SYSTEM PRICE
MOTHERBOARD
ASUS P2B-D Pentium II/III Dual CPU[$287]
This Dual CPU capable board has no SCSI controller built-in, and is the choice for high-end servers and workstations with IDE RAID. The P2B-D is fully compatible with the Promise IDE RAID controller, and is another example of ASUS perfection.
CPU
Intel Pentium III 500MHz, 100MHz/512K@250MHz[$361]
The 450MHz is the better deal. If you are running NT, you are definitely better off with a dual 450 than a single 500.
MEMORY
512MB PC100 SDRAM, 2pcs 32x64[$624]
Single-piece 256MB DIMMs. Only if you think you need to eventually expand to 1024MB.
SCSI CONTROLLER
Adaptec 2940U2W Ultra2-Wide SCSI PCI w/2x68 & 50-pin Int & 68-pin Ext[$299]
You should just get a motherboard with the built-in Adaptec U2W-controller (i.e. ASUS P2B-S/LS/DS). The failure rate of these controllers is virtually zero - even when built-in - so there is really no reason to get a separate controller.
HARD DRIVE #1
IBM 9.1GB 18ES 7200rpm/7.0ms/2MB U2W-SCSI[$292]
Consider the 18LZX if the budget is not too tight. However, this new 18ES model is also very fast, and compares favorably against the high-end IDE drives. Good price makes us once again recommend low-end SCSI over high-end IDE.
REMOVABLE DRIVE MOUNTING #1
Removable SCSI Frame & Carrier[$78]
Low-cost solution for making your drive removable. However, you may want to choose a brand name like Kingston where extra carriers will always be available.
HARD DRIVE #2
IBM 9.1GB 18ES 7200rpm/7.0ms/2MB U2W-SCSI[$292]
Consider the 18LZX if the budget is not too tight. However, this new 18ES model is also very fast, and compares favorably against the high-end IDE drives. Good price makes us once again recommend low-end SCSI over high-end IDE.
REMOVABLE DRIVE MOUNTING #2
Removable SCSI Frame & Carrier[$78]
Low-cost solution for making your drive removable. However, you may want to choose a brand name like Kingston where extra carriers will always be available.
FLOPPY DRIVE
Teac 1.44MB[$19]
The market leader in floppy drives. Extreme reliability. We do not recommend the LS-120 drives at this point. A regular floppy and a ZIP drive is a better combination.
BACKUP DRIVE #1
OnStream 50GB SCSI Tape Backup[$684]
Lots of backup for the money, plus great software and excellent performance.
AGP VIDEO CARD
Creative Labs TNT2 Ultra 32MB TV-Out Retail Box[$211]
Awesome performance at a great price. This or Diamond? Personal preference.
MONITOR
Sony 21" 500PS .25dp/1600x1200@85Hz, Trinitron[$1177]
Higher refresh rates than the 520GS, and is definitely worth the money if you plan on using it at 1600x1200.
FAX/MODEM
USRobotics 5685 Voice 56K/V.90 ISA[$114]
The best internal modem you can buy. The best deal? No problems and good connection speeds, although a little pricey. Generally, we do not see much difference between this one and the 1749 (upgraded).
NETWORK CARD
3COM 3C905 10/100B-T PCI[$53]
3COM offers the ultimate in compatibility and reliability. The Netgear products are excellent as well, and will save you some money - should be considered unless the rest of the network is 3COM.
SOUND CARD
Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live! RETAIL BOX[$190]
SoundForge, Cakewalk Express Gold and Mixman Studio as well as Digital I/O, combined with Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX) makes this package a must-have for entry level recording. Excellent for gaming too.
CD(DVD)-ROM DRIVE
Toshiba 5X/32X SCSI DVD-ROM[$146]
The only SCSI DVD-ROM we carry - and excellent drive - 3rd generation DVD combined with 32X CD-ROM. DVD is finally beginning to make sense, with more reference titles and games available. Combine it with the ATI RAGE FURY video card.
CDR/RW DRIVE
Teac 8x24 CDR SCSI w/4MB & Software[$348]
Great quality, price and performance. 4MB Buffer. Adaptec Easy-CD Creator included.
SPEAKERS
Creative/Cambridge SOUNDWORKS w/sub[$135]
Excellent sound reproduction. Your best buy for a combination of Gaming and music playback. If gaming is more important, get the Altec ACS48.
MOUSE/TRACKBALL
Logitech TrackMan/FX[$75]
Very innovative design where you can control the ball with more than one finger for maximum precision. 3-button and scroll-wheel features. May take some time to get used to.
JOYSTICK
Logitech WingMan Force[$114]
A good joystick for all the new games - also check out the features of the Microsoft SideWinder Force.
CASE
Supermicro SC750-A Full Tower Case w/300W[$163]
One of two standard cases we carry that supports XEON motherboards. Excellent cooling (many fans) and plenty of room for drives. Check out the Suncheer case as well - nicer looking and excellent cooling, but smaller size and higher price.
OFFICE SUITE
Corel WordPerfect Suite 2000[$36]
Includes the Quattro Pro spreadsheet, the familiar WordPerfect word processor, and much, much more. An excellent bundle.
UTILITIES SOFTWARE
Norton SystemWorks 1.0 (AntiVirus 5/Utilities/Uninstall/more)[$24]
A great utilities suite. Upgradable to v2.0 through Symantec.
UPS
APC BACK-UPS PRO 500[$224]
Provides Voltage correction and surge protection. Battery power is good for a high-end workstation with 21in monitor. If you need longer runtimes (i.e. for a server), check out the 1000 and 1400VA models.
OPERATING SYSTEM
Microsoft Windows 98 & Windows NT 4.0 Dual Boot[$236]
Perfect if you want both stability/security and all the multimedia features for games, etc.
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