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Compare these two Canada-Only Hot Deals

M

MercenaryForHire

Lifer
First of all, in before the "Build it yourself" comments. 😛

Both systems cost CDN$600, but have slightly different setups.

Dell E521
X2 4200+
2GB DDR2-667
250GB SATA
16x DVDRW
geForce 6150 IGP
Vista Home Premium
1yr warranty, free extension to 2yr with Visa

HP a1640n Refurb
C2D E6300
2GB DDR2-533
250GB SATA
16x DVDRW
Intel GMA3000
XP MCE
90day warranty, can't extend

Now, I know what the E521 looks like inside, and I like it. It's also had lots of good reports of silence, ability to handle beefier video cards than the 305W PSU would suggest; the HP, I've heard nothing of. Video isn't an issue as either system will promptly get a dual-DVI PCIe card slapped into it. I have a legitimate transferrable XP license, but I suppose Vista would be worth having as an option later on.

Of course, I can always stay on the fence and wait for a better deal. I missed out on the X2-3800/1GB/with a 22" LCD for CDN$700, so I may wait for that to show up again.

Or I can do a DIY after the April 22nd price cuts, and get a properly quiet system, with suspended drives, passive cooling, and nothing I don't need.

- M4H
 
Dude, you forgot to say what it will be used for.

If office work, the extra warranty gives the Dell a huge edge.

If gaming, the 6300 might be worth losing the warranty for, though the X2 4200+ works well with even a 7900GTX.
 
Seems like the Dell is the winner here. The CPU may not be as powerful, but I'm guessing it won't be a real CPU-hungry setup, based on the two choices. Faster memory and Vista instead of XP, and a better warranty. Plus, as you've mentioned, those Dell PSU's seem to be a bit more reliable than the HP variety. But if you do need that monitor, I'd hold off until the next hot deal (as posted on RFD? Canadian myself here). If it's a bare-budget computer, and I'm guessing it is, these hot deals are often better value than the DIY option, so I'd hold out until Dell's next loss-leading setup shows its game face. Just my opinion, of course...
 
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Dude, you forgot to say what it will be used for.

If office work, the extra warranty gives the Dell a huge edge.

If gaming, the 6300 might be worth losing the warranty for, though the X2 4200+ works well with even a 7900GTX.
Click to expand...

Office work, multi-monitor productivity, coding and compiling.

Gaming is pretty much a non-issue, but a dedicated card is going to make a home in there anyways to provide some necessary outputs. Passive-cooled dual-DVI 7600GS most likely, unless someone can suggest a dual-link-DVI capable card that's also passive or able to be made passive with an aftermarket solution.

- M4H
 
Originally posted by: cjsketchy
Seems like the Dell is the winner here. The CPU may not be as powerful, but I'm guessing it won't be a real CPU-hungry setup, based on the two choices. Faster memory and Vista instead of XP, and a better warranty. Plus, as you've mentioned, those Dell PSU's seem to be a bit more reliable than the HP variety. But if you do need that monitor, I'd hold off until the next hot deal (as posted on RFD? Canadian myself here). If it's a bare-budget computer, and I'm guessing it is, these hot deals are often better value than the DIY option, so I'd hold out until Dell's next loss-leading setup shows its game face. Just my opinion, of course...
Click to expand...

A WinRar is Yu0!

I don't need the monitor. What I need is an excuse to upgrade.

If I got in on another $699 setup like previously posted, I'd probably haggle my way into a second, matching 22". (Or go for a single 24/27 and use my existing LCD as a secondary.)

- M4H
 
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Office work, multi-monitor productivity, coding and compiling.
Click to expand...

2 year warranty, vista upgrade, new parts. I'd say the Dell is the winner here.
 
Originally posted by: Roguestar
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Office work, multi-monitor productivity, coding and compiling.
Click to expand...

2 year warranty, vista upgrade, new parts. I'd say the Dell is the winner here.
Click to expand...

Compile Error: Oxymoron detected on Line 1

😛

I'm thinking the Dell is the winnAr, but I may wait on them to throw in a widescreen LCD. 😀

- M4H
 
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