deuces wild Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 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: Intel Pentium D Processor 840 (3.2GHz) w/ Dual Core Technology250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz (4 DIMM slots)20 inch (20.0 inch viewable) 2005FPW Wide Aspect Digital Flat Panel Display256MB PCI Express x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800Dual TV Tuner with Remote Control16X DVD-ROM and 16X DVD+/-RWWireless Keyboard and Mouse Desktop SolutionSoundBlaster X-Fi PCI Extreme Music Sound CardDell 5650 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers System with SubwooferMicrosoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with WinXP HomeIntegrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet4 Year Limited Warranty (All XPS system owners will receive rapid response1 support from our XPS trained technicians)4 Year on site Warranty Sup portOutput Wattage: 375 WattsVideo: 1 VGA connector, 1 DVI connector, USB: 7 USB 2.0 ports - 2 front/5 back/1 internalExternally available Bays: Two 3.5 inch bays and two 5.25 inch bayInternally accessible Bays: Two 3.5 inch bays for hard drivesIO 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. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebuilt Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Specs look fine to me, Seem to remember you mentioned you wanted to play games on it. I dont see a problem running anything and if you do want to upgrade the GFX power at some point I think the card you have bought is capable of running in Parelell. I have never owned a Dell computer though so I cant comment on them as a manafacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 I just hope that you get better support from them than a lot of people over here get from ANY of the big suppliers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4\/!d Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 IMHO I believe Dell is a good brand. I have my PCs made for me, however if my hardware friend was not available I would go for a Dell myself :)I am sure you made the correct choice :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r4may Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Looks good for your needs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Looks good to me. If I would change one thing (if it were for me), it would be the wireless keyboard and mouse. Dell pushed a wireless keyboard and mouse on me when I bought my last home PC (Optiplex GX270), and this is the stupidest thing in the world! Every time I turn on my computer I find that the batteries are empty again. 8 batteries for the keyboard, 1 for the mouse. I really do not need these devices to be wireless; in fact I didn't even know that they are giving me this wireless stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Looks good to me. If I would change one thing (if it were for me), it would be the wireless keyboard and mouse. Dell pushed a wireless keyboard and mouse on me when I bought my last home PC (Optiplex GX270), and this is the stupidest thing in the world! Every time I turn on my computer I find that the batteries are empty again. 8 batteries for the keyboard, 1 for the mouse. I really do not need these devices to be wireless; in fact I didn't even know that they are giving me this wireless stuff.This surprises me. I have three AA cells in my three years old keyboard, and I have replaced them ONCE. My mouse has two AAA cells and they last about four or five months. You should sent yours back for replacement, there is obviously a fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuzzman Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Very nice system DW :DNot bad for the price either :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deuces wild Posted February 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Thanks for all the comments folks. I feel comfortable now that I made a good choice. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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