Dell System for Teenager - Need Advice

[bowen43]

I know you all can build them better and cheaper, but I don't have the skill or time to do that. The PC would be used primarily for schoolwork, some gaming, and internet via cable. I've managed to upgrade my own PC about as much as makes sense and it's time for a new one. I don't need the fastest, greatest machine, but I do need something that will be expandable and have some longevity. My son isn't a heavy gamer, but he wants to at least have the option of being able to play the newest games. Sadly, this is a case of keeping up with the Jones'. He's going to be a Freshman at a new school and is more embarrassed by a 233 PII than acne. I'm looking for opinions for a good configuration. Also, what, if any, components am I better off buying somewhere else? Hopefully, Dell (or a kind soul) will send me one of those 10% off coupons (I know there's a $50 one out there too). Thanks for any help.

My current shopping cart...

Dell Dimension 4500 Series: Dimension? 4500 Series, Intel Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.26GHz DW422 [221-0264]
Memory: 512MB DDR SDRAM for the price of 256MB! (mail-in rebate not available) 512MP [461-5958]
Keyboard: Dell® Quietkey® Keyboard QK [310-1582]
Monitors: $100 Mail in Rebate! 17 in Flat Panel Display (non-Dell) 17FPDWP [461-3456] [A0021711]
Video Cards: New 64MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce4? Ti 4200 Graphics Card with TV Out and DVI 64T4200 [320-0461]
Hard Drive: 40GB Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive 40 [340-3588]
Floppy Drive: 3.5 in Floppy Drive 3 [340-1927]
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [313-7222] [412-0189] [420-3079]
Mouse: MS IntelliMouse® IM [310-2757]
Broadband Ready/ Ethernet Network Card: 10/100 PCI Fast Ethernet NIC CNET [430-5353]
Modem: No Modem Requested N [313-3607]
CD or DVD Drive: 24x/10x/40x Max CD-RW Drive with Roxio's Easy CD Creator® 24CDRW [313-0727]
Sound Card: Turtle Beach Santa Cruz DSP Sound Card CRUZ [313-5203]
Speakers: Harman Kardon HK-695 Surround Sound Speakers with Subwoofer HK695 [313-1487]
Software Bundles: Upgrade to Microsoft® Office XP Small Business w/EducateU XPESB [412-1603] [A0015607]
Virus Protection: Norton AntiVirus? 2002, 90-day introductory offer NAV2002 [412-0259]
Digital Music: Dell Jukebox powered by MusicMatch MMBASE [412-0246]
Digital Photography: Dell Picture Studio, Image Expert Standard DPS [412-0271] [412-0273]
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options: 1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year On-site Service B111YOS [950-1230] [950-9797]
Internet Access Service: 6 Months AOL,Featuring the Netbusiness Service for Small Business AOLSMB [412-0280]


Sub-total: $1,719.00
Shipping: 1 $99.00
Shipping Discount: -$99.00
Tax: 1 $85.95
Total Price: $1,804.95

 

[John]

Dell System for Teenager - Need Advice....He's going to be a Freshman at a new school and is more embarrassed by a 233 PII than acne.

All the more reason for him to get a job and buy his own PC. Save the 1500.00 and book a nice vacation for you and your wife instead. 🙂

 

[aswedc]

Way overkill for a casual gamer. Get something like the Emachines TI860, for $760 you get an Athlon XP 1800+, 256MB DDR, 60GB, and a 17' monitor. Pick up a Radeon 9000 for $80, and you're set for newest games for a year to a year and a half. At that time, either put down $200 for a processor and graphics card upgrade, or tell him to get a job. I can't imagine that there could be a school district in the country where that wouldn't be one of the better computers around. I worked my sophomore summer, lucked out and got $9.75/hour 🙂

 

[HGC]

For expandability and longevity, I would consider buying an Athlon XP system online from Oxford Computers or NextGen. You can go for about 1800+, and save money over the Dell, plus, the case, power supply and motherboard will be non-proprietary and make future upgrades easier.

 

[Lint21]

While I appreciate what a couple of people are saying here (get a cheaper machine from a lesser-know vendor), I really think you're making the right decision with Dell. If you're less-experienced with fixing/upgrading computers, the support you get from a big vendor can be invaluable. Say your computer stops working 6 months from now... eMachines and the like aren't going to fix it as quickly and easily as someone like Dell or Gateway. I'd also stay away from buying a Compaq, HP, etc. from CompUSA, Circuit City, etc. You won't get too far with their support compared with Dell or Gateway (in my experience)

That system looks pretty good to me. If Dell offers a Soundblaster sound card, you might consider that. While the Turtle Beach is probably better, it doesn't have the name brand recognition you son might be hung up on. Other than that, I don't see any problems 🙂

 

[wfbberzerker]

buy the parts and have him build it.

 

[SocrPlyr]

changes:
1. Harddrive 80GB and make sure it is 7200RPM (not a necessity, but will they have music, and possibly movies...)
2. Dvd-rom (You'll want both a dvd and cd-rw)
3. CD-RW 40X (if i remember the price diff isn't much)
4. Windows XP Professional... (you'll need this for certain situations and paying a little extra now and saving the hassle will save the possible hassles of upgrading...)

if you want to know anything else just post.

Josh

 

[ElFenix]

check with the school to make sure win xp pro isn't required to connect to the network there.


as for build v buy, i got a system for my sister from dell and configed a similar one on newegg and the newegg was more than $100 more shipped.

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Did someone just recommend emachines? *barf* First of all, building a computer takes 2 hours... so no time isn't an excuse. But if you *really* want to go with dell... the Ti4200 will run ut2k3 fine... but don't expect it to be a stellar Doom 3 performer. Don't bother with that flat panel for gaming, either.

 

[kgraeme]

The system you configured is pretty good. I have the 4500 and it's a very nice system. Some things to consider though:

Windows XP Home vs Pro
Pro offers the ability to remote desktop to the computer. If he's in the dorms with a fast connection this could prove invaluable. For instance, he can be in any computer lab, remote in to his computer and get files, and print them in the lab. I personally can't imagine now not having remote desktop.

Check with the University though. At the U where I work, they have license agreements for a lot of software including operating systems. He could potentially get Pro for almost free, but would probably have to clean install over his system to get it.

CDRW/DVD
Configure a DVD drive in the first bay and a CDRW in the second. You have just saved him the need for a TV and DVD player. Get a TV tuner card and he's really set. (Dell doesn't sell TV tuners unfortunately.)

Software bundles
Don't bother with these. Again, the University probably has some excellent licensing deals for good software. Office Pro is only about $30 for students here. And the "EducateU" is a joke. It's basically some simple how-to's on using Windows and Office. The MusicMatch jukebox can effectively be duplicated with free software (WinAmp), and the Dell picture studio is likely junk. See if Photoshop is avaialable at a good price at the University.

Home vs. Small Business
Compare these two at Dell's site. Sometimes one or the other can offer better deals/bundles at different times.

Dell site vs. School computer store
Check to see if your University has a computer store. They may have some bundled deals as well. At ours, they sell Dell and Apple and they stock some systems and order online for custom configurations, but they go through an educational link to Dell's store that gives them an extra discount.

Here's a system I spec'd with the above comments in mind that is $100 cheaper than yours:

Dell Dimension 4500 Series: Dimension? 4500 Series, Intel Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.26GHz DW422 [221-0264]
Memory: 512MB DDR SDRAM for the price of 256MB! (mail-in rebate not available) 512MP [461-5958]
Keyboard: Dell® Quietkey® Keyboard QK [310-1582]
Monitors: New 19in (18.0 in viewable, .26dp) M992 Flat CRT Monitor M992 [320-0460]
Video Cards: New 64MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce4? Ti 4200 Graphics Card with TV Out and DVI 64T4200 [320-0461]
Hard Drive: 40GB Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive 40 [340-3588]
Floppy Drive: 3.5 in Floppy Drive 3 [340-1927]
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional WPXP [313-7222] [412-0189] [420-3080]
Mouse: MS IntelliMouse® IM [310-2757]
Broadband Ready/ Ethernet Network Card: 10/100 PCI Fast Ethernet NIC CNET [430-5353]
Modem: No Modem Requested N [313-3607]
CD or DVD Drive: 16x Max DVD-ROM Drive 16DVD [313-2559] [430-0364]
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Live! Digital Sound Card SB1024 [313-1488]
Speakers: Harman Kardon HK-695 Surround Sound Speakers with Subwoofer HK695 [313-1487]
Software Bundles: Microsoft® Works Suite 2002 w/Money Standard WORKS [412-0133]
Virus Protection: Norton AntiVirus? 2002, 90-day introductory offer NAV2002 [412-0259]
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options: 3 Year Limited Warranty plus 3 Year On-site Service B3YOS [950-1240] [950-1242]
Internet Access Service: 6 Months AOL,Featuring the Netbusiness Service for Small Business AOLSMB [412-0280]
CD or DVD Burner for 2nd bay: 24x/10x/40x Max CD-RW Drive with Roxio's Easy CD Creator® 24CDRW2 [313-0728]

Sub-total: $1,606.00

 

[bowen43]

Thanks for all your suggestions...Glad I didn't order without posting first.

 

[Gepost]

That's an awful nice, powerful system for a high school freshman. IMHO, not necessary, but you could save yourself a few bucks by getting a refurbished Dell. They have the same warranty as the new ones.

 

[dpopiz]

bowen43:

I know you all can build them better and cheaper, but I don't have the skill or time to do that.

....so why don't you let one of us build you one "better and cheaper"?