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You can spend more tuning your car these days than you will on upgrading your computer.)
The best bargain in the world these days is your computer.
Think about it. If you buy a car, the same model for 1998 costs more than the same model you bought in 1988. Compact disks cost twice what it once cost to buy record albums. But if you're buying a new CD-ROM drive, new hard drive or more RAM for your computer, you're going to not only spend less than the last time you bought, but you'll get a lot more.
RAMtastic
How big is this drop? When I first upgraded my own computer to 16 Mb of RAM, it cost me over $600. As I write this, I'm selling 32 Mb chips for just under $90... and it's entirely likely the price will have fallen by the time you read it.
Anyone can have 64 Mb of RAM today -- and should. Microsoft Office 97 wants 32 Mb to run Word and Excel at the same time. Games have always been memory hogs; now it's almost cheaper to buy the memory than the newest game.
Bigger
Hard drives, too, are much cheaper. Four years ago, my connections got me a bargain 545 Mb drive for $480. Now, for about two-thirds the price, you can buy one ten times bigger. Do it. You'll need the space. The amazing Internet game Ultimate Online is terrific -- but wants 500 Mb worth of hard drive real estate. A full install of Microsoft Office Professional is going to want 150 Mb of your hard drive. And more and more, games want 100 Mb to 200 Mb of space (besides the RAM they hog).
Faster
CD-ROM drives are stunningly affordable, too. You can get a 32x drive for what it used to cost for a 4x. Our 16x drives are even more economical.
And for that total gaming experience, sound cards now can be had for the ridiculously low price of around $60. That's for a SoundBlaster 16. And since that's the one sound card every software publisher tests with, it's hard to go wrong. For right around $100 you can get true wave-table sound with the AWE64.
You can spend more tuning your car these days than you will on upgrading your computer. Come on in and take advantage of these great prices -- and feel free to ask questions about what's best for your computer.
| How many X do you have? Is it enough? See related story |
Index
Best Buys
Picks of the Month
Software: Quasi-Modal
Hardware: Big Woof
Bill's Pick: Slip Slide It Away
Gigabytes of Thanks!
Pre-owned
We're Not Playing Games Here
DOS All (Well, Almost)!
Kid Stuff
Domain? Let us!
New Items
Quid'nunc Best Sellers (November/December 1997)
Calendar & Schedule
Picks of the Month
Not a fan of shoot-'em-up games? Tired of virtual mayhem all over your monitor? Too pooped to solve esoteric or convoluted puzzles, but looking to your computer for relaxation?
Bill's Pick:
Not every desk is meant to hold a computer. Sometimes the surface is too high. Sometimes it's too narrow, leaving no room for a monitor and a keyboard.
Software doesn't just wear out. So why not buy used? There are some great bargains in our used rack. For example? How about Learn To Speak Spanish, just $59.95 (Macintosh or Wintel).... LucasArts Vol. II, just $29.95.... Turbo C++ for just $49.95.... or Outpost for just $9.95? For Macintosh, the deals are just as good: Adobe Illustrator only $189.... Aldus Freehand for only $49.95.... Deneba Canvas 3.0 for only $49.95.
We're Not Playing Games Here
DOS All (Well, Almost!)
As always, Quid'nunc has a great assortment of new software for the younger set. Be creative and try Orly's Draw A Story.... hang out with American Girls.... or go bonkers with Young Dilbert Hi-Tech Hijinx.
Tired of having your friends call up your Web page at quidnunc.net/whatever? Want your own business web site?
Coming Soon
More Cool Hardware
Read This
Coming Soon
More Cool Hardware
Read This
Mouse In The House?
I've Been Dilbert-ized!
We're Fixed To Fix You Up
Faces In The Place
How Many X Do You Have?
Classes
Coupon Specials
Quid'nunc Information
Software: Quasi-Modal
Try Puzz 3D Notre Dame.
You build a virtual replica the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. But, unlike traditional jigsaw puzzles, your views are in three dimensions, not two. Choose one of four settings to determine how many pieces your puzzle will have. When you're finished, you can explore the cathedral using 3D VR. And, if you're undaunted by the challenge of assembling all 900 pieces on the highest setting, you'll find a sweepstakes entry as you explore the cathedral Send it in and you may win trip to Paris, with airfare and hotel included!
My wife finally found a game she likes besides Tetris and Solitaire.
Getting tired of a computer sound system that sounds more
like a dying shower radio than a multi-thousand dollar piece of equipment? Check out the powerful Altec Lansing speaker system with subwoofer. It's factory reconditioned, works
on Wintel or Macintosh machines, and is a major bargain at $79.95. And if you really want to crank everything from Doom to Soundgarden, Quid'nunc is closing out the high-end Altec Lansing system at $179.95 ($169.95 for the floor demo). One warning: You might want to keep your volume on medium until after mudslide season. mud slide cannot be held responsible.
Slip Slide It Away
Thanks to Fellowes and Rubbermaid, there's an easy solution: Keyboard drawers. They store your keyboard out of sight when you're not using it, but slide out, at the optimum height, when you are.
Even better, the newer ones feature a little extension for your mouse, so you don't have to reach way out in front of you. At the least, that's uncomfortable; I can't begin to hazard a guess what an occupational therapist would have to say about such a maneuver. You can get one with a gel pad to reduce your chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome and with space to accommodate those really slick ergonomic keyboards.
GIGABYTES OF THANKS!
The holiday season for Quid'nunc is like any other store: It's our busiest time. And, for the fourth Christmas, it's been a record season.
Your patronage is what makes running Quid'nunc such a joy.
Riven, Tomb Raider II, Spy Fox In Dry Cereal, even scanners flew off the shelves and under many holiday trees. Thank you for trusting your holiday shopping to us, and we hope to see you many times during the coming year.
Return to the Index
You may know Quid'nunc as a great place to buy games, or even peripherals, but you should also know that we stock much more. We've got all the right software for tax season (Quicken, TurboTax, Macintax, Quickbooks and
Kiplinger's Tax Cut). If you're looking for more from your E-mail program, look into Eudora Pro. Two of Quid'nunc's biggest sellers are Windows 95 and Norton Antivirus. And we sell more than a few versions of Macintosh OS8.
Return to the Index
Pretty much everything coming out these days runs on Windows 95. This is great if you run DOS at all (or even earlier versions of Windows) -- because Quid'nunc is dropping its prices on many of the older DOS and Windows games. That includes games already in our bargain bin! How good a deal is this? Games formerly $9.95 are just $6.95; instead of 3 for $25, you can pick up a pack of fun at 3 for $15! We're finding more great games to add to our $19.95 table. Be sure to check out our half-price bin (one each for Mac/Wintel), where EVERYTHING is half the price on the box. Examples: Star Trek Klingon, Inside Magic With Harry Anderson and Sammy's Science House, all just $19.95.... Bio Forge, Who Shot JFK and Dungeon Master, just $12.95.... Menzoberranzam and Terminator 2029, just $9.95.... and lots of titles just $4.95.
We can do that!
If you're already buying your Internet access from Quid'nunc, we can obtain a domain name for you for a $175 setup fee and an additional $25 a month. The fee includes the first two years' registration with InterNIC (the folks in charge of all the names). It's the easy way to be out on the Web on your own.
Microsoft Office Professional for Macintosh; Quake II for Macintosh; Starcraft; Half Life (from Sierra demonstrated at Star craft in October); Mech Warrior 3.
We have two Eiger PCMCIA modems designed for laptop computers. If you want to be mobile and be on the Internet, you can do it at 28.8 kbps for $159.95, or just a little bit faster (33.6 kbps) for $189.95.... Got a stuck key? We also have nifty Mac Keyboards in two flavors: the standard, in soft-touch, for just $49.95, and an ergonomic keyboard for just $69.95.
We've added three more magazines to what's probably already the best assortment of computer pubs in town. Games fans will want to buy Online Gaming Review, with news and reviews about games playable on the Internet. If you're developing a Web site, Java Pro is a great place to learn all the latest tips and tricks. And for you folks with a yen for digital toys, Equip is the magazine for you.
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I've Been Dilbert-ized Is there any doubt that Dilbert is the hero of the silicon set? Scott Adams' creation says volumes about our lives at work and as partners with our technology -- and Quid'nunc has plenty of Dilbert merchandise in stock to help you cope. If time is your concern, we have calendars for both computer and desktop. You can boot up with the Dilbert Not Just A Calendar or Get Your Daily Dose of Dilbert. Or you can use that archaic technology, paper and pen, with your choice of Big Things Are Coming My Way Soon or The Clue Meter Is Reading Zero. And for the younger set, there's Young Dilbert Hi-Tech Hijinks, an assortment of silly and addicting computer games in one package from KnowWorks. Quid'nunc also features Dilbert mouse pads and wrist rests. Heck, we've probably got everything a Dilbert fan needs short of a pocket protector. Induhviduals, beware!
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Quid'nunc Best-Sellers
November/December 1997
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WE'RE FIXED TO FIX YOU UP
Wondering what Wally's been doing in the back of the shop these past few weeks? He's been building a repair center back there. It's now finished -- and that's good for you three ways. First, our repairs can be done in a quieter environment. Second, we can do more of them. And third, it frees up the front computers for demonstrations again. That's particularly great for parents, who can see their kids play with the software they're considering buying. We now pick-up and deliver, too -- just $25.
Faces In The Place
Rick's adapting to Quid'nunc quite well, although his school schedule might make his time at the store scarce this spring. Dema Poppa (remember his game reviews?) is 15 now, and we've put him to work cleaning up around the store. So make sure he's sweeping while he's bragging about his score on Mech Warrior.
We're also looking for some part-time repair help, if you (or someone you know) has the skills.
How Many X Do You Have?
Yes, it's true: You can drop a couple of hundred bucks on a 32x CD-ROM drive. If you do a lot of software installs, it may make sense for you -- nothing like installing Windows 95 in minutes instead of hours. But beware: disk production has yet to catch up. If a disk is manufactured just a whisker off center, your hyper-fast CD drive will rattle like crazy, and the disk can even become damaged. Once a game is running, there's hardly any difference between an 8x drive and a 16x drive.
A medium-range CD drive (of 8x to 12x) is probably all anybody needs. The good news? You can buy -- or upgrade to -- such a drive really really inexpensively. (Special note: This year's TurboTax, normally released on two diskettes, is now available only on CD-ROM!)
| CLASSES All classes start at 7:30 pm and run to approximately 9:30 pm
Introduction to Windows 95
Intro to Computers
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| What Now? The Official Quid'nunc Newsletter Published by Quid'nunc......Your Neighborhood Software Store
4306 SW Oregon Street - Seattle, WA USA 98116 Tel: 932-8795. Fax: 932-8183 quidnunc@quidnunc.net
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