My home computer is having some issues, so I am thinking about replacing it. While I would entertain the thought of a Mac, I'll most likely stay with the Windows world for now...I just can't bring myself to shell out the cash for the Mac just yet.
I'm currently looking at 3 different machines, though I wouldn't say that I'm opposed to going elsewhere for the right deal. I built my last PC, but it sounds like it is harder and harder to do it cost effectively, and there is something to be said for having a warranty on the machine as a whole. So here are the current candidates:
HP Elite 9750 at Best Buy - $950-$1020
Quad-core AMD Phenom proc, 8GB DDR2 RAM, 750GB HD, NVIDIA 9500GS graphics w/ 512MB dedicated memory, LightScribe DVD+/-R RW, built-in wireless N, 19" LCD and all-in-one printer.
Pros: Sounds like quite the beast, LightScribe would be nice though I don't know I'd use it, lots of RAM and decent-sized HD, includes a printer (HP F4280 - not a big consideration for me). I could also put it on my Best Buy card and take advantage of 18 month no interest financing to not take the hit all at once.
Cons: I've read that the more powerful HP boxes have undersized power supplies and heat issues. Monitor is a bit small, but I might be able to upgrade to a 22" widescreen for $70. And for some reason I just don't get all warm and fuzzy over HP home computers.
Dell Studio Mini-Tower - ~$965 after friend's 18% discount
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Quad processor Q8200 (4MB L2, 2.33GHz, 1333FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
WARRANTY & SERVICE 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
MONITOR 22 inch E228WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
MEMORY 6GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4DIMMs
HARD DRIVE 750GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cacheâ„¢
OPTICAL DRIVE Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable
VIDEO CARD nVidia GeForce 9800GT
SOUND Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
KEYBOARD & MOUSE Dell Multimedia Keyboard and Premium Optical USB Mouse
MEDIA READER Integrated 16-in-1 Media Card Reader
Pros: Good price, 22" digital flat panel monitor, NVIDIA 9800GT graphics
Cons: Slower processor than other options, no 'extras', no free financing
Dell Studio XPS ~$1215 after friend's discount
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
Processors Intel® Core™i7-920 Processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.66GHz)
Memory 6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs
Keyboard Dell USB Consumer Multimedia Keyboard
Monitor Dell 24 inch Consumerâ„¢ S2409W Flat Panel, Adjustable Stand
Video Card ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Hard Drives 750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Floppy Drive or Media Card Reader No Floppy Drive or Media Reader Included
Mouse Dell Premium Laser Mouse
Network Card Integrated 10/1000 Ethernet
Modem (External) No Modem Option
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0 Multi-Language
Optical Drives Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capability
Sound Card Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Speaker No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) No Productivity software pre-installed
Security Software McAfee SecurityCenter with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 15-months
Hardware Support Services 2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Service 1 Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year
Pros: newest processor technology, 24" monitor, ATI 4850 graphics
Cons: a little pricier than the other options, no 'extras' except for online data storage, no free financing
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Randy
I'm currently looking at 3 different machines, though I wouldn't say that I'm opposed to going elsewhere for the right deal. I built my last PC, but it sounds like it is harder and harder to do it cost effectively, and there is something to be said for having a warranty on the machine as a whole. So here are the current candidates:
HP Elite 9750 at Best Buy - $950-$1020
Quad-core AMD Phenom proc, 8GB DDR2 RAM, 750GB HD, NVIDIA 9500GS graphics w/ 512MB dedicated memory, LightScribe DVD+/-R RW, built-in wireless N, 19" LCD and all-in-one printer.
Pros: Sounds like quite the beast, LightScribe would be nice though I don't know I'd use it, lots of RAM and decent-sized HD, includes a printer (HP F4280 - not a big consideration for me). I could also put it on my Best Buy card and take advantage of 18 month no interest financing to not take the hit all at once.
Cons: I've read that the more powerful HP boxes have undersized power supplies and heat issues. Monitor is a bit small, but I might be able to upgrade to a 22" widescreen for $70. And for some reason I just don't get all warm and fuzzy over HP home computers.
Dell Studio Mini-Tower - ~$965 after friend's 18% discount
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Quad processor Q8200 (4MB L2, 2.33GHz, 1333FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
WARRANTY & SERVICE 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
MONITOR 22 inch E228WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
MEMORY 6GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4DIMMs
HARD DRIVE 750GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cacheâ„¢
OPTICAL DRIVE Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable
VIDEO CARD nVidia GeForce 9800GT
SOUND Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
KEYBOARD & MOUSE Dell Multimedia Keyboard and Premium Optical USB Mouse
MEDIA READER Integrated 16-in-1 Media Card Reader
Pros: Good price, 22" digital flat panel monitor, NVIDIA 9800GT graphics
Cons: Slower processor than other options, no 'extras', no free financing
Dell Studio XPS ~$1215 after friend's discount
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
Processors Intel® Core™i7-920 Processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.66GHz)
Memory 6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs
Keyboard Dell USB Consumer Multimedia Keyboard
Monitor Dell 24 inch Consumerâ„¢ S2409W Flat Panel, Adjustable Stand
Video Card ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Hard Drives 750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Floppy Drive or Media Card Reader No Floppy Drive or Media Reader Included
Mouse Dell Premium Laser Mouse
Network Card Integrated 10/1000 Ethernet
Modem (External) No Modem Option
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0 Multi-Language
Optical Drives Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capability
Sound Card Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Speaker No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) No Productivity software pre-installed
Security Software McAfee SecurityCenter with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 15-months
Hardware Support Services 2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Service 1 Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year
Pros: newest processor technology, 24" monitor, ATI 4850 graphics
Cons: a little pricier than the other options, no 'extras' except for online data storage, no free financing
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Randy
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