Need a new desktop PC for dad...

[bigben2wardpitt]

We just need a new CPU (we have a monitor and speakers).

It will be used for pretty basic computing: surfing web, word, some basic kids computers games (for 7 year old). My dad is willing to spend just about anything for the computer.

However, I do not want them to use vista, at least for not very long. So, I will be either using XP (which seems silly.. getting kinda outdated). Most likely, i want a computer that can use windows 7.

So, dell and hp will give me windows 7 for free if i buy a computer right now, but only with certain models. It may actually be cheaper to just buy a computer on dell (that isnt one of the "select" upgrade to 7 models) and just buy windows 7 right now at the great pre-order prices. If i was going from vista to 7, is there a certain operating system i have to get (is there like a windows 7 upgrade as opposed to a windows 7 clean install? are they separate products?)

here is the dell i customized:


Inspiron 546 Qty 1
Inspiron 546 Minitower w/ Black Bezel, Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic SP1, 32-Bit Unit Price $787.00
Limited Time Offer! New Low Price on Office Home and Student!
Expires Thursday, July 30, 2009
- $50.00
Catalog Number: 29 DDCWTA1
Module Description Show Details
Inspiron 546 MT Inspiron 546 Minitower w/ Black Bezel
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic SP1, 32-Bit
Processors AMD Athlon X2 7550 (2.5GHz, 1066MHz, 3MB)
Memory 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 4 DIMMs
Keyboard Dell Wireless Desktop Keyboard & Mouse
Monitors No Monitor
Video Cards Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics
Hard Drives 320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache?
Color Bezels Piano Black
Media Card Reader No Floppy Drive or Media Card Reader Included
Mouse Mouse included with Keyboard purchase
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Modem No Modem Option
Adobe Software Adobe® Reader 9.0
Optical Drives 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Sound Card Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio
Speakers No Speaker Option
Wireless Dell 1505 Wireless-N PCIe Card
Microsoft Works and Office Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007
Security Software McAfee SecurityCenter 9 with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 30 Day
Service 3Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Service 1 Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year

TOTAL: $737

seems expensive.

thought i would check out the business dell:

Vostro 220 Mini Tower
Date & Time: July 07,2009 7:08 PM CST

SYSTEM COMPONENTS

Vostro 220 Mini Tower Qty 1
Vostro 220 Mini-Tower, Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic, Service Pack 1 Unit Price $536.00
Catalog Number: 4 BRCWAZP
Module Description Show Details
Vostro 220 Vostro 220 Mini-Tower
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic, Service Pack 1
Processor Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core E5200 (2.5GHZ,2MB L2 Cache,800FSB)
Memory 3GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHZ - 1x2GB 1x1GB
Keyboard Dell USB Keyboard
Monitors No Monitor
Video Card Integrated Video, Intel® GMA X4500HD
Primary Hard Drive 320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache?
Removable Storage No Media Reader
Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse
Network Interface Intergrated PCIE 10/100/1000
Modem and Wireless No Modem Option
Adobe Software Adobe Acrobat Reader
Optical Drive Single Drive: 48x CD Burner/DVD-ROM Combo Drive
AUDIO Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio
Speakers No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Documentation and Power Management Vostro 220 Documents and 110 Volt Power setting
Productivity Software No Pre-installed Productivity Software
Security Software No Pre-installed Anti-Virus/Security Software
Resource DVD Resource CD and DVD
Hardware Support Services CS 2.0 3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD On-Site Service
Installation Services No Onsite System Setup
Dell DataSafe Online Data Backup No Online Data Back Up Installed
Windows 7 Upgrade Program Info Windows 7 Upgrade Web Site
Labels Vista Basic Sticker
Quick Reference Guide Vostro System Quick Reference Guide

add $150 for office and $50 for windows 7 upgrade -and its at $700. Unless I can get office (word, excel, powerpoint) for less than $150.

HP

Operating system Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit) edit
Processor AMD Athlon(TM) 64 X2 5050e dual-core [2.6GHz, 1MB L2, up to 2000MT/s bus] edit
Memory 3GB DDR2-800MHz SDRAM [2 DIMMs] edit
Hard drive 320GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive edit
Graphics card Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE [VGA] edit
Primary optical drive LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive edit
Networking Wireless-G LAN card edit
Front Productivity Ports 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, audio edit
Sound Card Integrated 5.1 channel sound with front audio ports edit
Speakers No speakers edit
Keyboard and Mouse HP wireless keyboard and HP wireless optical mouse edit
Productivity software SAVE $60! Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student Edition 2007 edit
Security software No additional security software edit
Your additional options:
Click edit to modify. NOTE: These items are in stock and will ship immediately.
HP extended service plan 2-year Extended Service Plan with House Call and ADP edit

$697

This seems nice too - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...oduct&id=1218038551741

and this - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...oduct&id=1218045567985

I have one other question. On our old computer we have windows office 2007, but the motherboard doesnt work. I was going to just take files off the hard drive (documents, etc.), but was wondering if it was possible to get the 07 serial off of it. How could I do that (i dont have the box or anything with the serial number).

 

[TheStu]

I am confused. I just configured the same system on Dell.com (2GB instead of 4GB, Home Premium instead of Home Basic) and the price is $300 less than yours.

Get a 4GB kit from newegg (or similiar) for $40-50 instead of the $70 that Dell charges, and that will be for a 2 DIMM kit, so you can then upgrade higher later if you choose.

Home Premium over Home Basic all the way. Besides, why bother having XP on there if you intend to move them to 7 in less than a year? Give them Vista and that way they can get a feel for the new look and layout of things. Less jarring that way when you transition him to 7 later.

I also tossed a card reader into my configuration, certainly can't hurt.

 

[PandaBear]

You probably need to figure out what spec you want before you start buying. A CPU (computer I assume) can be anything as cheap as a $300 Vostro with Celeron to something as expensive as $1000 Server/Workstation.

For just web browsing, probably a Pentium dual core or Celeron would be fine, AMD also has some great CPU for these categories at this price. When you figure out what you want (try a few in Bestbuy and see what spec works for you), then you can look for bargain around that spec.

Depends on your comfort level you can opt not to buy any OS or productivity software if you can magically get it somewhere, legally or illegally, and IMO the spec you mentioned on both machines are sort of expensive.

I've seen $300-400 Vostro or $450-500 Inspiron with Pentium E dual core in the past. HD and RAM can be easily upgrade for a cheap price in the future, so you don't need to load up on those from DELL/HP, which they always overcharge when you buy the machine initially.

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

Originally posted by: TheStu
I am confused. I just configured the same system on Dell.com (2GB instead of 4GB, Home Premium instead of Home Basic) and the price is $300 less than yours.

Get a 4GB kit from newegg (or similiar) for $40-50 instead of the $70 that Dell charges, and that will be for a 2 DIMM kit, so you can then upgrade higher later if you choose.

Home Premium over Home Basic all the way. Besides, why bother having XP on there if you intend to move them to 7 in less than a year? Give them Vista and that way they can get a feel for the new look and layout of things. Less jarring that way when you transition him to 7 later.

I also tossed a card reader into my configuration, certainly can't hurt.

the 546? I just got $622 without the memory upgrade.

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

Ok, here is what I want:

Processor: Well, I didn't want too slow of a processor I guess. I really don't know what is good enough. I tend to upgrade whatever the basic is on the customization pages)
hard drive: anything over 100GB is good
RAM: standard 2 GB to save money (although, the first setting on the 546... is that 1 GB and 1 GB? or 2 GB and an empty slot? I'd like to get to 4GB. Buying 2 2 GB sticks ends up being like $50... so I save $25, not worth it IMO. Unless, the default customization is 2 GB and an empty slot, because then i would just buy a 2 GB stick.
Operating System: Vista, will be upgrading to windows 7 (but if i cant get it free from dell/hp, its only $50 to pre-order right now)
monitor: Not needed
mouse and keyboard: want to get wireless keyboard and mouse (either form dell/hp or just as a seperate accesory, suggestions being taken)
microsoft office (just basic - word, excel, powerpoint)
no printer needed

 

[IlllI]

well if its for your parents, probably anything would be ok for them. only recent deal i've found was this one http://forums.slickdeals.net/s...38739&highlight=lenovo
might want to wait a week or two and see if anything else pops up

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

yea, just about anything will be ok with them. They really don't need tech support (i'm there tech support), and really a basic warranty that gets me through the first 60 days or something (that is enough time to replace any true defects - all my experiences with bad parts always happens after the warranty anyways (even with a 3 year warranty).

link below seems to be a pretty good deal. Can someone explain the processor to me? 1.8 Ghz is nothing... http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...tabbed-customerreviews
$459

_______
(Lenovo for $499 only had dual core processor, can get Dell for same price and better processor)
______
or this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/app...pNo=4361686&CatId=2630 ($379) (lenovo)

____
Dell 537 i configured: $500 (http://www.fatwallet.com/forum...deals/935176/?start=0)

__
HP 6100z customized: $398
Operating system Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit) edit
Processor AMD Athlon(TM) 64 X2 7550 dual-core [2.5GHz, 1MB L2 + 2MB L3 shared, up to 2000MT/s bus]
Memory 3GB DDR2-800MHz SDRAM [2 DIMMs]
Hard drive 320GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
Graphics card Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE [VGA]
Primary optical drive LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
Networking Wireless-G LAN card
Front Productivity Ports 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, audio
Sound Card Integrated 5.1 channel sound with front audio ports
Speakers No speakers
Keyboard and Mouse HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse
Productivity software Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
Security software No additional security software

my question for all of these is if they are compatible with windows 7, it appears they are.

this really comes down to processor for me. Unless you guys see any glaring issues with any of the above. I know Hard drive and memory varies on all these, but all of them have 3 or more GBs of RAM, and plenty of hard drive space.

Which is the best processor?

AMD Phenom? X4 (1.8 ghz, 800 mhz)
Intel® Core? 2 Duo E7400 (3MB L2, 2.8GHz, 1066FSB)
Gateway Desktop with AMD Phenom? X4 9100e Quad-Core Processor
Pentium Dual Core E5200 2.5 Ghz
AMD Athlon(TM) LE1660 [2.8GHz, 512MB L2, up to 2000MT/s bus]

also, does it matter if i get 32 or 64 windows bit? I am going to upgrade to windows 7 in october, so just wondering.

which computer would you pick?

 

[IlllI]

Pentium Dual Core is < than a core 2 duo at the same speed. Pentium Dual Core is basically a c2d with lesser cache. but for parents anything around 2ghz anything will probably be plenty

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

Ok, after much research, the core 2 duo is the fastest, and overall, the Dell for 500 seems to be a pretty damn good buy. The gateway is similar to the dell, only $30 cheaper, but the processor isn't is good, and i trust dell more than gateway (although i don't really have tons of faith in either one of the companies). The Lenovo seems to be a great buy just under $400, and the HP at $418 is kind of a middle ground. With the Dell, I may be able to sell the monitor it comes with, because we already have one. However, the dell does come with a $39 shipping fee...

I am aware that any of the above computers would suit my parents, but i am doing some "future proofing" here.

Also, the lenovo could upgrade to windows 7, right?

Intel® Core? 2 Duo E7400 (3MB L2, 2.8GHz, 1066FSB)
AMD Athlon(TM) 64 X2 7550 dual-core [2.5GHz, 1MB L2 + 2MB L3 shared, up to 2000MT/s bus
Pentium Dual Core E5200 2.5 Ghz
AMD Phenom? X4 (1.8 ghz, 800 mhz)


HP has the AMD Athlon with 512MB l2 cache... haha. It is actually 512KB (HP has MB in the title but when u check the details its 512 KB - makes a lot more sense now!). So, i went ahead and upgraded the processor to the athlon 64 X2 7550 dual-core.

 

[IlllI]

eh, for parents they wont need anything future proof. what else will they be doing besides email and office stuff? 99% chance that it will last 5+ years, or until it breaks down

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

Originally posted by: IlllI
eh, for parents they wont need anything future proof. what else will they be doing besides email and office stuff? 99% chance that it will last 5+ years, or until it breaks down

my little sister plays some pretty basic computer games, thats about it. Your right, it doesn't need to be too powerful.

Dell - $500 with $39 shipping.
Lenovo - 380 - the lower end of the three
HP - $418 - kind of the in between.

there are a lot of similar computers at the lenovo price level it seems.

one thing is my dad is kind of loyal to Dell. If I could find a less expensive dell (that wasnt one of those dumb slimline models - i hear/know the fans dont work very well with them and they have their fair share of problems). Also, another thing is my dad has no problem spending $550 on a computer that will last him 5 years (he sees it as $100 a year). I personally would want to go cheaper if I was buying it, but he doesn't really seem to care.

 

[IlllI]

try dell outlet
usually some good deals there

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

i'm gonna wait for input from my dad, see if he wants to do a $400 model (because there are tons of options at that price range, except not really any for dell..) or up to $500, which i would then definitely go with the dell.

 

[Athena]

FWIW, I bought my mom a cheap Dimension several years ago and I wish I had never done it. She doesn't use it much but it can't be upgraded in any useful way so I haven't been able to re-purpose it as a WHS or reconfigure it for someone else to use. We would have been much better off paying a bit more for something with more upgradeability.

My advice to you would be to sign up for coupons at Dell then wait a month or so and get a better machine out of the Outlet that will include the Windows 7 upgrade option.

 

[fatpat268]

Not sure where you're getting your prices from, but I just customized a Inspiron 546 with 3yr warranty for $448. $349 if you use the standard warranty.

SYSTEM COLOR Piano Black edit
PROCESSOR AMD Athlon X2 7550 (2.5GHz, 1066MHz, 3MB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit edit
OFFICE SOFTWARE Microsoft® Works 9 edit

Dell Recommends
Office Home & Student.

Lets you create great-looking documents, spreadsheets and presentations quickly.
Upgrade to Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 [add $149 $99 or $2/month1]
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis edit
MEMORY 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 2 DIMMs edit
HARD DRIVE 320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache? edit
MONITOR No Monitor edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 16X DVD+/-RW Drive edit
VIDEO CARD Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics edit
SOUND Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio edit
SPEAKERS No Speaker Option edit
KEYBOARD & MOUSE Dell Consumer Entry USB Keyboard and Mouse edit
FLOPPY & MEDIA READER No Floppy Drive or Media Card Reader Included edit
MODEM No Modem Option edit

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

ah hah! thanks! I don't know how i was getting those prices either. thanks for getting me to take another look.

my dad said he is fine with the lenovo, so after comparing the two, the dell is cheaper and a little better in processor.

but now that im in the under $400 market, can anyone recommend another computer that may be better than the above $350 dell? or is this the best out there?

and anyone have any thoughts on the dell wireless keyboard and mouse combo?
i know logitech is well known (newegg.com shows most of the best reviewed and best selling are logitech), but i know my dad will like the looks of the dell one or hp one a lot more.

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

ended up getting the computer fatpat customized. will work just fine for what my dad will be using it for.

 

[piasabird]

Never mind if you already decided. $400.00 is not much money.

Dell has been giving away the option for a coupon for the upgrade, but the upgrade would not be available until the actual release date. Dell has deal after deal after deal. keep montoring what they are doing. Look for a back to school special. They had a deal for a laptop, a desktop and a nettop for $999.00 However, it was not a good deal because all of the gear was low-end. However, there were all kinds of deals going on. So look for some back to school sales going on at a retailer of e-tailer near you.

I like the Dell Monitors. If you have not used an HD Widescreen, you might be surprised.

Here is a Dell Example for a I7-920 processor with Triple Channel RAM. It could easily be over $1,000 with a better video card. Comes with 3 Gigs of Ram. That processor has a really big Cache size. This is still a pretty good deal for what you are getting, but you could probably do a little better choosing your own gear. Maybe, Maybe not. This is mostly just standard options. If you can afford this higher-end processor and triple channel motherboard you should go for it. It will last longer.

Studio XPS

Price $819.00
Date 7/10/2009 6:39:32 PM Central Standard Time
Catalog Number 29 Retail 19
Catalog Number / Description Product Code Qty SKU Id
Processors:
Intel® Core? i7-920 Processor(8MB L3 Cache, 2.66GHz) MI7920 1 [311-9770] 2
Operating System:
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit VHP61E 1 [330-2980][420-6436][420-7938][420-8873][420-8874][421-0084][421-0323][421-0427][421-0530][463-2282] 11
Hardware Support Services:
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis S111OS 1 [412-0360][960-8700][988-7347][990-8029][991-7130][992-9687] 29
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed):
Microsoft Works 9 XWRK9 1 [420-8103] 22
Memory:
3GB DDR3 Tri-Channel SDRAM at 1066MHz - 3 DIMMs 3G1063D 1 [311-9798] 3
Hard Drives:
500GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache 500S 1 [341-8294] 8
Optical Drives:
Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability 16DVDRW 1 [313-7182][420-8152][421-0997] 16
Monitor:
No Monitor N 1 [320-7706] 5
Video Card:
ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB AT4350 1 [320-8142] 6
Sound Card:
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio IS 1 [313-7186] 17
Speaker:
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system) N 1 [313-4514] 18
Keyboard:
Dell Studio Consumer Multimedia Keyboard SMMK 1 [330-3828] 4
Mouse:
Dell Studio Optical Mouse SOM 1 [330-3826] 12
Floppy Drive or Media Card Reader:
No Floppy Drive or Media Reader Included NFD 1 [341-8496] 10
Modem (External):
No Modem Option N 1 [313-3607] 14
Network:
Dell 1505 WLAN PCIe card with11n mini-Card & external antenna DW1505 1 [430-3348] 19
Studio XPS:
Studio XPS featuring Core i7 processors 435MTH 1 [224-3607] 1
Adobe Software:
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0 Multi-Language AAREAD 1 [410-1867] 15
Network Card:
Integrated 10/1000 Ethernet IE 1 [430-3347] 13
Labels:
Windows Vista? Premium VPD 1 [310-8626] 750
Security Software:
Norton Internet Security? 2009 Edition 15-months NIS915M 1 [410-2156] 25
Service 1:
Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year DOB2GB 1 [420-9518][988-0099][988-7707] 34 Dell Remote Access:
Dell Remote Access, free basic service DRAFB 1 [420-9800][993-1919] 813