "fall-back" to a slower
transfer speed.  In other words, the modem slows down the transfer speed to
that which the noisy lines and modem standard will allow.  The V.32bis modem
standard is the only standard that will allow a modem to "fall-forward" or
increase transfer speed if telephone line quality improves during a 
transmission.  

There are faster modems available, though they are not a set "standard" as 
of yet, but some time in the near future they are supposed to become a 
standard.  These modems include the V.42 which has error correcting 
protocols, and the V.42bis which has the data compression protocols.  (The 
V.42 type modems sell for approximately $500.)

The modem standards, their corresponding speeds, fall-back and fall forward
capabilities and protocols are shown below:

  ͻ
    MODEM       MAXIMUM             FALL-BACK SPEEDS            FALL-  
   STANDARD      SPEED  ͹ FORWARD 
                         24,000  12,000  9600  7200  4800          
  ͹
   V.22bis       2400                                              
  ͹ 
   V.32          9600                                 X            
  ͹
   V.32bis      14,400      X       X      X     X    X       X    
  ͹
   V.42         28,800      X       X      X     X    X       X    
  ͹
   V.42bis      28,800      X       X      X     X    X       X    
  ͼ
   Note: bis modems use data compression protocols and NON bis modems use
         error correcting protocols.

Fax Capability

Fax modems can send your document directly to a fax machine rather than 
another computer.  This can be very useful, especially when placing orders, 
or communicating with people who don't have a computer or modem, but do have 
access to a fax machine.  Fax transfer speeds include:  2400, 4800, 9600,
and 14,000.

Hayes Compatibility

Hayes-compatible modems have a special communication system that enables 
them to communicate at higher speeds with other Hayes-compatible modems.  
Hayes is more or less the "standard" in modem communications.  A modem that 
is not Hayes compatible will still be able to communicate with them, but not
the higher data transfer rate.  For maximum compatibility with software, you
should avoid purchasing a modem that uses unusual command sets.


MODEM MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

As a minimum you should consider purchasing a Hayes compatible fax / modem
card with a 14,400 baud data transfer rate and 9600 fax transfer rate.  If
you know you are going to be doing a great deal of communications through
your modem or fax you should consider purchasing a Hayes compatible fax / 
modem card with a 28,800 baud data transfer rate and 14,000 fax transfer 
rate.  


                            TAPE BACKUP DRIVE 

Hard drive "disasters" do happen, and they happen to everyone--sooner or
later.  These failures can range from one simple, important file, becoming
corrupt or being overwritten by a newer version, to a complete and 
unrecoverable hard drive failure.  You must protect against these 
catastrophes and the only way to accomplish this is backup (make copies of)
the files on your hard drive. Tape drives are a simple way to protect your 
data. 

If you know you will only have a small amount of files (generally 200Mb or
less) that need backed up then you can copy these files to floppy disks 
using a good backup program such as Central Point Backup.  However, if you
will have more than 200Mb to backup you should consider purchasing a tape
drive.

With a tape or disk cartridge drive, you can save vast amounts of infor-
mation and store it away from your computer.  While tape drives are used 
almost exclusively for backing up data for safety, disk cartridge drives 
can be used very easily as portable hard drives, enabling you to transfer 
vast amounts of information between two computers, or protect sensitive 
data from prying eyes and theft by simply removing it from the computer 
when you are not using it.

INTERNAL DESIGN

Tape drives normally install in your computer where a floppy disk drive 
would go and connect to the floppy drive controller or they can be 
connected to their own accelerator expansion card.  

EXTERNAL DESIGN

There are several tape backup drives available that are designed for 
external use--these units do not have to be installed inside the computer;
however, they do have to be connected to the floppy drive controller or
accelerator card inside the computer case with the I/O cable that comes 
with the tape drive.  Also, they are usually a few dollars more than the 
internal designs.

TAPE DRIVE INTERFACE

Regardless of the design you choose you should insure that the tape drive 
uses an SCSI interface since it offers the best data transfer rate.  Also,
"accelerated" expansion cards can reduce the time it takes to backup your 
files by as much as 50 percent and since the backup process is time 
consuming, this is a great way to speed up the time-consuming process.

TAPE BACKUP

If you decide on the tape backup method and you want to backup or restore 
information, simply insert the tape cartridge in the drive and transfer the 
necessary data.  Tape drives are not useful as an "extra hard drive" because 
in order to read a file, the computer must fast forward or rewind the tape 
until it reaches the file. Once the file is found, however, files transfer 
about as quickly as files transfer with floppy diskette drives.  Tapes can 
store virtually any amount of information--common tape sizes range from 
250Mb all the way up to 4Gb (4,000Mb).  


REMOVABLE DISK CARTRIDGE BACKUP

Removable disk cartridges are basically hard drives in which you may remove 
the disk and exchange it with other disks.  They may be obtained in purely
magnetic media, magneto/optical media, and purely optical media. Each media  
type offers different capacity, speed and price range.  

MAGNETIC DISK CARTRIDGES

The least expensive of the removable drives are purely magnetic media.  
These are essentially hard disk platters in cartridges that can be removed. 
(The notable exception is the Bernoulli cartridges which uses a specially 
stabilized floppy diskette.)  Magnetic disk cartridges have the fastest 
access times and are the least expensive, but their storage capacities are 
usually limited to the 50Mb to 90Mb range.

MAGNETO/OPTICAL

Magneto/Optical cartridges use a hybrid of magnetic disk and optical 
technology. They are slightly more expensive and slower than magnetic 
cartridges, however, they can store slightly more information (120Mb-250Mb) 
and are usually much smaller physically. (Currently, a magneto/optical drive 
called the "Floptical" drive reads and writes to 3 1/2" floppy diskettes 
just like a regular disk drive, but inserting a special magneto/optical 
diskette will permit you to store up to 160Mb of information.)

PURELY OPTICAL

For large storage needs, consider purchasing a WORM drive.  WORM stands for
"Write Once, Read Many." It is vasically a CD drive that permits you to 
write once to the disk. Once the disk is full, it cannot be reused, changed, 
or deleted.  WORM drives are very slow and the most expensive of the storage
media, but they offer storage capacities over 650Mb--excellent for making
permanent archives of important information.

TAPE FORMAT

Basically there are two tape formats available, they are QIC or "Quarter-
Inch Cartridge" and DC-xxxx (the once standard Data Cassette).  The basic
difference in these formats is how the data is placed on the tape.  The QIC 
format is the most commonly used format today.  Also, the QIC format will
generally allow more data per inch of tape than the standard DC format.

TAPE SIZE

Simply put, you should insure that the capacity of your tape cartridge is
at least the same capacity as your hard drive.  This prevents you from
having to purchase additional tapes.

BACKUP SOFTWARE PROGRAM

There are as many backup software programs available as there are tape 
backup drives.  However, some of the important points you should remember 
when ordering a specific program are:  is it "bundled" with the tape drive, 
in other words, if you buy the tape drive the backup program comes with it.  
This is usually a good way to save some money for other options.  You should
also insure that the backup program provides at least a 2:1 data compression
ratio.  This capability would allow you to put 200Mb's of data on a 100Mb
tape cartridge.  

TAPE DRIVE MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

As a minimum, when purchasing a tape drive backup system you should consider
a tape drive with an SCSI interface that uses an "accelerator" expansion 
card and a "bundled" software program that provides at least a 2:1 data
compression ratio and a tape capacity that matches the hard drive capacity
you are purchasing.


                              SOUND CARD 

Computers are capable of playing music, creating sound effects, and even 
speaking clearly in any language. However, to make it happen, you need a 
special piece of hardware called a sound card.  Sound cards plug into one 
of the expansion slots inside your computer and once installed, you can 
attach speakers, CD-ROM drives, microphones, and MIDI instruments.  Then 
your computer can be used to record, edit and play back virtually anything 
you want.  Whether you need a high-end, sophisticated sound board or a lower 
priced option will depend primarily on the purpose for which you need a 
sound card.  If you want to compose music you should consider a high-end, 
quality sound board.  If you just want to listen to some occasional sound 
effects or a game you should look at the cheaper alternatives.

TYPE

Sound cards are available in 8-bit and 16-bit versions. The difference is 
noticeable.  The 8-bit sound is great for sound effects and music, but 
playing back speech and recorded sounds is much clearer on a 16-bit card. 
The reason is all sound information is stored digitally, and the volume of 
every sound is represented by a number.  On an 8-bit card, the sound can be
played at 256 different volumes. The difference between, say, volume 127 
and 126 is noticeable to the human ear.  On a 16-bit card though, sound can 
be played at any of over 65,000 different volumes, and the ear cannot 
distinguish (very easily) between volume 24,321 and 24,322, etc. 

DESIGN

Stereo will give you the best sound reproduction, but not all sound boards 
can produce stereo sound.  So, it is important to insure that the sound 
board you request has this capability.  Also, insure that the sound card 
has record and playback capabilities as well as the ability to use speech.

Whether or not you decide on a CD-ROM drive it is suggested that you require
an SCSI connector for a CD-ROM drive on the sound card, then, if you decide 
later to add a CD-ROM drive, you will not have to change sound cards.

The latest technology in sound boards is the Digital Signal Processor or DSP.
The DSP takes the processing of sound away from the CPU which speeds up the
process and allows the CPU to do other things.  It is also suggested to
request a sound board with reprogrammable DSPs.  This insures your sound 
board will not become obsolete so quickly.

The last technical point to look for are reprogrammable IRQ (Interrupt 
ReQuest) settings.  The primary problem most computer users have when
installing a sound board is the initial configuration settings.  The 
interrupt request settings are part of this initial configuration and they 
cause the most problems when installed.  If the settings are reprogrammable 
most of the configuration problems can be resolved simply by changing these
settings.

COMPATIBILITY

The only major consideration with sound cards--besides price--is the 
compatibility of the card.  Currently, the most software programs support is
offered for "Sound Blaster" and "Adlib" compatible cards. "Roland" is also a
common sound card standard, although the trend toward Sound Blaster is 
growing.  Once compatibility is established, any brand name will do--Sound
Galaxy, Thunder Board, Gallant Sound, Disney, or anything else.  But let the
buyer beware--if you want to ensure 100% compatibility, buy the real thing.  
It will probably cost $10 - 20 more, but one good game with no sound effects 
will have you ruing the money you saved.

MIDI INTERFACE

MIDI or Musical Instrument Digital Interface is a standard interface that 
enables you to connect a computer to a wide variety of musical synthesizers
and instruments.  Once connected you can than create, edit, store and play-
back music from any MIDI keyboard or instruments.

SOUND CARD MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

Whether you decide on a high-end sophisticated sound board or a lower priced
option should be determined by your intended purpose.  A high quality board
is needed for composing music and using a MIDI keyboard with your computer,
but if you just want to hear an occasional sound effect or video game then
you should opt for a lower priced alternative.  

Other technical points you should insist on include:  EXTERNAL stereo AND 
microphone input jack, an EXTERNAL volume control, and an EXTERNAL MIDI/
joystick connector.  Regardless of which type and design of sound board you
desire it is suggested to insure it has stereo sound reproduction, record 
and playback capabilities, speech capabilities, an SCSI connector for a CD-
ROM, and reprogrammable Digital Signal Processors and reprogrammable 
Interrupt ReQuest (IRQ) settings.


                                     SCANNER

Scanners enable you to enter a photograph, drawing, or page of text directly 
into a computer and process that information on the screen.  Three factors 
determine the quality--and price--of a scanner:  scanning method, color vs, 
grayscale, and resolution.

SCANNER TYPE

Scanning method is how the picture is acquired by the scanner.  There are 
three types:  Handheld, Sheetfed, and Flatbed.


Handheld

Handheld scanners acquire data as you drag the scanner mechanism over the 
page of text or picture to be scanned.  They generally offer fair resolution 
and are relatively low-priced.  Handheld scanners do not take up any desk 
space and can be easily stored out of the way.  Handheld scanners also have 
the advantage of being able to scan things that aren't easily placed on your 
desk, or things that aren't flat.

Sheetfed

Sheetfed scanners acquire an image as you feed a page into a slot at one 
end.  They have good resolution and are more commonly used for OCR (Optical
Character Recognition - READING TEXT) projects, where large amounts of 
documents must be entered into the computer quickly.  Sheetfed scanners are 
more expensive than handheld scanners, and only accept images on flat pieces 
of paper that can be fed into the machine.

Flatbed

Flatbed scanners look like small photocopiers.  To scan an image you lift 
the lid, place the picture on the glass, and scan.  Flatbed scanners offer 
the highest resolution and sport the highest price tags.  Because the lid 
can be lifted out of the way, objects that are not paper-thin can be 
scanned, though, they must lie flat on the glass to generate a good image. 
Computers users that will be using their machine for artwork, image
processing, or photograph recording should consider a flatbed scanner.

COLOR VERSUS GRAYSCALE

Simply put, color costs more. If you buy a color scanner, you can still use 
it to scan in grayscale.  If you do decide on a color scanner insure that 
the scanner is capable of scanning the original's colors.  If you buy a 
grayscale scanner, realize that some handheld scanners only recognize 32 or 
64 different shades of gray.  A good grayscale scanner should recognize 256 
shades of gray.  A good quality color scanner should be capable of 
recognizing 16 million colors.

RESOLUTION

Resolution really shows the quality of the scanner in question. It refers to 
how sharply an image can be rendered.  Low resolution scanners make images 
that look grainy, like a poor-quality fax.  High resolution scanners produce 
images that are clear and crisp, with smooth curves and almost no grain.  
Hand scanners start at about 150 dpi (dots-per-inch) and high-end flatbed 
scanners can recognize up to 1200 dpi. 400 dpi (horizontal resolution) is a 
good, all-round resolution for photos and text, and would be a good minimum 
to require in a scanner.

TWAIN COMPLIANT

TWAIN is merely the standard for scanning mechanisms much like Hayes is to
modems.  It is a standard used to insure maximum compatibility with software
programs.  Requesting TWAIN compatibility insures your scanner's maximum 
flexibility for use with software programs.

BUNDLED OCR SOFTWARE

OCR or Optical Character Recognition (the ability to read text as text and
NOT as a graphic) programs come bundled with many scanning mechanisms.  A
good OCR program gives you the capability of scanning pages of text and
import them into your favorite word processing program as text.  An average
priced OCR program can cost you $300.  If it comes bundled with your scanner
it gives you a great cost savings and the ability to scan text.

SCANNER MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

First, you must decide if you want a color or grayscale scanner.  Then you 
should decide on either a handheld, flatbed or sheetfed scanner.  Your
intended purpose for the scanning mechanism will be the deciding factor.
However, once those decisions are made you should, at a minimum request at
least a 400 dpi horizontal resolution, TWAIN compliance and bundled OCR
software.


                                   PRINTER

BLACK AND WHITE PRINTERS 

Black and white printers come in many different types and styles and each 
has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.  The most common types of 
printers that are available are:  dot matrix, inkjet, thermal transfer, 
and laser.  

Impact Printer (Letter-Quality)

This type of impact printer simulates the fully formed text characters that 
are produced by a high quality office typewriter.  The print technology is 
basically the same as that of an office typewriter.  Most of these printers 
use "daisywheels" which are printing mechanisms with letters and punctuation 
positioned on the ends of spokes of plastic or metal that rotate as the 
printing occurs.  You can change fonts (types of print) by changing the 
daisy wheel.  The major disadvantage of the letter-quality printer is that
they CANNOT print graphics.

Impact Printer (Dot Matrix)

This type of printer is the cheapest; however, they are also the slowest.  
These printers print each character (letters, symbols, graphics, etc.) by 
pushing tiny pins through a ink ribbon onto the paper.  These individual 
characters are made up of several dots made by the pins and this is what 
gives them the "dot matrix" designation.  

Dot matrix printers are also noisy and they are NOT capable of printing in 
true letter-quality.  They do make good printers to use in a educational or 
family setting.  These printers can be purchased with a 9-pin or 24-pin 
print head.  The 9-pin print head is good for very basic word processing. 
Although most of the 9-pin printers will print graphics, the graphics will 
be a very poor quality.  A 24-pin print head will give you extremely good 
quality letters and graphics, but not letter quality.

Inkjet Printer

This type of printer works by "spraying" liquid ink directly onto the paper 
using tiny dots. Most of these printers are extremely quiet and reasonably 
fast. The quality of the print is much better than a dot matrix printer and 
the cost is only slightly more than a high-quality dot matrix printer.  This 
type of printer is ideal for use in a school setting or anywhere a nice 
looking report is needed.  Inkjet printers are not as sharp as a laser,
but the quality of print is better than that of a dot matrix printer.  

The major drawback to most inkjet printers is the cost of the inkjet 
cartridges and some of these inkjet printers also require special paper 
which is also expensive.  The major advantage is the quality of the color.
Inkjet printers such as the original Hewlett Packard PaintJet use special 
paper which is expensive; however, the quality of the color is extremely
impressive.  

An important point to remember about inkjet printers is the ink will run if 
it gets wet.

Laser Printer

Laser printers use a laser beam to transfer an image to a piece of paper. 
They provide publisher-quality print and high speeds.  The draw back to a 
laser printer is price, although recently their price has been dropping into 
the personal computer range.

Fonts, or types of print, are also a drawback to some laser printers.  Laser 
printers such as the Hewlett Packard LaserJet series use bit-mapped fonts 
rather than outline fonts that can be scaled to any size.  Therefore, lasers 
that use post-script fonts such as the Apple Laser Writer are more versatile 
for desk-top publishing (DTP).  Most laser printers that use bit-mapped 
fonts can be upgraded by adding a font cartridge or a internal adapter so 
they can use post-script fonts.

Like the computer itself, printers contain electronic memory called RAM.  
The amount of memory determines how complex a page the printer can output.
A laser printers memory should be at least 2Mb; however, 4Mb is highly
recommended.

Laser printers are a high-cost printer because they require this memory for 
efficient operation.  The cost and the amount of memory is determined 
primarily by the density for which they are designed to use.  The older 
models use 300 dots-per-inch (dpi); the more recent lasers use 600 DPI and 
the newest models on the market use 1200 DPI.  The higher the resolution, 
the higher the cost and the more memory they will require for efficient 
operation.

Thermal Transfer Printer

Thermal transfer printers work somewhat like fax machines-they use special
heat-sensitive paper to produce print copy.  These printers form an image by 
moving a heated stylus over the specially treated paper.  Although these 
printers are quiet and fast, the major disadvantage is the specially treated 
paper--it has an unpleasant and waxy feeling. 

COLOR PRINTERS

Color printers come in many different types and styles also, and each 
has its own set of advantages and disadvantages just like the black and 
white printers.  The most common types of color printers that are available 
are:  dot matrix, inkjet, and laser.  

Color Impact Printer (Dot Matrix)

This type of printer is the still the most affordable, but the color option 
will add some additional cost to the printer.  They have all the same 
characteristics as the B&W dot matrix (above).  Several of the available
color dot matrix printers are designed as black and white and the retailer
gives you the option of purchasing a color printing adapter.  These adapters
change the operation of the print head and allow it to move up and down to
the different colors on the colored ribbon.  These printers are the most
economical to purchase since you can print in black and white OR color.
Printers that are designed strictly as a color dot matrix can use only a 
color ribbon.

Color ribbons are a lot more expensive than the standard black ribbon and
having the option to print B&W OR color will save you money.  Most of your
printing will be standard text which uses only black; when you want to print
in color you simply remove the black ribbon and install the color ribbon.

Color Inkjet Printer

Again the characteristics of the color inkjet printer are the same as the 
black and white inkjet printers (above).  The major difference is each  
printer has two or more ink cartridges--a black ink, and either another
cartridge with yellow, red, and blue ink OR three other cartridges with the
same yellow, red and blue ink.

Also, some inkjet printers require specially coated paper to bring out the
color in the ink.  Standard paper absorbs too much ink and the resulting
print job appears very "jagged" and faded.

The cost of the ink cartridges and, if needed, special paper is usually very
high.  Cartridges usually run from $15 to $30 and the paper can cost between
$20 and $30 for 250 sheets.  A lot of printing with an inkjet printer can
mean a lot of money.

Color Laser Printer

These printers are the latest in printing technology.  They have the same 
characteristics as B&W lasers except they print color.  However, they are
the absolute high-end in quality and cost as far as printers are concerned.
The technology and the special color toners all add to the cost of 
purchasing and using this type of printer.  Also, most all of these printer
require the printing drum to be replaced after a specific number of copies.
These drums are extremely expensive.  If you want color and quality and can
afford the purchase price and maintenance fees color lasers are your choice.

PRINTING SPEED

Printing speed is measured in PPM or Pages Per Minute, or by CPS Characters
Per Second.  The higher the value, the faster the speed, although the 
complexity of a particular page will affect this speed.  In other words, if
you are printing a page with several graphic images the printing will be
slower than a page of text.  PPM and CPS usually refer to pages with pure
text, so keep this in mind when selecting a particular printer.  Also, the
higher the PPM or CPS the more the printer will cost.  This is especially 
true with laser printers since they would require more memory for higher
page-per-minute outputs.

DOTS PER INCH

The quality of output you get from printers is measured in "dots-per-inch" 
or dpi.  The higher the number, the more detailed and better quality output.
Generally, 300 dpi is acceptable for office output or high quality home use.
150 dpi is usually acceptable for normal home use.  The dpi generally 
available in today's printers include:  150, 300, 400, 600, and 1200 dpi.  

INTERFACE

Printers are available in basically three different interfaces--serial,
parallel, or Ethernet for networked printers only.  

A serial printer is connected to the already existing serial port.  To use
a serial port a MODE command must be issued to the printer each time you 
turn the system on.  Although this is not a major problem, doing other 
things with this type of printer such as issuing a command to compress the 
print size can be a problem.  Serial printers are not very commonly used 
because of the disadvantages they create.

Parallel printers are the most commonly used printers.  This is due 
primarily to the ease with which they can be installed and used.  The 
parallel printers are connected to the computers parallel port.

The only reason for purchasing a serial printer would be the absolute need 
to place the printer MORE than 15 feet from the computer itself.  As the 
length of a parallel cable increases the risk of "crosstalk" (interference
between parallel wires).

An Ethernet interface is only for printers that are connected to a network.

EMULATION

There are probably as many different types and models of printers available
on the market as there are computer users.  This creates many problems for
computer users and software program designers.  To use a particular printer
with a specific program there must be a "printer driver file" (a simple 
computer file that allows your printer to work with a program) with each
program.

These printer driver files are usually designed by the printer manufacturer 
and distributed to the various program distributors.  If they do not come
with a specific program you purchase they can, sometimes, be obtained from
the printer manufacturer.

However, often times these printer drivers are not available from either the
printer manufacturer nor the program developers.  This is exactly why it is
important to insure that your printer will emulate (pretend it is) another
model of printer.  Dot matrix printers most common emulation is that of the
EPSON printer family and lasers printers most commonly emulate the HP LASER.  
It is extremely important that, when purchasing a specific printer, it will 
emulate another printer to avoid many compatibility problems between 
programs and printers.

PRINTER MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

The type of printer you choose will be entirely dependent on the specific
purpose for which you purchase the printer.  However, as a minimum, it is
suggested you insure that it will emulate the EPSON if it is a dot matrix
printer and the HP LASER if it is a laser printer.  Also, if you decide on a
laser printer it is suggested that you strongly consider a 4Mb memory.


                              NETWORK CARD

If you have more than one computer, or are planning to have, you will often
face the problem of having software on one machine that you need on another. 
One solution is to trudge back and forth from one computer to the other 
clutching stacks of floppy disks (the SneakerNet). Another is to install a
network--a baffling web of cables connecting your computers and enabling 
PC's to share hard disk drives with one another.

Local area networks or LANs are used to connect computers together in one
small physical location such as one office or building. A WAN or wide area
network is used to connect computers in a large geographical location.

Networking--the Cons

Think hard before you buy--installing a network is not a Sunday afternoon
project. It requires planning, patience, and a little bit of "know-what-
you're-doing."  Networks cards are often incompatible with other pieces of
hardware or software.  Installing cable for the network is also time-
consuming and puzzling.  If you enjoy a challenge, give it a try.

Also, for every computer installed in a particular network you must 
purchase the appropriate network hardware and cables.  This usually 
includes a network adapter card (an expansion card specifically designed 
for adapting the computer to a network) for each computer and sufficient 
cable to attach the cards to the network.

Networking--the Pros

Although the cons are considerable, the pros of a network almost always out
weigh them.  Many vendors, such as LightSpeed Micro, sell computers with
networks "Pre-installed," saving you the hassle of doing anything more than
connecting them together. Also, in a business situation, a network is nearly   
essential, because a database of inventory, clients, etc. could be kept on
one computer and updated from all the computers on the network.

Networking also increases communications by means of electronic mail or 
email.  Common email features include "auto-replies", time and date "stamps" 
and the ability to forward mail to more than one person at a time.

Networking also allows several computer users to share just one printer to
reduce costs.  Other peripherals such as modems and scanners can also be
shared on a network.  The use of passwords on a network can insure that only
authorized people are using the computers on a network.
  
Do I really need a network?

Before buying a network, think about how many computers you need to connect.
If it's just two machines, consider using a linking program such as 
Microsoft's INTERLINK (Which comes with MS-DOS 6.0 and higher.)  The draw-
back to INTERLINK and other linking programs is that it is not a true 
network--if you want to transfer files, both computers must stop what they 
are doing and transfer the files, and the computers have to be close enough 
to each other to connect a data cable between them-usually less than 25 
feet.  If you want to access files without the other computer stopping to
transmit for you, then consider a true network.     

Network Types

While networks are available in many brands, cabling systems, and even 
radio-wave communications, networks still basically boil down to two types: 
Client Server and Peer-to-Peer.



Client/Server Networks

Large networks are usually set up as Client/Server networks.  In a C/S 
network, one computer is dedicated completely to managing the network.  This 
computer is called the file server, and contains all the software and data 
used by the computers on the network.  The other computers, called clients, 
access the programs and data of the file server.  This system is handy when 
networking many computers together, and also when changes in data made by one 
computer must be immediately updated on all the other computers, such as 
changing an address in a customer database.  However, networking less than 5 
machines together would probably be more efficient with a Peer-to-Peer 
network.

Peer-to-Peer Networks

The other type of network is called a Peer-to-Peer network.  In a P/P net-
work, there is no file server.  Each of the computers in the network has 
full access to all the drives in all the other computers.  This is extremely
useful with small networks, and can actually be used effectively with as 
many machines as you want--as long as you can remember which machines hold 
what data.  Database maintenance similar to that of a client/server network 
is still possible, but all the database programs on the network must be
configured to use the database on one computer's hard drive and not keep 
their own private records.

Network Compatibility

Many networking systems exist, and if you want to add a computer to an 
existing network, you must ensure that the network interface card (NIC) you
purchase is compatible with you're existing network.  Two common network 
systems are Ethernet and Novell's NE2000.  Check your existing network and 
then purchase accordingly.   

Network Hardware

Networks require two pieces of hardware to work: Connecting cable and 
network interface cards.  Network cards install in each machine that will 
access the network (or be accessed by it), and these cards must be 
connected to each other via connecting cables, usually resembling 
telephone wire. 

"No-Hardware" Networks 

If you want to establish a simple network and don't want to spend a lifetime 
stringing wire and tinkering with compatibility, consider purchasing a "no-
installation required" network kit.  These kits plug into one of the ports 
on the back of your computers--you don't even have to open the cases-and you 
then simply connect the network plugs with a piece of telephone wire.  One 
company currently offers a money-back guarantee if you cannot install the 
network in under five minutes.  The draw back of this ease is speed-or 
rather, lack thereof.  Fully installed networks tend to run 10 to 50 times 
faster than "No-Hardware-Nets."

INTERFACE AND CONNECTOR TYPE

Ethernet, is clearly the worldwide standard for installed networks.  There 
are more Ethernet networks installed worldwide than any other system.  So, 
our discussion of LANs will center around Ethernet network installations. 
What type of LAN you are going to set up will depend primarily on the type 
of network interface card (NIC) you choose.  The network interface card 
will also dictate the type of wire and connectors you will need to use.  
Therefore you must first decide on the type of network interface card (NIC) 
you are going to use.  

THICK ETHERNET

As its name implies, Thick Ethernet, or ThickNet runs over a cable which is
approximately one-half inch in diameter.  The thicknet is required for 
networks which are going to connect workstations which are located long 
physical distances apart.  Attachments made to the network bus (main) cable 
use either "vampire" taps, a clamp-type device that punctures the cable and 
makes contact with the center core without requiring a splice.  If a 
physical splice is required then you would use N-type connectors.  

Each network bus cable attachment has a small transceiver, a small device
that provides the interface to the thick Ethernet cable.  It connects to the
NIC with a drop cable, also known as a transceiver cable.

THIN NET

The second type of Ethernet also has the facetious name of "cheapernet."  
Thin Net, actually RG-58 coaxial cable, is very much like the coaxial cable
used for cable television, but slightly smaller in diameter.  Devices 
designed to work with Thin Net typically connect directly to the cable with
a T connector and a BNC fitting.  BNC connectors are small bayonet-type 
connectors.  In the PC world, virtually all Thin Net interface cards have an 
on-board transceiver to eliminate the need for the relatively expensive 
transceiver cable and external transceiver.

LATTISNET

The third semi-de facto standard for Ethernet provides a method that allows 
standard unshielded twisted pair (UTP) telephone wire to handle the Ethernet
transmission rate standard of 10 megabyte-per-second.  The Lattisnet uses a
device called a concentrator connected to each NIC, which makes Ethernet
function like a traditional Star-type network ( a network where ALL work-
stations are connected directly to the file server which reduces wait time).

NETWORK MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

The methods of installing a network discussed here, though extremely common
and a well accepted standard throughout the world may not be the best way
of networking your computers.  It is suggested, as a minimum, to get an 
experts opinion on the best and most economical means of networking your
workstations.


                          ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

There are as many uses for a computer as there are users and to get the
computer that meets your exact needs it is important to know what those 
needs are.  Generally, all the uses you come up with can be included in 
the following categories:

BUSINESS 

Appointment scheduling, time management/scheduling, client contact 
management, employee management (including records, attendance, evaluations, 
job descriptions, work schedules and employee handbooks).  Also, business 
plan development, developing business forms, maintain safety records / 
accident reports, and designing employee certificates.  

All of these applications require specialized software programs and basic 
processing power.

CAD/CADD 

Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Design and Drafting is basically 
using the computer and a computer-aided design program to design a wide 
range of industrial products, ranging from nuts and bolts to modern homes.  
CAD programs are used in the architecture, civil engineer, electrical 
engineer, mechanical engineer, and interior design fields.  


These programs require huge amounts of processing power, costly, high- 
quality software programs, huge amounts of memory and hard disk space.

COMMUNICATIONS

Communicating with other computer users, clients and companies, through 
electronic mail, computerized ("home") shopping, fax services, information 
searches, file transfers to and from online information services such as 
Compuserve, Prodigy, and America Online.  Also, advertising, distributing 
information, playing games such as chess, paying bills, filing taxes over 
the phone lines.  

All of these functions require a modem, a communications program, and basic
processing power.  If these functions are going to be done on a consistent 
basis a high-speed modem and basic processing power is required.

DATA BASE

A database is any collection of information.  Some of the more common "paper 
databases" that you see and use everyday includes: phone books dictionaries, 
recipe cards, television guides, and baseball cards.  Electronic databases 
are used to keep track of records and information.  This can include:  
keeping track of inventories, payrolls, invoicing, or just about any other
collection of information.  Creating and maintain mailing lists.  Using the
standard tools in a database program you can target your mailing list to 
specific groups of people, for example those who are over forty years old.  

You can also use a database to analyze information.  Some examples are:
which product lines are losing money, or which employees are selling more.
You can use this information to make quick and accurate decisions.  "Over-
the-counter" database programs for home use require basic processing 
power and are priced relatively inexpensively.  

Large database programs and relational database programs that can take 
information from two or more databases are powerful, expensive and 
complicated and need a lot of processing power, large amounts of hard disk 
space and large amounts of memory.

DEVELOPMENT

Development activities are primarily oriented to computer programming.  
However, it also includes developing software program solutions through the 
use of "macro" key strokes (recorded key strokes that can be replayed by a 
specific program).  Macros are used in most of the major word processing, 
database, and spreadsheet programs.  Macros can be used to design menus, 
carry out specific actions within a program, and, generally, make a program 
much more user friendly.

The programming portion of development includes programming solutions to
computer and computer software problems.  Writing batch files (files that
computers will execute) to create menus and get computers to do many things
much easier and make the operating system much more user friendly.  
Development also includes writing solutions and full scale programs in 
computer languages such as BASIC, C, FORTRAN, VISUAL BASIC and many more.

Specialized computer program software, large amounts of hard disk space, 
large amounts of memory and large amounts of processing power are needed for 
programming activities.


DESKTOP PUBLISHING

Desktop publishing functions are carried out through the use of either large
scale word processing programs or specialized "publishing" programs.  These
activities include developing camera ready copies of flyers, brochures, 
newsletters, business cards, pamphlets, booklets, books, advertisements, 
reports, and many other published items.  

Desktop publishing activities using large word processing programs require 
large amounts of memory, hard disk space, and processing power.  Desktop 
publishing using specialized publishing programs need only basic processing 
power.

EDUCATION/CAI

Educational functions could include any of the other applications discussed.  
For example you may be trying to learn how to use a CAD program or you may 
be teaching the CAD program.  If your educational uses include any of the 
other application stated here review them for the system and program
requirements.

Education can also refer to your use of the computer to get through school
or college.  If this is your primary reason for purchasing a computer you 
will need the obvious word processing program to complete the many written
assignments you will have.  Also, depending on what field your education is
in you may need other requirements.  For example if your are taking computer
programming in college you would need to review the Development activities
explained above.

The last portion of educational uses are those functions that deal with
Computer Aided Instruction (CAI).  Computer Aided Instruction merely refers
to using the computer to allow students to learn a specific subject.  This
type of instruction has been growing in use over the years and is now used
in businesses as well as the home.  

This purpose will require specialized computer software, a high quality word
processing, a graphics presentation program and basic processing power.

ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment has its price.  If you really want to be entertained by your 
computer you must include: playing games, recording and composing music, 
working with photographic type programs (still and moving), listening to 
music, and drawing.  There are as many hobbies and entertainment uses for a 
computer as there are computer users and the more specific your purpose is 
the easier it will be to determine what your needs are.

Most of these uses will require extremely specialized software programs,
several will require a good-quality sound board, and some will require a 
CD-ROM drive.  If your purpose is sound or graphically oriented, you will 
need huge amounts of hard disk space and memory.  Also, if your 
entertainment needs involve graphics you will need good processing power.

MULTIMEDIA

Multimedia is a combination of text, graphics, sound, animation and video 
that is becoming extremely popular.  Computers come equipped with the visual 
media (screen).  To add another media, such as sound you must add a sound 
board.  To expand on the visual media you must add animation and video.  The
last medias, text and graphics, require specialized software programs.

Multimedia programs are used primarily for entertainment and/or education.
There have been a multitude of CD-ROM discs released lately that are
oriented to education and entertainment.  The primary purpose of multimedia
is to add a little realism to what is being presented to the computer user.
Let's face it reading about the gorillas in Africa is one thing, but to
hear the growls that they make is a whole other story.

Multimedia programs require a good quality sound board, a CD-ROM drive, 
large amounts of hard disk space and memory, and multimedia programs.  If 
you want to develop multimedia programs you will need a high-quality sound 
board, CD-ROM drive, huge amounts of hard disk space and memory and 
extremely specialized software programs.

NETWORK/SERVER

This purpose is a very specialized purpose.  Computers that are linked 
together to share data, information and peripherals can save some money 
since they share peripherals such as printers and scanners.  However, 
experience has taught us that, rather than each network user having their 
own "private copies" of information and data files, it is best to use one
computer as a server where all files are maintained.

A network/server setup creates the need for network interface cards and the
cable needed to connect the interface card as well as specialized network
software to allow the computers to share information and gain access to the
network.  If you are going to use one computer as a server you will need one
computer with gigabytes of disk space and huge amounts of processing power 
to push the files around on the net.  

SPREADSHEET

Before the electronic spreadsheet, calculations were tedious and time-
consuming.  If you changed just one piece of information, all of the 
calculations on that worksheet had to be redone.  With the electronic 
spreadsheet, the computer does all the calculations for you.  Electronic 
spreadsheets can help you organize data, perform calculations and analyze 
the results.  They are faster, more efficient and produce less errors than 
manual worksheets.  Electronic spreadsheets automatically recalculate 
results when any data changes.  

Spreadsheets can be used for financial reports and tracking personal 
financial information to include balancing your checkbook, following your 
budget, comparing your investments, and doing your taxes.  Electronic
spreadsheets can help you create graphs to visually illustrate relationships
between different items.  They can also do "what-if" analysis which will let 
you look into the future by changing data on your spreadsheet.  Spreadsheet
programs can be as simple as a personal tax or budget program or as complex 
and large as a corporate accounting program.  

Aside from the specialized spreadsheet programs you will need hard disk 
space to accommodate the size of the program and basic processing power.  
For the larger programs you will need more disk space and large amounts of 
memory for the analysis and calculations.

WORD PROCESSING

Word processors are the 90s equivalent of "souped-up" typewriters. Compared 
to a typewriter, a good-quality word processor produces better quality 
documents with more accuracy and in a lot less time.  Using a word processor 
you can enter text, edit it by cutting and pasting words, sentences, 
paragraphs, pages and even multiple pages.  You can spell check your 
documents, save them and print them.  Today's word processors even profess 
the ability to "read" your document and highlight possible mistakes.

Word processors can be used for desktop publishing (above), to generate home 
and business letters, generate and maintain mailing lists, reports and
manuals.  Good quality word processors allow you to add page numbering,
create indexes and outlines.  They also allow extensive use of colored and 
black and white graphics, and attractive large, small and colored typefaces 
in your documents.

A good quality word processing program such as Word Perfect or Word for 
Windows require about 30Mb of hard disk space and 6 to 8 Mb of memory.  Word 
for Windows requires the Windows (multitasking) program already installed on
you computer and it takes the same 6-8 Mb of memory and 30 Mb of hard disk
space.  Both of these programs will run on a 386 processor, but they will
work much better on a 486 class machine.





                          WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Now take some time and write down all the uses you have for a computer.  
Then "lump" them together into categories by placing tick marks beside each 
of the following categories:

  ___ business             ___ CAD/CADD            ___ communications
  ___ data base            ___ development         ___ desktop publishing
  ___ education/CAI        ___ entertainment       ___ multimedia
  ___ network/server       ___ spread sheet        ___ word processing

One of these categories will emerge as your primary purpose, the one with 
the most tick marks beside it.  However, any other categories with marks 
beside it will be your secondary uses.  Again, it is important to know what 
you are going to be using a computer for so that it has "all the right 
stuff."


                         OTHER CONSIDERATIONS!

                            UPGRADE ABILITY

Today's computer are designed one of two ways:  they can be upgraded to a 
better computer OR they can't.  This can be compared to buying a car that is 
manufactured so that the engine cannot be replaced when it wears out.  It 
would not make sense to put out large amounts of money on a car that was 
built like that.  It is no different with a computer.  

Computers that are designed to be upgraded will advertise this point.  They
will say:  "upgrades available", "upgrades available with the purchase of a
system", "upgradeable to...", "Pentium ready", "Pentium Overdrive Processor
upgrade available", or "upgradeable to Pentium Overdrive Processor".  If you
don't see it DON'T BUY IT!  Today's racehorses in the computer world will be
tomorrow's workhorse and the next day...well, probably obsolete.  If this
sounds far fetched let me remind that the day I bought my newest computer, 
it was the third fastest in the world.  One year later, it is seventh in 
line.

When you are going to invest the amount of money it takes to get a good
quality computer it is best to safeguard that investment, so when the time
comes and "the engine wears out" you can simply replace the engine.


                                WARRANTY

This is another investment SAFEGUARD.  As with any item you buy, you want to 
make sure the manufacturer is going to "stand behind their product."  A good 
warranty will cover the free (excluding labor and shipping) replacement of 
any defective part for one year.  A better warranty will cover the same for 
two years or free replacement including onsite repair or labor for one year. 
The BEST warranty will cover free replacement and onsite repair for three 
years.

                          800 TOLL FREE SUPPORT

This selling feature should last at least one year.  However, you will find 
excellent companies today that offer lifetime toll free support through 
technicians that can connect to your computer through a modem, diagnose your 
system to include your configuration files, make any necessary changes, 
transfer any needed files and have you "up and running" in minutes; even if 
it's ten years after you bought the computer.


Lesser companies offer toll free support as long as you are buying 
something from them.  Once you have purchased the item, whether it be a 
computer or component, you must then pay for any support calls.  Again, it
is strongly suggested to avoid these companies.


                            OPERATING SYSTEMS

This is probably the most controversial decision you will have to make
concerning purchasing a computer.  There are basically three camps as far 
as operating systems are concerned.  There are those that support DOS (Disk
Operating System) by Microsoft.  There are those that relish the new multi-
tasking graphically interfaced operating system known as Windows.  However,
there are also those select fewer that do not want anything other than their 
OS/2 Warp (Operating System 2) which supposedly puts you into warp drive.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to all three of these systems 
and some of them will obviously influence you as a computer user.  A 
detailed look at all three operating systems may help you decide which one 
is right for you. First, we need to understand what an operating system is 
and what it does.

An operating system is the computer's master control program, or not unlike 
a traffic cop at an intersection that keeps everything flowing smoothly.  It
enforces basic rules that all other programs must follow.  In other words, 
your computer will not compute without an operating system.  The operating 
system is a collection of programs to manage files (move, copy, delete, 
etc.), check for hard drive errors, and format disks (prepare them for use), 
and allow you to use peripherals such as printers, scanner and so on.  
Generally, the operating system allows you to control your computer and it
controls how a program interacts with you.

Also, all programs you install on a computer such as a word processing 
program looks for the operating system files.  When a program inputs and 
outputs data it does so under the control of the operating system.  The 
programs you install must be purchased for the type of operating system you 
are using.  So, if you decide to purchase Word Perfect and you only have DOS 
on your computer you will have to get the DOS version of Word Perfect.

When you first turn on a computer, the operating system checks to insure 
that the computer's internal devices, electronic memory, and peripherals 
are functioning properly.  Following these tests, the operating system 
loads itself into memory.

MS-DOS

MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) is, by far, the most popular 
personal computer operating system. It has been around since the very first 
personal computers where sold.  However, To use this operating system you 
must type in commands at what is referred to as the "command prompt".  This 
command prompt is basically an empty screen with a few symbols on the screen 
that will look like:  C:\>  or  A:\>.  You are required to type in commands 
to perform any function or to start a program.

Until recently, these commands had to be memorized which is what made this 
operating system so difficult to use.  Within the last few years Microsoft 
has been working hard to eliminate this problem by adding the ability to 
type in a command with a question mark, such as COPY/? and it would reveal 
all the command switches (i.e. /A, /B, /V, /Y) and an explanation of how to 
use them.

Also, Microsoft has developed and greatly improved an easier way to use its
commands.  This method is called the MS-DOS SHELL and it is basically a text
oriented interface with menus, options, and commands pre-printed on the
screen.  To use them, all you have to do is "click" on them if you have a 
mouse or use keystrokes to highlight a specific command and press the 
"ENTER" key on the keyboard to execute them if you do not have a mouse.  So,
obviously a mouse will make this operating system, as well as all others, a 
lot easier to use.

Like all shortcomings, someone is always sitting around and waiting to take
advantage of them.  Well, the shortcomings present in the MS-DOS operating
system are no different.  Many computers users and software developers have 
developed programs, mini-program, and utilities to overcome the problems
with MS-DOS.  Some have went so far as to completely replace it.  PC-DOS is
an example of one of these replacements.

Disadvantages

Some of the major drawbacks to the MS-DOS operating system is its severe
limitations in the area of multitasking (running more than one program at
the same time), its lack of a graphical interface (icons or small pictures 
that represent a specific program or function) and, as already mentioned,
the requirement to memorize commands unless you use the DOS shell.


Advantages

Some of the advantages include the price (it costs the least of all 
operating systems), if requested, it comes already installed on your 
computer, the large number of utilities and programs available that work 
with MS-DOS and these programs generally cost less than the equivalent 
programs for other operating systems.

WINDOWS

Windows is also developed by the Microsoft Corporation, but it is an 
operating system that works WITH MS-DOS.  In other words, to use Windows you
must also use MS-DOS.  The primary selling point of this operating system is
the extreme ease of use and the powerful features that are not available 
with DOS.  Windows is, among other things, a true multitasking operating
system.  It is designed to allow you to have many programs running at the 
same time.  This operating system also allows you to run programs that are
designed to run only with the MS-DOS operating system.

Icons, which can represent files, programs, or functions, are used as a
graphic interface.  An example would be a picture of a clock--when you want
the time you simply click on the clock icon and it "pops" up with a real 
time clock.  Icons are all organized within windows (a box framed in with
the name of that bos or "group" of icons at the top of the box.  Some 
examples include:  "My desk top", "Communications", "Word Processing", and 
so on.  

These windows can be moved around on the screen, they can be "sized" (made
large or smaller), and opened and closed as desired.  Also, the color scheme
of the windows can be changed to your liking.  This allows you to set up 
your "desktop" in what ever manner you desire.

Disadvantages

Windows is not without its drawbacks.  Price is one of them--the newest
version (referred to as Windows 95, sometimes called "Chicago"), to be 
released in 1995, has reported an anticipated cost of approximately $250.  
The amount of memory it takes to use Windows is another disadvantage.  It 
takes at least 4 Mb of memory to just use it, 6Mb to make it work better, 
and 8Mb to make it "sing", and memory costs money.  For effective use of 
this operating system you need a mouse which adds even more to the cost of 
using it.

Advantages

Some of the major advantages to using Windows include: its ease of use, its
consistency in appearance (all windows programs function generally the same,
i.e. keystroke combinations all do the same thing from program to program),
DOS programs can be run from "inside" Windows, and Windows can, by request, 
be pre-installed on your computer.  Also, they can program your computer so
Windows will start when the computer is turned on.

OS/2 and OS/2 WARP

IBMs OS/2 (Operating System 2), and its newest version OS/2 Warp is 
extremely similar to Windows.  It is a graphical interface that uses 
"windows" and icons.  The "windows" can be manipulated the same as in the 
Windows program and OS/2 can run DOS and Windows programs.  Also, all OS/2 
programs have the same appearance, pull-down menus, and keystroke 
combinations.

OS/2, as reported by some present users, is far superior to Windows because
of its multitasking capabilities, the large number of extremely useful 
applications and utilities such as a chart maker that ships with OS/2 Warp, 
and and it is ideally suited for mission-critical applications.

Disadvantages

OS/2 does of some drawbacks.  If you want to use a CD-ROM drive with OS/2,
it must be OS/2 compatible.  Also, installation of this operating system is
a complex operation.  Many computer advertisers suggest you have an "expert"
install it.  OS/2 will work on a 386 based PC, but they "strongly recommend"
a 486 based computer.  It also has the same memory requirements as Windows.  
It will work with 4Mb, 6Mb is better, and 8Mb will make it "sing."  

Advantages

Price is actually an advantage in the case of OS/2 Warp.  It is advertised 
for approximately $80, yet this operating system offers a more stable
environment than Windows, it offers access to the INTERNET, a chart program,
and other features not offered by Windows.  

OPERATING SYSTEM MINIMUM SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS

Although the advantages and disadvantages of each operating system has been
explained along with a synopsis of each, it is strongly suggested that you 
ask one of your local computer retailers to give you a demonstration of each
operating system.  This demonstration will better equip you to make an 
intelligent decision about which operating system(s) you desire.  However,
regardless of which one(s) you decide on, if you get them preloaded on your 
computer, always insure that you receive the original program disks.


                        PRELOADED SOFTWARE

Software that is already loaded on your computer when you receive it is
referred to as "preloaded software."  It has been a major selling point of
many computer retailers.  Price ranges for preloaded packages have ranged
from the requisite DOS and Windows for free up to software and CD "bundles"
that, if purchased separately, would cost as much as $900.

If there are specific programs that you have heard about or are familiar 
with and desire those programs, it would be wise to "bargain" with a 
computer retailer for those programs.  Regardless of whether you bargain, 
or a set of programs comes with the computer you purchase it is strongly
suggested that you INSIST on getting the original disks.


                               PRICE RANGE

The last determination you must make before sending out your RFP (Request 
For Proposal) is a price range.  Your particular budget will serve as the
primary factor influencing this decision.  Although many retailers offer
financing, financing will increase your actual cost, but it will lower
monthly payments.  If you decide to finance a computer purchase it is
strongly suggested that you find out ahead of time what the finance charge 
and interest rate will be.  Many of the computer retailers will charge a 
higher interest rate than credit card companies such as VISA and Master
Card would charge.  So, approach this option with caution and understanding.


One method of understanding how much a new computer will cost with specific 
options is to obtain a copy of a personal computer magazine such as:  PC
Magazine, PC Computing, PC World, PC Shoppers Guide (an excellent source
for price checking and inexpensive), or Windows Sources.  Compare these 
prices to what you have determined as a workable price range to see if you
are somewhere "in the ballpark."


                              STILL NOT SURE?

As I stated in the introduction, buying a computer can be a mind boggling
decision.  Even after extensive research and study and 30 RFPs you may make
a decision that was not in your favor.  If you still need assistance in:

- reaffirming your decision,*
- double checking your "dream machine" specifications,*
- suggestions for improvement,*
- or someone to mail out your RFPs  ($49.95)

*=$9.95

then give us, at Computer Magic, a call at 1-502-877-0575, ask for Cliff.  
If you have a fax, you can send your questions or RFPs to us at the same 
phone number.  Also, you can send them to us via Compuserve Information 
Service attention:
               Clifford L. Williams  CIS user ID# 76066,3566

or you can mail your questions, comments, or RFPs to us at:

                            COMPUTER MAGIC
                              ATTN: RFPs
                           110 Edelen Street
                      Vine Grove, KY  40175-1512



























                        REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

Name:
Address:
Address:
Phone (voice):                  (fax):

Business Name:
Business Address:
Business Phone (voice):                  (fax):

The following are the specifications I desire:
___________________________________________________________________
MOTHERBOARD:

Brand: ___ generic  ___ other: ________________________________
___ 386SX-19     ___ 386SX-25     ___ 386DX-33     ___ 386DX-40
___ 486SX-25     ___ 486DX-33     ___ 486DLC-40    ___ 486DX2-50
___ 486DX2-66    ___ 486DX4-75    ___ 486DX4-100   ___ other: _____
___ P5/60        ___ P5/66        ___ P5/90        ___ P5/100
___ P6/133
___________________________________________________________________
MATH COPROCESSOR:

Brand: ___ Weitek   ___ Intel   ___ Other: ________________
Type:  ___ 387SX    ___ 487SX    
___________________________________________________________________
BUS INTERFACE:

___ XT      ___ ISA       ___ EISA      ___ VESA LB     ___ PCI
__________________________________________________________________
EXTERNAL CACHE MEMORY:

___ 64kb         ___ 128kb        ___ 256kb        ___ 512kb
___________________________________________________________________
RAM (MB):

___ 1        ___ 2        ___ 4        ___ 8        ___ 16
___ 20       ___ 32       ___ 64       ___ 128      ___ other:____

RAM SPEED:

___ 60ns     ___ 70ns     ___ 80ns
__________________________________________________________________
KEYBOARD:

___ 83-key    ___ 101-key    ___ ergonomic design    ___ skin
__________________________________________________________________
MOUSE/JOYSTICK:

Brand:  ___ generic  ___ other: ________________________________
___ joystick          ___ mouse
___ serial            ___ bus             
___ 2-button          ___ 3-button         
___ mechanical        ___ optical          ___ wireless
___ ergonomic design  ___ trackball
__________________________________________________________________




CASE:

___ laptop            ___ notebook         ___ sub-notebook
___ desktop           ___ small footprint  ___ slimline 
___ docking station
___ mini-tower        ___ medium tower     ___ full tower
___ expansion slots:  ___ 2   ___ 3   ___ 4   ___ 5   ___ 6
__________________________________________________________________
MONITOR:

Brand:  ___ generic   ___ other: _______________________
Size(inches):  ___ 14     ___ 15     ___ 17     ___ 20     ___ 21 
Non-interlaced dot pitch at max. resolution: ___ .17  ___ .23  ___ .31
                                             ___ .26  ___ .28
Max. resolution: ___ 640x480     ___ 800x600     ___ 1024x768 
                 ___ 1280x1024   ___ 1600x1280   ___ other:__________
Minimum refresh rate: _____ Hz (72Hz min.)
Antiglare coating:  ___ yes     ___ no
Tilt stand:  ___ yes    ___ no
Swivel stand:  ___ yes    ___ no
Front controls:  ___ yes    ___ no
Color:  ___ yes    ___ no
Display:  ___ flat   ___ concave
EPA and VESA Standards Compliant:   ___ yes     ___ no
MPRII Emission Standard Compliant:  ___ yes     ___ no
___________________________________________________________________
VIDEO DISPLAY CARD:

Brand:  ___ generic     ___ other: ________________________
Type:   ___ ISA     ___ VESA-LB    ___ PCI
Resolution:    ___ 640x480     ___ 800x600     ___ 1024x768 
               ___ 1280x1024   ___ 1600x1280   ___ other:__________
Max. colors:   ___ mono     ___ 16     ___ 256     ___ 32k
               ___ 64k      ___ 16M    ___ 16.7M
Memory type:   ___ DRAM     ___ VRAM
Memory amount: ___ 512k     ___ 1MB    ___ 2MB     ___ 4MB
___________________________________________________________________
HARD DRIVE:

Brand:   ___ generic     ___ other: _______________________
Interface:   ___ IDE    ___ ESDI   ___ SCSI
Size:        ___ 150MB  ___ 170MB  ___ 210MB  ___ 250MB  ___ 340MB
             ___ 420MB  ___ 540MB  ___ 1.2GB  ___ 1.7GB  ___ 2.0GB
Access time: ___ 11ms   ___ 12ms   ___ 13ms   ___ 14ms   ___ 15ms
             ___ 17ms   ___ 20ms   ___ 25ms   ___ 30ms
Hardware cache:  ___ 256Kb    ___ 512Kb
Software cache program:  ___ yes    ___ no
___________________________________________________________________
HARD\FLOPPY DRIVE\CONTROLLER (FDD\HDD):

Brand:  ___ generic     ___ other: ________________________
Type:   ___ 8-bit IDE   ___ 16-bit IDE   ___ SCSI   ___ SCSI2

FLOPPY DRIVE OPTIONS:

  dual-media drive:  ___ yes   ___ no
  ___ 5.25:  ___ 1.2MB    ___ 360k
  ___ 3.5:   ___ 2.88MB   ___ 1.44MB    ___ 720k
  ___ Serial (COM 1 & 2): ___ Printer port   ___ Game port
___________________________________________________________________

CD-ROM:    ___ yes       ___ no

Brand:     ___ generic   ___ other: _________________________
Type:      ___ internal with SCSI interface card
           ___ external with SCSI interface card and parallel cable
Speed:     ___ single-speed   ___ double-speed  
           ___ triple-speed   ___ quadruple-speed
Design:    ___ caddy          ___ drawer or tray 
           ___ double-door design
Format:    ___ Kodak Photo CD    ___ CD-I    ___ CD-ROM XA
Jukebox drive design:   ___ yes   ___ no
MPC standard compliant: ___ yes   ___ no
___________________________________________________________________
MODEM:     ___ yes       ___ no

Brand:     ___ generic   ___ other: _________________________
Type:      ___ data      ___ data/fax
Design:    ___ internal  ___ external   ___ PCMCIA
Protocol:  ___ error correcting  ___ data compression
Data transfer speed:     ___ 1200       ___ 2400       ___ 9600
                         ___ 14,400     ___ 16,700     ___ 19,200
                         ___ 28,000
Fax transfer speed:      ___ 2400   ___ 4800   ___ 9600   ___ 14000
Modem standard:          ___ V.22bis  ___ V.32  ___ V.32bis  
                         ___ V.42  ___ V.42bis
Hayes compatible:        ___ yes    ___ no
___________________________________________________________________
TAPE BACKUP DRIVE:   ___ yes      ___ no

Brand:          ___ generic  ___ other: _______________________
Design:         ___ internal ___ external
Interface(SCSI):___ floppy controller   ___ accelerator card
Backup method:  ___ tape cartridge      ___ magnetic disk cartridge
                ___ magneto/optical cartridge  ___ optical cartridge
Tape format:    ___ QIC      ___ DC
Tape size:      ___ 120MB    ___ 250MB    ___ 2.4GB   ___ 4.0GB
Backup program(with 2:1 data compression): ________________________
___________________________________________________________________
SOUND CARD:          ___ yes      ___ no

Brand:               ___ generic  ___ other: _____________________
Type:                ___ 8-bit    ___ 16-bit   ___ 32-bit
Design:              ___ stereo   ___ mono
Record/playback:     ___ yes      ___ no
Speech Capability:   ___ yes      ___ no
SCSI CD-ROM port:    ___ yes      ___ no
Reprogrammable DSPs: ___ yes      ___ no
Reprogrammable IRQs: ___ yes      ___ no
Compatibilty:   ___ Sound Blaster Pro ___ Sound Blaster  ___ Ad-Lib
MIDI Interface:      ___ yes      ___ no
___________________________________________________________________
SCANNER:        ___ yes      ___ no

Brand:          ___ generic  ___ other: ___________________________
Type:           ___ hand held       ___ sheetfeed       ___ flatbed
Design:         ___ color    ___ grayscale (B&W)      
Resolution: ___ 150dpi ___ 300dpi ___ 400dpi ___ 600dpi ___ 1200dpi
TWAIN compliant:___ yes      ___ no
Bundled OCR:    ___ yes      ___ no
___________________________________________________________________

PRINTER:        ___ yes      ___ no

Brand:          ___ generic  ___ other: _________________________
Type (B&W):     ___ laser    ___ inkjet   ___ dot matrix
Type (color):   ___ laser    ___ inkjet   ___ dot matrix
Type (B&W):     ___ thermal wax
Page per minute:___ 4PPM   ___ 8PPM   ___ 12PPM   ___ 18PPM or more
Dots-per-inch:  ___ 150   ___ 300   ___ 400    ___ 600    ___ 1200
Interface:      ___ serial   ___ parallel ___ Ethernet
Emulation:      ___ EPSON (dot matrix)    ___ HP LASER (lasers)
___________________________________________________________________
NETWORK CARD:   ___ yes      ___ no

Brand:          ___ generic  ___ other: __________________________
No-Hardware Network:  ___ yes   ___ no
Interface:      ___ Thick Ethernet  ___ Thin Net   ___ Lattisnet
Connector type: ___ Vampire   ___ N-type   ___ BNC    ___ UTP

___________________________________________________________________
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The main function of this computer will be (please place a 1 on
the line beside the primary purpose of this computer and place 2s
beside ALL other secondary purposes):

  ___ business         ___ CAD\CAM        ___ communications
  ___ data base        ___ development    ___ destop publishing
  ___ education        ___ entertainment  ___ multimedia
  ___ network/server   ___ spread sheet   ___ word processing

I require:  ___ upgrade ability
            ___ a warranty for ___ months.
            ___ on-site repairs for ___ months.
            ___ 800 toll free support for ___ months.
            ___ DOS     ___ Windows    ___OS\2
            ___ preloaded software including:
                _______________________ _______________________
                _______________________ _______________________
                _______________________ _______________________
                _______________________ _______________________
                _______________________ _______________________
            ___ a price range of from $_______ to $_________.


