Building PC vs buying prebuilt...

[zlcd]

Well, not going to go and explain everything. Here is what I got prebuilt for $600 from Dell.com:

Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.40GHz with 533MHz system bus/ 512K L2 Cache
Memory 256MB DDR SDRAM at 333MHz
Keyboard Dell® Quietkey® Keyboard
Monitors 15 inch E151FP Flat Panel Display LCD
64MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce4™ MX Graphics Card with TV-Out
Hard Drive 40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM
Floppy Drive 3.5 in Floppy Drive
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Mouse Dell® 2-button scroll mouse
DVD Drive 16x Max DVD-ROM Drive
Sound Card Integrated Audio/NIC

Can you build the same system for that much money... hmm.. don't think so. Just LCD monitor is over $300, so that leaves $300 on everything else...

it was simply amazing deal from dell on Dimension 4550.

 

[AMD_Man]

Err..something looks wrong here. I tried to custom-select the same components from DELL and I got a price tag of over $1200.

Intelligence is not merely the wealth of knowledge but the sum of perception, wisdom, and knowledge.

 

[halkebul]

If ya plan to do any gaming, ya definitely do not want a LCD monitor. Get yourself a nice 19" CRT monitor. The Mitsubishi DP920 19" CRT monitor ($342 at <A HREF="http://www.mwave.com" target="_new">MWave</A>) is very impressive.

<i>It's your world kid!!!</i>

 

[buddry]

That was a pretty good deal. I think its better to customize and order what you want from a place like dell then to buy a piece of crap from best buy. Of course building it yourself is the best if it is possible for youto do it.

<font color=blue>Unofficial Forum Cop</font color=blue>

 

[Spitfire_x86]

ViewSonic P95f and P95f+ are good, too

What Audio Compression Technology you use for storing music? <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=25137#25137" target="_new"> Tell Here</A>

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

customizing and building PC's are for professionals and buying prebuilt PC's are for normal end-users.

A professional in computers shouldn't buy prebuilt systems as you slowly lose knowledge about how computers work as computers rapidly change all the time.

Life is irrelivent and irrational.

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=9933" target="_new"> My Rig </A>

 

[halkebul]

In regards to optical drives, with your current setup you will not be able to make backup copies of your software unless ya extract the CD images in the form of ISO files to your hard drive which will take up about 650MB to 700MB per CD, but these files can be compressed using programs like winrar, winace and the like. I would go with a DVD drive and a CD burner. In this case, you can perform a simple CD to CD copy. Hmm, You are learning alot today.

<i>It's your world kid!!!</i>

 

[Methos]

Ahhhh...I think I figured it out....the price he paid is similar to refurb models available on Dell's website.

 

[spud]

So the coperate sectors have no professionals? Thats a fairly bold statement. BTW if I didnt run my own computer store and get parts at cost, I would buy a dell.

-Jeremy

<font color=blue>Just some advice from your friendly neighborhood blue man </font color=blue>

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

your pretty bold for making such an assumtption.
I said computer profesionals. I made it pretty clear that i meant as i said which was computer professionals. Even profesionals in the context of computers anyway with a brain would figure that out that i meant clearly computer profesionals. The people that make your hardware and software computer profesionals. do you understand?



Life is irrelivent and irrational.

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=9933" target="_new"> My Rig </A>

 

[spud]

No actually that whole thing made no sence to me, thx for asking though princess.

-Jeremy

<font color=blue>Just some advice from your friendly neighborhood blue man </font color=blue>

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

your welcome dickhead

Life is irrelivent and irrational.

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=9933" target="_new"> My Rig </A>

 

[Quetzacoatl]

What exactly are ISO files, and how do you use them? I'm trying to get a hacked (that's right, illegal software ) to work for Neverwinter Nights. Is there some way to convert the ISO files to a normal CD, as a winzip files to a whole bunch?

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[lhgpoobaa]

Far as i understand it an ISO file is just a whole copy of a CD, bitperfect. Just burn and use.

<b>And if you gaze for long into Toms Hardware Forums, The Forum gazes also into you! </b>

 

[slickstaa]

well, if you just want to install the game, you can get Daemon Tools and mount the images on virtual cd rom drives.

<font color=blue> If it ain't broke, don't fix it...tweak it.</font color=blue>

 

[papasmurf]

anyone who would buy thier pc prebuilt is lazy and has too much money to waste

Life . A sexually transmitted disease which afflicts some people more severly than others.
save family guy via this link!
<A HREF="http://www.petitiononline.com/savefg2" target="_new">http://www.petitiononline.com/savefg2</A>

 

[vetplus40]

Well either he got a 50% discount,or they have read some of your posts and charged you double......lol
Just kidding...

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[zlcd]

Update on the deal:
The deal is over, so you won't be able to get the same setup. it was featured on www.dealcatcher.com. Here is the link to forums to some luck ones who got the system before the deal was over: http://forums.dealcatcher.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13491

No I am not lazy and I build computers from custom parts for me and for living, but I needed a new one for my girlfriend and I wasn't able to find the same price on custom parts especially with LCD, so this deal was the best. Great Christmas present

anyway you snooze you loose, that computer is worth around $1000 and they are a lot of them selling on ebay for around 950...

 

[vetplus40]

Interesting. My 11 year old is bugging me for his own pc.Dont have the time to build him one right now.Might have to check retro-box.He is infatuated with a notebook for some odd reason.

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[Spitfire_x86]

Every CD burning app is able to burn ISO files. In Nero Burning Rom you can burn a ISO image to a CD using "Burn Image" command.

You can use ISO files in Virtual Drive. Get it <A HREF="http://www.farstone.com" target="_new"> here </A>. You will need to change the extention of your ISO files from ".iso" to ".vcd"

If you want to extract files form a ISO image without burning it in a CD or without using Virtual Drive, use WinRAR. WinRAR can extract files from a ISO image. Get WinRAR <A HREF="http://www.rarlabs.com" target="_new"> here </A>

BTW, do you like illegal stuff like me?

What Audio Compression Technology you use for storing music? <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=25137#25137" target="_new"> Tell Here</A>

 

[IntelConvert]

BTW, do you like illegal stuff like me?

What's illegal?

 

[Spitfire_x86]

Illegal copies of software.

What Audio Compression Technology you use for storing music? <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=25137#25137" target="_new"> Tell Here</A>

 

[groth2757]

xxsk8er101xx I'm not a computer professional and I build my own systems. So what do you mean by professional because I'm a hobbyist!!


<font color=blue>Clean your keyboard once a month to avoid sticky keys. <font color=blue>

 

[johnoh]

you are just nuts. Nobody has ever bought that computer for that price. Quit using untruth to instigate good argument.

John A

 

[IntelConvert]

Guess I was just confused... While discussing WinRAR, you said

BTW, do you like illegal stuff like me?

so I thought you were implying some connection between the two.