Keeping within a $1,200 dollar budget. Preferrably delivered. I've got my eye on a 2.0 Dell system with 512MB ram. A DVD and CD-RW drive along with Dell Movie Studio Plus for video transfer and editing. I don't need or prefer humungous hard drives.

What system would you get? What brand? Any comments?

Here's the specs on the Dell which has free shipping and $100 instant rebate.

Dell Dimension 4550 Series
Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.0GHz w/ 512K L2 Cache

Qty: 1
SALE PRICE
Price: $1,138.00
[save $100.00]


Date: Saturday, November 30, 2002 11:58:30 AM CDT
Catalog Number: 29 19
Dell Dimension 4550 Series: Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.0GHz w/ 512K L2 Cache DN4520H [221-1104]
Memory: 512MB DDR SDRAM at 266MHz 512M [311-1325]
Keyboard: Dell® Quietkey® Keyboard QK [310-1582]
Monitors: 17 in (16.0 in viewable,.27dp) E772 Monitor E772 [320-0449]
Video Cards: 64MB DDR NVIDIA* GeForce4 MX™ Graphics Card with TV-Out 64NV420 [320-0476]
Hard Drive: 30GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive 30 [340-7396]
Floppy Drive: 3.5 in Floppy Drive 3 [340-1927]
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [313-7222] [412-0306] [420-1921]
Mouse: Dell® 2-button scroll mouse SM [310-1871]
Network Interface: Integrated Intel® PRO 10/100 Ethernet IN [430-0412]
Modem: 56K PCI Telephony Modem 56KWS [313-1583]
CD or DVD Drive: 16 Max DVD-ROM Drive 16DV995 [313-2559] [430-0427]
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 Digital Sound Card SB1024 [313-1319]
Speakers: Harman Kardon HK-395 Speakers with Subwoofer HK395 [313-7284]
Software Bundles: Microsoft® Works Suite 2002 with Money Standard WORKS [412-0133]
Virus Protection: Norton AntiVirus™ 2002, 90-day introductory offer NAV2002 [412-0259]
Digital Music: Dell Jukebox powered by MusicMatch MMBASE [412-0298]
Digital Photography: Dell Picture Studio, Image Expert Standard DPS [412-0271] [412-0273]
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options: 1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year At-Home Service SQ111OS [950-3337] [950-4430] [950-9797]
Internet Access Service: 6 Months of MSN Internet Access Included MSN6XP [412-0255] [412-0287]
Video Editing: New Dell Movie Studio Plus DMSPLUS [340-8008]
CD or DVD Burner for 2nd bay: 40x/10x/40x Max CD-RW Drive with Roxio's Easy CD Creator® 40CDRW2 [313-1131]
Special Offer: $100 Special Offer CP100 [460-9055]


Discounts and Coupons Total

Shipping Discounts and Coupons Total

Dell Home Customers: Free ground shipping on any System purchased on the Dell Home Sales site! -$99.00


Price
Sub-total: $1,138.00
Shipping: 1 $99.00
Shipping Discount: -$99.00
Tax: 1 $0.00
Total Price: $1,138.00

Dells are great, as long as you don't need support :). I've been very happy with their systems, very displeased with their support methods and staff.

You can get a great computer for under $1200. Look at what you can get a Systemax PC for at Tigerdirect for under $1200

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?sku=SYX-XP-035983

Athlon XP 2400+ / 512MB / 120GB / DVD / 48x CD-RW / 56K / NIC / Windows XP / nVidia GeForce4 MX440 64MB Video Card / speakers, etc. etc.

Of course it doesn't come with the monitor but you could easily pick one model down and get the monitor...

Just a personal preference though. But, I would go with the Dell, unless I had someone local who I trusted to build me one...and there is still a reasonable likelihood I would pay the little extra for the Dell.

Why Dell?

Well, lets see...in my market the available brand-name computers are now HP/Compaq, E-machines if you consider them brand-name, Gateway and Sony. Dell beats all the above except Sony, in my opinion, on quality and service.

E-machines is the least expensive, but I wouldn't touch one because of quality issues and the fact that getting service without a service contract is virtually impossible. Warranty service requires the machine to be sent back to the manufacturer.

HP/Compaq are decent machines at reasonable prices, but for the same price, I would choose Dell.

Gateway is typically priced slightly higher and their service reputation has deteriorated significantly.

Sony makes a very fine machine, but not enough difference to justify the higher price.

Just one man's opinion.

Originally posted by Curtis H.
A DVD and CD-RW drive along with Dell Movie Studio Plus for video transfer and editing. I don't need or prefer humungous hard drives.

What system would you get? What brand? Any comments?
My only comment is this... If you are going to to be doing video transfer and editing, a 30GB drive isn't going to cut it for long. Just to give you an idea, you need 4GB of space for every 15 minutes of video. This seems a bit shy as the more you do with the raw video, the more space you need, so take that as a minimum. I'd dedicate at least a 30 GB drive just to the video, and get a 2nd drive for everything else, personally. I have a 9GB SCSI drive, and a 20GB IDE drive and it isn't enough (which added together is close to the 30 GB you listed).

Also, instead of getting:
16 Max DVD-ROM Drive
40x/10x/40x Max CD-RW Drive

I'd look into getting a DVD burner, not the CD-RW. CompUSA had a DVD burner for $199 after rebate. This was low, but I think they'll come in around this during the holiday season.

Although I wouldn't order more ram with the system (generally you can find deals on ram, thus you get the least with the system and buy more elsewhere), you might consider bumping up the ram to 1GB total (from your listed 512MB DDR SDRAM).

I agree with Chicken and I disagree that one should ever buy something from Tiger Direct. I have had 2 experiences with them, both negative and don't plan on looking for a third.

Also check this out:

http://resellerratings.com/seller1983.html

Not very good. Try finding someplace better to deal with.

Friend of mine is selling dells on Ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2076498157

Originally posted by Acronym BOY
I agree with Chicken and I disagree that one should ever buy something from Tiger Direct. I have had 2 experiences with them, both negative and don't plan on looking for a third.

Also check this out:

http://resellerratings.com/seller1983.html

Not very good. Try finding someplace better to deal with.

I got a Wifi access point from then for dirt cheap and was satisfied.

I own what is partially a Dell and I don't like it because: (1) the HDD died although they replaced it for free because of the 3-year warantee, (2) it uses a non-standard power connection so I have to use their puny 200W power supply, and (3) the normal case then (this was two years ago) only had 2 5.25" bays which is too low.

Also one of the fans rattles incessently.

Originally posted by Chicken
Also, instead of getting:
16 Max DVD-ROM Drive
40x/10x/40x Max CD-RW Drive

I'd look into getting a DVD burner, not the CD-RW. CompUSA had a DVD burner for $199 after rebate. This was low, but I think they'll come in around this during the holiday season.
I agree with all that you say Chicken. The more I look, a DVD burner would be nice as I could transfer videos to DVD. I can get it from Dell for $160 more along with a 48x Max CD-ROM Drive which takes $20 off the setup you quoted above.

I can also double the HD to 60 gigs for $40 more. The extra ram would cost another $240. I can't justify that at this time being I won't be working with videos often.

That brings it to $1,318.00 delivered. There goes that budget!

Get a low amount of RAM and then install more for much less with http://www.crucial.com/ . Builders always screw you on memory prices.

Why not build your own? No offense, but I have come to learn, that I can build a system for roughly 400 less than a builder can. And I use only the highest parts, not cheaping out on something.

As far as quality goes, if something goes wrong no biggie, covered by a warrany from the manufactor.

I think I built roughly 10 computers over the summer to date that my friends needed and they havent had a problem.

That is my suggestion if you feel comfortable building them. Best of luck.

What you can't do (and businesses have learned that, which is why many don't go this route) is that you can build it, but you can't support it.

What if your first build doesn't POST, than what? Send back every part claiming they are defective?

Don't build it unless someone can walk you through it.

I'm on my second Dell and I like them. I haven't had to call support once (knock on wood). I also got the movie studio software it's pretty cool. I agree a DVD burner is a must I didn't get one and I regret it. I maxed on the flat panel monitor so didn't get the DVD burner. Now I'm looking at buying an external one to replace my old Sony CD burner. :)

If you want to do digital editing, take a look at the Sony Digital Studio series. Their support isn't the best, but the computers are very good, sturdy and come with quality software and components. Gave one heavy use for several years without a problem.
This one is under $1200 and comes with the CD/DVD writer. (Humongous link, but it takes forever to get there through the site. It's on the clearance page.)
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=apasFVrNQBmsJ2ckSNSmHhXAhz_kBelX8fI=?CatalogCategoryID=6nEKC0%2eNFiQAAADxit1ngL_f&ProductID=VzwKC0%2eNUa0AAADx141ngL_j&Dept=cpu

Originally posted by madmouser
If you want to do digital editing, take a look at the Sony Digital Studio series. Their support isn't the best, but the computers are very good, sturdy and come with quality software and components. Gave one heavy use for several years without a problem.
This one is under $1200 and comes with the CD/DVD writer. (Humongous link, but it takes forever to get there through the site. It's on the clearance page.)
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=apasFVrNQBmsJ2ckSNSmHhXAhz_kBelX8fI=?CatalogCategoryID=6nEKC0%2eNFiQAAADxit1ngL_f&ProductID=VzwKC0%2eNUa0AAADx141ngL_j&Dept=cpu

But if you want to do real video editing, get Adobe Premiere or, if you get a Mac, Final Cut Pro 3 :)

Originally posted by filburt1


But if you want to do real video editing, get Adobe Premiere or, if you get a Mac, Final Cut Pro 3 :)

The Sony's come with Premiere LE which can be upgraded to the full edition for $299 although they sometimes offer discounts on that.

You can get a great computer for under $1200. Look at what you can get a Systemax PC for at Tigerdirect for under $1200

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...u=SYX-XP-035983

DO NOT go with TigerDirect.

Read more here: http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1983.html

If you ever want to purchase parts online, be sure to visit: ResellerRatings.com

Progex, beat ya to it ;)

Found this on Dell's site. :confused:

One-Year Limited Warranty (United States Only)

"Dell Computer Corporation ("Dell") manufactures its hardware products from parts and components that are new or equivalent to new in accordance with industry-standard practices."

http://www.dell.com/us/en/gen/misc/policy_010_policy.htm

Is this "standard practice?"

Yes it is. Nothing new there.

Just today I went to my local gateway and got a nice system, totaling $1,379 with a 17" Flat Panel LCD monitor. I built if off thier 500 series.

P4 2.4 GHz
120GB HD
128MB NVidia GeForce4 MX440G gfx card
256MB DDR SDRAM
And the 17" Flat Panel

I'm upgrading my RAM right when it delivers here, didn't want to spend $160 upgrading it to 512.

I think it's a good deal, Gateway had some in-stock desktop packages there which for some reason were even higher priced with slightly lesser features. I showed them the printout I did from thier website and the guy went to his computer and I got this one.

Originally posted by Curtis H.
I can also double the HD to 60 gigs for $40 more. The extra ram would cost another $240. I can't justify that at this time being I won't be working with videos often.

That brings it to $1,318.00 delivered. There goes that budget!
Then skip the RAM, as 512 isn't too shabby. I'd also reduce the ram to the minimum and see what the cost would be at Crucial (and local stores have rockin' rebates which makes it relatively inexpensive). $240 for 512MB addl. is too much. If you drop that, you're under budget. :D

My first choice would be a VPR matrix from Best Buy. It's more expandable than any that have been mentioned thus far, and uses 7200 server quality scsi drives.

My second choice would be to have one built at CompUSA. These are not on their site, only in-store, and they have a few configurations to choose from, and buy the service contract.

I would also recommend Dell. A few things though...

1. Save yourself the money and get extra memory through Crucial.com. Check the differences between Dell and Crucial, if its only a few dollars stick with Dell.

2. Ive been with Dell for a while now. Id say Ive purchased around 10 for both personal and business. Phone support sucks. They outsource your support to just abount every continent. That being said, Ive found it to be much better than compaq, if that says anything.

I would advise against building your own computer as others have said. Building a computer doesnt take a rocket scientist, but if something fails you're stuck with it, where Dell will send someone out the next day or so (Ive used this five times).

Dell sub-contracts out local repair people. The guys that havee come to my house (and dorm) ALL agree that Dell is the best, and they work with Dell, HP, Compaq, and a whole bunch of others.

Hope that helps a bit. Good Luck!

My third choice would be to go with Sony. They don't use priority parts like HP/Compaq.

I do not recommend Dell at all.

Oh, and Gateway and others have reduced their power supplies on their PCs. So watch out for that. I'd recommend at least 250 watts.

Are you looking to game on that machine?

If so, please look out for the Geforce 4 MX. Its basically some marketing's guy's smart idea of renaming a modified Geforce 2 core (http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1583&p=6) and selling it to unsuspecting customers. :angry:

"the NV17 would basically be a GeForce2 MX with an improved memory controller, multisample AA unit, and updated video features; another way of looking at it would be the GeForce3 without two pixel pipelines or DirectX 8 compliance."
Quote from here (http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1583&p=6).

Performance comparison here. (http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1583&p=7) You'd notice that it does okay in old games, but is rock bottom for many newer games.

If I didn't build my own systems, I would consider a nice system from alienware, their grey series (http://www.alienware.com/main/system_pages/grey.asp) fits your budget.

Edit:
You can retrive a saved config with this code: "saved@4afriend.com-316524" without the quotes.
I think you wouldn't need the overclocker's toys, so I've removed them. The Asus nforce2 board comes stock with one of the best sound solutions onboard (yes, its better the the live!) and integrated LAN. The only thing missing would be the speakers. The $99 ZXR-640 is a nice set though, otherwise, you could just order the speakers from somewhere else. Remember to click around to see what's avaliable, and change it to your liking. Some colour changes does not incur a charge, so you can change it to your liking. Note that for some parts, biege(lunar white, lol) is more expensive than black. :)

Check www.pricewatch.com for cheaper PCs

A good "build to order" company I've used:
http://www.cyberpowerinc.com
You can select from different components and raise or lower the cost. They make sure everything works and provide support through local companies.

Thanks everybody for your input! Some interesting links and comments. ;)

I'm still looking at the Dells strongly. Free shipping, instant rebate and no sales tax in my area make it a deal hard to beat.

=======================================
Update:

Well, got thru today and took the plunge. Went over budget though I got everything I wanted except for a nice flat panel monitor. (will wait for them to come down in price)

Here's what I'm getting... CAN'T WAIT TO BURN A DVD!

Dell Dimension 8250 Series:

Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.40GHz with 533MHz
Memory: 512MB PC1066 RDRAM
Keyboard: Dell® Enhanced Multimedia Keyboard
Monitors: 17 in (16.0 in viewable,.27dp) E772 Monitor
Video Cards: 64MB DDR NVIDIA_ GeForce4 MX™ Graphics Card with TV-Out
Hard Drives: 60GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
Floppy Drive: 3.5 in Floppy Drive
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Mouse: Logitech® Optical USB Mouse
Network Interface: Integrated Intel® PRO 10/100 Ethernet
Modem: 56K Telephony Modem for Windows
CD Drive: 48x Max Variable CD-ROM
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 Digital Sound Card
Speakers: Harman Kardon® HK-395 Speakers with Subwoofer
Digital Music: Dell Jukebox powered by MusicMatch
Digital Photography: Dell Picture Studio,Image Expert Standard
Video Editing: Dell Movie Studio Plus
Secondary Drive: 4x DVD+RW/+R Drive w/CD-RW

Price: $1,498.00 :eek:

:D

Could have built that yourself for less than $1,000.

Personally I would have built it myself also. The whole "support" thing is, most products (even OEM) come with at least a 1 year warranty, which is all you'd get from Dell unless you're willing to pay more.

I've built a few systems from NewEgg.com. Pricing is still the best, unless you go with a computer wholesaler (which requires a reseller cert./business license etc).

Just to give you an idea:

AMD Athlon XP 2600+ at 333 FSB
Memory: KINGSTON 512MB PC2700 DDR RAM
Keyboard: Logitech Cordless Freedom Keyboard
Monitors: KDS 17" (16.0" vis) Monitor
Video Cards: ATI Radeon 7000 64MB with TV-OUT
Hard Drives: MAXTOR 60GB 7200RPM
Floppy Drive: Sony 3.5 in Floppy Drive
Operating System: Microsoft WindowsXP Home
Mouse: Logitech Cordless Freedom Mouse
Modem: Encore 56K Modem
CD Drive: AOPEN 52x CD-ROM
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 Digital Sound Card
Speakers: Harman Kardon Satelite Speakers with Subwoofer
Secondary Drive: Pioneer 2x DVD RW w/ CD-RW

Extra fans, cables, etc:
$1461

A few things to keep in mind:
I guarantee this case is more upgradable then the Dell case (it's a 10 bay case). DDR is much cheaper then RDRAM. Those speakers are pretty expensive, and the mouse and keyboard are wireless :). Making a few changes could make the system much cheaper. Plus I doubt the Dell MOBO is upgradable to 3 gigs of RAM.

So all in all, the system features are pretty much dead even, but this one has a lot more upgradability.

Nice comparison comphosting. You'd still need to ship parts, pay tax depending on location?, and build it. Plus that doesn't have a video capture device and it's only a 2X DVD burner. But again, very nice comparison.

The Dell 8250 can handle 1.5 gigs of RAM. (4 slots) I think the RDRAM was a good option thus making this a decent deal from a leading manufacturer such as Dell.

So, all in all, I don't think I did that bad.

You're right on the video capture, however, downsizing the mobo and case to the level of Dell's and adding video capture would still make it cheaper. Plus I used stealth fans (out of habbit). I don't think it was a bad deal from dell, but so far I've been very unimpressed with the big manufacturors computers, simply because there is so little room to upgrade. I can't comment on the Dell DVD-RW but I know for a fact that Pioneer makes an awesome DVD-RW.

Another big thing with the "other" guys is I find that they tend to use lower quality parts, like generic mobo's, RAM etc. that just don't perform as well as a high-end Shuttle or ABIT mobo (and crucial or kingston ram).

I guess I just enjoy making my own because I know EXACTLY what each part is, and that way I can avoid crappy hardware (like conexant modems

Plus RDRAM certainly isn't worth the price you end up paying. You cold get 768MB ram for the same price (or less) then 512 RDRAM. :rolleyes: ). You should check out the cost of shipping at NewEgg though, they have nifty deals.

i would never buy from a company like dell . They're over priced , i much rather go with a hybrid manafacture , like i buypower.com , there is another site like called cyberpowerinc.com , but the support blows , and hardly anyone there speaks good english . here what i was able to price out for a tad more then 1200.

BOARD: LEADTEK WINFAST K7NCR18D-PRO NFORCE-2-8XAGP MB

CAS: [SILVER] CASE-A268, MID-TOWER + 320 WATT POWER + WINDOW

VIDEO: ** 8X AGP ** NVIDIA GEFORCE-4 TI-4200 128MB DDR TV-OUT/DVI-OUT VIDEO

CAS1: [BLUE] SOUND ACTIVED NEON LIGHT

CAS2: UPGRADE TO 420 WATT POWER SUPPLY

CD: 16X DVD-ROM - SONY

CDRW: PLEXTOR 48X24X48 CD-RW DRIVE

CPU: [**HOT** NEW**]AMD ATHLON XP 2700+ [2.2 GHZ QuantiSpeed] 333FSB SOCKET A CPU

FAN: CERTIFIED CPU FAN AND HEATSINK

FDD: MITSUMI 1.44 MB FLOPPY DRIVE

HDD: WESTERN DIGITAL 80 GB 7200 RPM ULTRA ATA-100 8MB CACHE BUFFER

IEEE1394: IEEE-1394 FIREWIRE PORTS ONBOARD

MEMORY: 512 MB DDR-400 PC3200 MHZ

MOUSE: [SILVER] MICROSOFT WIRELESS OPTICAL INTELLI-MOUSE/KEYBOARD EXPLORER

NETWORK: 10/100 NETWORK LAN ON BOARD

OS: NONE- PRE-FORMATTED HARD DRIVE ONLY

RUSH: NO; SHIP OUT IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

SOUND: 5.1 CHANNEL 3D STEREO SOUND ONBOARD

SPEAKER: 480 WATTS PMPO 3 PCS SUBWOOFER SPEAKER SYSTEM

USB: STANDARD 2 USB 2.0 PORTS

WARRANTY: STANDARD 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

Subtotal: 1283.00

now that isnt including tax or shipping , but that is one hell of a computer , with what i would consider extras , i like the fact its using the nforce chipset , and supports 8x agp (even though 8x isnt that substantial) I would probably spend a little extra and get a computer like this . If you have a shop near you like pc club or something , then i really suggest building your own , you'll save even more . I have a computer comparable to this , if not better that i built for just a little over a 1000.00 , now of course im still adding to it , but this is a much better buy then any dell

Yeah, I much prefer white boxes than name brands. They are just easier to find parts for, cheaper to find parts for, more expandable, and more upgradable.

That said, the closest thing to a white box I could find was the VPR Matrix at Best Buy. You really should take a look at it at

www.bestbuy.com/ComputersPeripherals/specials/vprSplash1_27.asp

The next closest is the semi-built kits instore-only at CompUSA.

OK. That's the second time I've mentioned the above; but one would do well to at least check out the VPR Matrix.

Other ways to save if you build your own are:

1. MONITOR - the new thin LCD's are pricey, and have worse resolution than the regular ones. You can only see minutely better on a regular size Flat Panel (the deep one). So, stick with a regular monitor, if you got the space, and get .21 resolution or better.

2. OS - Don't buy one. Use your old Win98 system.

3. Why Soundblaster? They are cheaper sound cards that are just as good. You are paying for the namebrand there.

Originally posted by chrisb
1. MONITOR - the new thin LCD's are pricey, and have worse resolution than the regular ones. You can only see minutely better on a regular size Flat Panel (the deep one). So, stick with a regular monitor, if you got the space, and get .21 resolution or better.

2. OS - Don't buy one. Use your old Win98 system.

3. Why Soundblaster? They are cheaper sound cards that are just as good. You are paying for the namebrand there.
That's why I went with a standard 17" monitor.

OS is not optional. I do like Win98.

Again, not optional. I do however like Soundblaster.

If you build your own, will a comp guy show up at your door to fix your computer? Guess not.

Yes, you can buy a service contract at CompUSA and other companies for a self-built PC.

I think when you only need specific parts, or are building the box only (no monitor, keyboard, mouse or speakers) building your own really shines. Here's an example of a computer I'm building:

EVERCASE E4252-AB
Shuttle AK35GT2 Motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 2000+
IBM 40GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
CRUCIAL 256MB DDR RAM
AOPEN 52x CD-ROM
ECS AGP 32MB Video Card
SONY 1.44MB 3.5
Allied 350W Power Supply
ENCORE 56K PCI FAX Modem

Throw in 3 round cables (cdrom, hdd and floppy) and 2 Zalman Quiet Fans and you have a $470 computer. Even adding a monitor speakers and keyboard/mouse it'd be around $625. A Dell at that price is a 2.0GHz Celeron with 128MB Ram and a "value" 30 GB hard drive. The above board has C-media 8738 Integrated Sound (best integrated sound you can buy) and plenty of open space.

And honestly, you try and get Dell to come to your door and fix you're computer (for free). ;)

Changes in bold ;)

Originally posted by comphosting
I think when you only need specific parts, or are building the box only (no monitor, keyboard, mouse or speakers) building your own really shines. Here's an example of a computer I'm building:

EVERCASE E4252-AB
Shuttle AK35GT2 Motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 2000+
IBM 40GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
CRUCIAL 256MB DDR RAM
AOPEN 52x CD-ROM
ECS AGP 32MB Video Card
SONY 1.44MB 3.5
Allied 350W Power Supply
ENCORE 56K PCI FAX Modem

Throw in 3 round cables (cdrom, hdd and floppy) and 2 Zalman Quiet Fans and you have a $470 computer. Even adding a monitor speakers and keyboard/mouse it'd be around $625. A Dell at that price is a 2.0GHz Celeron with 128MB Ram and a "value" 30 GB hard drive. C-media 8738 Integrated Sound (best integrated sound you can buy) and plenty of open space.

And honestly, you try and get Dell to come to your door and fix you're computer (for free). ;)

Exactly. I really think some people have been hypnotized by Dell's "dude" commercials. :)

BTW, that VPR I mentioned is quite expandable. You want extra slots and bays for expandability. I just noticed though that the RAM on that system is only expandable to 1 gig, not good, but if your main purpose is videos, that's probably plenty because CPU power is what you would need most for videos.

All of this said, it's a personal decision; and what's right for you may not be right for others.

Enjoy your new computer!

Originally posted by chrisb
I really think some people have been hypnotized by Dell's "dude" commercials.
I wouldn't say I was but you got to admit the "Dell Dude" has proven to be a good marketing tool. Heck, even my dad who has no interests in computers know what Dell manufactures now. I also know many people who own Dell's and swear by them.

I've looked at lots of sites, computers, read all that people mentioned on this thread and the Dell kept coming out on top for what I need at a reasonable price compared to others such as Gateway, IBM, etc. Yeah I could have left some RAM out and lowered the price another $160 bucks but Crucial doesn't even have a generic brand available yet. Could have, should have...

Building a PC is not my cup of tea and was not an option for me though it's obvious you can build a dynamite system for less. No argument there.

Thank you everybody for your comments and suggestions. :D

Personally I would build a computer by myself, I get all my parts at newegg.com for great prices and awesome service. They also do really cheap and fast fedex shipping.

But Dell is a good Company I have dealt with their support many times. My work has almost all outdated dells at 400mhz-500mhz and they are dropping like flies. Tiger Direct sucks don't go with them please. Check reseller ratings before you purchase.

Also some advice for parts.

Geforce MX video cards are horrible as some others have pointed out.

Crucial is great for RAM but you might want to check with your warrentee - opening up your box and adding parts might void your warentee if its not done by a certified tech.

Also you need a bigger hard drive. I recommend the WD special edition HDS with 8mb of cache they are great and fast for anything with large files! I beleive dell carries these but you have to ask for them.
:stickout:

i still think my setup that i priced out by a oem hybrid manafacture is still the best bang for the buck . as far as ordering parts , now is the time to do so , lots of places are giving free shipping for the holidays . Other then that , expected to be taxed when paying for shipping , i think that where you really loose out in for internet stores