opinions on this computer

[WoRdUp48]

does this computer seem like a good deal for the price? Please tell me what you think!!

SPECIFICATIONS:

· CasEdge Mid-Tower Case / 300 Watt ATX Power Supply

· ASUS A7N266-C Motherboard AGP4X / 266 MHz bus

· 2200+ (1.80GHz) AMD Athlon XP Processor

· 256MB DDR SDRAM (PC2100 266MHz) 1.5GB Max

· 80GB Western Digital 7200 RPM Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive

· LG 32X/10X/40X CDRW Drive w/software

· 64MB GeForce4 Titanium-4200 Video Card

· Dolby Digital Certified 5.1 (6 Channel) Surround Sound

· 56K US Robotics V.90 Data/Fax Modem

· 17” NEC FE700+ .25mm ag pitch Flat CRT Monitor

· Cyber Acoustics Flat Panel Stereo Speakers and Subwoofer

· Logitech Internet Keyboard / Logitech Optical Mouse

· Windows XP Home Edition with License & CD

· Minimum of 3 Years Parts & Hardware Warranty

· Lifetime Service, 24hr Tech Support & Satisfaction Guarantee

· Only $1499

[FthrJACK]

im not sure about USA prices, they tend to be much cheaper than over here.

still, same will apply, i bet most of the price for that system is for the warranty. will you still be using the pc in 3 years? is anyone component going to cost you mre than $300 to buy? whats the odds on two of the most expensive parts blowing up at the same time?

in 12 months, the CPU will be worth about a 3rd of the price they cost now, look at your warranty again.

im not saying its not worth it, just thats something to consider when buying ready built

[Lezend]

no no no. If you are planning to buy a new computer. I am greatly suggest you to wait until next year. Intel is droping its price dramaticly right now. Its just a waste of money.

For that spec, the system isn't highly recomment for over 1000.

You buy new system for long term (couple years). That spec will be ok but it wouldn't kill to wait couple months.

I am going to build another computer soon. I got all my parts pick out still, I am waiting until next year.

Your choice.

[gamehead200]

I guess the price is OK ...Have you considered building your own computer with Dell? I heard this somewhere. http://www.dell.com

[Snoop]

to weak a PSU

300 watt powering all that is gonna give u problems IMHO (ie lovely crashs and reboots)

you should have atleast 512mb ddr these days.

what sound card is it?

i wouldnt get a creative if i was you go with a hercules 7.1 card avoid those compatiblity issues us creative uses have (crackling and popping noises)

u should have atleast 5.1 speakers if u watch alot of dvd's or play alot of games.

dont bother with a warranty its likely u wont even have that pc in 3 years and if any of the parts inside your pc did break i expect it would work out cheaper for that part than it is the warranty.

BTW, build it your self! its not hard and it will work out at alot better value if you dont know how to build a pc yourself im sure you could find someone who is willing to build it for you!

you never know someone from this forum might live in your city and be willing to give u a hand buying the parts and building it for you.

no no no. If you are planning to buy a new computer. I am greatly suggest you to wait until next year. Intel is droping its price dramaticly right now. Its just a waste of money.

if you want a hi spec pc its always a bad time to upgrade theres always something better just around the corner no matter when u buy your bits! if u wait it is likely you will be waiting for ever.

[xsivforce]

I would suggest, as above, at least a 350 watt power supply. 400 would be better.

[ThA_FiLeR]

I bet you could save yourself atleast 200-300$$ by building it yourself and you'll have a better system than that. If you are worried about building a pc, the forum will always be here to help

[FthrJACK]

and you will end up with faster ram and bus speeds

333 ram or 400 even, for same cash, and a ti 440 or ati 9700 graphics, ti420 isnt bad, but if you build your own details like that wont be skipped and you will get the beter system for same price, trust us, quite a few people here on these very boards have decided against advice to buy ready built "it has a warranty with it" etc, and ended up wishing they hadnt, as pc makers make money by fitting cheap parts, it may be a ti420... but i bet its a naff OEM one for example, my mates is.

also, hes never going to be able to find a mobo to fit his case that will run a newer cpu (micro atx) very hard to find decent boards in micro atx format that support new cpu's.

[zipp51]

Ok Word,I priced out all the parts on pricewatch and came up with $1177 including shipping.That leaves $322 savings if you build it yourself.This includes Win xp pro oem cd,and Cyber Acoustics best speakers model #CA-5150.I also priced out a similar built system with the new Asus A7V333 and your talking $1650 with a neon lit Chieftec case.If you never built your own system you might consider the $322 saving here plus the shear satisfaction of building it yourself.You have many friend's here that can guide you through the process or provide information to complete your project.

[Team929]

Not to knock wordup48, but if someone's seriously thinking about buying a "already built" computer chances are they don't know what half the things you other guys are saying. Major mfgers such as dell and co have similar prices and the smaller mfgers have their own problems to deal with although they are cheaper. Its peace of mind that most people buy when they buy from these companies so wordup48, if you don't wanna go throught the hassle of building a comp, incompatibility issues or what not, go for it. The comp and the price don't seem that unreasonable or far fetched IMO.

[zipp51]

You don't always get peace of mind with the Dels and HP's.But I do apologize Word,for not answering your question with a simple answer.You are in the ballpark according to PC World top home pc list.The ABS Awsome 3110 is the most expensive value system at $1609 while the ABS Bravado 2300 at $ 1239 is the cheapest.

[Snoop]

if you don't wanna go throught the hassle of building a comp, incompatibility issues or what not, go for it. The comp and the price don't seem that unreasonable or far fetched IMO.

your making it sound like its hard to build a pc!

i was a total noob when i bought my 1st packard hell pc!

2 months later i had bough and installed a new motherboard ,sound card and graphics card because i wasnt happy with what was inside it (basically they will have a few good things that stand out like the words "pentium" which noobs will think are good because of the adverts) then they will fit the cheapest makes they can find to go along with it (why u think theres only a 300watt psu in that pc because its the least amount of power required to get the machine to boot up) usually creating a nice bottleneck on your performance.

i doubt he would have any compatibility problems if he listened to people on the forums advice and bought the right components that are known to be trouble free and come with good and easy to follow instructions.

if he isnt a very confident person and doesnt think hes quite ready to build a pc himself then fine im sure you will be happy with your dell but next time u need an upgrade or a whole new pc try to fit/build it yourself you will be suprised with how easy it is and wish u would have done it in the first place.

[Team929]

I was just trying to answer his question and yes I do believe building your first computer WILL be unchartered waters some newbs would like to avoid. Everyone else had basically said to build his own or something to that affect(dont quote me on this one ) SO I was advising him its not a bad deal.. sheesh.

ANd yes, my first comp was a Packard Hell as well back in... a shoot.. I forget... And a few months after that I realized never to buy another one.

[FthrJACK]

that makes you team929, EL1TE and me! heh

when i bought mine i specifically looked for an AGP slot machine, i wasnt a total noob but i did have an idea what i was doing and what i wanted, i feel i was conned by the store and by packard bell.

Yes it was AGP graphics - BUT onboard, there is no actual AGP slot so when it came to games i was shafted.

i Slowly rebuilt that pc bit by bit before eventually getting a new case, motherboard, CPU ram and power supply. now i have 3 machines, the packard bell is sat in the corner gathering dust where it belongs.

[Team929]

I guess plenty of people were duped into buying that god-awful excuse for a computer.

Its interesting NEC(PB's parent company at the time i think) had a decent reputation.

On a side note, my comp right now is fallin apart (software-wise) in every which way possible. Don't no one download PCMark2002!! After I ran it, it decided to screw up all sorts of sh*t. grrrrr.