This classification offers rock solid performance coupled with a nice upgrade-in-place path. Compact and ultra-quiet especially with the Antec NSK2480, it is ideal for the professional who wants the force multiplier that a fast, reliable system like this can deliver. For the best possible gains in productivity, give the combination of Windows Vista and Office 2007 serious consideration. This custom-built system will take you as far as you'd like to go.

Note that we specify a separate drive for the operating system and another mirrored pair for your data. This combination offers a degree of security and fault-tolerance that a single large drive simply cannot offer. Ask yourself this: how much data can you afford to lose and how much downtime can you stand?  See the section on backup strategies for your system for more info on this vital subject.

Workstation Component Complement

QTY

Description

Enclosure

1

System drive(s)

1

WD 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

OR

WD 80 GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s when used w/separate data drives

Data drives

(optional-usually run in RAID 1)

2

WD* 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

External backup drive

1

Western Digital 500GB external hard drive

DVD RW Drive:

1

HP or Sony Dual Layer DVD/CD RW with LightScribe capability

Memory

1

2 GB Patriot 240-Pin DDR2 1066 Dual Channel RAM

Processor options

1

Single core: Intel Pentium 4 630 Prescott 3.0GHz 2MB L2 Cache EM64T

Dual core:    Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache

Quad core:   Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache

Motherboard options

1

Video Card

1

ASUS EN8600GT SILENT/HTDP/512M GeForce 8600GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3  - fanless video card. Fast and quiet

Monitor

1

SCEPTRE X20G-Naga III Black 20.1" 8ms DVI Widescreen HD Ready LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 800:1 Built in Speakers

Keyboard / Mouse

1

Both Logitec and Microsoft make excellent wireless keyboard mouse combinations.

Operating System

1

Win XP Pro or Win Vista Ultimate

1

Acronis True Image