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SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

Here I've put together a computer I consider to be very much MIDDLE OF THE RANGE when it comes
to computers. Not up there with the most powerful computer, but nor is it down in the dumps
with a cheaply made computer. This one will handle all modern games and office type software.
I could have made the system a LOT cheaper. But that would have degraded the standard and
quality I wanted the system to live up to. You must be careful of cheap components. While
there is a place for them, you cannot build a computer entirely out of cheap components to save
money and then expect it to perform. I have included some high endish items here, simply because
of what they offer compared to what they cost. The motherboard and video card are two examples of
this as is the soundcard. These could be replaced with cheaper items, but functionality would suffer.
Lets look at Austin Computer's so called POWER PACK computer they sell for $1650.00 and I'll show you
what I mean. Austin Computers market this computer as their "Powerful mid range Computer". But Let
me show you why it is not. The article is as follows.

AMD Athlon XP 1700+ CPU
17" Digital Monitor
Deluxe ATX 250 watt Tower Case
AMD Athlon XP mainboard
32mb TNT VGA card (video Card)
256mb pc2100 (RAM)
40gb Hard drive ATA 100.
Panasonic Floppy Drive
16x12x40 CD burner
Stereo Sound Card
480 watt speakers
56k Netcomm Modem
Microsoft Keyboard
Microsoft Optical mouse
Microsoft Windows XP Home
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$1650.00
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While this computer system includes a few things my system doesn't, such as optical mouse, speakers,
modem, and CD burner, you are getting components far below todays standards in this system.
The cpu is fine although we know you can get the 1900+ for a fraction more than
the 1700+ so really it should be a 1900+ processor. They don't list the brand names of any
components so you really don't know what you're getting. I always like to know what I'm buying
BEFORE I buy it. El cheapo monitors can really catch you out with poor functionality. THE CASE!
The Power Supply is ONLY 250 watts! Not enough for todays electrical requirements that computers
demand. You need at LEAST 350watts as I've specified in my system recommendations below. BEWARE
of this! The motherboard is obviously the OLDER PC 2100 standard. Our system here uses the newer
PC 2700 standard of RAM which is quicker than PC 2100. Also note the ATA 100 hard drive. Also
this is the OLDER, SLOWER standard of harddrives. For this to be the case, the motherboard they
are using must also be an older model which will have little upgradeabiliy. Now look at the video
card that they offer. What they fail to mention is that the card is the TNT2 M64 card which is
quite simply outdated and useless for todays game titles. This card is now only good for office
situations and associated officework. The system has NO DVD drive. But has a burner. Depending
on what you want this could be a fair call. But the system only has ONE CD drive meaning you
cannot play a CD while loading and sving data off a second cd. They list their sound card as
simply a STEREO SOUND CARD. You have no idea what it is. It is a good idea to stay AWAY from
noname sound cards as they can have all kinds of problems with compatibility and often are
marred by driver issues. For a few extra dollars, you can have a recognised brand name with all
of that company's support online. SO DON'T just look at the final price and think you are
getting a good deal. Often you aren't. Pay a cheap price, get a cheap computer.
HERE IS WHAT A MID RANGE COMPUTER SOULD BE!!!!
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CPU

AMD ATHLON XP 1900+ : $239 from MCG Technology. While not at the top of the processor list, the 1900+ still packs all the punch you'll need for todays games and applications. Comparable to a 1900 MHZ Pentium IV, to get this much processing power for under $300 is a steal.

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MOTHERBOARD

EPOX 8K3A+ Socket A KT333 DDR (PC2700), ATA133, 6xPCI slots, 3 x DDR DRAM slots, RAID, onboard audio. Well that really is an impressive list of stats. Huge opportunity for upgrades with 6 PCI slots and of course an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot to fit your video card into. IT uses the new standard of ram, PC 2700. The new ATA 133 standard for IDE interfacing (faster Hard Drives) and has the newest Northbridge from VIA, the KT133. This is an excellent board for a mid range computer, some would even consider it for a top end computer. A good price from Austin Computers at
$249

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RAM

PC 2700: Generic Brand. Unless you want to overclock your PC, there is no need to buy expensive ram for your PC. PC 2700 is the type you need to go with your Epox 8K3A+ motherboard. MCG Technology has 256 mb PC 2700 sticks going for
$179.

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HARD DRIVE

MAXTOR VIPER 40 GIGABYTE HARD DISK DRIVE. ATA133 IDE. 7200rpm : Maxtor is probably THE name in Hard drives at the moment. They are extremely popular and sell for good prices. At 40 gigabytes the drive offers a HUGE amount of space for you to install programs and store data. After the 40GIG size, prices rise sharply, so the 40gig model is the best value for money at the moment. MCG and Austin's have these drives for
$149.00

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CD-ROM

52x CDROM GENERIC BRAND. It is becoming less and less needful to include a plain CD-ROM drive in your computer these days as most DVD drives will also read normal CD's. However, in case you run into trouble with this, it is a good idea to include a cheap CD-ROM drive in your system. They're cheap, but function very well. And the small extra cost is worth it to have two CD drives in your computer. MCG Computers has LITEON 52 speed drives for
$39.00.

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DVD

PIONEER DVD drives are a popular standard for computer enthusiasts today. You can buy FAR more expensive drives than Pioneer but the gain you get REALLY costs you. Pioneer are a well known brand when it comes to electronic gear, and the same goes for their DVD drives, offering a good quality of DVD playback for the money paid. The Pioneer Drives will also play your normal ole cd's. Austin Computers now sells them for a mere
$99.00.

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POWER UNIT

ENERMAX 350 WATTS, ATX FORM FACTOR POWER SUPPLY. Can power up to 8 HDD's, and one Floppy Drive. Power supply's are the LEAST considered piece of hardware when you buy a PC. Usually PC retailers will only sell a Power Supply Unit (PSU) included with a case. I tend to shy away from this as you are often stuck with 250 - 300 watt power supply's if you do this. That can be a problem if you later decide to add extra drives and cooling fans to your PC. The ENERMAX 350Watt PSU is a very good unit with 2 fans to cool itself it won't overheat. 350watts should also allow any extra upgrades you might want. TO get one, you will have to visit AUSPC MARKET on the net and order one from them. Currently AusPC MArket are selling them for
$165.00.

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CPU COOLER

THERMALTAKE VOLCANO 7 CPU COOLER: Living in Australia, with Australian summers hitting 40 degrees in the shade we need to be careful about how hot our CPU's get. I find that stock coolers can find it difficult in the middle of summer, sometimes pushing 60 degrees Celsius. To ensure a good CPU life it is a good idea to spend a few extra dollars on a better CPU cooler to keep the CPU temps down in the heat of the Aussie summer. Cpu coolers can hit way over $200 here in Australia due to their copper content and the fact that most are imported. The ThermalTake Volcano 7 is a proven performer when it comes to cpu cooling and will cool when it gets hot. AusPC Market has them for
$57.20.

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FLOPPY DRIVE

FLOPPY DRIVE: With the advent of bootable cd's and rewriteable cd's, the floppy drive is fast becoming a thing of the past. But not quite yet. Still good for storing written documents and any other office related data. You also find that some new components will still come with drivers on a floppy. Austin Computers has them for
$29.00.

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VIDEO CARD

LEADTEK WINFAST TITANIUM 200: Perhaps the hottest topic in computers today is which video card to put in your system. Here in Australia we can pay over $900 for the fastest Geforce 4 cards currently available. As this is a middle of the road system I'm designing here, I'm making it prettey good for gaming and office work as well. The TI200 won't blast you away with game performance, but neither will it leave you with unplayable games. Unfortunately the cheapest geforce 4, the TI 4200 comes in at over $400, which I thought a little too much for this system. You can also get the MX series of cards with the Geforce 4 badge, but don't touch these as their functionality is below that of the TI200 (Geforce 3 cards). Video cards are becoming outdated extremely quickly these days, but all you can do is pick the right card for you at the time you find you need one. For this system, the TI200 fits the AGP slot perfectly. Austin Computers has an AOPEN 128mb Geforce 3 TI200 for...
$269.00.

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SOUND CARD

SOUND BLASTER LIVE VALUE: The Sound Blaster Live series of soundcards has been around now for a number of years. Creative now have the Audigy sound card out which is super indeed. But the LIVE cadrs are still very much up to date and most people cannot tell the difference between the LIVE and Audigy cards. Capable of surround sound, the LIVE Value soundcard will perform over and above anthing you'll need it to do. Austin Computers has them for
$65.00.

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CASE

ATX FORM FACTOR CASE MIDI TOWER: There are thousands of cases to choose from. There are three sizes that are generally available. MINITOWER, MIDITOWER, and FULLTOWER. You need to go with at least a miditower case to fit your EPOX moterboard, and most other popular motherboards into. Fulltower cases are meant for servers and the like and are twice the size of midi tower cases. Just be sure to get one with no PSU as you already got one from from AusPC Market. If you can't find a case without the PSU, just get it and take the PSU out. But you should be able to find a case with no PSU. MCG Technology has them for
$79.00.

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MONITOR

17 INCH ACER VIEW V771: You can spend over $2000 on monitors if you have the inclination to do so. Computer monitors go up to 22 inches, but the price jumps hellishly with each increase in size. But you can get a good 17 inch moinitor for not too much. Acer has been in the monitor businees since the year dot and produces good middle quality monitors. MCG Technology has an Acer 17" digital monitor for
$279.00

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KEYBOARD

MICRO$OFT INTERNET KEYBOARD: You can get keyboards for around $20 from your local PC dealer. But these can be small and fragile. For a little extra you can dip into Micro$ofts range of products which actually have the reputation of being quite well designed and sturdy. Austin Computers is selling them for
$45.00.

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MOUSE

LOGITECH USB 3 BUTTON MOUSE WITH MOUSEWHEEL: Logitech is one of THE most respected Mouse manufacturers at this point in time, having a huge range of mice to suit every need and budget. The rage these days is optical mice which use a laser to sense movement. Although these are very good mice, they are exspensive. This mouse works off the good old trackball method which still works very well with Logitech's expertese. Austin Computers has them for
$45.00.

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OPERATING SYSTEM

WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION: Your system won't be complete without an operating system to handle everything. Windows XP is the newest offering from Micro$oft and it really pays to get the most recent operating system you can afford when you buy a new computer. Plus, all components I've listed here have corresponding Windows XP drivers available. MCG Technology has Windows XP HOME for
$219

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COST OF PAWS' RECOMMENDED SYSTEM

CPU----------------------$239.00
MOTHERBOARD-------$249.00
RAM---------------------$179.00
HARD DRIVE------------$149.00
CD-ROM------------------$39.00
DVD DRIVE-------------$99.00
POWER UNIT-----------$165.00
CPU COOLER------------$57.20
FLOPPY DRIVE----------$29.00
VIDEO CARD-----------$269.00
SOUND CARD------------$65.00
CASE----------------------$79.00
MONITOR---------------$279.00
KEYBOARD---------------$45.00
MOUSE--------------------$45.00
WINDOWS XP HOME--$219.00

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                                     $2206.20
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