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Is this a good deal?
Monday, 22 July, 2002
I'm looking at getting a new PC soon. Here are the specs of the one I'm looking at.
Inter P4 1.8 GHz processor, mini tower, with Intel's 845E Chipset, Cache 512K on-die L2, 256M of 266 MHz DDR SDRAM, 64M nVidia Geforce$ Ti4200 w/DVI, floppy drive, standard 104 key keyboard, PS/2 2 button mouse, 17' colour monitor, 40G ultra ATA, Windows XP home, NAV 2002, Ozemail ISP-preinstalled, 3 months internet offer with AOL, MS Worksuite 2002, DVD+RW/CD-RW, 48X CD-ROM, 1024 sound blaster live value sound card, Harman Kardon 206 speakers, V.90/56k PCI modem. And it all equals $3,207 from DELL.
Is this good value? Would this system be okay for a gamer who like likes the new games, watching/burning dvds/cds, surfing the net (broadband in the future), typing up documents etc.
Todd Hansen, The Rock, NSW
 Unfortunately we get A LOT of Helpstation questions like this, and we simply aren't able to answer them. There are lots of reasons for this.
No matter how much you tell us about what you want to do with the machine, you'll always leave things out or your needs will change.
Not matter how much detail you give us, you'll always leave out some important facts (such as, what speed is the CD writer?)
We'll never know what's important to you. For instance, you seem pleased that it comes with Ozemail installed and also has a 3-month AOL offer.
Sorry to disappoint, but there's not much we can add. And you might have noticed from other HelpStation answers, we each have our prejudices, and these influence our answers. Personally I'd be quite pleased to have a Dell PC, if that helps. (Of course, I'd also have a lot of fun making up a PC from bits). Paul Zucker
 Reader solutions
ThoranPosted: 03/01/2003 Buy this!!! check it out folks, the new Dell 4550 is great, i will buy it in a few days, when i got the money.
but take the geforce mx, it is fast enougth and later you can buy a geforce FX card! :) braddyPosted: 31/10/2002 nope...not a deal... a sham! I could build the same system for nowhere near that price and even still i could get way better parts.
for 2 grand I got myself a modded case with windows few neons....48x tdk burner, dvd,,,160 gb worth of hdd space and almost a gig of ram...nearly 3000 Mhz of power. I would never buy a system from Hp or dell or anyone like that.... Get it built yourself. Youll find it performs a ton better than those proprietry machines and it costs a fraction less. Jack Posted: 29/09/2002 re: Is this a good deal? On http://pcquest.com.au you can get this system for $2608 inc GST. That saves you about $600 to spend on something else. Edward AndersonPosted: 26/08/2002 re: Is this a good deal? Are you kidding? I suggest that you stay well clear of proprietary brands such as (HP, Dell, Compaq etc...) as they stop making driver files for the hardware as soon as the next model is released! Have a good long, hard think about it - if you want a decent system then check out The Computer Trader, available at your local newsagency every Wednesday fortnight. Hope this helps TobyPosted: 26/07/2002 Left tears in MY eyes! ooh yeah that system kicks my celeron 1gig with an intergrated board right in the crutch. In other words if you have the money buy it Phil GuyPosted: 24/07/2002 re: Is this a good deal? Okay Todd, lets address your needs before we investigate the mighty question of value.
This system will do fine for gamers: You've got an impressive graphics card, fast processor, strong (but not brilliant) slab of memory, soundcard, and quality speakers. Being that gamers are big on visuals, you certainly wouldn't want anything smaller than a 17 inch monitor.
You've got both a DVD and CD writer there, so your burning needs are covered.
For your documents you want to make sure it has Microsoft Word installed.
With regard to internet use: a computer - even one as impressive as this - is still somewhat limited by the speeds that data travels through the phone lines, i.e., relatively slow! If you're going to get serious about online gaming, the first thing I'd do is look into that broadband hook-up. Don?t be overly impressed by the pre-installed Ozemail software. Anyone who signs up with them recieves the software free anyway, so in real terms that?s worth precisely nil. Same goes for AOL; you might get the first three months free, but after two years with them you may have still payed more than if you?d gone with a smaller company.
Overall I?d say this computer caters to your needs quite nicely. If it were mine though, I?d get a 19 inch monitor.
So, onto value. Dell are obviously a huge name in computers. They have a reputable product, and strong support (I assume you are actually buying the PC direct from Dell). While I would never go as far as to say that you will get ripped off with a Dell, there are certainly cheaper options around. If money is not a great barrier for you though, stick +with Dell. If, on the other hand, you wouldn?t mind getting a little change from $3,000, try this: From the list of online stores on this page - http://www.pcuser.com.au/pcuser/hs2.nsf/lookup+1/CF04F8BCD8EE98D0CA256BB5004BCB10 - choose, say, five. Glean their contact/sales e-mail addresses from their sites and e-mail them the specs from the Dell computer (without the price) along with a polite enquiry as to how much it would cost for them to assemble it. Wait and see what prices you get quoted.
Good luck!
TimPosted: 23/07/2002 re: Is this a good deal? Hey,
I am wondering why get a DVD+RW right now?
Really, at the moment it burns at 2.4x (thats not twenty-four, but two point four) for DVD+RW, and really, and that speed, why use it? sure it can burn your good old cdr's, but get a cdrw to replace your cd-rom and dump the dvd+rw! i notice on the dell site, they dont give u the speed of the dvd+rw, but at the moment, the only dvd+rw burner i know of is by sony, and it burns at 2.4x DVD+RW / 12x CD-R / 10x CD-RW / 32x CD-ROM read / 8x DVD-ROM read.... what the heck is that? just go and replace the cd-rom with a faster cd-rw than that with the dvd+rw.... unless u really need it, and/or want to spend $1000 to show off.....
however, if your idea behind it is to keep up with technology (so that when dvd burners are popular), you can just get an external dvd burner...
isnt it nice how dell just nicely take out the speeds of the dvd burner???
anyway, i notice you are in sydney... in sydney, i found a computer...
here are the stats...
mid tower
intel i845 DDR (as described)
3½" floppy
52x CDROM (if you ask for no cdrom, price will be cheaper)
AltecLansing speakers
MS Trekker Wheel Mouse
keyboard
3yr warranty (1st yr on-site)
P4 1.8Ghz
256Mhz DDR SDRAM
24W/10RW/40R cd burner with roxio (formerly adaptec) easy cd creator 5
40GB hard disk (7200 rpm)
Leadtek GeForce4 MX440 64MB DDR Video Adapter
NEC 17" MultiSync V730
Windows XP Pro
MS Office XP Small Business
Netcomm InModem 56 Flex
(other stuff you may want (there are faster cd burners for example and sound cards (the motherboard has an AC97 Audio), as well as winXP home, faster processor, other software, other video adapters, less rpm on your hard disk (from 7200 to 5400), etc) available as well..)
That computer costs about $2394.70 + delivery (inc. GST)
Something similar to that at Dell costs $2682.90 (inc. GST)
Please note some differences
The Dell computer comes with a different ( and I think faster) cd burner, there is the OzEmail and AOL internet bonuses, and sound card... those are the only differences i can find...
note that both computer prices include a cd rom and a cd burner... removing the cd rom reduces the price...
if u want to know details, or more stuff (such as upgrade options to faster processor, etc), email me....
immit_bud@hotmail.com |