1. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Building a PC Online PC Specifications Components & Decisions

2. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Developing PC Specs Develop usage profile Determine software needs Determine connectivity Identify peripherals Choose components Cost justify choices

3. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Usage Profile Who will be using the computer? For what will it be used? Is it mission critical? Where will it reside?

4. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Usage Profile (e.g.) This computer will be used by students to perform word processing and research on the Internet. It will be used on a daily basis (~4 hours) in the computer lab.

5. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Determine software needs What software applications will be installed on the PC? What are the package hardware requirements?

6. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Software Needs (e.g.) This PC will have MC Office XP, IE6, Cool 3-D animation, Flash, and an intensive graphics package – Photoshop will be installed. The minimum requirements for this PC must match the recommendations for WinXP, however RAM should be double the minimum recommendation published by the Micro Soft website.

7. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Determine the Connectivity How will the PC connect to the World? What network protocols are required? Will this PC dial-in? What are the dial-in protocols?

8. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Connectivity (e.g.) This PC will be connected to our Ethernet local area network. It will require a 3 Com 10/100 network interface card (NIC), a patch cable, a drop in the lab. Our school district will have access to a wireless LAN with towers that will reach all the way to the home. This PC will be available to student “check out” for home use and require a wireless NIC.

9. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Peripherals This PC will have the following Inkjet Printer Scanner USB Digital Camera Flat Screen Monitor 15” Video Capture Card Keyboard Optical Mouse

10. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Choose Components System Board & Chip set must match Investigate AMD versus Intel Memory (type must match processor speed) Floppy Drive Hard Drive DVD CD R/W Controllers Video Board Monitor Keyboard & Mouse NIC / Wireless NIC OS/Software Miscellaneous hardware & software

11. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Component Checklist The best way to deal with insuring the quality of the PC is to establish a checklist with all the possible components listed and use this checklist to develop the specifications. Create this checklist so that you can go back and purchase each item after you have collected several of the same components to compare. Use Word and make a table – it should include: Component, Specifications (size, model number, capacity), Part number, Manufacturer, URL, Price Leave a large column for justification

12. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Table should look like this ComponentSpecificationsPart # ManufacturerURLPriceJustification Example: 15” Flat Screen Monitor Resolution:.30 1224 X640 Pn1 2333 4444 ViewSonichttp://www. viewsonic.c om $500No desk space for traditional monitor

13. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Cost Justification Why would you choose a $400 processor over a $200 processor? How can you justify spending $85 more for a video card? What are the best uses for the $$$$$$$s? Express needs!!!

14. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Cost Justify Examples Faster is better…It’s the future Plan to replace your computer in 3 years…so only spend what you can afford to “throw away” in 3 years. It is leading edge technology ….. This PC will be used for high-end graphics & animation….The relatively small cost increase will be more than saved in the time saved waiting for rendering the graphics or animation.

15. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Where do you get info? Vendors Current magazines Online manufactures www.pricewatch.com Other teams Research Tech TV

16. The Center for Distance Learning Research TAMU Team Exercise – Design a PC In teams of two design a PC Multimedia compliant Budget $1950 The team that gets the more “bang” for the “buck” wins!