Susan, I see one glaring problem with your proposed system. I have an HP off the shelf computer with an AMD processor and I'm having a lot of trouble with it. Perhaps, with your son building the machine, some of this might not happen but my research indicates that the problem is with the AMD processor, not anything else.
When using Open Book, apparently, AMD has some kind of memory buffer and that limits the amount of unsaved data you can work with. As a result, you can lose an entire scanned document if you don't save after every few pages. Open Book is a real memory hog at the best of times and normally, I don't care about that. But I did lose a 50 page document because I was using fast scan and didn't save regularly. . For me, and I have nothing against the company itself, I would never own another computer with an AMD processor because of its unique properties. I would strongly recommend that you have your system built with an Intel processor rather than one driven by AMD. Normally, sighted people don't use programs which eat up memory like some of our adaptive systems do. Even their game software doesn't burn as much memory. After a given amount of info ends up on that buffer, AMD will shut down the software. That has happened to me with both Open Book and another program I use regularly. I am not sure why this should be so. I can only tell you that it is annoying and devastating at times. If you have the choice, in my opinion, I would spend the extra money and make the mother board one based on Intel. John and Linda Justice With guide dogs Jake and Zachary PERSONAL E-MAIL: [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of susan wojtecki Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2011 7:01 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Blind-Computing] specs for new computer Hi everyone, I am planning to purchase a new desktop PC. Besides email and word processing, I will be using it for scanning and reading with OpenBook, streaming and recording primarily with Replay-AV, and possibly Skype. My son will be putting the system together for me and these are the specs he is considering. (I think all are currently in stock except for the motherboard.) I would appreciate any expertise on this. Wish List: Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price 1 [image: ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard] ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard Item #: N82E16813131366 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$40.00 Instant $139.99 $99.99 1 [image: AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition Callisto 3.3GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor HDZ560WFGMBOX] AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition Callisto 3.3GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor HDZ560WFGMBOX Item #: N82E16819103887 Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy $99.99 1 [image: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5] Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Item #: N82E16822136533 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $89.99 1 [image: COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case] COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Item #: N82E16811119106 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $54.99 1 [image: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply] Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply Item #: N82E16817371016 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$15.00 Instant $79.99 $64.99 1 [image: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL] G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Item #: N82E16820231277 Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy $49.99 1 [image: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM] ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM Item #: N82E16827135204 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $19.99 1 [image: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders] Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders Item #: N82E16832116754 Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy $99.99 https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=15312072 If you have any questions, please use our LiveChat function or visit our Contact Us Page. Once You Know, You Newegg. Your Newegg.com Customer Service Team [image: ONCE YOU KNOW, YOU NEWEGG. R] Policy and Agreement | Privacy Policy | Confidentiality Notice Newegg.com, 9997 E. Rose Hills Road, Whittier, CA. 90601 | C 2000-2010 Newegg Inc. All rights reserved. Also, can someone remind me of the sequence to follow when installing the scanner and OB. I know this should be a no brainer, but I did it wrong my first time out with OB and crashed my whole system, much to the thinly veiled amusement of the FS tech with whom i later spoke. (In all fairness, he was very polite and didn't call me the idiot i probably was, but his reaction suggested that I wasn't the first person on the planet to mess it up.) I assume the steps are drivers/software first, connect the scanner, then install Openbook? I am migrating from XP to Windows 7 and jumping from JAWS 8 to 12, so any other advice is welcome. Tia. Susan __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6136 (20110519) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
