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   HILL VIEW FARMS â LLC
41564 Co Hwy 4
Morgan, MN 56266
866-723-5937 toll free
 by Cathy Sheets Tauer

I have been asked what operating system and programs I use, so here it is: 
My current system was initially installed in 2003 and assembled so that I could grow with technology and not be left behind. 

Central Processing Unit, (CPU).  Intel Pentium 4 Processor at 3.0 Ghz, Quad pumped 200 Mhz, Front Side Bus, and Hyper threading Technology.   (Now 2008 they have 4 thread, hyper threading... but I'm not that big yet!)

Main Memory (RAM).  The more you have, the more programs you can run at once.  I have two sticks of Corsair Micro’s 512 MB DDR400 Twin X 4000PT Ram, then added Corsair XMS TwinX2048-3200C2PT.  This DDR is Double Data Rate, meaning it can transfer information twice as fast as traditional SDRAM.  The total amount is 3GB consisting of two 512MB sticks with expansion space for one additional GB.

Main board.  This is the circuit board that ties all the components together.  I have the Giga-Byte GA-8KNXP - socket size 478 with an Intel 875 chipset.  This offers on board ATA133 Raid (used for backup’s), 6 USB 2.0 ports and 2 IEEE 1394 Firewire ports for plugging in printers, cameras, scanners, etc.  It has 5, PCI expansion slots and it has integrated sound and Ethernet.  It also has an 8xAGP slot for video cards.   

Video Card.  This is what puts the picture out to the monitor.  This card has the flexibility to be used with a CRT or flat panel LCD.  It has TV-OUT capability to hook up the computer to a TV.  It is not a gaming card but it has enough power to run 3D apps and meets the direct X 9.0 specs which are the state of the art standard.  Asus R9600 SE TD with 128MB Video Ram, DVI connector and TV-Out.   

Sound Card.  The sound of this system is integrated in to the main board; it is a six channel sound chipset.  Not much to offer in terms of surround sound. 

Ethernet, Intel Pro1000/CT Network connection.  This is integrated into the main board and is an extremely high quality networking chipset.  This gives flexibility and offers the ability to hook up to broadband cable and DSL. 

Modem.  US Robotics Performance Pro V.92 56k internal PCI modem.  This will not slow the computer down when downloading this from the internet and is has line-probing technology which finds the optimal paths through the internet for where one is trying to go.   

Floppy Drive.  The good old floppy for compatibility purposes, nothing special.  Sony 1.44MB floppy drive. 

Optical Drive. Two drives installed; The primary, A Plextor PX708A DVD+/- RW for recording home movies and writing for DVD productions.  The second is a Pioneer DVD-ROM, DVD-120 for playing all DVD’s/CD’s and so that duplication is possible for all media types.  Also I have an external Movie box deluxe by Liquid, that allows me the option of capturing from any external source and digitizing.  For example from a VHS, DVD player or any other analog source.

Hard Drives: 6 hard drives installed, five internal and one external:  This is the amount of space I have to store programs, data, music and movies.  I have:  2) Sea Gate, Barracuda ES.2 1,024 GB or one Terabyte (TB).  2) Western Digital’s WD2000JB 7200RPM 200 GB capacity that mirror each other in case of a drive failure on one or the other.  1) Western Digital WDCWD40-OOKD-00NABO-SCSI that holds 400GB with the last one a Western Digital with storage capacity of 700GB.  The external drive is the Workbook by Western Digital WD1600JB 150GB using a USB port.  Which all combined gives my system 2.7 TB (terabytes) of storage capacity or 2764.8 GB (gigabyte) or 3,328,819.2 MB (megabyte) however you look at it.

Power Supply.  PC Power and cooling - 860  which is a 860 watt power supply.  It is highly reliable and runs nearly silently.  The output is extremity accurate, which will help system stability, avoiding crashes.  The 860 watts is enough headroom for adding any upgrades with out stressing the system.  

Case.  The enclosure for this system has to be a little special to facilitate cooling.  The Antc p160 aluminum tower. This case has a 120mm front intake fan and a 120mm exhaust fan located near the CPU.  And it has the room to allow the addition of additional drives. 

Monitor:  20" HD Wide screen View Sonic LCD Flat Screen. 

In Summary

 Rough list of Programs currently installed:

AND NO  I am not a nerd... Minnesota winters are long and I just try to learn as much as I can.. AND Yes I do read technical manuals as bedtime reading... But that does not mean I am a NERD, I just like to educate my ignorance in science and technology. 
A special thank you to my dear friend Mike Muske who unlocked the madness and is always there on a late Friday night!. 

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