|
Computers We do the whole job so you get better support and setup. 717-7917 No Proprietary Parts. Local Support Direct to the Tech. |
Why DCI | Support | Prices | Custom Price | Parts / Reviews | Contact Us | Index |
Pictures and Links to Some of the Common
Components
we use in Assembling Your Computer:
Cases:
Ø Future Power 208 - Mid Tower ATX
Case:
Pentium 4 compatible case with a 400 Watt ATX P4 Power Supply.
Front View
Inner Front
Inner Back/Side
16.5" Tall, 8" Wide, 19" Deep (22" deep with room for cords!)
It may not be the most beautiful case, but we use this case by default because;
It can hold up to 10 drives! So we can space them out for better cooling plus it has room for added standard size cooling fans in front of the drive bays and in the side panel. All of which help reliability which is one of our main concerns. Of course it takes industry standard full size ATX motherboards and power supplies. It also has ports in the front (behind the flip up logo) for easy access two USB ports. It also has a hard disk activity LED and a reset switch which we hope wont be needed much.
Plenty of Bays (10 in all as 4 - 5.25" & 6 - 3.5") Includes a side fan and a fan inside power supply. If you opt for any additional hard drives we can put a fan in front of them if you desire and don't mind the added noise. Flat Top for those that like to put stuff on top of their computer. We have installed eight 120+ Gig hard drives (for a media server) in the above case with added fans and the drives are not running hot.
As always other case designs are available if you have a particular preference.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
An ATX power supply
We use 400 Watt models
Manufacturers of some of the more popular Cases &
Power Supplies:
PC Cases,
Future Power,
Addtronics,
Superpower,
Antec Cases,
Many More
PC Power and
Cooling,
Case Outlet,
Gorilla,
Antec Power, Etc. (seems like a
hundred.)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
While the above case and power supply is by far our main seller and the one we personally use some buyers prefer something more colorful. For those that want Cool - Cool looking and Cooler Running Case Options. They are typically taller cases and more colorful. Many have a clear side so you can see inside the case. The typically also include more fans. If interested in these special cases please call for pricing (which typically run $180 to $400 extra). We offer many other case designs that house industry standard motherboards - please call if you have a particular case in mind. Mini cases are also available - we prefer not to use them as they make the computer harder to service, often require using a less expandable motherboard, are harder to cool, are much harder to upgrade.
Aluminum Cases - rated best for cooling, also light weight
Link to
Specs here
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Acrylic fully see-thru cases, but be warned that acrylic cases
should be kept away
from other electronic appliances as they are more susceptible to interference
from EMI
Link to Specs here
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wood with See-thru acrylic side panel
Link to
Specs here
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Higher End Power Supply
Included with Specialty Cases or as a $80 upgrade to our standard cases
Kingwin Aluminum Power Supply
4 high-quality 3-speed ball-bearing fans
Link to
Specs
People that want to spent this kind of money usually want to go all-out on their
computer and such buyers would probably want to consider other common power-user
items like; High-end speakers such as the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 speakers
pictured below, and a DVD writer such as the Sony DRU510A, and a second hard
disk to either backup their full setup easily or for others to boot from so they
can keep their software setup separate and secure, also some want built-In TV
and or FM tuners. Some want to capture and save video shows or movies. We offer
all these products - If their is something you do not see here or want more
detail on Please Call us at 717-7917
While on the subject of cool - If you want the highest sound
quality take a look
at this built-in Graphic Equalizer/Sound Enhancer that
mounts in a case bay
NewQ Gold - Details
click here - $99 + Installation
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Motherboards:
One of the Most important
components!
We recommend Asus Brand Motherboards:
"Top Rated Brand"
F.Y.I. - We continually give strong consideration to Intel brand boards, but
every time we compare Asus to Intel motherboards - Intel comes up a little
short on specs for the price, however Intel is a good choice and we offer
Intel boards as shown below.
Newest mainboard based on the latest technological advances such as; 800 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) and thus takes the faster 800 MHz FSB Intel CPUs as well as the faster 400 MHz dual channel DDR RAM. Intel 865PE chipset, 800 MHz FSB, Dual Channel DDR 400 PC3200 RAM, 8 USB 2.0 Ports, Serial RAID 0, Gigabit LAN, Integrated 6 channel sound by ADI/SoundMAX, etc - full motherboard specs here.
Reviews #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Deluxe version of the P4P800 board above - adds IDE RAID support and two Firewire ports which very few of our customers would use, but if you think you might it only costs and additional $20 to upgrade to this board. Full Specs here.
Reviews - See Above Similar Review Links on P4P800 above.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As an alternative to Asus you might want to consider
Abit's IS7 line,
as they are also getting very good reviews as
shown here and a
comparison here
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Built-In Intel Extreme Graphics 2 video chipset so not as fast a video solution as our standard video card. Intel i865 chipset, AGP8X, 800 MHz FSB, Serial ATA, 6 channel ADI-SoundMAX audio, 10/100 LAN, 8 USB2.0 Ports, Full specs here. Like the P4P800 above but 10/100 LAN instead of Gigabit, Integrated video, mini ATX footprint and only 3 PCI slots In our opinion better to pay the extra $? ($? with video AGP video card) and get the full size P4P800 board above and faster video. This is the motherboard we would use if you needed it to fit in a mini case. Reviews - See P4P800 above as no one reviews this version of the board, because it is the same as the one above except as noted above.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Asus
P4C800 Deluxe
Top of the Line - Fastest and most expensive board
based on Intels i875P chipset
A fairly new mainboard based on the very latest technological advances such as; 800 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) and thus takes the faster 800 MHz FSB Intel CPUs as well as the faster 400 MHz dual channel DDR RAM. Intel 875P chipset, 800 MHz FSB, Dual Channel DDR 400 PC3200 RAM, 8 USB 2.0 Ports, Serial RAID 0, Gigabit LAN, Integrated 6 channel sound by ADI/SoundMAX, like the P4P800 Deluxe above plus can take ECC RAM and has Intel sanctioned PAT (performance acceleration technology). - full motherboard specs here. With the higher cost CPU and higher cost RAM it only costs about $? more than the above P4PE board
The only two advantages it offers over the P4P800 Deluxe board above is that it can take ECC (self correcting) memory and has PAT Acceleration technology on Intel Chipset. Few people get ECC memory as it costs a bit more and the PAT probably make little if any noticeable speed benefit in real world applications so few would want to pay the $50 extra this board costs. The Asus P4P800 series boards can actually turn on PAT technology as discussed in this article and this one too with benchmarks.
Reviews #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Asus
P4T533 Pentium 4 Motherboard
Asus
P4T533 Pentium 4 Motherboard
Uses Intel Socket 478 CPU's.
Supports 533Mhz Front Side Bus and the latest Intel Pentium 4 processors
Intel i850E chipset so uses RAMBUS/rdRAM - RIMM 4200
32-bit RAM
(only need to fill 1 bank at a time) 4.2GB/s Includes USB Version 2 Ports.
Was the fastest motherboard about two months back - now probably ties with the
fastest and on closeout.
Reviews
#1,
#2,
#3,
#4
Specifications
from Asus Direct
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Intel Motherboards
Index and specs on Intel's current board can be found
here.
We prefer Asus for the added features, but some prefer Intel and they do make good products so please feel free to consider having us building you a system that includes an Intel's motherboard in addition to Intel CPUs and chipsets as above.
Intel Brand P4 motherboard
Model D865PERL
Based on Intel's i865PE chipset like Asus model P4P800's above, so 800 MHz front-side bus, Dual channel DDR 400Mhz RAM, Gigabit LAN, Full specs here. Intel offer other variations of this board, some with integrated graphic chipsets for those that want to save a little bit and get slower video performance
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Intel Brand P4 motherboard
Model D875PBZ
Based on Intel's 875P chipset like Asus model P4C800's above
Full specs here.
Like above but with Intel's latest i875 chipset so (like the Asus P4C800) adds PAT memory acceleration technology and can take ECC memory, Uses Intel's chipset for Gigabit LAN, but this board nor any model of it we can find has audio onboard so add to the price a separate audio card like Creative Labs Audigy 2 sound card which adds another $80 to the price or you could go with Creative's Sound Blaster Live card for only an additional $30.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Links to
Manufacturers of some of the more popular
"INDUSTRY STANDARD SIZE" Motherboards:
Note: None of the big name PC manufacturers use any of the above industry standard (non proprietary - easy to get replacement or upgraded parts from many sources at competitive pricing) motherboards, yet these manufacturers manage to sell a lot of boards. So there must be a lot of people out there that think like we do - that when it comes to buying desktop computers buying industry standard components is of utmost importance, so as not to be at the mercy of any one company for parts or service. Sometimes people see these lists and hear us harp on buying industry standard computers and try to go it alone and assemble their computer piece-meal themselves and have great difficulties and may think we had given them bad advice. I would not even try building a singleton (without an inventory of similar parts to test against) system by myself. Believe me we are worth what we charge and you do not want to go it alone. We have provided these links to clarify our philosophy not to suggest anyone should go it alone, but if you wish to do it yourself in order to be more self sufficient and knowledgeable then just ask and we will provide you at no additional charge the opportunity to assist in your computers assembly and software setup configuration.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
CPU's (Central Processing
Units)
Intel Pentium
4 Socket 478
We use the Northwood version with the larger 512K Cache which
also come in various flavors (Front Side Bus Speeds) 400 MHz, 533MHz and now 800
MHz
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
RAM (Random Access Memory)
F.Y.I. Some of the Main Selling RAM
Manufacturers include;
Crucial and
review,
Kingston,
Samsung,
Mushkin,
Corsair,
OCZ,
TwinMOS,
SimpleTech,
Etc
We use what is recommend by the motherboard manufacturer which is typically
Crucial,
Kingston or Samsung.
If you desire a specific brand or specifications please call for pricing.
This article
relates our philosophy.
DDR Dual Channel PC3200 /400
MHz
(Double Data Rate sdRAM.)
On motherboards that support 800 MHz FSB and support dual-channel RAM configuration we have to install RAM in pairs (two sticks) at a time to take advantage of the higher performance that dual channel enables. As the smallest reasonably priced stick of such RAM starts at 256 Meg we only quote such system with a minimum of 512 Meg RAM (256*2) which is the normal minimum amount of RAM one buys these days anyway.
Comes in Various Flavors like; |
Ø
PC3200, 400 Mhz, 3.2 GB/sec. We use on Asus P4P800 and P4C800 boards |
Ø Etc. |
- OR -
DDR RAM (Double Data Rate sdRAM)
Comes in Various Flavors like; |
Ø PC2100, 266 Mhz, 2.1 GB/sec - outdated |
Ø PC2700, 333 Mhz 2.7GB/sec - Used on P4PE board |
RAMBus (a.k.a rdRAM and RIMM)
Also comes in Various Flavors like; |
Ø RIMM4200 32-bit, 232 Pin, PC1066/533 MHz, 32ns, 4.2 GB/s max bandwidth. Only need to fill one bank at a time. Claimed to be fastest memory available. Details at http://www.rambus.com/about/pressreleases_2002/020225a.shtml |
Ø rdRAM PC1066 533MHz, 16-bit must fill two banks at a time. 184 pin, 32ns, 4.2GB/s max bandwidth - fastest! We use on the Asus P4T533 board |
Ø rdRAM PC800 16-bit must fill 2 banks at a time. 184 pin, 40ns, 3.2 GB/sec max bandwidth - outdated! |
Technical articles about RAM #1, #2, #3, #4, #5
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Hard Drives:
We mostly sell Seagate and Western Digital
in sizes of 80 Gig, 120, 160 and 200GB.
We prefer Seagate as we find them to be the most reliable!
Hard Disk 3.5” Seagate 80 and 120 GB IDE 7200 RPM
If I had to pick a drive brand I like, I would pick Seagate, Samsung, and Western Digital. IBM and Maxtor would be lower on my list, but we find they all can very unpredictable and certainly no single drive is very trust-worthy. So backup your data and full setup if you can! We try to buy models that have a three year warranty. Newer models with a Serial ATA (S-ATA) interface are now available, but we do not push them as they cost about $50 more and at this time they do not show any noticeable performance advantage, but this is expected to change in the future. Some models have a larger built-in cache (8 MB instead of 2 MB) If you have a preference please ask as there is little to no real cost difference. We feel it is mostly a selling point and the added cache has no real benefit as it has been shown to actually slow down certain applications and speed up others. If you access large amount of sequential data as in multi-media applications than a larger cache will probably help.
Specs on our Main Seller- Seagate's 80 Gig 7200 RPM IDE/ATA drive
and click here
for a review
Seagate IDE ATA Drive List
Western
Digital Drive Specs Here
Links of
Manufacturers of Popular Hard Disks:
Maxtor,
Samsung, Seagate,
Western Digital,
IBM, Hitachi
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
CD ROM Drives:
Sony Standard CD 52X
Still very popular but we recommend a
CD-Rewritable Drive that cost very
little extra - like the ones below.
Some still buy the above as a second drive
if they plan to do a lot of CD copying
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
or Our Main Seller - their newer faster model
Samsung
SW-252 CD and CD-RW
52xR/24xRW/52xCD/12xDVD
Includes Nero Software, but we can Install Roxio Easy CD if you prefer
Burn Proof Technology and 8MB Buffer
Review Here
#1,
#2,
#3
We have come to have great faith in Samsung Products. We have
frequently
used and had great luck with their Monitors and Hard Drives for years.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
CD-RW Drives with DVD Players:
DVD drives are no longer just for movies as more people buy
DVD Writers, DVD Media is more and more being distributed and
so you may regret not having a drive that can also read DVD, thus
we highly recommend one of these combo CD-RW/DVD drives.
If you have ANY Interest in DVD than we highly
recommend you go with one of the following combo drive.
This is the Drive we most recommend
Samsung SM-352 Combo CD-RW and DVD Drive
52xR/24xRW/52xCD/16xDVD
Includes Nero CD Software (but we can install Roxio
Easy CD if you prefer) and Power DVD Player
Burn Proof Technology and 8MB Buffer
A Samsung CD-RW review
here
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sony DRU510A DVD±RW
DVD Writer and CD Writer
Also available is the OEM model DWU10A which costs $100 less and includes less of a software bundle (only Veritas Simple Backup and NTI DVD-Maker Gold Recording Software).
With DVD-R media costing as low as $1.40 per disk and holding as much as six CD's (thus less expensive) they are becoming a popular alternative to CD for backup. Also they are popular for backing up movies titles. This is the model we use to backup our data and DVD movies.
Sony takes the risk out of buying a DVD recorder by bringing all the popular
formats into a single drive. The amazing new DRU-510A burns DVD-R/-RW, DVD+RW/+R,
and even CD-R/CD-RW discs.* Internal EIDE drive includes an impressive, industry
standard software bundle and is compatible with Windows® 98SE/2000, Windows ME
and Windows XP operating systems. * DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs recorded on this
drive may not play back on some older or entry-level DVD systems. The write-once
DVD+R or DVD-R discs are more compatible for interchange with other DVD systems.
Please record responsibly. Before copying anything onto a CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R or
DVD+RW, please be sure you are not violating copyright laws.
Ø Sony introduces World’s First DVD+RW Drive
Ø Records on DVD+RW/+R and DVD-RW/R media and
standard CD-R/RW discs so you can choose the right disc for the task at hand.
Ø Sonics MyDVD Video/Video CD authoring software
will turn your home movies into DVDs or Video CDs for easy sharing.
Ø Protect your valuable data against system
failures by backing up with included backup software, Retrospect Express.
Ø Burn custom music CDs, share photos and video,
and so much more!
Ø Internal ATAPI EIDE interface for easy
installation.
Ø 4X max. DVD+R Write; 4X max. DVD+RW Write;
4X max. DVD-R Write; 2X max. DVD-RW Write; 8X max. DVD-ROM Read
Ø 4X/12X/16X/24X max. CD-R Write; 16X max.
CD-RW Write, 32X max. CD-ROM Read
Ø Random Access Time: DVD: 200ms CD: 160ms
Ø Buffer Memory: 8MB
Ø Buffer Underrun Protection Technology
Ø Supported disc format: DVD-ROM, DVD R, DVD RW,
DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM (XA), Video CD, Photo CD (multi-session), CD Text,
CD Extra and others.
Software Contents:
Ø Veritas RecordNow: Recording Software
Ø Vertias DLA: Packet Writing Software
Ø Sonic MyDVD: DVD Authoring Software
Ø Cyberlink PowerDVD: DVD-Video Playing software
Ø Vertias Simple Back-Up: Back-Up and Disaster
recovery software
Ø MusicMatch Jukebox: Play, Record, and Organize
your personal music
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
Video Cards:
Benchmarks on the following video card option
can be found here.
-
with a good summary here.
nVidia chipset cards
We mostly use video card models based upon
nVidia
chipsets, because they are the most widely
used, the most widely supported, the most widely tested, largest availability of
generic divers
that seem to work with all manufacturers specific cards and so the easiest to
support and mainly
because those facts make it the most reliable (in our opinion, bar special cases
or user needs).
Out main selling video cards are based upon nVidia's GeForce 4 and
GeForce FX chipsets
particularly the
GeForce4 MX440 with 64 Meg DDR RAM and for those that do high-end
graphic applications
like CAD or 3D high-action games we recommend cards based upon nVidia's
GeForce4 Ti4200 chipset
or higher end GeForce FX line. There are many options available like Video In
and Out Jacks, DVI connectors, and we use some ATI All-In-Wonder cards for those that want a TV
Tuner.
Detailed specs on nVidia's
main video chipsets came be found here.
There are many
manufacturers of PC video cards
based
upon nVidia chipsets, to name a few;
Asus,
Visiontek,
ChainTech,
MSI,
Abit,
Gainward, eVGA,
Elsa, Jaton, Eagle, PowerColor, PNY, Pine, Aopen, Creative Labs, . . .
Our Standard/Base Video Cards
nVidia Chipset
GeForce4 MX440
with 64 Meg DDR RAM and sVideo Out
Specs click here
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Asus V9520 Ultra/Pro based on
nVidia's GeForce
FX-5200
chipset includes 128 Meg RAM, AGP 8X,
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Higher-End Video Cards
Recommended for those that run graphic
intensive applications like CAD or 3D games
Asus V928TD Based upon nVidia's
GeForce4 Ti4200 chpset.
8X AGP, Includes 128 Meg DDR RAM, DVI and Analog
VGA and S-Video/TV output jack. If you do a lot of graphics type applications
than we feel this is one of the Best Bang for the Buck options.
Specs Here
and a
review/comparison here
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Asus V9560 Ultra/Pro based on
nVidia's GeForce
FX-5600 Pro chipset
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Asus V9900 Ultra/Pro based on nVidia's GeForce FX-5800 chipset
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Asus V9950 Ultra/Pro based on
nVidia's GeForce
FX-5900 chipset
Top off the line Video Card based on nVidia Chipset
There are MANY Video Card adapters one can choose from if you
have any specific desire please request more information!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ATI - Video Cards
Have sold ATI video cards for many years but now-a-days only if
the customer requests a built-in TV Tuner or requests one of ATI's high-end
Radeon models as in the past we have had too many problems with ATI's drivers
being incompatible with too many programs. Recently though they have been
getting too much good press on their higher-end Radeon line for us to ignore
them completely
Link to ATI's Video Card Product List with Specs where comparison info can be found
Radeon 9800 Pro
ATI's Top of the Line Graphic Card
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ATI Models that include TV Tuner include;
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
Mice:
Microsoft
Optical Wheel Mouse
(The one we recommend and include on quotes)
Microsoft Intelli-Optical Mouse
Microsoft Explorer Optical
Too many side buttons or
Wheel Mouse
to easy to hit them
The Mouse I used till my dog chewed it up
Logitech Cordless Wheel
Mouse Man
Mouse Microsoft Wheel Mouse
A note about wireless mice and wireless keyboards. If you buy one of the babies you probably will want to buy high-end rechargeable AA batteries and a battery recharger as these babies need changing frequently.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
|
We Recommend Windows XP |
|
Ø
Microsoft
Windows Operating Systems
The one we include by default and highly recommend is Windows XP Professional
Windows 98SE
Windows ME
Windows XP Home
&
Windows XP Professional!
Features
and Differences
More Windows XP Info
1,
2,
3,
Ø
Microsoft Application Software:
Available in heavily discounted OEM (full version
without
manual but does include the CD) version with a computer purchase.
Microsoft Word XP/2002 $40
A great price if all you want is the World's main selling
word processor.
Microsoft Works Suite 2003 $80
Microsoft Word, Works, Money Standard, Encarta Standard, Picture It! Photo,
and Streets & Trips Standard.
Microsoft Office XP Small Business $180
Microsoft Word 2002, Excel 2002, Publisher 2002 and Outlook 2002
Microsoft Office XP Pro $290
Word 2002, Excel 2002, PowerPoint 2002, Publisher, Outlook 2002, Access 2002
You can get it for $120 if you buy on a yearly subscription basis which I
believe includes free updates
FYI - Office Versions 2000 are the same price as version 2002/XP but do not
require product activation.
Older Microsoft Office 97 Suites
Microsoft Office 97 ver2 Small Business Edition $119
Microsoft Word 97, Excel 97 and Outlook
98
Microsoft Office 97 Professional $199
Microsoft Word 97, Excel 97, Access 97, PowerPoint 97 and Outlook 97
Other Common Software Titles:
Microsoft Encarta Reference Suite 2003 on CDs or DVD
$80
Includes: Encyclopedia, World Atlas, Dictionary and Thesaurus.
Can be installed to run fully from Hard Disk. Note you can
get the basic version
of the Encyclopedia in the Works Suite above for less money
Streets and Trips 2003 $60
Maps and Driving Directions better than any online web version
Note: You can get the standard version bundled in a Works
suite above for less money
Norton
AntiVirus 2003 with one year of free
updates
$0 with system Purchase
Corel WordPerfect Suite 2002
WordPerfect 2002, Quattro Pro10 Spreadsheet,
Presentations10 and Paradox10 Database $50
If you do not need the main stream products you can get a
very capable bundle for little money
Intuit Quicken Deluxe 2003 $50
Microsoft Money 2003
Standard $45
Deluxe $60,
Deluxe & Small Business $79
Intuit
QuickBooks 2003
Basic $100 or Professional $180, etc
* Note: Above pictures are of retail selling set in retail boxes.
Most bundled software come as just OEM CD no manuals or boxes.
Student Discounts are available on certain software titles.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
Network Adapter:
These days they are already included with all computers we sell as they are integrated on the motherboard as they should be - a standard issue item.
DLink
530TX+ 10/100MB PCI
An add-on PCI Network card we use on computer that don't already have a NIC.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
Fax Modem:
These days quality sound and network adapter are integrated
within the motherboard so an add-in LAN card is rarely used.
Fax Modem
Phoebe Lucent Chip Set V.92
PCI 56k Modem 14.4 Fax
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
Keyboards:
Mitsumi 104 Key Win9x Layout
The one we prefer because it is simple, has a good feel, inexpensive so cheap to replace if you spill something in it and because it had none of those multimedia buttons that few people ever seem to use and that require extra software to be loaded which in turn use system resources and slows down a computer. - But We are happy to get you any keyboard you would like!
Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro
Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
Disk Drive:
Teac 3.5” Disk Drive 1.4 Meg
The least changed part; has not changed since 1986. Many PC vendors no longer include it. We do cause we feel better to spend the $10 bucks than regret it later.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
Sound Cards:
These days quality sound and network adapter are integrated within the motherboard (as noted by reviews here and here) so these add-in cards only included if the customers requests them.
Creative Labs
Sound Blaster
Live
Creative Labs
Sound Blaster
Audigy 2
Compare Models
Here
If you really want the best sound capabilities and options than add $80 to
upgrade to this sound card at our cost difference.
Creative Labs Audigy Drive included with
Audigy Platinum
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
Good Speakers:
Our Base speakers. 27 Watts total RMS - 6 Watts on each satellite and 15 Watts on subwoofer. Includes Treble/bass control. The best speakers we can find for around $55 and plenty decent for most peoples desires. If you want something you can turn loud enough to fill a room please consider upgrading to speakers that cost about $140 and up. If you want surround sound for DVD movies or games please consider 4.1 or 5.1 speakers that have 4+ satellites. 4.1 speakers can be had at no additional costs and include four satellites and one subwoofer thus the 4.1
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Altec
Lansing ACS56
Reviews:
#1
Our base 4.1 speakers. 70 Watts total RMS - 35 Watts among the four satellites and 35 Watts on subwoofer. Includes Treble/bass control. The best 4.1 speakers we can find for around $55 and plenty decent for most peoples desires.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Better Speakers - Mid Range/ Mid Priced:
Altec Lansing
ACS48
The speakers I use and costs about an additional $70 - if still available
Reviews
1, 2
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Altec Lansing
ADA995
THX and Dolby Digital Speaker System
Five 20 watts satellites and a 100 Watt subwoofer
Adds about $120 to the cost of a standard system
Here is a link
that shows how such speakers should be setup
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Creative Labs 6.1 Speakers and Audigy 2 Sound Card Combo.
Creative Labs Inspire 6100
6.1 Speakers and
Creative Labs Audigy 2 24-bit PCI Sound Card
120 Watts Total RMS (8 Watts RMS per satellite / 20 Watts RMS front center satellite / 22 Watts RMS subwoofer. The speakers add about $50 to our base speakers system costs and the sound card upgrade costs an additional $80. Please note: - quoted upgrade costs are at our cost with a system purchase
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Great Speakers:
Note: To take full advantage of the following speakers you should also add the cost to upgrade your sound card to Creative Lab's Audigy 2 PCI sound card which adds $80 to our standard system price.
Klipsch
- ProMedia Line
they get some of the best reviews
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
For
a review click here,
or here
Two 35 Watt satellites and a 130 Watt subwoofer. 200 Watts total RMS
Cost about $140 more than our base speakers. THX certified.
Possibly the Best 2.1 (two tweeters and 1 subwoofer) speaker set.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Klipsch ProMedia 4.1
4 Satellites 60 Watts each and Subwoofer 160 Watts. Total 200 Watts RMS
Cost about $250 more than our standard speakers
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Second best rated speakers on the market according to reviews we have searched. To find your own reviews please go to Google.com and search "review Klipsch promedia 5.1" without the quotes - (kind of pointless for us to keep providing links to reviews as the links get outdated and some might consider our links picked/bias) . We are sure you will find many great reviews. Cost about $310 more than our base speakers! THX certified. 60 Watts per satellites 170 Watt subwoofer so about 470 watts total RMS. so if you want maximum loudness you might consider these.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
VideoLogic Sirocco Crossfire
DigiTheatre DTS
4.1 speaker set comprising an amplifier, subwoofer and four satellite speakers. For true HRTF 3D positional audio the four speaker Sirocco Crossfire is unrivalled. Four 10Watt satellites and 40 Watt subwoofer = 80 Watts Total RMS. The Top-Rated Speakers and costs about $330 more than our standard speakers. Wish I could afford such speakers.
Reviews and Details Links - #1, #2
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Please feel free to research and pick your own current speakers which we will be happy to order and setup for you (with a system purchase - of course). Links (which may or may not be current) to some of the main speaker manufacturers web sites are hereby provided for your convenience. Altec Lansing, Labtec, Logitech, Creative, Klipsch, VideoLogic, Harmon Kardon, TDK, etc.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monitors - CRT:
We provide monitors at our cost with a system purchase so please feel free to supply your own monitor if you prefer. We do not like to sell LCD monitors especially not in quantity, because we feel users satisfaction with such items to be very subjective and we feel such items should be seen and inspected by the buyer before the purchase. LCD monitors are usually made to run and look best at only one specific resolution which is typically 1024x768 on 15" models and 1280x1024 on larger models. This high resolution generally means icons and text is smaller than many people are used to. Besides costing about three times as much as a CRT monitor they have the following draw backs; reduced reliability, slower, reduce viewing angle, more limited resolution setting options, reduced image quality (less brightness and less contrast) . Their advantages include; They look cool, they save energy and they putout less heat. The main point to verify when buying any monitor for working with data is are you going to be comfortable working with text over a long period. As a service and along with the sale of a DCI computer we will happily go with you to a local store that has many LCD monitors on display to help you pick out a model if you would like. For you info 15" LCD Monitors start at around $319 + shipping. 17" to 18" LCD's start at about $469 Some models include very basic speakers. A good 17" CRT (flat screen) monitor which we can provide with delivery and setup costs $189 each or 19" models start at $219
17” Samsung 763DF Flat
CRT Screen
17" (16" viewable) CRT Flat Screen Monitor.
Extra Brightness button, .20 horizontal dot pitch. Max 1280x1024 resolution
for a 17" monitor you will need the following space available - 16" deep,
16" wide and 17" tall
and we recommend at least another 11" in front of the monitor for the keyboard.
We are a big fan of the Samsung brand as we have used their products (particularly there monitors) a long time with very little problem. Full details on all Samsung Monitors (CRT and LCD) can be found under this Samsung site.
Besides Samsung we also have had good luck with Hitachi, Viewsonic, LG Electronics, NEC and Sony. We stay away from brands like KFC and others. We sell monitors at our cost with a system purchase. If you have a particular monitor you would like or want a flat LCD monitor we can get it for you, but much prefer that you get it yourself as we can not directly service such items and if there is a problem we can only provide a loaner of a 17" CRT monitor.
19" Samsung 950B
19" (18" viewable) CRT Monitor - not perfectly flat but great picture and price.
Extra Brightness button, .22 horizontal dot pitch. Max 1600x1200 resolution
17.5" Wide x 18" High x18.5" Deep
This 19" monitor above is the monitor we mostly use and
recommend (if you have the space) -
and in our opinion a heck of a great monitor especially at just $190
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
Networking Switches & Routers:
Linksys 8
port 10/100 Switch with Cable DSL Router
Linksys 4 Port Combo Cable/DSL Router and 4 port 10/100 Switch
Microsoft Broadband Networking
Wireless Base Station
There are may other wireless brands and options available - If in need and interested please call.
A note about wireless network adapters - They are frequently more trouble to maintain (than a wired connection), unless you are well within the manufacturer's range specifications which in our experience seems to happen a lot. If you are connecting a portable computer to a network than sure we understand wireless is much more desirable. Many people seem to be buying wireless or phone line type networks to save the trouble of running cable, and we agree running cable can be very difficult in some environment and more costly (at least initially). However, in our opinion and experience unless you need wireless you will on average be much better off maintenance wise running the CAT5E cable.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
UPS (Uninterruptible Power Source)
APC Back-UPS
LS 500
APC Part# BP500UC $130
Highly recommended if you leave your computer running
all the time or have any power problems.
The Back-UPS LS Series offers leading edge power protection for
high performance computer systems. With 7 power outlets (4 battery+surge and 3
surge only), 2 line fax/modem protection and easy-to-use file-saving,
auto-shutdown software, the Back-UPS LS provides total protection for computer
systems. Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) corrects low voltage
conditions without draining the battery. Its space-saving, ergonomic shape makes
the unit easier to use and manage with outlets conveniently located on top and
alarm indicators visible from any angle. Customer peace of mind is further
enhanced by the addition of a $150,000 Lifetime Equipment Protection Policy,
free trial offers of Anti-Virus, Email Privacy, System Recovery and Firewall
software, as well as a Data Recovery Warranty provided exclusively by Ontrack
Data Recovery Services.
Surge Protectors and smaller UPSes
with Modem and DSL Protection
Prices above are valid by purchasing direct from APC's web store
by clicking
here.
Web
links change frequently so if any of the above links I have provided are a dead
end please bear with us as we will be checking and updating them on occasion,
besides most users can search the Internet without our assistance and if you
can’t then its time to practice or just call us and we will gladly help you find
what you are looking for at no charge.
Top |
Why DCI |
Support |
Prices Computers |
Customize a System
Compare Prices
|
Table of Contents |
Pictures of Components
|
Contact Us
|
Links