Is spending more than $1000 an overkill for me?

L

lilkhmerkid4u

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Dec 16, 2006
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I dont do any online gaming whatsoever. Just alot of Internet browsing, downloading movies/pics, and doing homework.

Maybe something fast and not laggy and a nice sound system and a nice LCD screen

Should i go with HP or Dell? I don't know how to build my own or anything

I would like the core 2 duo but is that even necessary? from the looks of it all the systems that does have it are over 1000.

Thanks in advnace!
 
I would look for the best deal you could find with either an AMD AM2 X2 3800-4400 or Intel E6300 (it's very affordable to go low end) dual core with integrated video (IGP) or a low end video card (like an X1300- 7300GT), and go with Gateway-Dell maybe with a discount somehow like a clearance or coupon to make it easy. If I were you I would stay away from a botique vendors for this type of computer as you'll be paying too much money because they charge for botique 'service' (although great service sometimes) for a non-performance- non-botique PC even though it's not what you need. EG you can end up paying around $1600.00 for a very simple PC when you should be paying about $800.00 to $1100.00.
 
For your described usage it looks about right. It would likely be my choice if I wasn't a builder myself -- or even if I decided not to build anymore (and didn't game) I would probably get something like that with the included HP LCD. If you (or someone in your family) decides to do a bit of gaming you could easily upgrade the power supply to a FSP (fortron/enermax/coolmax) 500-550W unit and run the 19" LCD's resolution with a 7900GS-7950GT (or equivalent).

Of course please feel free to take more suggestions from other member here @ [H} before you make a final decision. :)
 
Interestingly after playing around at newegg I used the same PC, added a passively cooled gigabyte 7600GT, and a sparkle 550W PSU with 36A on the +12V, and a 22" Acer wide screen LCD (also vista certified) for just a bit over $1100.00. Not bad at all. The PSU isn't really needed for a 7600GT though I just added it because I like plenty of quality power in general. But it's a much better deal a total system that would be used for general usage than paying $1600.00 or $1700.00 for nothing but the system itself with no monitor and a 7600GS (for example) from a botique vendor.
 
Well, the downside to many a new HP computers is all of the bloatware that they tend to install by default. If you don't mind 'weeding' most of that stuff out of startup with msconfig and outright deleting some of the running stuff from add-remove programs like the things HP installs for remote tech support then the PC shouldn't lag at all. It has a good CPU and enough memory to handle any tasks. Dell does the same thing to varying degrees at different times as do many other mainstream OEM's. There's going to be about 4 programs and 4-5-6 things running in startup that you won't need running. Besides that yeah the HP should be fine and shouldn't lag.
 
I'd take a hard look at the emachines in Best Buy. Some great deals to be had there.

I would not recommend an HP.
 
You should get a GQ "Great Quality" PC from Fry's. I bought one for $99 on Black Friday.

Complete PC for $99? Sign me up :)
 
Jason_Wall said:
I'd take a hard look at the emachines in Best Buy. Some great deals to be had there.

I would not recommend an HP.
Click to expand...


emachines :rolleyes:

not recommend an HP? why not? my mom has one and I got it a sams club, Link http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=360772

I got it for her bday cuz her old one was dead and didnt feel like spending just as much to fix it.

But let me tell you its a damn good computer with windows vista. I didn't get this thing to crash yet, but still trying ;) I watch TV all the time on it and for internet browsing, downloading movies ect I think this would be good for ya. Also I did take this thing apart for the hell of it and it has SATA dvd drives (if you care) il post a pic if you want.
 
eMachines does have better overall customer service, and slightly roomier cases (for mATX), but what HP has over the eMachines with many of those units are better front panel/HTPC connectivity. They use about the same quality motherboards and power supplies and HDD's. If I were going strictly for budget I would get an eMachines, but if I wanted a better HTPC/HDCP compatibility I would get the HP.

Like I said earlier the downside are the things that need to be removed from startup and a few of the installed HP apps (backweb,AOL, sing ups -- etc..). Nothing that the OP can't deal with, and if OP needs help taking those things out of startup we can help with that right here or better yet in the general computing forum section.

To the OP -- be sure if you get the HP to have some blank DVD's to use for making system restore disks (or you can call HP and have them sent directly). You'll be prompted during initial system setup or see the icon on the desktop, or it should be listed in program files. You can also restore the system from the hidden partition on the hard drive.
 
Based on what you'll be doing with it, I'd say spending more than 600 bucks would be overkill for you.
 
zone_86 said:
Here's another option route if you want to oder online but still have a total system warranty all for around or slightly over $1000.00 with shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103059


A decent budget LCD - (HannsG 19" WS)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254001
Click to expand...

OK, ONE LAST QUESTION. WITH WHAT YOU SUGGESTED RIGHT THERE, WITH TAX AND SHIPPING IT COMES OUT TO A TOTAL OF $922.97 AND THE HP WAS $928. I KNOW ITS ONLY A 6 DOLLARS DIFFERENCE BUT WHICH WAS IS BETTER OVERALL? FASTER/SMOOTHER/BETTER SCREEN?

THANKS!

and any newegg codes?
 
Dell has a desktop system on sale in their small business dept. (but you don't have to be a small business to order from them)
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=482747

It starts at $530 plus shipping and tax. After configuring it be similar to the HP you linked it was around $850 plus shipping and tax but it also had a 20" widescreen monitor.

I know I'm not making your decision any easier, but it's something to look at. Especially since you can get the 20" screen.
 
OP. the Acer will be a bit faster with the 4200+ X2, but will be smoother overall in nearly all tasks because it has 2048MB (2 gigs) of memory installed. Acer also has a decent warranty and customer service.

The Dell that the previous poster linked is a good deal, but upon checking the upgrade path from 1GB of memory to 2GB, and Vista Home Basic to Vista Business ramps up the price to equal that of the HP-Acer. It also doesn't offer Vista Home Premium as a choice of OS -- of course , as it's a business only model mostly. I'm assuming you might want Vista Home Premium but *not sure.

It's been some time ago but I recommended someone else on of those Acer system from newegg here in the [H] forum and they were happy with it. If it were me it would be the Acer over the HP for the 2GB of memory, but the HP is ok as well as it has better HTPC front panel connectivity. With the Dell -- by the time the 3800X2 was upgraded to the 4200-4600X2 equivalent on the Dell site and memory to 2GB it was just as expensive from what I saw. However -- if you don't mind having the stripped down version of Vista home (No Aero Vista GUI) and 1GB of memory the Dell would be the best deal.

But for my money -- if it were me it would be the Acer 1st, and the HP a close second.
 
zone_86 said:
and Vista Home Basic to Vista Business ramps up the price to equal that of the HP-Acer. It also doesn't offer Vista Home Premium as a choice of OS -- of course , as it's a business only model mostly. I'm assuming you might want Vista Home Premium but *not sure.
Click to expand...

Good catch. I didn't think to look at which version of vista would be wanted.
 
Edit: Just spent more time fully configuring the Dell. Here we go - For $1018.00 you get this system with Dell. I upgraded it from the base specs.



PROCESSOR/AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core 4200+OPERATING SYSTEMGenuine Windows Vista™ Ultimate
MEMORY2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 4DIMMsHARD DRIVE250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™OPTICAL DRIVE16x DVD+/-RW DriveMONITOR20 inch E207WFP Widescreen Digital Flat PanelVIDEO CARDNVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Integrated Graphics GPUSOUNDIntegrated 7.1 Channel AudioAccessoriesFLOPPY OR MEDIA READERNo Floppy Drive IncludedMODEMNo ModemSPEAKERSNo speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)KEYBOARDDell USB KeyboardMOUSEDell® 2-button USB mouseSoftwarePRODUCTIVITYMicrosoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORDSECURITYMcAfee Security Center 30-day trialServiceWARRANTY & SERVICE1 Year On-site Economy PlanDell RecommendsAn Additional Year of Service: 2 Year On Site Economy Plan
Extend your limited warranty* to enjoy peace of mind long after the sale.

YOUR SYSTEM MiscellaneousE521
LabelsWindows Vista™ Premium
Adobe SoftwareAdobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
Digitial MusicNo Digital Music Software Requested
Digital PhotographyCorel Snapfire Basic - Organize and Edit your photos
Network InterfaceIntegrated 10/100 Ethernet




Not bad. But you'll have manually upgrade the system to Windows Vista Ultimate as I did on the above config (if you want that) and the processor (if you desire), HDD to 250GB-500GB (up from 80GB), and the memory to 2GB (up from 1GB), and add a DVD-RW drive, and Dell charges $30.00 for adding a floppy (NOT STANDARD) so unless you don't think you can live with saving document to an external drive or CD, DVD-R/+RW/USB thumb drive then pay the $30.00 for the floppy, or order the system them oder a floppy from newegg for $12.99 and install it yourself.

So basically what we have here when the system are pretty much identical-close enough systems for about the same price, each with it's own 19"-20" LCD.


That said, if it were me, and everybody's taste in systems is a bit different, I would now consider the Dell 1st (upgraded to closely match the other two), the Acer a close second, and the HP right behind it. All 3 would be good systems for basic use.
 
lilkhmerkid4u said:
I dont do any online gaming whatsoever. Just alot of Internet browsing, downloading movies/pics, and doing homework.
Click to expand...

Man, some of you guys are on crack..:)

2Gb ram for an internet browsing machine?????

Windows Vista Ultimate??

A dual core X2???

holy overkill batman...

you can get everything you need for less than $600.00 at Dell.com
 
These people with their 1000 dollar builds are not pointing out value for you imo.

lilkhmerkid4u said:
send me links to a good one for me then? lol
Click to expand...

Dell Small Business has Dimension E521 Althon 64 X2 3800+ based PC with 20" LCD monitor for $529 with free shipping. Thanks Maegus

Specs

* AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 3800+
* Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic
* 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs
* 80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
* 48X CD-RW/ DVD Combo Drive
* 20 inch E207WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
* NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Integrated Graphics GPU
* Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
* Dell USB Keyboard
* Dell 2-button USB mouse
* 1 Year On-site Economy Plan
 
lilkhmerkid4u said:
I dont do any online gaming whatsoever. Just alot of Internet browsing, downloading movies/pics, and doing homework.

Maybe something fast and not laggy and a nice sound system and a nice LCD screen

Should i go with HP or Dell? I don't know how to build my own or anything

I would like the core 2 duo but is that even necessary? from the looks of it all the systems that does have it are over 1000.

Thanks in advnace!
Click to expand...

Get a $600 laptop and a $400 20" LCD and you are set.
There is nothing in your use that a laptop could not do, so why bother with a desktop.
 
spectrumbx said:
Get a $600 laptop and a $400 20" LCD and you are set.
There is nothing in your use that a laptop could not do, so why bother with a desktop.
Click to expand...

Upgradeability.

Can always put a stick of ram or a better gfx card or new cpu or bigger HD in a desktop much easier than in a laptop.
 
Technoob said:
These people with their 1000 dollar builds are not pointing out value for you imo.
Click to expand...






While a $500.00 build is certainly a better value - I would think that the OP might want more than an 80GB HDD and 1GB of ram running vista. I could be wrong. Of course these things can be upgraded incrementally manually himself, but $1000.00 for a system with a 19-20" LCD is a great value. But I think the OP can intelligently differentiate between what he needs vs. cost.
 
Well he certainly has plenty of options here. All of them good. Even the advice from our resident [H] editor for the eMachine was good advice. It just depends of funds, and how the PC will be used most of the time, and how much you care about being able to call in about your warranty and not get the run-around. Based on the OP's experience with the HP already -- (moms) was good that in itself is a good omen. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is to be able to walk into a brick-mortar store and walk out with the whole system, and there's nothing wrong with that either -- it's convenient. In the end it's the OP's call. Most important over all of this IMO is to get a working functional system with no inherent technical issues.
 
I'd go with a Dell E520 personally. Use this link. Starts a 699 following the 250 off with an E4300 and 19" monitor, spend 50 bucks to upgrade to a 20" Widescreen and another 50 to upgrade to the E6300. For 799 you have a nice solid upgradeable system.

Dell Dimension E520




Date 4/1/2007 10:27:36 PM Central Standard Time

Catalog Number 29 Retail 19



Catalog Number / Description Product Code SKU Id



Dimension E520:
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6300 (1.86GHz, 1066 FSB) SSE63H [222-5011] 1


Operating System:
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium VHP3E [313-4911][420-5769][420-5924][420-6436][420-6481][420-6540][463-2282] 11


Monitor:
20 inch E207WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel E207WFP [320-5092] 5


Memory:
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs 1GB62 [311-6461] 3


Hard Drives:
160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ 160S [341-4210] 8


CD or DVD Drive:
16x DVD+/-RW Drive 16DVDRW [313-4579][420-6464] 16


Video Cards:
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3000 IV [320-4270] 6


Sound Cards:
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio IS [313-2758] 17


Mouse:
Mouse included in Wireless, Laser or Bluetooth Package N [310-1966] 12


Adobe Software:
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0 AAREAD [412-0914] 15


Network Interface:
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet IN [430-0441] 13


Miscellaneous:
Award Winning Service and Support E52043 [466-0602] 82


Labels:
Windows Vista™ Premium VPD [310-8626] 750


Speakers:
Dell A225 Speakers A225 [313-4482] 18


Keyboard:
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse EKSM [310-7965][310-8164] 4


Floppy Drive and Media Reader:
No Floppy Drive Included NFD [341-4028] 10


Modem:
56K PCI Data Fax Modem DFAX [313-4427] 14


Bundle:
Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD DWRK [412-0912] 22


Security Software:
McAfee Security Center 30-day trial VNS2 [420-6594] 25


Dell Digital Entertainment:
Trial pack- Basic and trial products from Corel and Yahoo SEP [412-0943] 399


Warranty and Service:
1Yr Ltd Warranty and At-Home Service S111OS [950-3337][950-9797][960-2800][980-3060][985-1148] 29


Internet Access Service:
6 Months of America Online Membership Included AOLDHS [412-0933][412-0934][412-0935] 37
 
That's worth it just for the 6 months of AOL


:p

Seriously though, good system for what this guy wants.
 
lilkhmerkid4u said:
is that better than the new egg deal?
Click to expand...

I think it its, or else I wouldn't have researched and posted it for you :). The dell has a better monitor, but a smaller hard drive and less ram. All depends on what you're looking for and what you feel more comfortable with. Personally, I'd feel alot better with a one year warranty from Dell then one from Acer through Newegg. ;) I also think Dell support will be better if you ever need it then Acer's.
 
yeah, i appreciate your time and effort...thanks alot! looks like i'll go with the dell. But couple more questions.

Is it worth it/ is there alot of difference to upgrade from the 20 inch E207WFP Widescreen to the 20 inch UltraSharp™ 2007WFP Widescreen?

and onthe harddrive is it worth an extra 40bucks to upgrade from 160gb to 250gb?
 
lilkhmerkid4u said:
yeah, i appreciate your time and effort...thanks alot! looks like i'll go with the dell. But couple more questions.

Is it worth it/ is there alot of difference to upgrade from the 20 inch E207WFP Widescreen to the 20 inch UltraSharp™ 2007WFP Widescreen?

and onthe harddrive is it worth an extra 40bucks to upgrade from 160gb to 250gb?
Click to expand...

The 2007WFP has better backlighting and colors and it also has a height adjustable stand. In all honesty, you probably won't notice the difference in the picture quality unless you're looking for it, so it really depends on if you want to be able to adjust the height. 40 bucks to upgrade the hard drive 90 gigs works out to 44 cents a gig. Kind of on the high side right now since you can get 500 gig hard drives for 110-120 shipped which works out to around 22 cents a gig. But you're also paying for Dell to upgrade it for you, rather then doing it yourself.
 
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