ew other additional costs such as the cost of the casing itself (~15) as well as some other small cables and parts. This total does not reflect the cost of software, and although most of the software I have chosen is shareware, certain programs can get quite costly. Such as Adobe Photoshop and Adaptec Easy CD Creator. A more reasonable cost would be about $5000, when the cost of high speed internet access is taken into account (~$20/month plus ~$100 initial connection) This total is an exorbitant cost, especially because within a year or so, all of this will be available for around half the price, with some of it on its way to becoming obsolete or unnecessary. Moore’s Law states that in the computer world, every 18 months the capacity of memory doubles. Amazing as this is, even more amazing is the fact that the price tends to decrease by 50%. Thusly no computer is essentially a “dream” computer. The computer industry changes too quickly for one to ever hope to keep up with all the latest technologies and speed/memory updates and expansions. The key to buying and keeping a computer up to date is to always realize that no matter what, your computer will not be perfect, nor the best at everything that computer are capable of. I think what’s important is to purchase with this in mind, and keep the costs reasonable, while buying components that will not become obsolete within two years. Also key is making the computer upgradeable, before any upgrades are necessary. Expansion slots for memory and other components, even an additional hard drive, are not that expensive and are extremely practical as no on wants to buy a new computer every few years. I would never spend more than $1500 on a computer and accompanying components, yet it is fun to dream of a computer so powerful and cutting edge. ...
