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... card standard, Creative Labs's on Blaster appears to be the industry standard. A Sound Blaster-compatible card should run on virtually any system and with any application. Sound cards have two common methods of creating sound: FM (frequency modulation) synthesis or Wavetable synthesis. FM synthesis creates sound by mimicking musical instruments according to preset formulas. This is more common and less expensive for the common consumer.
However, better sound may be obtained from cards that utilize, Wavetable synthesis. Wavetable synthesis relies on recordings of actual instruments to create sound, rendering more accurate sound, and increasing the cost of the card. If you " re serious about music and gaming, a Wavetable synthesizer is a worthwhile investment. Also available with sound card are: 3 D Sound, multiple voices, speaks with subwoofers; and Digital Signal Processors (DSP): DSPs add intelligence so the sound card can perform its own processing, which frees the computer from demanding tasks, such as file compression, and enables various effects, such as surround-sound. Modem: Internal or external device which allows you to interface or link with other computers. The modem uses this link to send and receive data.
When working with a modem, especially on the WWW) speed is very important. Modem speed is expressed in Kbps (kilobits per second), or "K" for short, the modem speed indicates the rate at which data is transmitted from one computer to another. The faster the modem, the less time spent waiting for Web pages to load. 56 K modems are the fastest available today, the can achieve a top speed of 53, 000 bps, or 53 K. 56 K modems are more expensive than 33. 6 K or 28. 8 K modems, but they are becoming the standard in new computers. Printer: The choice between laser and inkjet used to be pretty straight forward, if you were purchasing for a, you got a laser printer, and for home use you got an inkjet printer. No inkjet could provide the quality and speed that a business required, and no laser printer was cheap enough for ordinary home users to afford. That has changed.
The quality of inkjet printers has increased and the price of laser printers has decreased Laser Printers: Sharpest black & white images Faster printing speeds Less prone to smearing & banding Produces higher volume Network ready (check product documentation Inkjet printers: Lower cost Lower maintenance costs (i. e. toner) Near-laser image quality Near-laser speed with newer models Noisy Printer resolution is measured in two directions horizontally and vertically, also known as dots per inch (dpi). Which shows how many dots of ink the printer can lay down in a square inch of paper. The more dots per inch means finer detail, which makes text appear sharper and cleaner, and color images more sharply defined. A resolution of 1440 x 720 dpi means that 1440 dots are placed horizontally across one inch of paper, and 720 dots are printed vertically down an inch.
This gives a total of 1, 036, 800 dots in that single square inch of paper. Before purchasing any printer get a sample of various models to determine what is suitable to you. Dont forget to check the printers memory size, cost of cartridges, interface connections (USB is the preferred connection); and duty cycle (dc), average number of pages printed per month. Operating System (OS): While there are several operating systems, Unix, Linux, DOS, OS 1, the desired system is Windows. The most common versions are 95 and 98, with or 2000 on the rise. Presently, Windows 98 is installed in most systems.
For an extra cost you can upgrade to 2000 which is said to be more stable and reliable. However, if 2000 is chosen as the OS, users should be prepared to upgrade certain software and drivers. Personally, I wouldnt purchase the 2000 version until all of the "bugs" have been worked out. For those whose systems are networked, windows NT offers a higher grade security measures. Expansion: You want be sure that the system has at least 3 extra ports and slots to allow for additional devices. USB and firewire slots provide high speed access to and allow for multiple device connections, 127 and 63, respectively.
Because of their speed and efficiency, these connections may also aide in fewer crashes. I believe these are the basics needed to get you started, other equipment such as scanners, digital cameras, mouses, NICs, joysticks, keyboards; and microphones to name a few, can also be purchased to enhance your computer needs and wants. It should be noted that all systems come equipped with a mouse and keyboard. They are the standard issue which will suffice for most individuals, however, should you need something specific dont be afraid to spend a few dollars more to accommodate yourself.
Lets see what I brought: See chart next page. Even though I said that 500 MHz was the max one would need for a home computer system, I purchased one with 650 MHz, because the price was exactly the same. So in this case take the faster system. The upgraded graphics card and monitor allow for better graphic display. While the standard equipment would have been sufficient, these upgrades will assist my wife when running graphic programs. As is true with the increase in memory to 128 K, graphic programs tend to be quite large and consume lots of memory, 128 K will allow me to have more memory on hand.
We will probably never use 20 GB on the hard drive, but I just thought that $ 40 for another 10 GB was a good deal. The printer was a tough choice, but we decided to go with one that would give letter quality and sharp color. It is still under debate as to whether a laser b / w should be purchased. We have enough money left over to purchase the Oki page 10 E for $ 305. 00. The tape drive is needed to regularly back-up the system. This function can also be done by utilizing the CD-RW but this external machine will also allow me to back-up information from my current system.
The CD-RW and DVD were sold as a set. I felt that although not needed, the DVD might come in handy for movies, games or graphic programs my wife may utilize. The software; QuickBooks Pro will assist me with my accounting needs for various clients; CorelDraw will allow my wife the basics needed in her quest for interior design; and Kidbuilder 2000 will provide the children with some extra educational support, while simultaneously allow the to become familiar and comfortable with the computer. The scanner was to allow for input of documents we may have for school or work; and the joystick was to satisfy my dream of being an Air Force Pilot.
Dell, Compaq and Gateway all have similar, if not equal, quality and products. There are two main reasons why Gateway topped the others. First, Dell and Compaq were a few hundred dollars more for the same equipment. Second, gateway offered me the opportunity to trade in my system in three years and receive fair market value. The rate at which computers grow is so rapid, that the fair market value may be " 0 ", but it was nice to know that the offer is available. Finally, I am affiliated with an outside organization that allowed to receive ad extra 10 % discount on the purchase of any Gateway product.
This feature alone would not have made me purchase the system, if I felt it was inferior to the others. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Fair Market Value Laser Printer
