Recommended Products
Laptops
This laptop has it all. A 1920x1080 display, i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and solid state drive at an appealing price.
This Acer laptop is similar to the one above but includes a faster i7 processor and has double the memory and SSD. Not to mention Windows 11 is on there. An i7 procesessor is faster than an i5 but an i5 is pretty good.
This is an i7 system which has Windows Pro which allows you to join a domain. We like Acer and Lenovo laptops exclusively.
This has a larger 17" screen, an i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
Apple
Apple now solders the solid state drive (they've largely replaced hard drives) to the logic board (that's Applespeak for motherboard) so if something terrible were to happen to your logic board you'd also lose your data. It's advised that you make a continous Time Machine backup. Instructions on how to do this are linked to under external drives and the footer.
Desktops
We hesitate to recommend Dell laptops (they make some good ones but they make some bad ones too) but their desktops are good. By the way desktop processors tend to run faster than those in laptops.
Slimlines are usually cheaper than towers. However you don't have to special order things with full-size towers if you need a part ASAP.
The i9 processor is faster than the i5 but the i5 is pretty good. They don't make the i9 for laptops.
Apple
We've got two words for you: TIME MACHINE!
Monitors
This is 21.5".
Solid State Drives
ADATA SU635 240GB 3D-NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD (ASU635SS-240GQ-R)
SanDisk SSD PLUS 1TB Internal SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, 2.5"/7mm, Up to 535 MB/s - SDSSDA-1T00-G27
SanDisk SSD PLUS 2TB Internal SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, 2.5"/7mm, Up to 545 MB/s - SDSSDA-2T00-G26
If you're putting an SSD in a desktop you probably need a caddy. SSDs are physically smaller (2.5") than the drive in there (3.5") but some computers already have SSDs. This is for dual SSDs but the best price we could find on Amazon.
Corsair Dual SSD Mounting Bracket (3.5" Internal Drive Bay to 2.5", Easy Installation) Black
We also offer a cloning service if you're moving from HD to SSD or are upgrading the size of your SSD.
Flash Drives
SanDisk 32GB Cruzer Glide USB 2.0 Flash Drive - SDCZ60-032G-B35, Red
SanDisk 64GB Cruzer Glide USB 3.0 Flash Drive SDCZ600-064G-B35
SanDisk - Cruzer Glide 128GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ600-128G-G35
Sometimes you don't need a whole hard drive. These flash drives fill the role of smaller storage.
External Drives
All HDs and SSDs eventually die. Take advantage of Apple's and Window's built in backup tools so you're not caught off-guard.
We've seen men and women reduced to tears when they lost their data. Don't be them!
These are external SSDs. When speed is a factor we recommend going with one of these. Hard drives are fine for making backups.
SanDisk 250GB Extreme Portable External SSD - Up to 550MB/s - USB-C, USB 3.1 - SDSSDE60-250G-G25
All of these external SSDs are USB-C. Unless your computer has USB-C ports you'll need an adapter
Backup Storage
WD 4TB My Cloud EX2 Ultra Network Attached Storage - NAS - WDBVBZ0040JCH-NESN
WD 8TB My Cloud EX2 Ultra Network Attached Storage - NAS - WDBVBZ0080JCH-NESN
The information stored on these devices is available anywhere on your home or office network. You can setup in a RAID mirror configuration for redundant storage. Either can be used as a Time Machine backup location, a media server, file server and even as a DVR with compatible surveillance cameras. It's cheaper to install a mirror array but that typically can only be done only in Windows desktops. This can protect you from a drive failure but won't help you if you have a site disaster (like a fire, flood or theft) which is why we also recommend using an online backup solution. The benefit of one of these is you can usually recover that same day if a drive fails. An online backup may take days or weeks to restore. You can connect wirelessly but you do need a wired network to initially configure it.
Wireless Networking
If you wish to make your network 100% wireless you'll need one or more of these.
5G fast and flexible in a host of situations the Asus AX1800 also boasts one of the strongest wireless signals of any wireless router on the market.
Printers
Brother - MFC-J1010DW Wireless Color All-in-One
HP printers are the most popular. However probably 90% of our service calls involving printers are about them and their ink is expensive. Brother is a reliable and cheaper alternative.
The first printer is suitable for home use, the second is more appropriate for the office.
At the time of this writing I couldn't find a color printer for under $300 on Amazon so I linked to one at Best Buy.
Tablets
Apple
Phones
Apple
Apple iPhone 14 Plus, 128GB, Purple - Unlocked (Renewed)
Both of these phones are unlocked, meaning they can be used on any network. The Samsung is factory unlocked. Apple doesn't unlock their phones so we linked to a renewed one. Apple is up to the iPhone 15 but we couldn't find one on Amazon. If you look for a new one on Amazon be sure to add the name of your network to the search.
UPS
Protect your investments with a UPS/surge protector.