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Rates 50- and 66-Mhz 486DX and 486DX2 systems using DOS, Windows and Unix operating systems. Trends in design; Features, functions and accessories; Model; Ease of use; Price; Winners and runners-up; Advice and recommendations; Manufacturer; Contact information. INSETS: Unsafe at any speed?;How to use this guide.;Made to order.;Disk caches: Where to put your memory.

Evaluates color 486 notebooks. Criteria; Sager NP843T as the Best Overall system; Micro-International HCP Model 65681C as the best in performance; Toshiba Satellite T1900C as the lowest in cost; Power requirements; Maximum internal resolutions.

Evaluates the performance, features and prices of notebooks. Compaq LTE Lite 4/25E as the Best Overall Windows system; TI TravelMate 4000 WinDX/25 as the best in Windows speed; Micro-International HCP Model 65681M as the best in performance; Fastest monochrome system; Unsuitable keyboard design for long typing sessions; AST Bravo's unique key features. INSET: Steps to save battery power..

Presents the criteria and methodology used in testing notebooks. BYTE DOS low-level tests; NSTL application test; Macintosh performance suite; Factors in usability; Evaluation of three aspects of display quality; Battery performance; Configuration.

Tests 62 fastest personal computers and Macintosh notebooks. Performance capabilities; Color options; Pricing points; Test sample; Scope limitation; Amrel 486DX2/66 AC as the fastest; King-Tech KS-486C as the slowest; Higher price of faster notebook; Systems with Cyrix processors slower than Intel-based units.

Introduces a test of 100 16-bit and 8-bit Ethernet network interface cards (NIC) for ISA-bus systems. Observed trends in size, cost, ease of use and performance; 3Com EtherLink III as top performer; Recommendations. INSET: How to use this guide..

Offers suggestions for computer users who need a computer printer for presentations output. Print quality most important issue; Speed also an important consideration; Black-and-white high-quality output with laser printers; Prices; Types of printers to consider for color output; QMS 860 offers top speed and quality; Low-cost Epson Stylus 800; Canon BJC-800 the best color printer; More. INSETS: Trust your eye.;The problem of color..

Presents a chart of the features of 126 printers tested by the `Byte' Lab. Manufacturer and printer model; Speed; Quality rating; Price; How to get more information; Byte Best winners include Mannesmann Tally Corp.'s MT 360, Epson America Inc.'s ActionLaser 1000, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s LaserJet 4M and others.

Discusses the issues a computer user should consider when buying a printer for graphic arts jobs. Types of graphics output printers are used for; Color needs; Guidelines for balancing resolution, color capability and cost; LaserMaster Unity 1200XL the best overall printer; Epson Stylus 800 the lowest-price printer; Dataproducts Jolt PS the best color printer; More. INSETS: New from XLI: High res, low price.;Does your printer need a hard disk?.

Discusses the issues to be considered when choosing a printer for word processing jobs. What printers for word processing should be capable of; Trends in word processing printers; Comparing speed and print quality; Confusing nature of the two types of resolution available; Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4M best overall for speed and quality; Low-cost Epson Stylus 800; QMS 860 offers highest print quality; More. INSET: Are built-in fonts better?.

Presents an overview of a `Byte' guide to 126 printers. Tests of the printers designed to help users pick the best one depending on what kind of printing they do; Recommendation criteria; How to use the guide; Essential components of ink-jet, dot-matrix and laser printers; Details.

Explains the basis for the testing performed by BYTE Magazine and the National Software Testing Laboratories. Computer sub-systems testing; Low-level DOS tests; Application software testing; Usability, upgradability and expandability tests; Features and configuration; Selection and scoring.

Discusses the issues a computer user should consider before buying a printer for desktop publishing programs' output. Print quality the most important consideration; Speed; Why only PostScript printers should be considered; QMS 860 offers best overall print quality and speed; Low-cost Epson Stylus 800; Typeset-quality output from the LaserMaster Unity 1200XL.

Answers questions about Windows printer drivers that computer users should consider before purchasing one. When a Windows driver is necessary; Where to find an updated driver; Problems with a variety of drivers; Importance of trying all Windows printer drivers before choosing one; Details. INSET: Separated at birth?.

Discusses the type of printer needed to produce multipart inventory reports, invoices or shipping labels. Dot-matrix printer required; Speed and efficient paperfeed mechanism necessary; Other requirements; Prices; Mannesmann Tally MT 360 printer offers highest speed; Okidata ML 590 the lowest-priced printer for multipart forms; More.

Discusses the issues a computer owner should consider when buying a portable printer. For use with a notebook computer; Size and speed considerations; Printing methods; Lexmark IBM 4070 IJ the best overall portable printer; Eastman Kodak Diconix 701 P the lowest-priced printer; More.

Describes some good and bad features of computer output printers tested by the `Byte' Lab. User-friendly features of the HP LaserJet 4M; Samsung Finale 8000's manual; Paper tray on the Sharp JX-9600PS; Difficulties in adding memory to the Panasonic KX-P4430; Drawbacks of the Seikosha America LT 20's manual; Details.

Discusses issues computer owners should consider when purchasing a printer for CAD applications. Wide-range of output devices required; Individual requirements for each CAD application; Importance of paper size; Color printers; QMS 860 the best overall CAD printer; Epson Stylus 800 the lowest-priced computer; Okidata ML 590 the best color printer; Details.

Discusses issues a computer user should consider when buying a printer for workgroups. Laser printers; Ease with which the printer can switch emulations; Emulation-sensing technology; Identifying print jobs; High price of network printers; HP LaserJet 4Si MX the best overall network printer; Dataproducts LZR 1560 the lowest-priced printer; More. INSET: How to connect your network printer..

Discusses the issues computer users should consider when buying a printer for spreadsheet output. Ability to handle oversize paper; Flattering hard copy; Benefits of laser printers; Epson ActionLaser 1000 the best overall printer; Canon BJ-200 lowest priced; More.

Describes the nine tests that comprised the `Byte' Lab's printer test suite for speed and quality of computer printers. Each test designed for a specific purpose; Performance tests including text tests, a graphics test and font-rendering test; Print quality tests; Features and usability tests; `Byte' Printer Benchmarks configurations.