Refurbished Dell Computers

[Whitersx29]

Anyone have any experience with them? Are they any good? Just wondering because i noticed that they are pretty cheap. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[HappyGamer2]

I have ordered a few, not for me but for other people, never had any problems
watch the shipping charges, sometimes it is cheaper to buy new

look on page 2 or 3 of this area for my post on dell pc's

 

[Whitersx29]

im also wondering if all dells come with an agp slot. Or if there are certain models that do and dont.

 

[HappyGamer2]

get a 4550, 8250 or a 8300, these have a AGP slot, 2350 don't

how much ya want to spend, what are going to use it for?

I have ordered 3 NEW dells in the last month two 4550 and one 8250, there not for me but for freinds

 

[Whitersx29]

im actually gonna use it for everyday use. Im on a p3 800mhz gateway right now. Its pretty old and cant keep up with the newer games. Im looking to spend around 500-600

 

[HappyGamer2]

your in the same boat as me with a p3-800

I would say spend a little more like 700 to 800 dollars and be done with it, for that price you can get a ati 9700 Tx graphics card, which is pretty good, but not top notch

you also may want a sound blaster live sound card
for gaming you want 384 mb of ram but 512 is better, but you can add more later, note the 8250 and 8300 models the ram must be matched pairs, the 4550 doesn't have to be matched but the 4550 only has two ram slots

keep a close watch on the dell refurbished list, sometimes they have one for heck of deal but it will be gone fast, check it every day for a while, even twice a day

go here to learn about the ram in each model:
http://www.crucial.com/index.asp?SiteID=AD

 

[Whitersx29]

thanks for the help, i was actually looking at the 4550's. Anyone else?

 

[HappyGamer2]

well for about 720 to 750 dollars end price you will be setting good with 4550 and ati 9700 tx, and sound blaster sound card, if you already have a good graphics card to put in it, you can get by cheaper

 

[biggiesmallz]

For $500-600 you can build a VERY good new system yourself. There's plenty of folks here that'll help you if you are a newbie!

 

[Whitersx29]

i actually was going to go that route of building my own. The only thing im worried about is how long the computer would last. I had an amd 2000+ configure for under 500.

 

[PaperclipGod]

I've bought a few refurbished dell's... had excellent experience with them. They come looking brand new, and have performed flawlessly. I've still got a refurb dual 300mhz server i bought a few years back still running... and its not showing any signs of stopping.

 

[Whitersx29]

Does anyone know the difference between the 4500 S and the 4550's. Im just browsing through their refurbished computers and came across the 4500 S.

 

[techfuzz]

Dell refurb's go through a pretty thorough process before being resold. When Dell receives a return that is destined to be resold as a refurb, the computer is first completely disassembled and put back into a "build bin". The parts are sent back through the assembly line and rebuilt EXACTLY as it was when it originally left the factory. The computer is re-imaged with the software that it was originally purchased with and sent to testing. After it passes testing it is ready to be sold as a refurb. Refurbs go through the same process of being rebuilt as a newly built computer and must conform to the same quality standards. Refurbs also come with the same warranty that applies to new computers from Dell. In essence you are buying a new Dell at much less than its original cost.

techfuzz

 

[Whitersx29]

Thanks for all the replies

 

[dexvx]

Actually, I'd just stick around for a few weeks and watch for any new Dell deals. There have been constantly many Dell hot deals that are are better than building your own system, cost wise.

 

[AtomicAlien]

I have had no problems at all, but Dell has some pretty good deals on their new ones now too...

 

[SpeedFreak03]

Originally posted by: Whitersx29
i actually was going to go that route of building my own. The only thing im worried about is how long the computer would last. I had an amd 2000+ configure for under 500.

The first computer I built was a Pentium 166. That was January 1997. It's now April 2003, over 6 years later. That 166 is sitting in my basement as an internet server. I'd say building your own works pretty good. Dell makes great systems for pretty cheap. I've stopped building computers for people because I can't compete with Dell's prices. So, watch the deals!

 

[HappyGamer2]

the 4500S is not for gamers, it has intergrated video and sound, so it most likely doesn't have a agp slot

4500s

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: HappyGamer2
the 4500S is not for gamers, it has intergrated video and sound, so it most likely doesn't have a agp slot

i believe it does infact have an agp slot. my friend has one i think with an mx440 AGP

 

[Whitersx29]

Anyone got a sure answer on the 4500 S. Im not set on that computer just want to keep my options open. And the computer needs to have an agp slot.

 

[HappyGamer2]

go checkout the link I just posted above, or call up dell and ask them, odds are it doesn't have a agp

 

[Whitersx29]

Thanks for the help, now i know to stay away from that model.

 

[HappyGamer2]

look at the 8100 and 8200 models they have a agp port, note 8100 has windows 2000, not xp

your best bet is a 4550 or 8250

the model 4500 has a agp slot, so does 4400
but avoid the 4500S