Pre Built systems, any good deals out there?

[geno]

I'm looking to spend like 1000-1100 on a pre built system, can anyone recommend some good ones? I was looking at the ones from PC Nut and I was wondering if anyone knows some good ones. It's for my friend and I want him to get the most for his money without having to build it myself, I'm just too damn lazy to do it myself. Where's a good place for me to get a decent system for that price range?

 

[Tripleshot]

Get a Dell 4300 loaded. Fits your budget perfect. comes with 17"monitor and XP home.

 

[geno]

Ohh oh, forgot to mention, this doesn't require a monitor. He's going to provide his own.

 

[TallBill]

yeah.. prebuilts are not to bad of a deal anymore with all the software/support you get.. personally i dont pay for those tho so i save mad cash(btw, im not talkin about warez or anything here.. the software i do have is legal)

 

[Tripleshot]

Order Dell, delete monitor and upgrade extras. It will start that way below 899. You can get a hell of alot of PC power in this offering.

It starts at 1.6 gig P4.

 

[brxndxn]

A Dell?? Are you guys crazy??

Get him something with an Athlon.. try ABScomputers, MicronPC...

 

[geno]

<< Get him something with an Athlon.. try ABScomputers, MicronPC... >>


Yeah I was hoping to stick to an AMD system since they're generally cheaper, but if the right deal comes along for a P4 system, then whatever

 

[Tripleshot]

If you want a reliable system buy Intel.AMD is for tweakers that crack open their own cases and clean fans regularly. Dell comes with a 3 year warrenty. Intel P4's do not suffer the heat problem AMD's do.

No manufacturer,including Micron, have adequately addressed that problem. Why do you think servers are Intel?


Reliability.

 

[vi edit]

Check out Dell Refurb Outlet

 

[Red Dawn]

The Dell P4's come with the POS Intel Motherboards that use the i845 Chipset and SDRAM which cripples the P4's performance. You might as well get a Celeron 1 gig system for less is you are going to use that crappy chipset.The ignorant and unsuspecting buyers see P4 and gets a woody and in turns get's reamed by Dell.

Why do you think that little Steve in their commercials has such a gay attitude?

 

[vi edit]

Red, I've only seen the Dell 8100's offered with PC800 RDRAM.

Can't comment on board and chipset.

 

[Tripleshot]

Red,

With an $1100 budget and a request for a prebuilt, not knowing if the user is a power gamer, and knowing the P4 1.6 gig even with the 845 chipset is going to smoke any celeron offering, the recommendation stands. It is a superior choice over an AMD offering in a pre built. And hhe can load it up on upgrades to really make it nice. I just ordered one for a customer with CD-RW and DVD and 256 ram with a 40 gig HDD and Sounblaster Live ,well with in his budget.

 

[Red Dawn]

Ignorance knows no bounds and niether do most who would buy that crippled POS. Truth be told though about 99% of those who use PC's wouldn't be able to tell the difference nor use all the computing power they'd get in either instance(a P3 700 would suit most of them). But for those who would know the difference, the Dell option isn't all that spectacular and anyone in the know would go to a reputable local shop with experienced Tech's who could put together an AMD system that would smoke those crippled boxes that Dell is peddling.

Big OEMs like Dell,Gateway and the rest do a good job of selling the customers names and labels, much better than they do of selling them the best bang for the buck.



<< I just ordered one for a customer with CD-RW and DVD and 256 ram with a 40 gig HDD and Sounblaster Live ,well with in his budget. >>

Where for a few dollars more you could have built him a superior AMD system with all those goodies an actual performance to match.

 

[fatbaby]

<< Red, I've only seen the Dell 8100's offered with PC800 RDRAM.

Can't comment on board and chipset. >>



8100s are discontinued, 8200s now


~fat try here

 

[Random Variable]

Oxford PC, GamePC, or Monarch Computer

 

[Noriaki]

<< AMD is for tweakers that crack open their own cases and clean fans regularly. >>

What?

*looks at his single 80mm case fan that's never been cleaned*

My AMD system is doing fine with minimal cooling friend...


But that's not an issue.

I wouldn't buy a Dell, to expensive.

Go to a little local shop, maybe one with a few outlets, and spec out a machine, they will do the building, testing, software installing and what not for, and they provide a warranty.

Then you know what's going into it.

Also Red Dawn, I would like to argue your comment about the "POS Intel Motherboards" Dell uses....
Intel motherboards happen to be extremely good boards.

Not the cheapest, nor do they have any tweaker options, but if you just want a solid running board, Intel's Motherboards are excellent.

 

[Tripleshot]

Red,

>>>Where for a few dollars more you could have built him a superior AMD system with all those goodies an actual performance to match. <<<

You are almost right. The difference is I do not plan to be around in 3 years to service her system. Dell does plan to be around.

And my shipping cost for monitor,and case and all peripherals ate the hell out of any profit I could make.Not to mention the software bundle that was thrown in and XP home. I couldn't come close to copmpete,even with an Athlon.

Computing power? I am tickled pink with a 933 PIII. Intel just announced they will discountinue the PIII. I will get many more miles out of my Intel powered systems. I have had 3 failed athlon systems and I've run the gambit on mobos and chipsets for those too.

At least the CPU and HDD and all this customers peripherals will be valid for a while,should they decide to upgrade to a more powerful mobo.

This customer will have a system that will fit their needs fine. This poster has not said he wants a power system. He wants a pre built bargain. Sometimes you need to listen to the customer.

 

[Red Dawn]

Noriaki


<< Also Red Dawn, I would like to argue your comment about the "POS Intel Motherboards" Dell uses.... >>

You are right, Intel makes dependable Motherboards. I use Intel motherboards more than any other brand. It's the i845 Chipset that is a POS.



<< The difference is I do not plan to be around in 3 years to service her system. Dell does plan to be around. >>

What would you have to service? If built right with good parts then the only thing you'd have to worry about is the hard drive and the turn around RMA time with Maxtor or IBM is around one week. What's the turn around getting Dell to fix a dead system?



<< Computing power? I am tickled pink with a 933 PIII. >>

Obviously you haven't bought into the BS that others have that the fastest CPU is needed to run Office apps and surf the Internet I have a 1.2 gig Tbird and to be perfectly honest with you I really can't tell the difference from it and the P3 1 gig I upgraded from. Almost all the systems I sell my clients are P3 700 to 933's as anything more would be a waste as most them are business systems and workstations.



<< This poster has not said he wants a power system. He wants a pre built bargain. Sometimes you need to listen to the customer >>

Yes but sometimes it is also necessary to educate too. Actually I'm not anti Intel and Anti P4, I juist don't like that chipset they are using and think that it is a crippled system not even worth the paltry price they charge for it.



<< I have had 3 failed athlon systems and I've run the gambit on mobos and chipsets for those too. >>

Hmm.. why do some people have nothing but problems with AMD and the rest of us don't? I keep switching my main workstation from the Intel Platform top the AMD Platform and I haven't had a bit of trouble. All my friends I build systems for opt for the AMD Platform and I have yet to have any come back with tales of incompatabilty or system failure.

 

[geno]

OK, How's this sound, I think it's a decent deal:


CPU: (Detail) ATHLON XP-1800 $228.00
MainBoard: (Detail) AD70-SC $109.00
Case: (Detail) SUPER ATX $43.00
Hdd: (Detail) 40GB/7200rpm $135.00
Memory: (Detail) 512MB/DDR $105.00
Video Card: (Detail) GEFORCE2 MX400 32MB $79.00
Fdd: (Detail) 1.44MB $12.00
Keyborder: (Detail) Microsoft $35.00
Mouse: (Detail) Microsoft-MS $18.00
DVD: (Detail) 16XDVD $69.00
CD-RW: (Detail) 16X10X40CDRW $174.00


The total price is : $1,007.00


might add a larger HD, not sure yet, it has integrated sound, which if he wants he can throw an SB Live in there, and the LAN is integrated as well, which he'll be needing at school.

 

[gopunk]

there are quite a few things in life where for most people it works fine, but for a certain selection of people, everything seems to go wrong. i think amd chips are like this... other things include dsl, and cable. go figure.

for the record, amd works great for me. i wouldn't trade it for ANY intel box.

 

[gopunk]

OK, How's this sound, I think it's a decent deal:

what are the brands for the stuff?

 

[Red Dawn]

<< CPU: (Detail) ATHLON XP-1800 $228.00
MainBoard: (Detail) AD70-SC $109.00
Case: (Detail) SUPER ATX $43.00
Hdd: (Detail) 40GB/7200rpm $135.00
Memory: (Detail) 512MB/DDR $105.00
Video Card: (Detail) GEFORCE2 MX400 32MB $79.00
Fdd: (Detail) 1.44MB $12.00
Keyborder: (Detail) Microsoft $35.00
Mouse: (Detail) Microsoft-MS $18.00
DVD: (Detail) 16XDVD $69.00
CD-RW: (Detail) 16X10X40CDRW $174.00
>>



Should blow away any of those Dell i845 systems.

 

[Tripleshot]

>>>Hmm.. why do some people have nothing but problems with AMD and the rest of us don't? I keep switching my main workstation from the Intel Platform top the AMD Platform and I haven't had a bit of trouble. All my friends I build systems for opt for the AMD Platform and I have yet to have any come back with tales of incompatabilty or system failure. <<<

I was an early adopter of AMD. In fact I had to go on a special search for a K6-2 socket 7 chip for a customer Thursday. My supplier has dropped them. AMD quit making them. I found the last 550 in town. There will be no more.

I have had trouble with Athlon factory SlotA CPU's. I think it has more to do with VIA and poor motherboards. I have an original factory unlocked Duron 600 and Asus A7V mobos to put it in, but I have not brought myself to sell one because even those are outdated now. Tbirds and P4's ar fine,and I will build in a heartbeat for a true gamer or overclocker whatever they wish,as long as its on an Asus or ABit mobo. For business, I use Asus and Tyan or Epox.

I live in the desert. Heat and dust are major considerations. I build with larger cases and extra cooling. That makes me leary of AMD because they generate phenomial amounts of heat. Should a fan fail, or temperatures rise, it can bring down an Athlon very fast. Intel is a bit more tolerant. It's just my experience here.

 

[geno]

The only things that I want to make sure of the brand are the HD and the Mobo. So I need to check into that. But the other things, like RAM, CD/DVD drives, he can deal with something of a lower caliber for now. Not the smartest choice, but you gotta cut corners somewhere.

 

[Tripleshot]

genocide

What about the OS? How about adding software bundle such as office and quickbooks. Don't forget he educational bundle. Shipping too? And do you build your systems for free?

Sorry, no sale.