PIII: Three Times An Upgrade

     The new Pentium III chip is now out, and if you're like most computer users, you're wondering if you should upgrade.

     You probably don't have to, at least not yet.

     Make no mistake about it: This is a screaming fast chip. Intel has hardwired a slew of multimedia instructions to the PIII. What this means is that even though the clock speed of a PIII (at least, its initial release) isn't any faster than a P2, your computer runs faster because fewer computations are done by your software or any add-on cards you have.

Who Needs It?

     If you play games, that's where you'll notice change the most. Graphics, even if they've looked good before, will look even better. High end games will boot a little quicker. But it will still be three or four months before games written especially for the Pentium III chip hit the store - but when they do, you'll wonder why you ever played with those little baby games.

As Good As It Gets?

     In addition to Intel's new chip - which you know about because of the humongous PIII ad budget -- AMD will soon release its equivalent, the K6/III, which might actually be a little quicker than the PIII. The chips are actually more alike than previous versions. That's because the K6/II had already incorporated a lot of the multimedia stuff that Intel added to the PIII. The K6/III now has extra memory cache, unlike the PIII, meaning that more calculations are done by the processor and fewer by your RAM. That's why you get those awesome graphics.

     And there's more. Both Intel and AMD will be selling new chips not too much down the road. The next Intel chip will positively scream beyond a dog's hearing, and the new K7 will, too.

     If you'd pay a thousand bucks for your system to boot 30 seconds faster, you'll want this chip. If that seems excessive, then perhaps you'll wait a few months until the price drops. (We can't guarantee the price will drop, but historically it has -- and a lot.)

     We recommend you come to the shop and look at the PIII computer we have running -- it's on the service side -- so you can judge for yourself. Service manager Rich Land recommends a cybervisit to www.tomshardware.com, where you can read about the PIII and K6/III in glorious geek detail. If you were going to buy a computer system soon anyway, make it a PII or K6/II; save the upgrade for when the prices drop to affordable levels. And waiting for a K7 may be the best strategy of all.

Index
Bill's Byte
Hot Hot Hot!
Deals
Low Sierra!
Got Starsiege?
New Services: Web Design, Printer Repairs
Quid'·nunc Internet: Definitely Speedy Lines
So Long & Thanks
No Slackers Here
Quid'·nunc Best-Sellers

Calendar & Schedule
Classes
Coupon Specials
Quid'·nunc Information

Bill's Byte

We're really sorry we put Future Shop out of business. They kept trying to compete by lowering prices, but we kept our customers happy (and even made more of them) with friendly, competent service. Go figure

Hot Hot Hot!      April means tax refunds (we're optimists here). And when those checks roll in, there's only one responsible thing to do with that money: Buy software!      Luckily for you, Quid'·nunc has brought in all the hot new games so you can stop by on your way home from the bank.      What have we got? Games, for starters, including Imperialism (Windows 98 and Mac)...Starcraft (Mac)...Rainbox Six Expansion... Everquest... Age of Empires Gold... Big Six Mac Pack... Freddi Fish 4...Starsiege... Panzer Commander.. . Roller Coaster Tycoon... Might and Magic III... X-Wing Alliance...Redline... and, yes, Kenny can die on your own PC: We've got South Park.      If you're gaming, you're going to be well pleased by the new USB gamepads and joysticks now in the store.      When you're done playing, we can put you to work, too. Running a home business? We've got clear address labels for your mailing list (they look much better on envelopes than the white kind) and laser business cards (why print out 1,OOO business cards when a couple of dozen will do)?      Finally, dealing with the IRS always makes one think about finances in general. If this is you, come in and pick up your copy of Quicken Financial Planner. It's simple, yet powerful - and it'll make next April much more pleasant.

Return to the Index

Deals

     If April has you feeling a little pinched, you'll appreciate these special prices on both software and hardware.

     Probably our best deal is the Sony Trinitron 17-inch monitor. Put this reliable item on your desktop for just $324.95!

     Then, to play on that new monitor, pick up the Game of The Year Collection - featuring Starcraft, Diablo and Warcraft2) -- for just $54.95. That's like three games for the price of one! That'll leave enough for you to pick up Warcraft Battlechest at the ridiculously low price of $24.95.

     All play and no work makes it tough to buy great games, so consider the following great additions to your working software: Norton System Works for just $49.95... Corel Word Perfect Suite 8.0 for just $69.95... Corel Draw 8 for just $129.95...and Paint Shop Pro 5.1 for just $79.95.

     Work or play, it's a great time to be buying at Quid'·nunc!

Return to the Index

Low Sierra!

     If you have kids... if you know someone with kids... if you are a kid. ... if you once saw a magazine that discussed kids... you've got to come into the store now. Sierra, the great publishers of software for pre-teens, made us an obscenely good deal on a pile of products. Games like Trophy Bass Deluxe for only $24.95... NASCAR Craftsman ($19.95)... Game of the Year Collection ($54.95)... Deer Avenger ($19.95)... Sabrina the Teenage Witch....($9.95) Bug Adventure ($19.95)... Hoyle Card Games ($24.95)... You Don't Know Jack 3 ($14.95)... Kid Pilot ($19.95)... Lords of Magic SE ($29.95) and Grand Prix Legends ($29.95). And you know Sierra for its great educational software: Now you can get Math Blaster 9-12, Math Blaster Pre-Algebra, Math Blaster Algebra, Math Blaster Geometry, Reading Blaster 9-12 and Reading Blaster 6-9, all for just $19.95 each! Short of just giving them away, you'll never see better prices on better software. Hurry in - when they're gone, they're gone!

Return to the Index

Got Starsiege?

     Okay, it's already one of the coolest games you can load onto your hard drive.
     But we at Quid'·nunc can't wait until you stop by the West Seattle Street Festival on July 9-11.
     We can't tell you what's going on. .. but we can tell you it'll be BIG. Really BIG.

Return to the Index

New Services:
Web Design, Printer Repairs

     Have you tried making your own Web page and been unhappy with the result? Do you have business that requires a better-looking Web site than the one you can put together? Call us and our Web expert, Bill Kresge, will design your Web site. Bill designed the Quid'·nunc site, The Junction site, the West Seattle Herald site, now a part of the Robinson Newspaper site (which he also designed and maintains) and many others.

     To utilize the service, just set up an appointment. The price is just $45 per hour; how much your site will ultimately cost depends on how elaborate you need it to be. Design does not include hosting the site. If you're a Quid'·nunc ISP customer, your monthly fee includes plenty of Web site posting space. If you're not, you'll have to cheek with your own ISP to see how much space you get.

     Late News: Now that Keri Fox has closed her Foxtronics store, she has contracted with Quid'·nunc to repair IBM-compatible printers (if you have a Mac and your printer has an IBM port, you can use this service, too). You'll find her service to be top-notch - if your printer needs work, call and make an appointment today!

Return to the Index

Quid. Nunc Internet:
Definitely Speedy Lines

     DSL -- digital subscriber lines -- appears to finally be a reality thanks to USWest. Our local telephone company has been working overtime installing these lines and hooking its customers up. Those who are connected - as several of our customers already are - are definitely content with the improved speeds.

     Anyone who'd like to see what this type of connection looks like can drop by Aaron's Bicycle Shop at 6400 California Avenue SW. Aaron's is one of our customers and owner Aaron Goss would be happy to show you what this kind of connection can do for you.

Return to the Index

So Long & Thanks

     We've been saying good-bye to old friends of late. Recently, Rob Lear and Celeste Lewis have gone on to other projects. We'll miss Rob's Macintosh orientation. As for Celeste Lewis, we'll miss her willingness to work on almost anything, her cheerful disposition and the wonderful way she helped and interacted with customers. We suspect you will, too. She wanted to concentrate more on her accounting. Good luck, Celeste! Thanks for being part of the team, Rob!

Return to the Index

No Slackers Here      The slack left from Rob Lear's departure has been taken up by an old Quid'·nunc friend, Edgars Klepers. We're grateful his school schedule permits him to work additional hours.

There is no truth to the rumor… That anybody connected to Quid'·nunc has to be named Bill.

Return to the Index

          Quid'·nunc Best-Sellers
          Feb. '99 / Mar. '99
           Indicates second consecutive month as best seller