Where PC means Personal Care® · August 2004 · No. 48
"Yes, the Case Does Make
A Difference!"
Did you know that the outer shell of your computer plays an important role in your computer's overall efficiency? Perhaps you haven't thought much about how your computer's case affects your computer's performance, so please consider these interesting points before you buy or upgrade.
- Power Supply. Your case's power supply needs to have sufficient wattage to support the current processor, additional devices (such as CD and DVD drives, hard drives, and so on), and any external devices such as scanners that draw power from the computer. The bottom line is that while many low-end systems can get by with a 250-watt power supply, most modern systems should have a power supply of 300 watts or more.
Durability is also an important consideration for a power supply. Our technicians report that "low end" computers frequently come in for repair with a power supply that has failed within a year. Frequently those power supplies are non-standard, and need to be special-ordered to be replaced. This takes time and is usually more expensive. All of Quidnunc's computers use industry-standard power supplies. - Cooling. The first cooling consideration is the case's fans. Today's computers should have at least one fan in the case in addition to the power supply fan. Computers run much hotter than they did even a couple of years ago, and probably twice as hot as five years ago. Hard drives are also hotter because they spin faster.
The second cooling consideration is the case's internal airflow. Cases today need to have vents in the front AND the back so more air can flow through them. Air needs to flow through all the devices. Before buying any computer, you should ask to see the insides just to see how much room there is for air to flow around all devices.
Planning Ahead
Once you get past these basics, here are some options to consider that can change how well your computer works for you now and in the future:
- Room for Expansion. How many bays (the slots where the disc drives or CD drives go) does the case have available? We often think "this computer's got everything in it that I'm ever going to want!" Who knows whether 6 months or a year from now they will come out with a magic device that allows you to talk to your great Aunt Agatha wirelessly but it only fits in a 5-1/4 inch bay and the 2 you have are filled up with a CD and DVD burner? (As an aside, 3-1/2" bays hold floppy disk drives, zip drives, and built-in card readers.)
Many small cases cannot accommodate a full-sized motherboard. This can limit the number of additional cards, and can even limit the size of the processor. - Ports that were once only available on the back of the computer are now available on the front, such as USB ports, audio ports for headsets and microphones, and firewire ports for camcorders.
- Accessibility. How easy is it to access the computer for maintenance, once the case is removed? Many compact cases can easily add a half hour of labor because of the difficulty of getting to the internal components.
At Quidnunc, we have four standard tower sizes that we sell with a range in price from $54.99 to $114.99 in standard colors of beige, bronze and black. In addition, we can order cases in varying designer colors such as blue, yellow, and red.
For those that want something a little different, you can get cases with clear panel sides, lights of different colors in the interior and even some cool lighting on the front!
Regardless of whether you're purchasing a case for how it looks, ultimately you should be concerned with how well it is able to support the functions of your computer, as well as allowing room for future expansion.
Featured in this newsletter:
· The Case Makes a Difference!
· TECH TALK: Spyware
· TECH TALK: Technicians Tips
· Recycle Your Software
· Classes Are Here!
· Back-to-School Special
· 10th Anniversary Coming!
· We repair laser printers.
· New Stuff At Quidnunc
Also:
Coupons
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Recycle Your SoftwareGive someone else a chance to enjoy your used software! |
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Classes Are Here!
We are currently offering classes in Windows XP, Internet, MS Word and MS Excel. Please check our website regularly for the latest schedule.
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Back-to-School Special
Get Microsoft Word, Encarta, Picture It, Streets and Trips and Money all in the Microsoft Works Suite for $79.99
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10th Anniversary Coming Soon!
Mark your calendar. Our biggest ever anniversary sale will be Saturday and Sunday, October 23rd and 24th. Expect great prices, good food and a special prize for some lucky person. Watch for more details in the next newsletter.
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Quidnunc repairs laser printers.
All HP, many Lexmark and some Brother and other models. Service is available either at your site or you may bring the printer to us. In most cases, turnaround is two days or less.
| Want to record your music? Burn a CD? QUIDNUNC has everything you need! |
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T E C H T A L K
Spyware: A Major Problem
Over 50% of the computers coming to us for service are infested with spyware. (Yes, infested!) Unlike a virus, spyware is not delivered to your computer through email, but is usually downloaded along with files such as music files (MP3s) or even when viewing particular websites. In its most benign form spyware merely resides in your computer and gathers information about the type of sites you visit so that you can be targeted in various ways by advertisers. This can include Spam and Pop-up advertising. The more severe forms of spyware can gather more specific information about you for the same reasons. Three of the most common symptoms of spyware are computers slowing down, encountering multiple pop-up ads and experiencing difficulty in making or maintaining an Internet connection.
While it is difficult to prevent spyware from getting into your computer, it's easy to keep it from accumulating. There are many excellent free programs available to check your system for and remove spyware. You will find a large collection of them at www.spychecker.com/spyware.html. Two of our favorites are AdAware and Spybot. Programs like this should be run at least weekly on your computer to check for and clean spyware from your computer.
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T E C H T A L K
Tips From Our Technicians
Update Regularly
One of the most important things anyone can do to keep their system healthy is to keep their windows operating system up to date. Microsoft regularly provides updates and patches to improve the software or fix known problems. If your computer does not check for these automatically, you should, at least weekly, by visiting http://www.windowsupdate.com. While we know of cases where customers' computers have developed problems after installing an update, it is important to realize that a healthy computer will never suffer from an update.
Losing Your Internet Connection in Outlook Express
If you are frequently losing your Internet connection when in Outlook Express you may have inadvertently changed the setting that causes it to disconnect. To check this, click on the pull-down menu "Options" then click on the "Connections" tab and make sure there is NOT a checkmark in the box beside the words "Hang up after sending or receiving mail."
Wireless Mouse Interference
If you have two wireless Logitech mice or trackballs in the same room, you may receive interference between them, or you may find one interfering with the other. All Logitech wireless mice operate on the same frequency but they each have two channels. You can change the channel by pressing the connect button on the underside of the mouse (NOT THE BUTTON ON THE RECEIVER). You can toggle between the two different channels.
| Quidnunc: the friendliest computer, software & Internet store in Seattle |
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New Stuff At Quidnunc
Quidnunc is now a Channel Partner with Creative Labs. Look for special mail-in rebates available only at Quidnunc!!
In addition to our tower cases, we have a new desktop cube. Called the Aria Case, it's an ideal desktop case that takes very little space. $119.99.
Electrical surges can shorten the life of and even kill computer components. If you need better electrical protection than a surge suppressor but don't need an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), check out our AVR (automatic voltage regulator). This provides a more durable, smooth flow of current. To learn more than you ever wanted to know about the need for and functionality of surge suppressors, check out a great article on the Internet.
Want to watch television on your computer? We offer a fully functional TV receiver that uses your mouse for a remote and connects to your computer through a USB port. $79.99
DVD burner prices continue to drop. You can now get a DVD/RW at Quidnunc, bundled with excellent Nero Burning software for $124.99. This new burner will even burn dual layers if you buy special disks.
External CD burners are finally affordable. A CDRW with USB2 connection is just $79.99
Want to be able to put a printer any place in your office? The new Epson Stylus C84WN is a wireless network printer that will communicate directly with your wireless network for $229.99.
If you want to be able to restrict and/or monitor access to the Internet (for parents or employers), the new router from Linksys comes complete with software that allows you to do just that. $99.99
Service Pack 2 for Windows XP for major security upgrades should be available now. It provides an easily-configured firewall that is automatically enabled. It also builds a popup stopper into Internet Explorer. This is a free download but unless you have a DSL or cable connection, you will probably need to purchase a CD for a nominal amount.
Quidnunc is adding new services that will include faxing, scanning and printing (laser and inkjet printers) from Microsoft Office products. The computer will be configured with a card reader for most digital cameras and a CD/DVD burner. You can rent time on a computer for .15 per minute or $5.00 per hour. Printing to our laser printer will be .07 to .10 per copy (depending on quantity) and to the color printer for .65 to .89 per copy.
| Custom-built Computers! Games! Productivity! Utilities! Modems! CD-ROM! |
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Quick Reminders
Remember to bring in empty ink jet and laser toner cartridges. Keep them out of the landfills!
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We will recycle old computers, printers and monitors for a nominal fee of $15/computer or monitor, and $5/printer.
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