Worth the Hassle? Options

[ryanoman]

What do you guys think... is it worth the hassle to build a computer, install all the drivers, and software, or is it better to go with a Dell, because the Dell has all the software on it, and cheaper?

This is what Kryogenix told me, and it helped me, but when I thought about it, Dell or something else was cheaper.

For ever average user, Dell is a good choice, but just so you know, no matter how good the deal that you see on Dell, they're making extra money off of you, unless of course you're an insider or you read deals sites like me. Anyways, building a comp is probalby your best bet since you get to choose your own componets and you get to do all your own research and you can learn a lot. Plus you can get right in your target range for price, no need to worry about going over. AMD processors are good for gaming, Pentium 4 are good for office work and video processing, for what you're doing, you're doing, you won't notice a difference. When running windows XP you'll want a minimum of 256mb ram, 512 is recommended, I'd get at least an 80gb harddrive that way you don't have to worry about it for a while. You won't need very highend graphics for what you're doing, maybe integrated graphics or a budget card. I'd suggest either a geforce 5200 or ATI Radeon 9600XT depending on your price range. Integrated sound should be fine for what you do but if you decide you need a deticated sound card then maybe go for Creative Audigy 2 or w/e. Since you're doing photoshop, you'll want a CRT (the fat kind of monitor) since they're less expensive and they display colors much more accuratly than LCD's. Try to get at least a 2.1 surround sound speaker system though 5.1 would probably be better if you're going to be watching movies or something but only some motherboards support this integrated so you'll probably have to get a deticated sound card.

[mechwarrior1989]

Well if you want to stay in your current price range and don't want a hassle, you could go with Dell. Currently they have:

I might also add that this is Dell Small Business. You should have no problem ordering from them even if you don't have a Business, just use your name as the company name or something.

Dimension 3000

SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Dimension 3000 Qty 1
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor (2.80GHz, 533 FSB),
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Unit Price $828.00

Save $190 on select Dimension™ 3000 P4 desktops through Dell Small Business.


Processor Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor (2.80GHz, 533 FSB)
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Memory 256MB DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
Keyboard Dell Enhanced Multimedia Keyboard
Monitors SAVE $150! 17 in E173FP Flat Panel Display
Video Card Integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics 2
Hard Drive 80GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
Floppy Drive and Memory Keys 3.5 in Floppy Drive
Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse
Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Modem 56K PCI Telephony Modem 56KWS
CD or DVD Drives -- Read, Write and Store Data Single Drive: 48x CD-RW Drive
Sound Card Integrated Audio
Speakers No Speaker Option
Productivity Software Pre-Installed
WordPerfect®, Powerful Word Processing
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options Discounted 2 Yr Basic Plan
Internet Access Services 6 Months
Mail-In Rebate $150 Mail In Rebate

ACCESSORIES
FREE Dell 720 Color Printer 1 yr AE Service $0.00

TOTAL: $638.00 - $150MIR

This turns out to be $488.00 After rebates w/ 17" LCD and a free printer. Great budget PC, but it doesn't come with an AGP slot so graphic card upgrades won't come as easily. I'd pop in 256mb of ram to boost it to 512mb. You would need pc 2700 ddr ram. For graphics card upgrades you could go for a PCI version of the geforce 5700le or maybe a Radeon 9200 or something. Those should run under $100 and you could probalby get them off ebay for pretty cheap. Plus it comes with an operating system. I would suggest reinstalling windows the moment you get it out of the box because all the crap they put on there slows it down considerablly.

Linkified for your convinence

I might add that this is not necessarily the best price you could get, but it is a very good price for if you need a computer now, and it fits all of your needs.