Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
great hardship to purchase three or four mid-capacity drives and devote them
to backup. When your main hard drive fails, or a virus/malware takes over your
system, you'll be glad you did.
Ron Morse Comments
Here's the question: Is your data
worth $200?
KeyboardandMouse
Logitech Cordless Desktop S520 Keyboard/Mouse Combo ( http://www.
logitech.com )
Personal preference outweighs all else when choosing a keyboard and mouse.
So many personal factors determine the usability of a keyboard—straight ver-
sus ergonomic, layout, key size, cup depth, angle, stroke length, corded versus
cordless, and so on—that no one can choose the “best” keyboard for someone
else. The same is true, to a lesser extent, for a mouse.
That said, we had to pick a “mainstream” keyboard and mouse for our main-
stream system. This will be Barbara's new main office desktop system. She
wanted a cordless mouse, and didn't care if the keyboard was wired or cord-
less. (Barbara doesn't do online banking or other high-security tasks on this
system; otherwise, she would have insisted on a wired keyboard.) She gener-
ally prefers the feel of Logitech keyboards and mice to similar models from
Microsoft, but was willing to consider Microsoft. We decided something in the
$50 range would be suitable.
She ended up choosing the Logitech Cordless Desktop S520 Keyboard/Mouse
Combo, but the Microsoft Wireless Media Desktop 3000 came in a close sec-
ond. Of course, there are literally hundreds of keyboard and mouse models
available, priced from under $10 to several hundred dollars, so your choice will
likely be different than Barbara's.
We've used literally hundreds of different keyboards and mice over the years,
from dozens of manufacturers, and we keep coming back to Logitech and
Microsoft models. Both companies produces dozens of models, one of which is
almost certainly suitable for you. Even the least expensive Logitech and Microsoft
models are of reasonably good quality, but you'll probably be happier if you
limit your selection to models that cost at least $30 or $35.
Speakers
Logitech Z523 2.1 speaker system ( http://www.logitech.com )
M-AUDIO Studiophile AV 30 2.0 speaker system ( http://www.m-audio.com )
A mainstream system deserves a good set of speakers, but we can realistically
spend no more than $100 on ours. In the preceding edition, we chose the Log-
itech Z-2300 2.1 speaker system, which then sold for about $100. The Z-2300
was head-and-shoulders above similarly priced competitors, both in sound
quality and in output power. Alas, Logitech apparently realized it was leaving
money on the table, because the Z-2300 currently sells for $150 or more.
We think the best current choices in the under-$100 range are the Logitech
Z523 if you want a 2.1 speaker system and the M-AUDIO Studiophile AV 30
if you prefer a 2.0 speaker system. The Z523 is an excellent general-purpose
 
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