man I picked up a HP media center about a year ago for 2k buxs. when i moved out my parents house I didnt want to bring it with me since i live in some getto *** apts and I didnt want it to get jacked since its going to be down stairs. So I went and got me a 300 dollar dell added a flat screen and love it. Its no where near as fast as my HP when I burn DVDs but it gets the job done on the net.. It has a 80gig hd but i also added a extra 120gig i had laying around for my MP3s. And a light scribe dvd burner. not bad for 500 buxs or so.

 

my cusian works there, but he jsut gets cupons, for a lot off. but its usually crappy comps. i checked befro i got my last one and just went to best buy and spent the same moeny and got the same thing but a bigger monitor

 

true enough, but that's no reason to say that the whole Dell computer sucks, just because there's a shitty hard drive in it.....



and THAT is the main reason why i will never buy a Dell (or any other "big name") desktop PC. they usually put in the cheapest, piece of **** parts in the computers to bring down the price, regardless of the fact that those parts may have to be replaced several times in its lifetime. they're banking on the fact that people will just get fed up with the RMA process and just go buy their own (good) replacement parts, instead of having to deal with them. if they actually put in quality parts, it's only because you specifically requested them, and then they charge you a large premium over what you could purchase them for on your own, so you end up paying 1.5 - 2 times over what you could have just built your own computer for in the first place. and when you build your own, you know EXACTLY what you're getting for each & every component, there's no "no-name" proprietary bullshit like the big computer makers like to use.....

when you buy a pre-built computer, you're basically paying a premium (sometimes a pretty hefty one, too) for nothing more than the convenience of not having to choose each & every part, and putting it together yourself. you may want to try to argue "well, you get a warranty, too". big deal. the default warranty is usually only a 1-year warranty anyway, and if you upgrade the warranty, you pay yet ANOTHER hefty premium, so that you can have "insurance" that if something breaks, it might get replaced, assuming you jump through their hoops.

you'd be better off building your own computer, saving the extra money that you would have spent for a "big-name" pre-built computer, and just replacing any failed parts out of pocket, in the event that they fail and the manufacturer's warranty has expired. you'll save LOTS of money in the long run. because guess what? when you replace those parts with new products, you get a completely brand-new warranty based on when THAT PART was purchased, instead of the date the entire computer was purchased.... and guess what else? when you get a warranty replacement from the "big-name" computer maker, you will very likely get a refurbished (read: USED) part instead of a brand-new one! wow! where do i sign up for that?

not to mention, if you pay for the replacement out of pocket, you have the opportunity to a) save money on the exact replacement part, because they're cheaper than when they first came out, or b) spend the same amount of money you spent for the original part, but get something that's larger/better/faster.

all of a sudden, spending anywhere up to $300 - $400 for the extended warranty doesn't really look all that attractive, huh?

 

buy a mac0

 

Y dont you just build a PC yourself, that-a-way the parts are all of good quality. try shopping at Fry's Electronics for ALL your computer needs, they got all kinds of good sales every week, check it out

 

I built and purchased a Dell because I couldn't wait any longer, but if a better deal comes up, I believe I have a few days to cancel my order. Anyhow, I put this computer together and would like to know if I chose good specs. Here they are:

Inspiron E1505
Genuine Windows® XP Home
15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™
Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2400 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB)
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
80GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel® PRO 3945 and Dell 350 Bluetooth Internal Wireless Cards
NETGEAR 54 Mbps Firewall Wireless Router & McAfee Wireless Security
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™Go 7300 TurboCache
Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Speaker System
Dell Photo All-In-One Printer 944
Dell USB Printer Cable - 10 ft black
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Logitech - V270 Cordless Optical Bluetooth Notebook Mouse - Silver
Belkin 4-Port Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Pocket Hub and Travel Surge Protector Bundle
Dell Nylon Deluxe Carrying Case
Microsoft Office Basic - Includes Word, Excel, and Outlook email
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Windows Vista™ Capable
McAfee Security Center with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 15-months
Starter Entertainment Pack - Basic digital Music, Photo and Game experience
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
PC Restore recovery system by Symantec

The total before tax was $2192, then after tax, it came out to $2372. However, I called in and spoke with a Dell rep, got it down to $1730 before tax, then $1872 after tax with free shipping and handling. What do you think?

 

Please feel free to tell me what I shouldn't have gotten or what I should have. If any of the specs I have on it aren't worth the crap or really good. Thanks.

 

not bad at all, however, for that price you should have a better video card. oh wait!! is this a laptop??

 

do yourself a favor now and get rid of the "PC Restore recovery system by Symantec" option, and instead spend the extra $10 and get the "Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition re-installation CD" option.

many times, if you ever have to contact Microsoft for support, they won't help you if you don't have the serial number of the actual Windows CD...if you just get a "recovery cd", you won't get that (you DO get a CD-Key for Windows, but that's not what i'm talking about). and not to mention, if you don't get the actual Windows CD, you're kinda screwed if you ever want to reinstall just a basic, plain operating system, without all the other bloatware crap that most manufacturers put on their systems (unless you get a copy by "other" means, but we won't go there).

other than that, i think it's a solid choice, and i'm sure you'll be happy with it....let us know how it goes!

oh, and if i were you, i'd ditch the McAfee security center **** as soon as you get the computer, and just get the free version of AVG Antivirus for your virus protection, and get Sygate Personal Firewall for your firewall protection. they're both free, and they both work REALLY good. AVG has caught numerous trojans/viruses/worms that have tried to load themselves on my computer from just visiting web pages, and Sygate personal firewall doesn't let ANYTHING in or out of your computer, unless you specifically allow it....good stuff, WAY better than either McAfee or Norton products, their stuff causes more problems than they help, IMO....

 

I've never built a computer before and wouldn't even know where to start. I really don't know too much about computer, muchless building one. I don't know what parts out there are good and what aren't. I don't even want to attempt to try and assemble one myself.

 

Latin-Man, yes, its a laptop.

...and to everyone else, thanks for all the help and input you've given me.

02Z28LS1, I'll be sure to download those programs when I get the computer. What about Ad-Aware? I had that on my last computer and ran it weekly, do you think I should download/use it on my new computer? Thanks for all your help, you've really gone out of your way to offer me assistance.

 

well ****, if only you lived here in DFW, I'd hook you up and build you one (you just buy the parts ) smokin PC

 

oh ok, thats not a bad deal. what are your plans for the laptop by the way?? gamming, internet, etc...

 

yeah, i forgot to mention that one...i use Ad-Aware also....works great for me

as far as going out of the way? nah...i work with technology for a living, and play with technology for fun....it's like second nature to me

 

 

best buy will KILL that price. Dell is way overpriced.

 

I would have gotten XP Professional, it has a lot more networking capabilities, I would never run home edition, but then again it depends on what you are doing.

 

Most of the computer's use will be internet. Every so often I use Microsoft Word and play basic games, nothing advanced. I also upload pics from my digital camera and do some editing, but not much. I plan on getting back into downloading CDs and burning them. Now that I have a DVD burner as well, I'm thinking of doing videos.

 

theres plenty of ppl selling custom built rigs on ebay... try: pcapex.com, or eocf.com,

look into an asus lappy from directron.com

 

No offense, but in 6 months this will all be outdated anyway. All you can do is buy the best at the time!!