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Home Cable-Ready PCs

Cable-Ready PCs

Top computer manufacturers like Compaq, Dell and Gateway have long trumpeted plans to offer "cable-ready" PCs. That is, computers the come with a built-in cable modem card, or a bundled Ethernet card and preloaded software So far, however, there has been more talk than action.

If you're buying a new computer that you plan to use with a cable modem connection, make your life easier by choosing a model with an Ethernet card or have one installed at the time of purchase. Otherwise, a cable technician will have to pry open your PC and install one later.

Another word to the wise: Don't skimp on PC processing power or random access memory (RAM). A fast cable modem connection will be hamstrung by a slow PC. That's particularly true if you use online multimedia applications like streaming video and audio. Cable ISP Road Runner suggests the following minimum computer system requirements:

	PC	Macintosh
Processor	Pentium 166 MHz or higher equivalent	PPC 603 or higher
RAM	32 MB	32 MB
Available hard disk space	250 MB	250 MB
Video Card	SVGA with 2 MB or 16 Bit Color Depth	32 Bit Color
Operating System	Windows 95 or Higher	OS 8 Or Higher

To sum up: If you can afford it, choose a machine with more, rather than less, horsepower; a large monitor at least 17 inches; and a high-quality video and audio card.

For more cable modem product information, see:

• Consumer Cable Modems
• Small Business Solutions
• Internet Sharing Devices
• DOCSIS Cable Modem Ve