Re: OT: I gave in


"Harry Krause" <harry.krause@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:0-GdnaruTqvGBXPeRVn-ug@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
JimH wrote:
OK, call me chicken, but after trying to work with my (soon to be) 18
year old son on a small project and the headaches I encountered I decided
that it would not be a good idea to try to build a computer with him for
his high school graduation gift.

So sticking with a budget we went out today to check out what Dell had to
offer. After getting apples to apples quotes at the Dell store, Dell
on-line and Dell phone sales we went with the following:

Dell XPS400 ( http://tinyurl.com/8x9pd ) system, including upgrades:

a.. Intel Pentium D Processor 840 (3.2GHz) w/ Dual Core Technology
b.. 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
c.. 1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz (4 DIMM slots)
d.. 20 inch (20.0 inch viewable) 2005FPW Wide Aspect Digital Flat Panel
Display
e.. 256MB PCI Express x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800
f.. Dual TV Tuner with Remote Control
g.. 16X DVD-ROM and 16X DVD+/-RW
h.. Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Desktop Solution
i.. SoundBlaster X-Fi PCI Extreme Music Sound Card
j.. Dell 5650 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers System with Subwoofer
k.. Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with WinXP Home
l.. Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet
m.. 4 Year Limited Warranty (All XPS system owners will receive rapid
response1 support from our XPS trained technicians)
n.. 4 Year on site Warranty Sup port
o.. Output Wattage: 375 Watts
p.. Video: 1 VGA connector, 1 DVI connector, USB: 7 USB 2.0 ports - 2
front/5 back/1 internal
q.. Externally available Bays: Two 3.5 inch bays and two 5.25 inch bay
r.. Internally accessible Bays: Two 3.5 inch bays for hard drives
s.. IO ports: Video:
- 1 VGA connector, 1 DVI connector
- USB: 7 USB 2.0 ports - 2 front/5 back/1 internal
- 7.1 Channel Audio: 5 miniature jacks for line in, line out (front,
rear and center) and two front panel connectors for headphones/microphone
The "out the door price" was around $2,400, including shipping and taxes.
The phone sales department blew the other offers (store and on-line)
away, including a better warranty and rebates.

This is a done deal but any comments are appreciated, good or bad. I just
hope I made the right decision . ;-)


Well, I had to decide whether I wanted a dual core when I put together my
latest, and at the last minute, I decided against it because there was so
little software that took advantage of it. But that may change, so the
motherboard I got will work with either. I went for a 3.4 Ghz CPU instead.

I've never tried a wireless keyboard or mouse, and would appreciate
hearing your reactions to them. And whether there is noticeable lag time
in using them.

Looks pretty solid; your kid will be well served in college by the
machine. Make sure he knows how to run backups.


Thanks Harry.

I have a spare 160 gb 7,200 rpm internal drive I may install once his system
comes and I plan to teach him how to back up his system (and his music,
photo and word files) to that drive using Acronis. However, depending on
my options I may just buy a USB 2.0 case for it so he can use it an external
drive.


.

Relevant Pages

  • OT: I gave in
    ... So sticking with a budget we went out today to check out what Dell had to ... Year on site Warranty Sup port ... Two 3.5 inch bays and two 5.25 inch bay ... VGA connector, 1 DVI connector ...
    (rec.boats)
  • Re: I gave in
    ... After getting apples to apples quotes at the Dell store, ... Two 3.5 inch bays and two 5.25 inch bay ... VGA connector, 1 DVI connector ... If he is 18 and going to college, I would have looked at getting him a fast ...
    (rec.boats)
  • Re: I gave in
    ... After getting apples to apples quotes at the Dell store, ... Year on site Warranty Support ... Two 3.5 inch bays and two 5.25 inch bay ... VGA connector, 1 DVI connector ...
    (rec.boats)
  • Windows Media Center Extender for Xbox
    ... Keyboard Dell Quietkey Keyboard ... Network Interface Integrated Gigabit Ethernet ... Two 3.5-inch bays for hard drives ... One 6-pin mini-DIN connector ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter)
  • Re: OT: I gave in
    ... So sticking with a budget we went out today to check out what Dell had to offer. ... Year Limited Warranty ... Two 3.5 inch bays and two 5.25 inch bay ... VGA connector, 1 DVI connector ...
    (rec.boats)
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