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Thread ID: 75965 2007-01-16 06:34:00 Dell PC astounder (7314) Press F1
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516403 2007-01-16 06:34:00 Hi all :)

I've recently saw one of Dell's TV ads and I'm keen on buying one of these Dell machines

img74.imageshack.us

Dell Dimension E520

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 524 with HT Technology (3.06GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
Windows Vista™ Capable
512MB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM Shared with Graphics
80GB SATA 3.0GB with NCQ
19" LCD Flat Panel
1-Year Limited Next Business Day On-site Service
FREE Upgrade to 20" Flat Panel Online.


All these for $1,298

Are they any good? Or am I better off configuring a whole machine myself from scratch? Any opinions are welcome!

Cheers!

David
astounder (7314)
516404 2007-01-16 06:53:00 It's damn hard to compete with Dell on price. I have just sorted a new Dell for one of my clients, as in getting rid of all the extra trash the install.
Had a nosy inside and it looks fine. No sign of crappy construction or components. Also I noted it comes with an XP disk, unlike HP/Compaq who require you to burn your own.

For normal use I would have no hesitation in recommending one. For those into gaming, build one up as the pricing is better at the high end. Maybe because they don't have such a high turnover, so having to increase the profit margin.

There is mixed feelings about the Help side of things. Nothing wrong with getting parts/repaired (from my experience), just the Indian help desk can be a trial. Some complain that the accent is too hard to understand, while Techs require patience as they carefully go through their checklists. You cannot shortcut them and have to answer each one. Still, they are available 24Hrs.

Overall, for the average user, they do fine.
pheonix (36)
516405 2007-01-16 06:55:00 Thanks pheonix for the quick reply. Yea nothing much, just basic word processing and watching DVDs on the PC :) thought it would be much less hassle than to assemble a PC from scratch tho

David
astounder (7314)
516406 2007-01-16 07:42:00 Depending on your PC assembly skills you could probably build a better beast that what Dell assembles for less cost or even the same sort of box for much cheaper it just depends on you. Dell is pretty well known for assembling the budget and sub budget end stuff.

FWIW you can also pick up a Mac mini package that will run both systems for about the same amount with no anti virus required.

Just depends on your preferences???
winmacguy (3367)
516407 2007-01-16 07:50:00 Incidently Pentium P4s are now considered pretty old therefore cheap. Intel now do Core2Duo which run cooler than the traditional Pentiums at various hertz ratings while Dell is waiting for AMD to come up with an equivalent. winmacguy (3367)
516408 2007-01-16 08:29:00 I think a core 2 duo would be overkill for this situation. The extra it would cost to get a core 2 duo would be better spent more RAM so they will be able to run Vista if they want.

The P4 524 is $150 & a low end core 2 is $330.
Greven (91)
516409 2007-01-16 08:45:00 That would make a difference in the set up configuration. winmacguy (3367)
516410 2007-01-16 08:50:00 Here's a deal if your a poor student. (for comparison purposes)
www.apple.com
winmacguy (3367)
516411 2007-01-16 08:50:00 Yeah, I suppose the 3GHz single core would be too slow for typing a letter.
You would be constantly waiting for the computer to catch up?

And I guess DVD's would only show one frame at a time. :lol:
pheonix (36)
516412 2007-01-16 08:51:00 Yeah, I suppose the 3GHz single core would be too slow for typing a letter.
You would be constantly waiting for the computer to catch up?

And I guess DVD's would only show one frame at a time. :lol:

:p
winmacguy (3367)
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