Price Check

[Gunther]

Thank you very much, Redwarrior. this is the sort of information I was searching for. Given that I don't know the first thing about building a computer and could learn, I'm still fearful about doing this. My apprehension is that I'm like a bull in a china shop, I break things easily especially when I am trying something for the first time.

I took your computer build above and looked at a similar DELL set up and came up with a machine that includes all the software pre-installed and at least a 1-year warranty. I don't know the difference between one CPU and the next and for every other component. I've included the specs on the Dell machine here:


SYSTEM COLOR Aluminum with Clearcoat Chassis with X-panel
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-920 (2.66GHz, 8MB L3 Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium (English) Service Pack 1 64-bit
WARRANTY & SERVICE 1 Year Ltd Warranty, On-site Service, and HW Warranty Support
PRODUCTIVITY Microsoft® Works 9
SECURITY McAfee Security Center with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 24-months
MEMORY 6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 at 1066MHZ (3x2GB DIMM)
HARD DRIVE 640GB - SATA-II, 3GB/S, 7200RPM, 16MB Cache
2ND HARD DRIVE 640GB - SATA-II, 3GB/S, 7200RPM, 16MB Cache
OPTICAL DRIVE 16X CD/DVD Burner + Roxio Creator 10 Premier - Ultimate Burn/Authoring
MONITOR 24 inch S2409W Consumer Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
VIDEO CARD ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
GAMING ESSENTIALS Killer K1 Gaming Network Interface Card
MOUSE Premium Optical USB Mouse
ACCESSORIES AND BUNDLES Z-5500 Speakers
SOUND Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
KEYBOARD Dell USB Consumer Multimedia Keyboard
Cooling Option Copper base Heat Sink with aluminum fins
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0 Multi-Language

$3,276
Granted, Redwarrior's machine is less expensive, but I'd still have to get all the software to go with it. I know that doesn't come cheap either.

This is what I am accustomed to doing. I did put in a 2nd hard drive on this DELL. I probably do not need that. Is it better to build your own like hte system that Red put up or buy a packaged deal like this one I found from DELL? the past 2 machines I have bought were from DELL. My current machine is 4 years old and going strong. I wipe the drive once a year and reinstall all the software I want to use just to clear up the bugs that always seem to get downloaded no matter what you do.

[redwarrior666]

Jedi you are right Ultra power supply was a bad choice I've RMA'ed a few and now have a good one. I also built a 2nd Extreme edition i7 for a server... yes I'm crazy I know but I love the horsepower.

[rhonnin]

My opinion is that you are better off buying a pre-built for the tech support Gunther, unless you want a new hobby and/or enjoy tinkering, troubleshooting, etc...

[Gunther]

My opinion is that you are better off buying a pre-built for the tech support Gunther, unless you want a new hobby and/or enjoy tinkering, troubleshooting, etc...

You are correct, Rhonnin. Given my track record with computer related issues, I will do that. I researched the software and I'd only be saving myself about $400 with the "build your own" kit and no warranty. I just wanted to do this comparison. Redwarrior helped me out quite a bit. thanks, bud.

[Pilsner]

If your thinking about a Dell I may have a $500 dollar coupon they mailed me after I bought my laptop. Although, I think it may only be for inspirons(sp).

[roadrunner]

My opinion is that you are better off buying a pre-built for the tech support Gunther, unless you want a new hobby and/or enjoy tinkering, troubleshooting, etc...

You are correct, Rhonnin. Given my track record with computer related issues, I will do that. I researched the software and I'd only be saving myself about $400 with the "build your own" kit and no warranty. I just wanted to do this comparison. Redwarrior helped me out quite a bit. thanks, bud.

I second this as gunther has not had the best luck with technology