Computer Deal $349

Mike Labbe

Administrator
Forum Support Team
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Posts
20,442
Loc
Lincoln, RI
Business
Get The Picture
Here's another one of those limited time deals from Dell:

Great for a POS workstation or kid, not great for a power user who needs special graphics speed for CAD, or heavy gaming.

Dimension 2400 2.2GHzCel System w/ 17" Monitor & DVD(or CD burner) for $349 including shipping & Software

http://www.thedailydeals.com/?pno=3655&lno=1&afsrc=1

Select the following options:
FREE UPGRADE! 16X Max Variable DVD-Rom Drive OR FREE UPGRADE! New 48x/24x/48x Max CD-RW Drive
FREE UPGRADE! 17 in (16 in viewable,.27dp) E773c CRT Monitor

Intel Celeron Processor at 2.20GHz with 400MHz front side bus
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
128MB Shared DDR SDRAM at 266MHz
Dell Quietkey Keyboard
Dell 2-Button Scroll Mouse
WordPerfect Productivity Pack with Quicken New User Edition
40GB ATA/100 Value Hard Drive
FREE UPGRADE! 16X Max Variable DVD-Rom Drive or CD burner
FREE UPGRADE! 17 in (16 in viewable,.27dp) E773c CRT Monitor
Integrated Intel® 3D Extreme Graphics
Integrated Audio
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year On-site Service
 
Mike,

Thanks so much for ferreting out these computer deals for us. Please don't think that, because you may not get any replies on your threads, that nobody cares about this information. I, for one, look forward to reading about the new deals that Dell offers. I am going to have to buy a new computer in the near future and always enjoy doing the "wish list" thing with the packages that you find on the internet.

(AND, it saves me having to go and dig them out myself!) :D

Framerguy
 
I didn't know if anyone cared/read em. If I see any REALLY good deals, i'll keep posting em here.

I dont understand how they can put a system together and make a profit for such a low price. (monitor, shipping, cd burner, network card, 1 year on site service, and about $300 in software)

This one was by no means a "power system", but good enough for most folks. The only thing I would upgrade is the memory, and not from Dell. It's cheaper elsewhere.
 
Very true about the memory, you can buy memory cheaper at Sam's Club than you can from Dell. And Tiger Direct or a few other supply catalogs also list memory for next to nothing compared to what it sold for just a year or so ago.

I don't care for the Celeron processors, myself. I think that, dollar for dollar, The AMD's are probably the best buy. I also would like a minimum of an 80 Gig hard drive and at least a gig 24 of memory.

I have a Microsoft optical mouse on both my computers and wouldn't go back to a regular mouse for anything! They operate flawlessly and work on just about any surface. No need for a mouse pad anymore.

Framerguy
 
I have used this type of computer (base level) for many years. Accounting and word processing is not a strain for any system. By adding 512mb of ram will add around $50 if purchased from local or mail order sources other than Dell.

I do some minor graphics, simple photo editing and printing and CAD for my Fletcher. It still does not stress the machine.

The true stress on a system are high end gaming programs and high level graphics such as Quark, PageMaker, Photoshop etc.

Dell is charging extra for the ram: 1- for convience 2- for a little profit since this is a bare bones unit.
 
I am not very computer literate. Yesterday, I bought a new Compaq. It has the stuff on it Mike's discovery has. I got it for $439, then paid extra for them to put it together. It has extra memory with it. I got a beginners Comqaq kit 2 years ago and kept having one problem after another.

Did I buy a good computer? Or, should I have gone for one like Mike is talking about? I did buy the least expensive Compaq. Is Mike's computer a better computer than what I bought? I just want to know for the future. I assume a separate monitor is big money. So mine has to be much more expensive.

I know I still have my cousin's Gateway, but I have enjoyed having 2 computers, now, and had gathered the cash for a new one, so I bought the new one.

I accidentally partitioned my cousin' computer. I guess it won't hurt anything will it?

[ 09-29-2003, 08:52 AM: Message edited by: SusanNolan ]
 
It's difficult to answer those questions without knowing the specifications of what you bought.

I'm sure whatever you bought will be just right. You found a great price as well, and I'm sure it will provide many years of reliability.

Mike

[ 09-29-2003, 11:25 AM: Message edited by: Mike-L@GTP ]
 
When looking at a monitor please keep in mind the DPI or dots per inch. Most monitors have a dpi ranging from .27 to .20.
Dpi of.20 is considered very good as .27 is poor. A dp of .27 if looked at for long periods of time will cause eyestrain and might cause headaches, nausea or feeling tired or even make you sick to the stomach.
Try to get a monitor of .25, .23 or .20. It will really help your eyes and general overall health!
So when buying a "package" pc ask for a dpi upgrade, it's worth a few x-tra $s.

-David-
 
It's actually called 'Dot Pitch Ratio', which is measured in fractions of a millimeter. CRT's are measured in this way to determine the distance between the "Dots" (red, green, blue triads) The tighter these are packed together means increased clarity/resolution, in theory.

Back in the early 90s the economy monitors were at about 0.58mm, now they are down much lower. The new ones range from 0.20mm - 0.30mm.

What a difference in clarity!
 
Mike,
Oops, You are correct sir! Ha, ha,haaa.
'Dot Pitch Ratio', Gotta remember that.
Still the .20 to .25 is soooo much easier on the eyes.
What about flat screens, are they measured the same?
 
Hi David,

The technology is different, but they still use/have similar specs. The term generally refers to Tube type monitors that have phosphors, measuring the diagonal distance between them.

With LCD you also have to be concerned about "Pixel Response Time". This is another spec that is better with a lower number and measures how long it takes to re-draw the pixel from one color to another. If you have high spec on this, moving objects will tend to have "trails". This was a big issue on older laptops. The PRT should be under 0.44ms, preferably in the 0.25ms-0.35ms range.

Generally, tubes are best for colors. LCD are best for text. Eventually, the tube type monitors will be as extinct as rotary telephones. the LCD technology keeps improving.

I personally love the LCD technology and that's what we use at the shop. We had a space issue and ended up securing the LCD right to the wall. It takes up little to no space, uses less power, gives off less heat, gives off less radiation, plays well with other electronic items nearby, and the viewing angle keeps customers eyes from viewing the screen.

At home I have a bathtub sized 21" tube monitor. I can't wait until it fails!


Mike

[ 09-29-2003, 04:38 PM: Message edited by: Mike-L@GTP ]
 
Now, I have to get over the flu or whatever it is I have, so I feel like opening the box.

I don't know what my old Compaq screen is, but it will be fun for me to figure out. I don't suppose I could put my little tv flat, gel screen monitor on my computer, could I?
I didn't think so.
 
We ran our first 32 and comodore 64 on the tv. Why is it the tv's last so much longer than the computer monitor?
 
Monitors last a while too


Let's see. At home I have a NEC Multisynch 17" that has been on 24/7 since the late 1980s. Also have a Samtron 21" which has been going 24/7 for about 6-8 years. I never turn the stuff off. (Windows puts it in SLEEP mode after 30 mins of inactivity)

At one of my consulting jobs, we have monitors that have been going since the 80s (Old IBM monitors with terrible 0.59mm Dot Pitch). We have an original IBM 5150 PC that has been running 24/7 since 1981 or 1982, including the IBM amber monitor. This trusty old beast handles the door access security system.

They should last as long as your tv :0

Mike
 
Back
Top