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Hardware means the machine itself, the metal, plastic, and silicon. Software means the programs. Once you've decided what OS and applications you want, pick the hardware that will run it. The key part of the hardware is the Central Processing Unit (CPU), the main brain chip. Choices: If you've picked Apple Mac OS and Macintosh applications, you have only one choice: an Apple Macintosh. There's plenty of models, though, to choose from. These all use the PowerPC CPU. Plus, it's hard to buy a bad Apple. In the Windows world, you have more choice. There are hundreds of vendors, from biggies like Compaq and IBM, right down to little mom 'n' pop shops that assemble and sell the "no-name" machines. The CPUs are many: Intel's Pentium and Celeron; AMD K-6 and K-7, Cyrix in several varieties. You can buy a bad Windows machine, so you have to be more careful here. You can also get a beauty, like the no-name I'm using now. If Linux is your choice, virtually anything will serve for hardware. Quit reading this stuff; you're no newbie. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Processor speed is not that big an issue. New machines going today are almost all 300 MHz or faster, which is plenty for starting off. But do get enough memory. Don't fool around here: get at least 64 Mb, preferably 128 Mb. Modern OSs like Win98 and Mac OS will want lots of memory, and will slow you down if they don't get it. Linux doesn't need as much. Get a hard disk big enough to hold more than you think you'll ever need. You'll need it. Get 10 Gb at least; next year that and 128 Mb will seem small. The keyboard and monitor are the most important. Seems strange to say that, but you'll be looking at the monitor every moment you use your computer. Forget all the dot pitch, vertical refresh, etc. hype and go find a monitor you like to look at. Spend time adjusting it. See how it looks displaying text, displaying pictures, all kinds of different things. Look for fuzziness, especially in the corners. Look for colored fringes around things that are supposed to be white. If you don't like the one you're looking at, ask to see another. Shell out only when you are sure the monitor is free of these faults. Your mouse will probably come with the computer. Same with the keyboard. You have to feel comfortable with it; it's what you handle most. If it doesn't feel right in the store, it won't feel right at home. Fortunately, getting the wrong keyboard is no big disaster: another one won't cost much. The store might even swap keyboards for free; mine did. You'll need a printer. An under-$200 inkjet printer will do just fine, and can do color. You can get a black-and-white laser printer for not much more. But a color laser printer is much more expensive. Smaller items you will probably need:
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