My Ideal Computer

Introduction

My dream computer would have the ability to store all of my DVDs and music. I would also need to play them back, both on my computer and on my HDTV. My ideal computer would allow my family to play all the latest video games and use all the current and future software. My ideal computer would need to have plenty of memory for video games and hard drive space for storing my movies and music. The computer would also need to have an output for my big screen HDTV and with a surround sound stereo system.

Motherboard

For my motherboard, I picked the ASUS A8N-SLI Premium ATX AMD. The contributing factors to this decision are based on the specs below. The main reason why I picked this motherboard is because this motherboard has the space for the all the components I need. Furthermore, the ASUS allows room for any future upgrades. A recommendation, from friends, is the reason why I picked ASUS as my brand of choice.

* CPU Type: Athlon 64 FX/Athlon 64/Athlon X2

* DDR Slots: 4x 184 pin

* Maximum Memory Support: 4GB

* PCI Slots: 2 Express x16, 1 Express x4, 1 Express x1, and 3 regular

* Max Lan Speed: Dual 10/100/1000Mbps

CPU

I chose an AMD processor instead of an Intel processor. AMD has scored higher on benchmark test and is the main reason why I chose AMD over Intel, (Schemerer, 2004). The processor I chose is the AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+, (www.newegg.com, 2006). This processor operates at 2GHz, has 64 bit support, and includes instructions for all my gaming and video needs.

* Operating Frequency: 2 GHz

* 64 bit Support

* Multimedia Instructions: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, 3DNOW! Professional

Video Card

The PCI Express x16 slot, for the video card, was another factor when picking my motherboard. I could have gone with AGP, but the PCI Express graphics cards perform faster, (Campbell, 2004). BFG Tech Geforce 7900GTX is the video card that I chose. I wanted a card that allowed my family to watch movies and play video games on our HDTV, (www.newegg.com, 2006).

* Memory Size: 512 MB

* DirectX 9

* OpenGL 2.0

* PCI Express x16

* HDTV Out

Memory

When deciding on memory, I was not concerned with brand name; just the size. I wanted 2 GB of memory to make sure I had plenty of memory for playing games, watching movies, or running any applications necessary. Therefore, I picked the Patriot 2 GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM. The reason for this is because of the price and the lifetime manufacturing warranty. The Patriot also received good reviews on www.newegg.com.

Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 is the hard drive that I decided to use for my ideal computer. This hard drive has 400 GB, which has plenty of capacity to store all my movies and music. In an article, Geoff Gasior says, "By packing more data per platter than Seagate 's previous Barracuda 7200.7, the 7200.8 also promises superior performance to its predecessor," (Gasior, 2005.)

Monitor

The monitor was not a big concern of mine. However, when considering space, I would want a LCD monitor. ViewSonic VA902b Black 19" would fit my basic needs of a monitor, (www.newegg.com, 2006).

Keyboard and Mouse

When considering both of these, I would not purchase a wireless keyboard or mouse. The wireless keyboard and mouse became high maintenance because of constant battery changes. For the mouse, my choice would be Microsoft 's Comfort Optical Mouse 3000. "High Definition Laser Technology Microsoft® High Definition Laser mouse devices are more precise, more responsive, and deliver smoother tracking," (www.newegg.com, 2006). For my keyboard, I chose Microsoft 's B2M. The B2M has the Zoom Slider, which allows one to zoom easily in on pictures, maps, documents, and Web pages without taking the hands off the keyboard, (www.newegg.com, 2006).

Drives

I chose a combo drive for the DVD burner. The ASUS 16x burns and plays CDs and DVDs. This drive is also the same brand as my motherboard. For floppy drive, I picked the black Sony floppy drive. Newegg.com had one for $9.99. The floppy drive specs were not as important because they are seldom used and are mostly used for backup, (www.newegg.com, 2006).

Sound Card

For my sound card, I picked the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music. This sound card has 7.1 channels, a PCI interface, and 24 bit digital audio. This card allows me set up a surround sound system around the HDTV, (www.newegg.com, 2006).

Speakers

The Creative GigaWorks S750 is the speaker that I chose for my ideal sound system. These speakers allow me to use my sound card with 7.1 channels; 7 speakers and 1 sub-woofer. The S750 is a wireless speaker set, so that means less of mess, (www.newegg.com, 2006).

Network Connectivity

For my network connectivity, I will use the built in network card from my motherboard. For Internet use, I will continue to subscribe to Comcast 's High Speed Internet; 6Mbps of course.

Optimal Laptop

My optimal laptop would be basically the same as my home PC. The laptop would be scaled down for use out of the house. The laptop would need to have a DVD player to allow me and the family to play movies on the road. The laptop would also need a decent sized screen. With these specs in mind, I decided on the ABS Mayhem F-15. I found this one with a 15.4" screen. The ABS has a 60GB hard drive, a DVD drive, and 512 MB of memory. This would suit my needs nicely, (www.newegg.com, 2006).

Available Printers

Inkjet Printers, laser printers, and specialty snapshot printers are the three types of printers one can choose from. Major brands of printers include Hewlett-Packard, Brother, Canon, Epson, and Lexmark. Inkjet printers is the most common and inexpensive printer of the three. In order to form letters, graphic, and photos; droplets of ink is used. Laser printers form images from a toner, which is powdered ink, and then transferred to the paper over an electrically charged drum. Laser printers are faster than inkjets and usually cost more. Specialty snapshot printers enables one to print their pictures at home. Specialty snapshot printers can come in inkjet or dye-sublimation technology, (www.consumerreports.org, n.d.).

Choosing a Printer

When choosing a printer, one should look at price, speed, and the quality of print. For my research, I picked four different brands of printers. All printers were picked from www.newegg.com. How did I narrow down my pick? I based my decision on the purpose of use and price range. The purpose of use would be personal and the price range is from one hundred dollars to one hundred and twenty five dollars.

* HP DeskJet 6540 C8963A 30ppm 4800 x 1200 dpi Inkjet Personal Color Printer Retail - $116.99

* Brother HL-2040 20 ppm Laser Personal Monochrome Printer Personal Retail - $104.49

* Lexmark X7170 21H0281 22ppm 4800 x 1200 dpi Inkjet All-In-One Color Printer Retail - $119.99

* Canon MP170 0576B002 22ppm Inkjet MFC/All-In-One Color Printer Retail - $111.00

Summary

My top pick of the four printers is the HP DeskJet 6540 Inkjet. The HP had a black print speed of 30ppm, which is a maximum of 30 pages per minute. This number depends on the quality of print. The higher the quality of image, the more time the printer takes to print the image. Another reason why I chose this printer is because the HP printed in color at a maximum of 20 pages per minute. Hewlett-Packard 's numbers beat out the other three. Finally, for personal home use, the HP 's price of $116.99 is a reasonable price, (www.newegg.com, 2006).

References:

Campbell, J. (2004, Aug. 19). In Bandwidth: AGP Vs. PCI Vs. PCI Express. Retrieved Mar. 26, 2006, from http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=506&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=1

Gasior, G. (2005, Mar. 31). In Seagate 's Barracuda 7200.8 hard drive. Retrieved Mar. 25, 2006, from http://techreport.com/reviews/2005q1/seagate-7200.8/index.x?pg=1

Schmerer, K. (2004, Aug. 24). In Processor benchmarks: Intel versus AMD. Retrieved Mar. 25, 2006, from http://www.zdnet.co.uk/reviews/hardware/processorsmemory/0,39024015,39164010,00.htm

www.newegg.com, (2006). Retrieved Mar. 25, 2006, from http://www.newegg.com

References: Campbell, J. (2004, Aug. 19). In Bandwidth: AGP Vs. PCI Vs. PCI Express. Retrieved Mar. 26, 2006, from http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=506&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=1 Gasior, G. (2005, Mar. 31). In Seagate 's Barracuda 7200.8 hard drive. Retrieved Mar. 25, 2006, from http://techreport.com/reviews/2005q1/seagate-7200.8/index.x?pg=1 Schmerer, K. (2004, Aug. 24). In Processor benchmarks: Intel versus AMD. Retrieved Mar. 25, 2006, from http://www.zdnet.co.uk/reviews/hardware/processorsmemory/0,39024015,39164010,00.htm www.newegg.com, (2006). Retrieved Mar. 25, 2006, from http://www.newegg.com