OK, Computer Gurus....

[miles]

I know it's a celeron, but I'm using a P-3 500MHZ macjine now and don't run graphics or games.....is this a decent deal???




Dimension B110


SYSTEM COMPONENTS


Dimension B110 Intel® Celeron® D Processor 325 (2.53 GHz, 533 FSB)
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Memory 512MB DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
Keyboard and Mouse Bundles Dell USB Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse
Monitors 19 inch E193FP Analog Flat Panel
Video Cards Integrated Intel® GMA 900
Hard Drive 160GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
Floppy Drive No Floppy Drive Included
Mouse Mouse included with Keyboard purchase
Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
CD or DVD Drive Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
Sound Integrated 2.0 Channel Audio
Speakers Dell A215 Speakers
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) No Productivity Suite - Corel WordPerfect® word processor only
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) No Security Subscription
Digitial Music No Digital Music Software Requested
Digital Photography No Digital Imaging Software Requested
Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support


TOTAL:$679.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plus $24 handling fee....no freight

 

[bluntforcemama]

Not too bad. Is this for basic use or are you planning on using it for specialized purposes, i.e., graphic design?

Edited to add: ever check out TigerDirect.com?

 

[Spinaroonie]

If you want to play games get an xobx

 

[seduction4444]

not abad deal i think i would have at least got a P-3 but celeron its ok as long as your not doing alot of vids .
good enough for porn@

By the way get the sp2 downloaded go to microsoft web page

 

[retd]

mine is almost the same had it built had a few teething troubles but now runs like a charm, and I san add when I want Xp is great if you ever find out what all it has let me know it always amazes me noticed I now have a debugger press f5.

 

[miles]

mine is almost the same had it built had a few teething troubles but now runs like a charm, and I san add when I want Xp is great if you ever find out what all it has let me know it always amazes me noticed I now have a debugger press f5.

In English?

 

[retd]

Miles mine is similar and basic but it works well

 

[ChauvanistPig]

Check out cyberpowerpc.com

You could probably get a really good deal for the same price.

 

[JammieDodger]

Well, it was by far their best album if you ask me but I've overplayed it and its hard to listen to now that they've become a parody of themselves with 'Hail to the Thief'.

Uhh, anyway.. I still say you wait till january and get an intel iMac.. I know there's the cult thing.. and I know people say "OMGODZ, macs are crap for GAMEz!!!11!!" and the like, but for what you want to do it sounds ideal.. and they're rumoured to have a significant price drop with the new releases.. and regarding the cult thing.. yes, apple fanatics are a bit 'new york', aren't they? But I still find it hard to pinpoint the actual company's stance..

p.s. MAC!

 

[QuickDuck]

Miles, for basic everyday stuff, yeah it doesn't look to bad.

The only problem I have is that i dislike single CD/DVD drives and would always pick a dual system... thats just my preference though.

As a rule, I generally go for a good graphics card and a good sound card... these are two that should not be "average", and will help extend the life of the PC.

I am running an old P3 933 (yes, with windows 98) and it will still play most games that come out today.

 

[RawHumor]

Miles, for basic everyday stuff, yeah it doesn't look to bad.

The only problem I have is that i dislike single CD/DVD drives and would always pick a dual system... thats just my preference though.

As a rule, I generally go for a good graphics card and a good sound card... these are two that should not be "average", and will help extend the life of the PC.

I am running an old P3 933 (yes, with windows 98) and it will still play most games that come out today.

If he's not planning to use it as a gaming machine, though, I don't see a problem with it.

Are most flatpanel monitors "analog"? That seems odd to me.

To answer your question, Miles, the price is okay. You may be able to do better, but you're not getting screwed either.

 

[QuickDuck]

If he's not planning to use it as a gaming machine, though, I don't see a problem with it.

Are most flatpanel monitors "analog"? That seems odd to me.

To answer your question, Miles, the price is okay. You may be able to do better, but you're not getting screwed either.

True, i was meaning it more in a "longevity" way, more than as a games machine.

And yup, not getting screwed....at least not by Dell.

 

[RawHumor]

True, i was meaning it more in a "longevity" way, more than as a games machine.

And yup, not getting screwed....at least not by Dell.

I guess it all depends on what he plans to do with the computer. I tend to think toward either gaming or productivity (e.g. Excel, Word, PowerPoint type stuff).

That type of productivity doesn't take much in the way of graphics cards or sound cards.

If he wants to play with movies, burn some stuff, etc. then yeah, I'd have to agree with you.

A 19" flatpanel alone would have cost almost $1000 a year or two ago.

 

[Ginny]

http://www.isopixel.net/images/apple_ass.JPG

 

[The Heretic]

Are most flatpanel monitors "analog"? That seems odd to me.

Some inexpensive ones are - that is why they are inexpensive, and yes, it is odd because they convert the VGA to digital in order to display it, which results in lower quality than if it was DVI.

Dell flat panels, at least the ones I have used and seen, are good quality, but if I was going to go the inexpensive route I would consider getting a third party panel with DVI.

 

[RawHumor]

Some inexpensive ones are - that is why they are inexpensive, and yes, it is odd because they convert the VGA to digital in order to display it, which results in lower quality than if it was DVI.

Dell flat panels, at least the ones I have used and seen, are good quality, but if I was going to go the inexpensive route I would consider getting a third party panel with DVI.

Thank you. Normally, stuff like that doesn't jump out at me, so the fact that it was 'different' was probably why I even noticed it.

 

[JammieDodger]

That type of productivity doesn't take much in the way of graphics cards or sound cards.

What if he wants to make the move to windows vista, though? I'm sure most of the graphical crappyness in the GUI will be turn offable but I still suspect it'll need some oomph from the gpu to actually be usable.. well, as usable as any ms OS can be..

 

[RawHumor]

What if he wants to make the move to windows vista, though? I'm sure most of the graphical crappyness in the GUI will be turn offable but I still suspect it'll need some oomph from the gpu to actually be usable.. well, as usable as any ms OS can be..

Windows Vista?

Is that what they're calling their next OS or something?

 

[JammieDodger]

Windows Vista?

Is that what they're calling their next OS or something?

Yes.. yes it is..

..at least it isn't some geeky joke combining the latin number ten with naming conventions for unix OSes..

..ahh fuck it, it sounds shit and looks shit.

 

[The Heretic]

I know it's a celeron, but I'm using a P-3 500MHZ macjine now and don't run graphics or games.....is this a decent deal???

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DE310SAPTV&s=dhs

E310 with a P4, 160 GB, 512 RAM, 16X Dual Layer/sided DVD RW, A215 speakers, 17" monitor. $689

You can get essentially that same system without the monitor for $591, and then get a third party monitor or use the one you have until you see a really good deal on a nice flat panel (I am waiting for the 24" Dell flat panel to drop below $800 again, which it probably will before XMas).

If I had my druthers, I would go with the somewhat better base system and upgrade the flat panel later, probably going for a second display adapter and display (I run dual or triple displays on most of my computers).

The nice thing about displays is that they can go from computer to computer, and don't go obsolete near as quick as the computer itself. If you upgrade to a larger display you can just add it on and use both at the same time - and flat panels are dropping in price every day - especially with XMas coming up.

 

[Beco]

Do you have a CD burner??

 

[The Heretic]

Windows Vista?

Is that what they're calling their next OS or something?

YEs, but it is still off in the distance and even if it came out tomorrow most companies won't upgrade to it for several years.

I am still running W2K at home and XP at work, I hardly notice the difference between them. The only real thing XP gives me that W2K doesn't is that I can remote into the work XP box from home which I often do when working from home, but won't need to once I get some DB/app servers setup at home. I don't need to remote into my W2K box from work, so that is okay too.

 

[Tryon]

Hi Miles. What you've got listed there isnt a bad computer, but I'm sure that if you shop around some, you'd be able to find a better bargin.

For instance, you're posting on these forums so I'm guessing that you have a computer already. On top of that, I'm going to assume that it's a desktop computer. That means that you already have all the "additionals" you'd need. Things like a monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse, etc. The package deal that you listed also listed those items. Now, if you're wanting to relace those things, that's all well and good. Otherwise, you're going to wind up with a bunch of extras just sitting around your house or you'll wind up tossing some good computer equipment.

If all you're wanting to do is replace/upgrade the actual computer itself, I'd suggest checking out what your local Best Buy, Circuit City or local computer store can do for you. I'd suggest going with your local computer store first because they've almost always got a good deal and can usually undercut the competition. Another reason to go with a local computer store is that if there's ever anything wrong and it needs to be repaired, you can always just take the computer down to them instead of having to box the computer up, ship it out and wonder WTF is going on with your property.

Since you're looking for what most people would call a "productivity" computer (nothing that's going to be doing high end graphics, surround sound and the like), I've found something that you might be interested in. It's an alternative to going to a computer store and this computer saves you a TON of space in your work area. Cybernet has created a "Zero Footprint" computer where everything is contained inside the keyboard itself. Saves on desk space and if you already have the "extras" (monitor, mouse, etc), then all you need is the base computer.

If you're wanting a traditional case computer, again, I suggest that you go ahead and visit your local computer store. If there's an Intrex Computers outlet in your area, I highly recommend them. Their guys are almost always knowledgable about the latest technology and are willing to help anyone out with designing a new system.

Probably the most important thing to do is shop around. Buying a computer is a lot like buying a car. You need to visit a few different places and get an idea as to who is offering what. Plus, different places will be offering different bonuses and offers that you may not want to miss out on.

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to throw them in here. I'm always happy to talk tech.

 

[Bode]

Hi Miles. What you've got listed there isnt a bad computer, but I'm sure that if you shop around some, you'd be able to find a better bargin.

For instance, you're posting on these forums so I'm guessing that you have a computer already. On top of that, I'm going to assume that it's a desktop computer. That means that you already have all the "additionals" you'd need. Things like a monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse, etc. The package deal that you listed also listed those items. Now, if you're wanting to relace those things, that's all well and good. Otherwise, you're going to wind up with a bunch of extras just sitting around your house or you'll wind up tossing some good computer equipment.

If all you're wanting to do is replace/upgrade the actual computer itself, I'd suggest checking out what your local Best Buy, Circuit City or local computer store can do for you. I'd suggest going with your local computer store first because they've almost always got a good deal and can usually undercut the competition. Another reason to go with a local computer store is that if there's ever anything wrong and it needs to be repaired, you can always just take the computer down to them instead of having to box the computer up, ship it out and wonder WTF is going on with your property.

Since you're looking for what most people would call a "productivity" computer (nothing that's going to be doing high end graphics, surround sound and the like), I've found something that you might be interested in. It's an alternative to going to a computer store and this computer saves you a TON of space in your work area. Cybernet has created a "Zero Footprint" computer where everything is contained inside the keyboard itself. Saves on desk space and if you already have the "extras" (monitor, mouse, etc), then all you need is the base computer.

If you're wanting a traditional case computer, again, I suggest that you go ahead and visit your local computer store. If there's an Intrex Computers outlet in your area, I highly recommend them. Their guys are almost always knowledgable about the latest technology and are willing to help anyone out with designing a new system.

Probably the most important thing to do is shop around. Buying a computer is a lot like buying a car. You need to visit a few different places and get an idea as to who is offering what. Plus, different places will be offering different bonuses and offers that you may not want to miss out on.

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to throw them in here. I'm always happy to talk tech.

7 paragraphs and you have said absolutely nothing…

 

[Tryon]

7 paragraphs and you have said absolutely nothing…

Reading is fundamental. Reading comprehension takes a bit more.

You might want to start working on that second one...