Efficiency - are you getting the best bang for your PC buck?

Efficiency can often determine whether your business succeeds or not. Nobody wants to waste their time & money, and PC's are a great consumer of both. Here are our best tips for getting the most out of your PC dollar.

Memory

New PCs today often ship with 2gb (2 Gigabytes) of memory, which is usually plenty for most office software. However, if your PCs are more than year old, chances are good you have less than 1gb. Windows XP users typically require at least 1gb to operate efficiently. If you use multiple applications and experience delays when switching between windows - where Windows seems to take forever to redraw the display - then you need more memory.

External Storage

External storage, typically in the form of USB or Firewire drives have dropped considerably in price. These drives are available today from 160 gb to 1tb (1 terabyte, or 1000 gb). Maxtor, Western Digital, Seagate and other manufacturers offer these plug-and-play solutions to expand your storage needs. Also, properly configured, they can be shared on your network for multiple users.

USB Flash Drives

These versatile, portable storage drives are everywhere, and come in capacities starting at 1gb. True plug-and-play usability and ever-increasing sizes make these gadgets an indispensable tool. If you require additional security, some versions come with encryption software.

Printers

I'll say it - I hate inkjets, and I'm not alone in that arena. Printer manufacturers make a fortune on ink. One calculation found on the web quoted ink for inkjets selling for the equivalent of $8000/gallon. Stick with laser technology - there are several good quality, inexpensive lasers available today. If you rarely print digital pictures, consider uploading your pictures to a number of online services (Wolf Camera, OFoto). These service providers can generate higher quality prints than most color laserjets & inkjets. Also, look around for local companies that sell refilled or refurbished cartridges - these can often be had for 1/2 the price of a new cartridge.

Personally, I use HP's B&W 1020 Laserjet, which is now available as the P1006 (as low as $99), and the HP Color Laserjet 1600 (available locally for as little as $149. Virtually any USB printer can be networked, don't get fooled into upgrading to a printer with built-in "network support". Also, NEVER buy a cable with your printer; cables are available online for considerably less than the local retailers. Contact us for more details.

Dual Monitors

If you have the desk space, consider running dual monitors. Many PCs come with video hardware that will support dual monitors. If your PC does not, a second video card can be installed to run the second monitor. These video cards can be internal or external (via a USB connection). The internal video cards generally generate a better picture than the USB versions.

Also, many monitors today include a build-in USB hub, which provides additional USB slots for convenience. If you've ever had to grope under your desk, in the dark, to plug or unplug a USB device from the back of your computer, then you will love this convenient addition.

UPS

A UPS, or Uninterruptible Power Supply, provides battery backup in the event of a power failure, and usually also provides built-in surge suppression. The major advantage of using one of these devices, outside of being able to keep working when the lights go out, is the automatic shutdown of Windows when the battery eventually runs down. Windows can be configured to go into 'hibernation mode' where it saves the current state of open files and applications to the hard drive, and then shuts down. This prevents data loss which can otherwise happen during a sudden power failure. Once the power is restored, Windows wakes back up as if nothing has happened. Be sure that the UPS you choose is USB-compliant; some older models are not. The bigger the UPS, the longer it will supply power to your system. The smallest of units will generally only give 10 minutes of battery backup. If you have a CRT monitor, avoid the smaller units which do not have enough power to drive CRTs.

More tips coming soon!