A little computer advice...for a christmas gift

Published on December 12, 2003 By Hus In WinCustomize Talk

My sister wants to get her boyfriend a PC for Christmas (what a nice sister, huh?), anyway...her absolute limit is $1000, that has to include everything. I did a little research on companies other than Dell. Here's what I found, and would like to know if you think this is a good deal before I make her buy it...

Abit NF7 Motherboard (LAN, Audio, USB, etc.)
512mb Dual Channel DDR RAM
AMD Athalon XP 2600+
Western Digital 80gb HD
nVidia Geforce FX 5200 128mb DDR w/TV out & DVI
NEC Dual Format DVD Burner
6-in-1 Flash media reader (they give it to you for free)
17" Viewsonic E70fb monitor
XP Home Edition
Free ground shipping

Total cost: $972

His current PC has a nice set of speakers which he bought as an upgrade, audio and LAN are onboard, plus is comes with your generic keyboard, mouse and a ATX case etc.

What do you think?

BTW, this is from CyberPower Inc. http://www.cyberpowersystems.com
[Message Edited]

Comments (Page 2)

IPlural

on Dec 12, 2003

I might look into changing the ABit to a ASUS mom board...

yrag

on Dec 12, 2003

Hus - The set up is great as is (inspite of IP's fondness for ASUS). but for a little extra punch and no extra money, make sure the +2600 is a Barton core (333FSB)...drop down to a +2500 Barton if need be 'cause that extra on-die cache & FSB is a real boost. Also make sure that that 512 of memory is two sticks (2x256=512) so it can take advanage of the nVidia dual channel. It must be a minimun of PC2700 (333 FSB) to match the CPU speed. That Abit board (and it is a good one) supports all of the above and is even upgradeable in the future to any combo of 400 FSB>

Happy shopping

....oh..alright John ....Asus is good too!!!

[Message Edited]

goodmorphing

on Dec 12, 2003

I thought I was going to get some top secret computer advice....

yrag

on Dec 12, 2003

It's there gm...you just can't see it

yrag

on Dec 12, 2003

gm...hold the screen up to a bright light and you'll see the secret message...

kona0197

on Dec 12, 2003

That system does look good, but i'd try to get an intel.

AMD = GOOD

INTEL = BAD

(and why does everyone here seem to like nvidia when we all now they suck compared to ATI? They are even cheaper I believe)

kona0197

on Dec 12, 2003

They are even cheaper I believe)

ATI is cheaper than Nvidia....

Hus

on Dec 12, 2003

Hey, thanks for the great input everyone! Really appreciate it...so will Rob! The system is officially on it's way...

paxx

on Dec 12, 2003

Hus, don't forget to consider service. Dell does offer great service, but how about that shop you are looking at? Personnaly, I'd pay a bit more, or get a few things less (who really needs a DVD burner?) and buy from a company with a solid reputation, that offers a good warranty and excellent service. At work, we've been getting a few DELL computers, and have only good things to say about both the computers and the quality of their customer service. Well, at least in Canada anyway. Probably isn't different in the US.

Hus

on Dec 12, 2003

Paxx, it came with a standard 3-year warranty, life-time technical support plus 1-year onsite service. I did a little search on CyberPower, they make a solid computer based on reviews...

Oh, btw Gary...thanks for that tip on the Barton thing, I switched for the 2500+...if you never said anything...I probably would have gotten the 2600+.

yrag

on Dec 12, 2003

Glad to help Hus

...now check the pantry and make sure we have enough popcorn for the weekend

mossedmoon

on Dec 12, 2003

I've had Nvidia and ATI - I prefer ATI. I've had XP Home and Pro - I prefer Home. Ofcourse this is based on individual need. I've had 3 laptops and now have a Dell desktop - I prefer a laptop. As for Dell, I've seen better deals at Sam's...

mossedmoon

on Dec 12, 2003

I will say in final comment, that Dell, although somewhat time consuming, has always been there to remedy any problems I've had, including a bad flatscreen monitor (I wasn't too crazy about getting a used repaired screen in return, but they stuck by their words).

paxx

on Dec 12, 2003

I did a little shopping experiment on DELL's site.
Here's what I came up with:

Dell Dimension 4600 Series:   Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.66GHz with 533MHz front side bus
Operating System:   Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Memory:   FREE UPGRADE! 512MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 333MHz
Hard Drive:   FREE UPGRADE! 80GB Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
Floppy Drive and Additional Storage Devices:   3.5 in Floppy Drive
CD or DVD Drive:   Dual Drives: 48x CD-ROM Drive + FREE UPGRADE! 48x CD-RW Drive   CDCDRP   [313-1476] [462-6818]    16
Keyboard:   Dell® Quietkey® Keyboard
Mouse:   Dell® 2-button scroll mouse
Bundled Software:   Productivity Pack including WordPerfect® and Money®
Monitor:   17 in (16 in viewable,.27dp) E773c CRT Monitor
Video Card:   128MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Graphics Card with TV-Out and DVI
Sound:   Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 (D) Card with Dolby® Digital 5.1 capability
Speakers:   Stereo Speakers
Network Card:   Integrated Intel® PRO 10/100 Ethernet
Modem:   56K PCI Data Fax Modem
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options:   2 Year Limited Warranty plus 2 Year At-Home Service
Surge Protectors - Protect Your Investment:   Belkin SurgeMaster 7-Outlet

PRICE: $987.00
But you get a Mail-In Rebate Offer:
Save $150 with mail-in rebate. Price shown before rebate.

Shipping is free right now.

Of course, that's withoput a DVD burner. But if you absolutely want one, it's $200 more. Considering you get a $150 mail-in rebate, you're just a tad over the $1000 budget. But really, a DVD burner?

Hus

on Dec 12, 2003

Paxx, the thing about is my sister has a $1000 credit limit...I'm not sure if she would be able to buy it...and she only gets the $150 back after a period of time. I already ordered the other PC, but I'll admit...that Dell isn't looking so bad, you kinda got me second-guessing myself. I configured a 2600 and I just didn't like what I saw...so I went elsewhere. Also, the DVD burner is must...it's one of the main things he wanted.

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