Rate this Home PC set up!

[Kid Charlemagne]

I've just about given up on my current system (which is dying/dead) and I've got a good deal on Dells through work (my notations in italics)

• Dimension E520 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6320 (4MB L2 cache,1.86GHz,1066FSB) I could go with one of the lower end XFS systems, like an XPS 410, but I'd lose about $50 worth of discount. Also, will I note that much difference between this processor and dual 2.4 E6600?
• Operating System Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
• Memory 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs I've got 2 512 chips of DDR2 memory from my current system - assuming this box has four slots, which I think it does, could I add those? Or does all the memory still have to be of identical amounts?
• Keyboard Dell USB Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse
• Monitor 20 inch UltraSharp™ 2007WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Any thoughts on this monitor would be welcome
• Video Cards Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3000 I'd buy a better card or swap my current card in - unfortunately I'd have to spring for the XPS to be able to add as good a card as I'd like to have
• Hard Drives 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ I've got an external 40MB, as well as a 250 MB and a 60 MB that I can plug into external housings or into the Dell box itself, so I'm all good for storage!
• Floppy Drive and Media Reader 13 in 1 Media Card Reader
• Mouse Mouse included in Wireless, Laser or Bluetooth Package
• Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
• Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem
• Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
• CD or DVD Drive Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW
• Sound Cards Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
• Speakers Dell AS501 10W Flat Panel Attached Spkrs for UltraSharp™ Flat Panels
• Bundle Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD I can get office through work
• Security Software No Security Subscription (30-day trial) I can get this through work
• Hardware Warranty 1Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor - Next Business Day
• Internet Access Service 6 Months of America Online Membership Included
• Dell Digital Entertainment No Entertainment software pre-installed
• Labels Windows Vista™ Premium

With discounts, this system will run me just over $1,000.

I think I'll post the XPS in a few minutes to compare the differences...

edited so that it is readable

 

[Mycanid]

AHHHHHHH!

Um ... Kid, could you re-format your post a little, it is hard for me to sort everything out!

 

[Thanee]

I've just about given up on my current system (which is dying/dead) and I've got a good deal on Dells through work (my notations in italics)

• Dimension E520 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6320 (4MB L2 cache,1.86GHz,1066FSB) I could go with one of the lower end XFS systems, like an XPS 410, but I'd lose about $50 worth of discount. Also, will I note that much difference between this processor and dual 2.4 E6600?
• Operating System Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
• Memory 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs I've got 2 512 chips of DDR2 memory from my current system - assuming this box has four slots, which I think it does, could I add those? Or does all the memory still have to be of identical amounts?
• Keyboard Dell USB Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse
• Monitor 20 inch UltraSharp™ 2007WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Any thoughts on this monitor would be welcome
• Video Cards Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3000 I'd buy a better card or swap my current card in - unfortunately I'd have to spring for the XPS to be able to add as good a card as I'd like to have
• Hard Drives 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ I've got an external 40MB, as well as a 250 MB and a 60 MB that I can plug into external housings or into the Dell box itself, so I'm all good for storage!
• Floppy Drive and Media Reader 13 in 1 Media Card Reader
• Mouse Mouse included in Wireless, Laser or Bluetooth Package
• Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
• Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem
• Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
• CD or DVD Drive Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW
• Sound Cards Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
• Speakers Dell AS501 10W Flat Panel Attached Spkrs for UltraSharp™ Flat Panels
• Bundle Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD I can get office through work
• Security Software No Security Subscription (30-day trial) I can get this through work
• Hardware Warranty 1Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor - Next Business Day
• Internet Access Service 6 Months of America Online Membership Included
• Dell Digital Entertainment No Entertainment software pre-installed
• Labels Windows Vista™ Premium

With discounts, this system will run me just over $1,000.

I think I'll post the XPS in a few minutes to compare the differences...

"The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 3 characters."

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

AHHHHHHH!

Um ... Kid, could you re-format your post a little, it is hard for me to sort everything out!

Aargh! Sorry. Fixed it!

Here would be a somewhat comparable XPS system (same processor, many same options, but with the NVidia 8600)

• XPS 410 XPS 410, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6320 (1.86GHz,1066FSB) with 4MB cache
• Operating System Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
• Memory 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs
• Keyboard Dell USB Keyboard
• Monitor 20 inch UltraSharp™ 2007WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
• Video Cards 256MB nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS
• Hard Drive 250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
• Floppy Drive and Media Reader No Floppy Drive Included
• Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse
• Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem
• Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
• CD or DVD Drive Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
• Sound Cards Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
• Speakers Dell AS501 10W Flat Panel Attached Spkrs for UltraSharp™ Flat Panels
• Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
• Security Software No Security software pre-installed
• Hardware Warranty 1Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor - Next Business Day
• Internet Access Service 6 Months of America Online Membership Included
• Dell Digital Entertainment No Entertainment software pre-installed
• Labels Windows Vista™ Premium

 

[Thanee]

Dimension E520 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6320 (4MB L2 cache,1.86GHz,1066FSB) I could go with one of the lower end XFS systems, like an XPS 410, but I'd lose about $50 worth of discount. Also, will I note that much difference between this processor and dual 2.4 E6600?

Not during typical everyday use.

Memory 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs I've got 2 512 chips of DDR2 memory from my current system - assuming this box has four slots, which I think it does, could I add those? Or does all the memory still have to be of identical amounts?

Well, first you probably won't need more than 2GB, really.
Second, your old RAM likely is much slower (333Mhz or somesuch).

I would just leave this alone.

Monitor 20 inch UltraSharp™ 2007WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Any thoughts on this monitor would be welcome

Looks decent enough. I personally don't like widescreen displays, but that's mostly personal preferance. They are great to watch DVDs, though.

Video Cards Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3000 I'd buy a better card or swap my current card in - unfortunately I'd have to spring for the XPS to be able to add as good a card as I'd like to have

No experience with the X3000, though it probably isn't as good as even one of the cheaper ATI or Nvidia cards.

Hard Drives 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ I've got an external 40MB, as well as a 250 MB and a 60 MB that I can plug into external housings or into the Dell box itself, so I'm all good for storage!

I suppose you meant GBs there.

Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0

This is awesome™ - they actually include an outdated Acrobat Reader! Woohoo!

j/k

Hardware Warranty 1Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor - Next Business Day

Just 1 year of warranty? Is that typical in the states? We commonly get at least 2 yrs here.

With discounts, this system will run me just over $1,000.

Hard to say, but probably a decent price, considering it includes a display and Vista and all that.

Do you have any idea what kind of mainboard they use?

I think I'll post the XPS in a few minutes to compare the differences...

What does the XPS cost?

Bye
Thanee

 

[Mycanid]

Aargh! Sorry. Fixed it!

Here would be a somewhat comparable XPS system (same processor, many same options, but with the NVidia 8600)

*XPS 410 XPS 410, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6320 (1.86GHz,1066FSB) with 4MB cache
*Operating System Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
*Memory 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs
*Keyboard Dell USB Keyboard
*Monitor 20 inch UltraSharp™ 2007WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
*Video Cards 256MB nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS

This setup looks fine to me for an entertainment system. Home Premium should work fine for that. The generic usb keyboard that Dell offers is not that great typing wise - at least in the experience of many of my co-workers. Might consider getting another keyboard ahead of time in terms of price approximations.

[*]Hard Drive 250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™

As I pointed out to Thanee in another thread ... if it were me I would get two smaller hard drives rather than one big one, and make fairly regular image and data backups of the hard drive with the OS onto the 2nd drive. That way should the first fail you can restore it from the second with ease and should the second fail you will have a copy of the data on the first.

*Floppy Drive and Media Reader No Floppy Drive Included
*Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse
*Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem
*Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0

Standard stuff. Looks ok to me.

*CD or DVD Drive Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability

You might consider getting two drives - one a dvd burner and the other a dvd reader. Use the reader for just reading data and the burner for burning data. It will make your burner last longer. Dell machines come with a "Special Dell Edition" of Roxio made for them by the latter company. If Roxio drives you up the wall you should be warned!

Sound Cards Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Speakers Dell AS501 10W Flat Panel Attached Spkrs for UltraSharp™ Flat Panels
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
Security Software No Security software pre-installed

Fine, fine, fine. Get security software!

*Hardware Warranty 1Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor - Next Business Day

You might consider getting a 3 year warranty. Yes, it costs a little more, but it IS your data! Unless you are expecting to upgrade in less than a year. :\

*Internet Access Service 6 Months of America Online Membership Included
*Dell Digital Entertainment No Entertainment software pre-installed
*Labels Windows Vista™ Premium

Not bad all-in-all. It would serve as an beginning to lump on other things if need be.

When you say entertainment though ... you mean you will use it as a media center? A gaming center? Both? More than this?

 

[Mycanid]

Phooey. Thanee beat me to the actual post!

 

[Mycanid]

Other thoughts ... reviews I have read equate the X3000 to the ATI x1400, which is fine for multimedia use, but for games? Blech.

Also, Dell often puts PROPRIETARY MEMORY in their Motherboards. Pain in the neck. :\

Edit: K.CH. - I commented on the XPS setup. I have heard from others that the XPS are just better machines in general. I would go with that one, even if a little more.

 

[Thanee]

It was pretty close, though.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Actually, Thanee reviewed the initial post (the Dimension system) and Mycanid did the second post (the XPS system). Both are pretty similar, so it is handy to see opinions of each. The first post has more comments, while the second one was a different system for comparison's sake. The second system (XPS) would run almost $250 more (most of that is the upgraded video card.

I do a fair amount of PC gaming (and apart from that I do a lot of word processing and surfing), so I would absolutely be upgrading that video card (I've got a 6600 in my current dead box that may or may not be working). I've also got extra HD's laying around so I can do the back up thing if I feel the need (yeah, I meant GB, sheesh. BTW, my first hard drive was 20 MB, and cost me $200 back in the late 1980's).

Good point about the two DVD drives - I hadn't thought of that but it makes sense.

I've got security software from work that I can use for my home PC. Same deal for MS Office, and some other things.