Helpful Computer and Printer Specifications

In General:

We are often asked about brands of computers. Carraway Computer Systems, LLC, has had great  success with HP® Desktops and Laptops, and the vast majority of our customers nationwide are  using HP®. With that being said, the ASUS® computer could be a consideration since ASUS® markets its overall build quality (structural durability/casing), as well as its technological  advancements. We use HP® in our office settings, but because of the structural durability  enhancement with ASUS®, it is the laptop brand we use to handle the wear-and-tear in repeatedly  setting up our booth in conventions and conducting demos of EasyBill 32 for convention  attendees. If you are using our tablet remote reading entry interface our current customers have had great success using the Panasonic ToughPad®.

Regardless of the brand you choose, the best advice is to purchase the best you can afford with the  cost going toward FUNCTIONALITY, and NOT to unneeded “add-ons” for utility billing. For example,  there is no need to pay extra for a Touch Screen that you may not need. When buying a new  computer for utility billing software, your priority should be in considering the LATEST HARDWARE  ADVANCEMENTS, the SPEED of the computer, and the STORAGE CAPACITY—specifically, that  means: 

1. Purchasing the Latest Technology in Hard Drives  

2. Processors and Increasing Processor Speed  

3. Increasing RAM (Random Access Memory Storage) 

About #1: Purchasing the Latest Technology in Hard Drives

If you can possibly afford a SOLID STATE DRIVE (SSD), it is newer technology that is preferable to  the earlier version of the spinning HARD DISK DRIVE (HDD). Unlike the HARD DISK DRIVE, the  SOLID STATE DRIVE has no moving parts. In comparison, the older technology HARD DISK DRIVE with its spinning disk—even at 5-10 Terabytes—would be SLOWER than the Solid State Drive, which  can write at speeds 5 to 20 TIMES faster than the former HDD. 

Regarding size of hard drives, 250 GB is sufficient, but at that size it would need to be primarily  dedicated to the utility billing software and not used for non-essential storage nor used for personal  storage. However, BIGGER is usually better, and if your budget allows a 500 GB hard drive,  preferably a SOLID STATE HARD DRIVE, then by all means purchase that size. When purchasing  a new computer, LOOK ON THE BOX and make sure you are getting what you want. Look for SSD or HDD, whichever you prefer and can afford, although we recommend SSD. A good Desktop  computer with 1 Terabyte SSD will typically cost around $1,000 and is best for office use,  unless the billing clerk is also going into the field and collecting meter readings with the CCS  Windows AMR application, then he/she would need to buy the convertible 2-in-1 laptop with  touch screen since this application works best with touch screen. It is suggested that the desktop have more than one Hard Drive so that, for example, back-up data from the day’s software  interaction can be saved to the additional Hard Drive in the event the primary Hard Drive containing  the Utility Billing Software happens to crash. However, in addition to this safety precaution, the user  must ALWAYS back up the data at the end of a workday to an external media (USB flash drive)  to take from the office premises in the event the office is destroyed in some type of  catastrophic event. To save yourself some grief, remember these words, “BACK UP, BACK UP,  BACK UP” and regardless of backing up to the on-site computer, ALWAYS use an EXTERNAL  MEDIA (USB flash drive) that will NOT be left at the office at the end of each workday. 

About #2: Processors and Increasing Processor Speed (Very Important)

Many years ago you may remember the Intel® Celeron® Processors, but these have evolved into  the family of Intel® Core™ i3, Intel® Core™ i4, Intel® Core™ i7 and Intel® Core™ i9. The AMD  Ryzen™ family of Processors are Ryzen™ 3, Ryzen™ 5, Ryzen™ 7, Ryzen™ 9, and Ryzen  Threadripper™ with up to 64 cores.  

In our experience, the Intel® Core™ family of Processors is most often used in business settings.  Both of these brands of Processors are multi-core, as compared to single core in the earlier days.  

The minimum requirements on the Processor speed would be the Intel® Core™ i3 or the AMD  Ryzen™ 3; however, if you can afford the Intel® Core™ i7 or the AMD Ryzen™ 7, you would  probably be pleased for a longer period of time since the higher speed is relevant for a longer  period. Five years later you will find that whatever the new processor is that is at the lowest in the new  lineup, that new processor will be comparable to the mid-tier level of processor you buy today;  therefore, if you can spend the money, you have a longer period of time with the highest processor  speed you can afford and, again, most of the businesses with whom we have contact use the Intel® Core™ brand.

About #3: Increasing RAM (Random Access Memory Storage)

Regarding the specs for RAM (Random Access Memory), a minimum of 16 GB is recommended, but you will see a difference in the quickness of switching tasks if you can afford the 32 GB.

About #4: Networking Computers Most Effectively

We strongly advise against networking your computers together via Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi signals can be unstable and give opportunity for data to be saved improperly or not at all. The minimum recommendation we can make to ensure data integrity and speed of access across a network of computers performing data entry is for you to use CAT 7 Ethernet cables to connect them. However for more ease and stability, we recommend that the modem/router, cables, and PC Network card all be capable of 1 Gb per second. If all three of those items are not up to that speed, your connection will only be as fast and stable as the slowest of the three.

Printers and Specifications

Carraway Computer Systems, LLC, and the vast majority of our customers nationwide use HP®  Laser Printers; however, some of the newer “smart” printers may be stopping often to clean, cool down, or execute other sophisticated features of the printer. If this becomes a problem, we suggest trying the HP® Laser Jet Pro M501dn (currently $659.00, for large volumes) or the less expensive HP® Laser Jet Pro 4001dn (currently $359.00). EasyBill NOW billing documents/cards are the exact same billing documents/cards  used with EasyBill 32 and come 4-to-the-sheet, so divide your number of customers by 4 to begin to  determine your print time. Check the specs on how many pages per minute the HP® Laser Printer can print. Typically a HP® Laser Printer costing around $500 can print 40 pages per minute, so if  you have 2000 customers, divided by 4 = 500 pages. 500 pages divided by 40 printed pages per  minute means your cards will all be printed in only 12 ½ minutes!!! Again, if you can afford it, get the  HP® Laser Printer that prints the highest number of sheets per minute but know that you do not  need to buy any extra, costly features in a printer—just printer only, making sure the extra cost is  going into excellence and speed in the printing.  

*Note: Billing Documents are specifically created and formatted for use with EasyBill 32 and upcoming EasyBill NOW,  i.e., “intellectual property” with copyright status; therefore, customer must agree to purchase billing  cards/documents from CCS. Various Documents and Prices are listed at “Prices” tab on the Home Page.