Anyone here who can beat Dell?

Raster · 02-26-2005, 05:33 AM

I'm getting a new system from Dell for $800...

I mostly use the computer for graphic design, a little of watching movies, a little of listening to music, and I may tap into multimedia work later.

Here is what I custom built with Dell, and I'm happy with the setup with the exception of the graphics card(I don't know if it's good enough for graphic design and/or editing movies maybe, and is AGP the way to go?) and the lack of upgradeability.

EDIT: Took out link because it didn't work. Specs are in the third post.

Can anyone build me one of same quality or better for less price?

**Praetor** · 02-26-2005, 05:36 AM

That site doesnt list a system...says something about WindowsXP

Raster · 02-26-2005, 05:44 AM

Dell Dimension 3000 Series Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Technology (3GHz, 800 FSB) WL308H [221-6503] 1

Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [412-0721][412-0688][463-2282][420-4834][420-4927][420-5101] 11

Memory 512MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz 512M4 [311-4259] 3

Keyboard and Mouse Bundles Dell Quietkey Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse QKOM [310-1582][310-4037] 4

Monitors FREE UPGRADE! 15 in (15.0 in viewable) E153FP Analog Flat Panel E153FPP [463-5770] 5

Video Card Integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 IV [320-2870] 6

Hard Drive 80GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive 80 [340-3274] 8

Floppy Drives and Additional Storage Devices No Floppy Drive Included NFD [340-8688] 10

Mouse Mouse included with Keyboard purchase NONE [310-5678] 12

Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet IN [430-0412] 13

Modem 56K PCI Data/Fax Modem DFAX [313-2279] 14

Document Management Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 AAREAD [412-0705] 15

CD or DVD Drive Single Drive: 48x CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo Drive 48COMBO [313-2227][420-5079] 16

Sound Card Sound Blaster® Live! 24-bit ADVANCED HD™ Audio SB1024 [313-1854][313-2431] 17

Speakers Dell AS500 PA 14W Flat Panel Stereo Speakers for E153,E173,E193 Flat Panels AS500PA [313-2201] 18

Productivity Software WordPerfect®, Powerful Word Processing CORELM [412-0701] 22

Security Software No Security Subscription NS2 [412-0754] 25

Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software MMBASE [412-0741] 27

Digital Photography Paint Shop™ Pro® Studio trial, Photo Album™ Starter Edition DPS [412-0744] 28

Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support S111OS [950-9797][950-3337][412-0360][902-9210][960-2800] 29

Internet Access Services 6 Months of America Online Membership Included AOLDHS [412-0585][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37

Miscellaneous Award Winning Service and Support D30PSAP [463-5390] 82

Financial Software QuickBooks® Simple Start Special Edition (limited to 50 contacts) QBSSP [420-5139] 83

Dell Media Experience Dell Media Experience™ DMX [412-0660] 115

ACCESSORIES

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belkin SurgeMaster Gold - 10 Outlet with Coax (for Broadband) Qty 1

**Praetor** · 02-26-2005, 05:53 AM

I cant beat the dell price with a system that i would be _proud_ to own or build but i can certainly beat it (if it was an issue of life or death).... this is a good platform to start from ...

Athlon 64 3000+ (S939) RETAIL BOX
MSI K8N Neo 2 Platinum
KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM
KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM
Western Digital 160GB w/ 8MB
NEC ND-3520 16x DVD+/-RW 4X Dual Layer
Chenming 601
Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W Active PFC
Total $650USD

With a lot of room for trimmage and additions. Question: what the purpose of this machine?

Raster · 02-26-2005, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praetor

I cant beat the dell price with a system that i would be _proud_ to own or build but i can certainly beat it (if it was an issue of life or death).... this is a good platform to start from ...

Athlon 64 3000+ (S939) RETAIL BOX
MSI K8N Neo 2 Platinum
KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM
KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM
Western Digital 160GB w/ 8MB
NEC ND-3520 16x DVD+/-RW 4X Dual Layer
Chenming 601
Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W Active PFC
Total $650USD

With a lot of room for trimmage and additions. Question: what the purpose of this machine?

Thanks.

I don't really do gaming or need a theatre system on my computer.

I just need to do graphics, watch a little movie and listen to music once in a while, and do basic computing.

But my number one concern is doing graphic design and maybe animation.

Raster · 02-26-2005, 06:04 AM

Could you also tell me the bus speed of the chipset you recommended? Is it same as the cpu of 2.0 ghz? Because it says it's built into the chip... I dunno. I'm a noob.

**Praetor** · 02-26-2005, 06:05 AM

Quote:

But my number one concern is doing graphic design and maybe animation.

Oh ok, in that case my suggestion for the Athlon64 system was in err..... just checking: the calibre of work that you are doing doesnt involve fancy workstation cards right? (since you're looking at onboard video)

Quote:

Could you also tell me the bus speed of the chipset you recommended?

For an Intel system look for the number "800", for an AMD system look for the numbers "1600" or "2000" .... and no they are not really comparable.

**Praetor** · 02-26-2005, 06:14 AM

Beating Dell is quite the challenge (especially when i double the RAM, put in a solid mobo and DVDRW drive) .... another stepping stone:

Intel P4-530 3.0GHz LGA775 195
ASUS P5GD1-VM Intel 915G w/ 8-Ch Audio, Video, PCI-E 95
KingMax 512MB PC-4300 DDR II 533MHz 240-pin 85
KingMax 512MB PC-4300 DDR II 533MHz 240-pin 85
Western Digital 160GB w/ 8MB cache 85
NEC ND-3520 16x DVD+/-RW 4X Dual Layer 55
Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W Active PFC 50
Cheapo Case 20
Total $670USD

Intel P4-530 3.0GHz LGA775 195
Gigabyte GA-8IP775-G 70
KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM 70
KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM 70
Western Digital 160GB w/ 8MB cache 85
NEC ND-3520 16x DVD+/-RW 4X Dual Layer 55
Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W Active PFC 50
Cheapo Case 20
Total $615USD

Raster · 02-26-2005, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praetor

Oh ok, in that case my suggestion for the Athlon64 system was in err..... just checking: the calibre of work that you are doing doesnt involve fancy workstation cards right? (since you're looking at onboard video)

For an Intel system look for the number "800", for an AMD system look for the numbers "1600" or "2000" .... and no they are not really comparable.

Hmm... So the bus speed is determined by the chip instead of the motherboard? I thought 800 and 1600 stood for the mhz...

And I don't know what you mean by fancy worstation cards. I just need as much memory as possible(I think? Does less memory mean less speed always or only when the max memory capacity is reached?) and enough graphics to clearly see graphics and good refresh rate, etc... I think...

Raster · 02-26-2005, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praetor

Beating Dell is quite the challenge (especially when i double the RAM, put in a solid mobo and DVDRW drive) .... another stepping stone:

Intel P4-530 3.0GHz LGA775 195
ASUS P5GD1-VM Intel 915G w/ 8-Ch Audio, Video, PCI-E 95
KingMax 512MB PC-4300 DDR II 533MHz 240-pin 85
KingMax 512MB PC-4300 DDR II 533MHz 240-pin 85
Western Digital 160GB w/ 8MB cache 85
NEC ND-3520 16x DVD+/-RW 4X Dual Layer 55
Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W Active PFC 50
Cheapo Case 20
Total $670USD

Intel P4-530 3.0GHz LGA775 195
Gigabyte GA-8IP775-G 70
KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM 70
KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM 70
Western Digital 160GB w/ 8MB cache 85
NEC ND-3520 16x DVD+/-RW 4X Dual Layer 55
Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W Active PFC 50
Cheapo Case 20
Total $615USD

You're the man.

Of course those prices are without the monitor and accessories, but I guess you could get better parts for less prices on those too.

Where are those quoted prices from?

And I hope if I build the system, I don't mess it up. Last time I tried to install a CD burner in my current computer (used it for 10years, had a good run, on Windows 98, was a good system back then, still gets the job done, but I need more power), I blew out the power supply box wires. Now it only turns on when one of the exposed wire is touching a metal.

02-26-2005, 05:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
Raster Bronze Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 26	Anyone here who can beat Dell? I'm getting a new system from Dell for $800... I mostly use the computer for graphic design, a little of watching movies, a little of listening to music, and I may tap into multimedia work later. Here is what I custom built with Dell, and I'm happy with the setup with the exception of the graphics card(I don't know if it's good enough for graphic design and/or editing movies maybe, and is AGP the way to go?) and the lack of upgradeability. EDIT: Took out link because it didn't work. Specs are in the third post. Can anyone build me one of same quality or better for less price? Last edited by Raster; 02-26-2005 at 05:50 AM.

02-26-2005, 05:36 AM	#2 (permalink)
Praetor Administrator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canada Age: 24 Posts: 19,943	That site doesnt list a system...says something about WindowsXP __________________ ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8 4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400 5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10 OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI

02-26-2005, 05:53 AM	#4 (permalink)
Praetor Administrator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canada Age: 24 Posts: 19,943	I cant beat the dell price with a system that i would be _proud_ to own or build but i can certainly beat it (if it was an issue of life or death).... this is a good platform to start from ... Athlon 64 3000+ (S939) RETAIL BOX MSI K8N Neo 2 Platinum KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM Western Digital 160GB w/ 8MB NEC ND-3520 16x DVD+/-RW 4X Dual Layer Chenming 601 Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W Active PFC Total $650USD With a lot of room for trimmage and additions. Question: what the purpose of this machine? __________________ ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8 4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400 5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10 OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI

02-26-2005, 06:14 AM	#8 (permalink)
Praetor Administrator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canada Age: 24 Posts: 19,943	Beating Dell is quite the challenge (especially when i double the RAM, put in a solid mobo and DVDRW drive) .... another stepping stone: Intel P4-530 3.0GHz LGA775 195 ASUS P5GD1-VM Intel 915G w/ 8-Ch Audio, Video, PCI-E 95 KingMax 512MB PC-4300 DDR II 533MHz 240-pin 85 KingMax 512MB PC-4300 DDR II 533MHz 240-pin 85 Western Digital 160GB w/ 8MB cache 85 NEC ND-3520 16x DVD+/-RW 4X Dual Layer 55 Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W Active PFC 50 Cheapo Case 20 Total $670USD Intel P4-530 3.0GHz LGA775 195 Gigabyte GA-8IP775-G 70 KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM 70 KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM 70 Western Digital 160GB w/ 8MB cache 85 NEC ND-3520 16x DVD+/-RW 4X Dual Layer 55 Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420W Active PFC 50 Cheapo Case 20 Total $615USD __________________ ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8 4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400 5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10 OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI

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02-26-2005, 05:44 AM	#3 (permalink)
Raster Bronze Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 26	Dell Dimension 3000 Series Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Technology (3GHz, 800 FSB) WL308H [221-6503] 1 Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [412-0721][412-0688][463-2282][420-4834][420-4927][420-5101] 11 Memory 512MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz 512M4 [311-4259] 3 Keyboard and Mouse Bundles Dell Quietkey Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse QKOM [310-1582][310-4037] 4 Monitors FREE UPGRADE! 15 in (15.0 in viewable) E153FP Analog Flat Panel E153FPP [463-5770] 5 Video Card Integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 IV [320-2870] 6 Hard Drive 80GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive 80 [340-3274] 8 Floppy Drives and Additional Storage Devices No Floppy Drive Included NFD [340-8688] 10 Mouse Mouse included with Keyboard purchase NONE [310-5678] 12 Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet IN [430-0412] 13 Modem 56K PCI Data/Fax Modem DFAX [313-2279] 14 Document Management Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 AAREAD [412-0705] 15 CD or DVD Drive Single Drive: 48x CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo Drive 48COMBO [313-2227][420-5079] 16 Sound Card Sound Blaster® Live! 24-bit ADVANCED HD™ Audio SB1024 [313-1854][313-2431] 17 Speakers Dell AS500 PA 14W Flat Panel Stereo Speakers for E153,E173,E193 Flat Panels AS500PA [313-2201] 18 Productivity Software WordPerfect®, Powerful Word Processing CORELM [412-0701] 22 Security Software No Security Subscription NS2 [412-0754] 25 Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software MMBASE [412-0741] 27 Digital Photography Paint Shop™ Pro® Studio trial, Photo Album™ Starter Edition DPS [412-0744] 28 Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support S111OS [950-9797][950-3337][412-0360][902-9210][960-2800] 29 Internet Access Services 6 Months of America Online Membership Included AOLDHS [412-0585][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37 Miscellaneous Award Winning Service and Support D30PSAP [463-5390] 82 Financial Software QuickBooks® Simple Start Special Edition (limited to 50 contacts) QBSSP [420-5139] 83 Dell Media Experience Dell Media Experience™ DMX [412-0660] 115 ACCESSORIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Belkin SurgeMaster Gold - 10 Outlet with Coax (for Broadband) Qty 1

02-26-2005, 06:04 AM	#6 (permalink)
Raster Bronze Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 26	Could you also tell me the bus speed of the chipset you recommended? Is it same as the cpu of 2.0 ghz? Because it says it's built into the chip... I dunno. I'm a noob.