Buying a PC
This Parents-online link has a very good section on buying a PC. Any Desktop PC for around £400 has the specification needed for any education use.
I strongly recommend that you get everything you need in the initial purchase. That way, you know it is all working at the beginning. Also that you have virus and firewall protection, and a second hard drive for backing up. A Suggested minimum specification for a computer package for education use at home would be:
• An Intel Pentium 4 Processor – at least 3Ghz or more
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
• 1024Mb Ram
• 80 GB Hard Disk (7200rpm) at least, 160Gb better. Strongly recommend that you have a second hard drive installed of the same size for backup
• 512 Mb Graphics
• DVD Re-Writer
• 17" TFT (Flat Screen)
• and a surge protection socket
You can get free antivirus and firewall protection so don't pay for it - see Efficiency Software
The PC should also have Internet access, preferably at broadband speed, now available at approx £15-20 a month. If you connect to the Internet, especially with broadband, then your computer needs to be secure so look at the section on 'Security and Efficiency'. I use a colour printer (always keeping spare colour cartridges 1/3 normal price from www.bigink.co.uk ) with the default setting to black-and-white so that colour ink is not wasted. Having a home computer using broadband connected to the Internet is one of the best investments you can make in your child's education, along with encouraging a responsible attitude with help from the web sites below and in the websites section. Oh, and no games allowed on it... games software is probably responsible for as many poorly PCs as are caused by viruses.
Software
If a young person can have access to the same software at home as at school, it makes the work they do electronically easy to do at home as well as at school.
IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) every student needs access to a PC with at least Office software running on it.
Either:
Microsoft Office Student & Teacher Edition - search on Amazon (£80 @ 18-07-06)
or Open Office http://www.openoffice.org/ (Free - slightly different to MS Office which is used at school)
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