Technology

The paper deals with recommending a local high school on the school-wide purchase of a computer system by solely focusing on the configuration and specification of one computer system. The recommendations are based on current and real computer systems, brand and the varying prices that will be verified.

Target Local High School
In the advancing word of today, there is a dire need for up to date technology in business and educational institutions alike. Moreover, the task of buying an ideal computer system for students in a high school becomes quite challenging keeping in mind the acquisition of the latest computer systems and the varying prices.

A desktop system is recommended over a laptop for the high schools computer centre as it would allow ease of instruction in a conducive environment. It would also allow for easy and low cost maintenance. The latest computer system in market these days is the Intel Core i7. The recommendation for this microprocessor is that it should have a good clock frequency of 2.66 GHz and multi-core technology.

A RAM with a memory speed of 1066 MHz and storage capacity of at least 6GB is recommended with DDR3 SDRAM technology. A large secondary storage in the form of a hard drive is essential for students record keeping and important data (preferably with 7200 rpm and 750 GB capacity). An optical storage of  a combo DVDRW (R DL)  DVD-RAM - Serial ATA will provide read and write facility to the students at a speed of 40x for CD and 16X for the DVD.

For a monitor, a 20-inch-diagonal size display with a (169 aspect ratio) 1600 by 900 native screen resolution is recommended which makes it appropriate for showing HD content. For this purpose, HPs 2009m monitor offers a good quality and a suitable refresh rate for viewing digital media with a price of 200. It has a display refresh rate of over 60.

The HP Pavilion Elite m9650f - Core i7 940 2.66 GHz is a core i7-based, consumer level computer. Compared to other general-purpose desktop computers on the market, it is set at a medium price at around 1,205.

The operating system needs to be the latest and should have ease of use as well. Windows 7 as the latest public release version of Microsoft Windows for home and business use is recommended. It will also provide an excellent media centre for the high school students. Windows 7 will also provide improved performance on multi-core processors.

For the installation of software, Microsoft Office (320), used everywhere from the New York offices of Fortune 500 companies high up in skyscrapers all the way down to rural elementary school classrooms, is suggested. It provides a user-friendly approach with word processors, spreadsheet, and slide show presentations etc, with an e-mail client. In terms of usability, we all are so accustomed to Microsoft Office that it often feels like second nature to us. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the productivity work that we do using MS Office is extra-ordinary.

For, protection against viruses, a specialist anti-virus software like Symantec Norton Anti-Virus needs to be installed. Norton has drastically improved virus scan engine and provides excellent user support at a price of 39. Additionally, Adobe Acrobat PRO 9 (89.9) will provide accessibility to PDF files. PDF format is widely used for educational purposes and thus the Adobe Reader becomes a necessity.

As the purchase of the computer systems would be in large quantity (hardware and software combined), it is recommended that it should be bought from a store in the city. By adopting such means, the high school can avoid large shipment costs that will come with buying a computer system through the internet. It will also provide for easy maintenance of the computer systems and good user support for installation as well.

To make the classroom instructions more effective and interactive, certain additional components have to be installed. An HP wired mouse (25.27) is recommended as it will not be misplaced during instructions by the students. A web camera along with a good microphone, is a necessity with any modern computer system, therefore, for this purpose an HP Elite Auto-Focus Webcam (73) will provide for video conferencing with students from distant cities and countries as well. The LOGITECH USB ADVANCED MICROPHONE (50) is recommended as it provides sound clarity and a single USB plug and play connection. It also filters out background noise. The keyboard is recommended to be HPs ADESSO SLIM-MEDIA Desktop Keyboard with built-in Card Reader and a USB Hub (33).

Overall, the HP computer system will be provided with a one year service and support warranty which is quite necessary. The user support will provide for timely maintenance as well.

S.NoNamePrice1HP Pavilion Elite m9650f - Core i7 940 2.66 GHz (with Windows 7 OS)12052HP 2009m Monitor 1893HP wired mouse25.274HP Elite Auto-Focus Webcam535LOGITECH USB advanced microphone 406HPs ADESSO SLIM-MEDIA Desktop Keyboard337MS Office 20073208NORTON Anti-Virus399Adobe Reader PRO 989.9TOTAL  1994.17

The whole computer system has been bought in this case at a price of 1994.17 by making the maximum use of the monetary assistance provided by the high school administration. It can be safely concluded now that the computer system so provided, is the most ideal considering the currents trends in technology. Even if the high school aims at keeping the require technology for a minimum of five years or so, the computer system is well suited to meet all such demands with the progression of time.