Information and sources for high-quality barebone computer systems.

Cheap Barebone Computer Systems

A barebone computer system is usually referred to as one that has just the minimum necessary components to make a computer operate and store data. It is mainly just a box (motherboard, case and a hard drive), a keyboard, mouse and monitor. No real bells and whistles like CD-burners and stereo sound systems. It is just enough to turn on and run some basic applications. Click here for a wide variety of affordable barebone systems and kits.

Cheap Barebone Computers Today

Today, cheap barebone systems are generally not the type of system most people want or enjoy using. Most need a few accouterments to make their computer experience fun and multimedia enabled. Actually, it is probably easier to buy a Barebone computer system and add to it granted you get a case that allows for expansion--but most do now days.

Remember to keep in mind the main reasons you want the computer. If you don't think you will be watching movies on your computer but opt instead to watch them on a bigger screen, then getting a DVD player may not be right for you. Barebone computers don't come with DVD burners or players. If you are going to be playing a lot of high-end games, though, then a DVD player is a must. Barebone systems using an AMD processor are very popular today mostly because you can get a barebone AMD for less than a barebone Intel. You can get a very good AMD Barebone Computer for cheap. Check out AMD Socket A barebone computers and AMD Socket 754.

Barebones Beige Kit
Package Includes:
10-Bay ATX Window Case
Screw Pack
Samsung 32x10x40 CD-RW and 12x DVD-ROM Combo Drive
White PS/2 Multimedia Keyboard w/driver floppy (Win 95/98)
White PS/2 3-button Scroll Mouse
White AC-Powered Stereo Speakers w/headphone jack
$43.99

Black Barebones DIY Kit
Package Includes:
10-Bay ATX Window Case
- Screw Pack
Artec 52x24x52 CD-RW & 16x DVD-ROM IDE Drive
- Nero Express/Power DVD CD
- User's Manual
- One (1) 40-pin, 80-wire IDE cable
- Mounting screws
Black PS/2 Multimedia Keyboard w/driver floppy (Win 95/98)
Black PS/2 3-button Scroll Mouse
Black AC-Powered Stereo Speakers w/headphone jack

$49.99

Beige Barebones Kit
Package Includes:
10-Bay computer case
- Screw Pack
- 400-Watt ATX Power Supply
- Power Cord
-40x CD-ROM IDE Drive
-1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive
-3-Piece White Kit - Keyboard, -Mouse, and Stereo Speakers
- White PS/2 Multimedia
Keyboard w/driver floppy (Win 95/98)
- White PS/2 3-button Scroll Mouse
- White AC-Powered Stereo Speakers w/headphone jack
$49.99

CD writers are fairly common today, so getting one of these is a safe addition to your system. Barebone computers most often don't come with CD drives. Even if you are not downloading a lot of music, graphic images, or movies, you most likely will find it useful for backing up your system. Learn more about CD writers on this web site at the CD-R vs. CD-RW page. Hard drives seem to get full of all sorts of things and to do a full system back up may take more than one CD. Some barebone computers don't come with hard drives either. If you want to learn more about hard drives and how to choose the right hard drive for your new barebone computer system, go to the How To choose a Quality Cheap Hard Drive page.

Barebone computers based on Intel processors are quite prevalent. This is due mainly to how many Intel processors there are out there. You can find information on Intel Socket 478 barebone systems here. Although AMD and Intel both make very reliable processors, some people just prefer Intel. Intel has been setting the mark for processing milestones since the beginning, so devotion to that brand is understandable. Both Intel and AMD barebone systems are very reliable and inexpensive.

System memory is also important. Most systems today are easily upgradeable no matter what amount of memory is installed when you purchase it. Upgrading memory is easy and you can learn more about that on the Memory Upgrade page on this site. Barebone computers usually come with a minimum of memory. Having a large amount of memory in your barebone computer is a good idea. Memory helps the system perform better and faster. It is generally believed the easiest way to boost computing power is to increase the memory the processor and operating system can utilize. Be sure to get plenty of memory for your new barebone computer.

You will also need a decent size hard drive. I use a 10Gig drive on the system I use most often and I haven't run out of space yet. But if you plan to download a great deal of information and files to burn CDs, you may need a bigger drive. Learn more about hard drives at the How To choose a Quality Cheap Hard Drive page for solid information on how to choose the right hard drive for your barebone computer.

If you like tinkering with things and doing work yourself, then getting a good barebone computer is a great idea. Today, barebone computers are much easier to work on and configure than in the past. It used to be that putting in a new interface card into a computer was a hassle. You had to know DMA channels and Interrupts and software configuration just to name a few. Its pretty easy now to buy a good barebone computer and be able to add just about anything you want. Many don't care to much for Microsoft, but operating systems really have improved a great deal over the years. Now you can install XP on your barebone and when you add new components the OS generally can recognize it and deal with its installation. This is a huge improvement over how it used to be.

I hope you decide to get a barebone system. It really is fun to build a computer yourself and install the software and know exactly what you have. You will also be able to fix problems when they occur. This is a great advantage since computer technical service is not cheap.

Go here for some super deals on cheap BareBone computer systems.

Today's News/Information Article

History Of The Computer; The Emergence Of Electronics

by: Tony Stockill

The history of the computer inevitably includes the development of electronics, we look at the explosive (!) growth of electronics in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

If anything could be said in favor of war, it may be that it speeds up the development of technology. Of course much of that technology is employed in killing people and destroying infrastructure, but there are also things which could be considered beneficial.

Electronics was around in the early part of the 20th Century, wireless, or radio, was in its infancy at the time of the first world war. Radio broadcasting came into prominence in the '20s and 30's, Television started in the '30's.

The second world war, from 1939 in Europe, and a couple of years later involving the USA, ended in 1945. Radar (Radio Aid To Detection And Ranging) was developed from early experiments, just prior to the war, in Britain and Germany. There was rapid development in the field, and, by the end of the war, Radar was being used in several fields.

Aircraft Navigation - Using ground transmitters in sets of 3, widely spaced, to give an aircraft using a receiver a method of pinpointing its position. This is a similar system to that used in gps today, substituting satellites for the ground stations.

Targeting - A beam was transmitted from a Radar station in England so that it intercepted a target in Germany. An aircraft could fly along the beam, guided by signals, dots or dashes, if it strayed off the beam, left or right. Known as flying on the beam.

Interception - a series of ground stations around the South-East coast of England, feeding into a central control room, where their tracks could be displayed, significantly assisted in the Battle of Britain (1940).

Airborne Interception (AI) - Developed towards the end of the war, used a Tranceiver (transmitter/receiver) in a night fighter to find a target in the dark, or bad weather, and track it to within firing range.

Beacon - A tranceiver was located at the end of a runway so that ground staff could guide a returning aircraft to land in bad weather, this became more and more sophisticated, developing into GCA or Ground Controlled Approach.

Shipping - radar equipped vessels could track other vessels in darkness or fog, whether peacefully or aggressively.

Many other sytems were developed or initiated in that 6 year period. Knowledge of electronics, and what it could be used for vastly increased. In parallel with the development of radar, other fields of electronics were also advancing, under pressure from the requirement to improve the technology.

Long range guns on ships or in the field needed to be aimed accurately. The calculations required in ballistics to aim a gun so that you can hit the target, or aim a V2 rocket so that it hits London from continental Europe, are phenomenal.

This, then was the scene at the end of the war. We knew how to tackle large calculations with speed, and we had developed a new concept in electronics, Pulse Technology. This is so called because radar uses short pulses of high energy, for two main reasons.

1. The pulses can be coded. For example, in the Navigation example we looked at, 3 ground stations transmit a signal whose source needs to be identified. One transmitter could transmit a series of single pulses spaced say 10 milliseconds. A second could transmit a pair of pulses at 10 millisecond spacing, and the third 3 pulses. A chart would tell the navigator where the pulse sets were transmitted from, and the distances obtained from the radar set used to locate the position on the chart.

2. The power, or strength, of the signal. A continuous radio signal, like a radio broadcast, takes a given amount of power. However, a 1 millisecond pulse every 10 milliseconds, uses only one tenth of the power, on average. So a radar transmitter can have a much greater range for the same power. This is is especially important in a primary (transmit and receive) radar system, where we must detect the reflection of the signal we transmit. Likewise a secondary (receive) radar system, for example the navigation system above, will have a bigger range.

Next we will look at how early computers were now possible due to these developments.

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