New 'Puter Purchase Questions, Long...

motordavid · #1 11-14-2005, 12:45 PM

We got a new Dell PC in late August and enjoy it very much; a real step up from our 5 1/2 yr old Dell w/Win982nd Ed. that had about 6 horsepower, lol!

We are shopping for another new one for the Seasonal Starter Shack.
I don't need custom built, etc., like some of you mavens have;thus, another new Dell PC is in the works.

I have several questions:
-Is there a regularly good site for Dell "coupons"/discounts? Most of the sites I've seen are mind-numbing to read through and seem to be only for very specific, eg. slow sellers & low powered units, or assorted peripheral stuff.
-Most models I'm looking at, the XPS 400 series, come with the "Windows Media Experience" OS in lieu of std Windows XP...I'm not a gamer or multi-media phanatic while on the 'puter...is this OS just jive compared to "standard" Windows XP? (The DellBastards want $40 More for Std Windows XP!?)
-"Memory": this is inc. in base price: 512MB Dual Channel @533. They want another $60 for a 1G Dual Channel. Worth it? Need it? (I currently have the 512MB deal.)
-Hard Drive: I realize this is like asking how much reserve HP is enough?! Lol!
I have a 160 G currently, and it's gonna be hard to get that much space plugged up, I think. Does it make Any sense to go bigger? Aren't External Hard Drive add-ons, for back-up/storage, etc., a lot easier and cheaper than the extra horsepower Dell is trying to sell, at point of purchase, as an expensive option?
-CD/DVD: the one I'm chasing comes with 48X CD-RW & 16X DVD-RW dual layer thingie. Seems ok.
-Do I really need a Floppy Drive? (Our current new Dell has no Floppy).
-Their cheapo pair of speakers seem fine...don't understand need for subwoofer or "better" speakers, for my casual listening at PC. When I want HiFi for classical, I have a system.
-Monitors: we currently have a 19" flat analog that came w/our recent 'puter.
Is the 19" digital flat panel "UltraSharp" unit worth the extra $80 bucks?
-Printers: they have a laundry list of units; all I want is to occasionally print something out. Not photos, not super color, etc. Should I just get my own, seperately?

Any other stuff ya'll think I need to look at?

Not interested in a lap top...this new 'puter will be in our FL joint. It will be fired up by Comcast Cable high speed.

I realize my wonderment is Long and complicated and that it is hard for any reader here to "know my needs", but ya'll are very savvy and knowledgeable on this 'puter stuff, so any/all opins, ideas or answers to my questions, are much appreciated. Thanks for reading this long version and responding with your thoughts.
BR, Ol'UncMtr

'[email protected]

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Juanted · #2 11-14-2005, 01:51 PM

I can't answer ALL your questions, but with some, I think I can help: (I assume that most of what you'll use your PC for is email, Internet, some word processing and some light digital picture processing -- to post them on xoutpost.com.

)

- For what you're using it, 512 MB of memory and 160 GB for the HD should be enough. Admittedly, though, $60 bucks for another half gig is a very good deal. Like HP, you can never have too much memory.

- No, you do not need a floppy -- UNLESS you still have some old data on floppies that you must access. Any data that you want to save can be put in CDs or DVDs.

- You're correct that the CD/DVD combo you described is good. Again, perfect for what you'll be using it.

- $80 for bucks extra for the flat panel monitor is worth it. They take up SO much less space on your desk, and well, they just look a lot cooler, too.

- Printers are SO much cheaper now than they were a few years ago. You can get good deals on printers just about anywhere.

- Dish out the extra dough (whatever that may be) for the extended warranty/home repair service. Dells have a "spotty" reputation on quality. Some SWEAR by them; others hate them.

Juan

UncleTito · #3 11-14-2005, 02:15 PM

I constantly check out the www.techbargains.com for any good coupons. Give it a try, David.

UCrewX5 · #4 11-14-2005, 08:15 PM

Here's one discount that may help....

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthr...highlight=dell

Now you can enjoy the convenience and security of PayPal when you shop on Dell.com. From November 14 to December 6, you’ll save $20 on orders over $200 when you pay with PayPal. Enter code 1P002ZF2T7QPD0 at checkout to receive your discount.

Kewl X5 · #5 11-14-2005, 08:56 PM

MD,

Get 1GB of RAM. Why, because the next version of Windows, called Windows Vista will probably come out sometime late next year and will require more memory.

If you don't want multi-media Windows XP, at least get Windows XP Professional. More stable.

The DVD-dual layer burner sounds fine.

Hard Drive space, get as much as you can afford for the future. Yes, you can add external hard drives, but they are not as fast as the built-in internal HD. But admittedly, easy to add on in the future. 160GB sounds fine, but it depends on your needs. Currently I have 200 GB on my desktop (two 100 GB hard drives running).

19" ultra sharp digital monitor will be great. I'm sure the 19" analog will be fine. If you happy with your current monitor, then keep it and use it for the new computer to save $$.

Printers, just get your own.

Good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by motordavid

We got a new Dell PC in late August and enjoy it very much; a real step up from our 5 1/2 yr old Dell w/Win982nd Ed. that had about 6 horsepower, lol!

We are shopping for another new one for the Seasonal Starter Shack.
I don't need custom built, etc., like some of you mavens have;thus, another new Dell PC is in the works.

I have several questions:
-Is there a regularly good site for Dell "coupons"/discounts? Most of the sites I've seen are mind-numbing to read through and seem to be only for very specific, eg. slow sellers & low powered units, or assorted peripheral stuff.
-Most models I'm looking at, the XPS 400 series, come with the "Windows Media Experience" OS in lieu of std Windows XP...I'm not a gamer or multi-media phanatic while on the 'puter...is this OS just jive compared to "standard" Windows XP? (The DellBastards want $40 More for Std Windows XP!?)
-"Memory": this is inc. in base price: 512MB Dual Channel @533. They want another $60 for a 1G Dual Channel. Worth it? Need it? (I currently have the 512MB deal.)
-Hard Drive: I realize this is like asking how much reserve HP is enough?! Lol!
I have a 160 G currently, and it's gonna be hard to get that much space plugged up, I think. Does it make Any sense to go bigger? Aren't External Hard Drive add-ons, for back-up/storage, etc., a lot easier and cheaper than the extra horsepower Dell is trying to sell, at point of purchase, as an expensive option?
-CD/DVD: the one I'm chasing comes with 48X CD-RW & 16X DVD-RW dual layer thingie. Seems ok.
-Do I really need a Floppy Drive? (Our current new Dell has no Floppy).
-Their cheapo pair of speakers seem fine...don't understand need for subwoofer or "better" speakers, for my casual listening at PC. When I want HiFi for classical, I have a system.
-Monitors: we currently have a 19" flat analog that came w/our recent 'puter.
Is the 19" digital flat panel "UltraSharp" unit worth the extra $80 bucks?
-Printers: they have a laundry list of units; all I want is to occasionally print something out. Not photos, not super color, etc. Should I just get my own, seperately?

Any other stuff ya'll think I need to look at?

Not interested in a lap top...this new 'puter will be in our FL joint. It will be fired up by Comcast Cable high speed.

I realize my wonderment is Long and complicated and that it is hard for any reader here to "know my needs", but ya'll are very savvy and knowledgeable on this 'puter stuff, so any/all opins, ideas or answers to my questions, are much appreciated. Thanks for reading this long version and responding with your thoughts.
BR, Ol'UncMtr

'[email protected]

#6 11-14-2005, 09:15 PM

I agree with everyone about the Ram, I would put at least 1GB of ram. I would check out crucial.com or newegg.com for memory upgrades. I just ordered 5GB of ram from newegg.com and they are really quick about shipping and have the best prices.

rangerfan · #7 11-14-2005, 09:35 PM

All of the upgrades at Dell are more expensive than a DIY job from Newegg.com or a similar shop. The RAM upgrade is probably double what you'd pay doing it yourself. I would definitely go for the DVI monitor if the graphic card in the system has a DVI output. There is a difference between the digital and analog inputs.

NOTE AND BEWEARE, however, that with these nice, new, big LCD displays, the native resolution is very high, which results in very small items on the display. You should look into this to be sure you are ok with this, because you really can't change the native resolution of the monitor like you can do with a big CRT screen. You can always use the software configs to give yourself some 'big' fonts, but imho that solution is not optimal.

UCrewX5 · #8 11-14-2005, 09:50 PM

Try this link to get to one of the current specials on a Dell. Offer expires 6 AM on 11/17/05 - http://www.xpbargains.com/jump.php?deal=dell

The code for this coupon is: V$PSGMP8Q29CLS

motordavid · #9 11-14-2005, 09:53 PM

RF: Not sure I understand the LCD display warning...I currently have 19" analog flat screen: I like it, though it has a "fuzzy"/out of focus horizontal line in middle that I notice when I scroll/read text. But, it is pretty good pic. I would assume the Digital 19" I am thinking of is "better"? Not sure graphics card spec, as I had selected the basic card that came with it. This is really confusing stuff and Dell lets one "save" wish list sys., but makes it hard to compare a higher optioned sys. and does not allow for "twin siteing", like running X5World in dual mode, lol!

Any expansion on your warning?
BR,md

Chris F. · #10 11-15-2005, 12:07 PM

Well, I am of the audience that says get the cheapest machine you can, as these things are really starting to become appliances. Get 2-3 years out of it and then move on.

I just had this dilemna with my parents. They needed a new PC and I needed to decide on the $350 cheap Dell or the $1000 Dell. Needless to say I went with the cheap one. It was $350, 2.4Ghz Celeron, 512MB RAM and 17" Flat panel with free shipping. This was a few months ago. No bells and whistles at all. All they do is surf the web and some word processing.

I figure when Windows Vista comes out, I certainly will give it some time to work out the bugs. By then it will be time for another $350 PC, and they'll be off and running again

I would not go too crazy MD. Remember, most of us are big computer geeks here. If your needs are just checking e-mail and surfing the web, than I would stay cheap and not go too crazy. Technology is changing so quickly now I can't keep up!

The TV, on the other hand...

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