PC Hardware Requirements for The EDGE

PC Hardware Requirements
for
The Edge Software

Virtually any new PC you can buy today will be more than adequate for running The Edge.

We have been satisfied with HP, Dell and Gateway.

It is best to find a local technician to do your PC and network setup. You should have a local technician in any case, and it is much better to start that relationship with the system setup than with an emergency.

The table below details our hardware requirements.

Operating System	We recommend Windows XP Professional. Windows Vista, Windows 2003 Server, and Windows XP Home are also acceptable. Note that The EDGE is Vista compatible, but that many devices, such as printers, touch screens, cameras, etc., might not yet have a Vista driver. The EDGE will also run on Windows 2000, Windows 98SE and Windows ME, but support for these earlier operating systems has been terminated.
Processor	The Edge will run on a Pentium 4 or better processor. For a new PC, choose any “Intel Pentium”, “Intel Core” or “AMD Athlon” processor. Other processors such as "Celeron", "Sempron" and "Duron" are also acceptable.
RAM	Each workstation should have at least 256MB of RAM; 512MB is recommended. The server requires at least 512MB; 1024MB (1GB) is recommended.
Disk	Please ensure that you have at least 10GB of free disk space before you install The Edge. If you are buying a new PC, we recommend a 40GB hard drive or larger.
CD-R/W DVD-R/W	A recordable CD or DVD drive is not an operational requirement of The Edge, but you absolutely will need some form of backup media. “CD-R”, “CD-R/W”, and “DVD-R/RW” are the most convenient and cost effective means available at the moment.
Display	We require a minimum of 1024x768 pixels or more with 32,767 colors or more. When buying a new PC, dedicated display RAM is better than shared display RAM. We sell a 1024x768 flat-panel LCD display with touch-screen capability, which we especially recommend for point-of-sale workstations. This unit replaces both the CRT screen and the mouse. If you buy this unit from us, you can save money by buying your PC without a monitor.
Ports	Depending on which optional peripherals you want to use, please ensure that you have enough free ports of the appropriate type:
	Barcode Scanner	Bar code scanners can occupy serial ports, USB ports, or can share the PS/2 or AT Keyboard port with your keyboard. We recommend and sell the HHP 3800HD barcode scanner in Keyboard and USB configurations.
	Keyboard	The keyboard can occupy a USB port, PS/2 port, or AT keyboard port. We offer a small footprint USB keyboard that features a touch-pad pointing device, a Credit Card Mag Stripe Reader (MSR), and programmable function keys.
	Credit Card Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR)	If you are going to use the Edge's built-in credit card processing feature, then you will need a MSR. This might be supplied by the credit card company, or could be built in to the keyboard, or attached via a USB port.
	Pointing Device	A mouse or other pointing device is not strictly required to use The Edge, but we strongly recommend one. Pointing devices can occupy PS/2, Serial, or USB ports. If you don’t have the desktop space for a traditional mouse, consider a trackball, touch pad, or our touch screen unit.
	Tag Printer	Requires a parallel port (LPT1:, LPT2:, etc). We have also had some luck with USB to Parallel adapters. Note: Tag printers should NOT be networked. We recommend and sell the ZipTape ZT1300 tag printer.
	Page printer.	For receipts, reports, and general printing requirements. Parallel and USB ports are most common. Page printers are commonly shared on a network. We do not sell page printers, but there are numerous suitable laser and inkjet printers available. The most important considerations for you should be: The placement of the printer in your cabinetry with respect to accessibility of the paper input and output trays. Whether you want to print receipts and reports in black only, or in color. The time to print the first page from a cold start is especially important. Not all page printers are suitable for use with the Edge, or in a retail environment. The HP P1005, P1006, and P1500 series have a driver problem that cause them to print our barcodes in the wrong location. The HP D4160 is especially unsuitable. Printers intended primarily for printing photos are generally not suitable. Printers that are intended for personal use are generally unsuitable. Printers intended for business use are preferred. Printers with "PostScript" drivers have been found to perform poorly, especially when printing receipts and repair envelopes. Printers with "PCL" drivers are preferred.
	USB Hub	If you exceed the number of USB ports on your computer, you can get a USB Hub to increase the number of available ports.
Network	If you will be using more than one PC in your store, then you must also have a local area network. We recommend that you get an electrician to install “Cat 5” or better wiring. Get a “1000Mbps Switch” or “Gigabit Switch” and ensure that each of your computers has a 1000-Base-T or Gigabit network interface card (NIC) installed or built-in. 100Mbps or 100-Base-T switches and NICs are also acceptable. If it is not practical to wire all of your stations, then get an “802.11a” or “802.11g” wireless network. Avoid “802.11b”. You will need a wireless network adapter for each PC, and one central “Access Point”.
Internet	An Internet connection is required for most support services. We strongly recommend that you get "broad band" internet service such as DSL or Cable in each store. Some support services are not practical with dial-up internet. If you two or more stores, and you want them to share data, then consider DSL or Cable a requirement.

Please feel free to call Edge support at (877) 844-0002 if you have any further questions.