Easy Upgrades for Dad's Home Office

Hey, it's not to early to start thinking about Father's Day (June 17), so why not think about a few ways you might make dear old dad more comfortable in his home office?

A faster PC is nice, but surveys show that what really makes life easier behind the computer is a bigger monitor. Widescreen LCDs have really dropped in price, too: A 19- or 20-inch model  should cost well under $300. (If you need a brand recommendation, check out ViewSonic or Samsung, but all the major brands are now very close in quality.)

If Dad upgraded to Vista but left his video card in the past, maybe it's time to step up to a DirectX 10-capable graphics card. DX10 cards like the Nvidia GeForce 8000 series will play all the latest DX10 games like Crysis in all their glory... if they ever get here. The lower-end 8500 GT can be had for less than a hundy.

Dad's wireless network almost certainly needs an upgrade. Draft N Wi-Fi routers offer better speed, longer range, and are generally easier to manage. The Belkin N1 is a good one and runs $150.

Check out dad's printer. Looking pretty ragged, isn't it? Maybe an upgrade is in order to something a little faster and with better resolution: A quality all-in-one printer can do quadruple duty as a printer/scanner/copier/fax machine, just as good outputting plain text as well as photo-quality graphics. HP's Officejet Pro L7680 runs about $400.

A good keyboard can really make all the difference if dad's a manic typist. Microsoft's Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000 is a curvy number with all the bells and whistles, including Bluetooth and a matching mouse. It's $120 or so.

Really want to get dad something nice? Consider a better chair. My pal Gina Hughes has been checking out a few, and here are some other wild ideas. I'm sitting on a used Aeron (check Craigslist), which works just fine.