I think my dad got ripped off(bought a PC)

[Bukujutsu]

Okay, my dad recently bought a desktop(assembled) and monitor.
With my limited PC knowledge I can already spot some things that'll probably be a problem.
My dad bought this at Fry's and it's still unopened, so I'll try to get him to return it.

Okay, let's start with the monitor:
Brand:EMPREX
Price:$220
Resolution: 1280x1024
Response time: 8ms
Built in speakers

Now the desktop:
Brand:"Great Quality PC"
Price:$450
OS: Vista Basic
RAM: 512MB DDR2-533
Processor: Intel Celeron D 352(3.2 Ghz)CPU
Hard Drive: 80GB(on the specs area it says 512MB/80GB so I'm assuming it's RAM/Hard Drive.
10/100 fast ethernet network
56K modem
DVD/CD RW combo
Microsoft Recovery DVD
Built in video, sound serial, parallel, and USB port
Power Cord and modem wire
Keyboard, mouse, speaker
------------------
Okay here are my main problems with it. Remember I really only know the basics of PC building:

The monitor seems like a rip off. 17 inches is not acceptable for that price.
I don't use PCs for any games, so resolution and response time aren't very important. It still seems like I could easily find a better deal.

Now the PC:
It's preassembled, that's a MAJOR RIPOFF. I could've easily chosen way better parts for a lower price PERIOD!

Okay, from what I heard Vista isn't that great. Remeber, I don't do any gaming. I just use the PC to surf the web, maybe watch some youtube or play simple games, and use some basic applications.

The RAM doesn't seem like it's enough for Vista, it's not a good amount so we'd have to spend even more.

The hard drive is even worse. 80GB! WTF, I don't think this needs an explanation.

The CPU: It's a single core CPU so I think Athlon would be a better coice for this. The speed is good though.

DVD/CD RW combo: It can burn stuff, right? Problem is, in all the years we've had a PC we've never had to burn anything. The burner I have right now has never been used. Buy a regular DVD/CD drive and save some cash

56K modem: Unnecessary. There's no excuse for 56K, I can get DSL for $5 more a month, not counting what I'd save on the phonebill.

10/100 fast ethernet connection: not sure what it is. Might not be necessary.
---------------
Okay, hopefully you breezed through that. Would it be possible to get a rough estimate of what I could probably save by building a budget PC myself?
I really think he should return it.
Does anyone know anything about Fry's return policy?
Anything I missed?

 

[PohTayToez]

That's not really a HORRIBLE deal for a prebuilt... maybe at most $100 over the price if you built it yourself, but yes, it could use some more RAM if it's running Vista, but you're basically getting what you're paying for.

The monitor, however, is pretty expensive. I think you can get a good 17" flat panel for around $150.

 

[Pck21]

Okay, my dad recently bought a desktop(assembled) and monitor.
With my limited PC knowledge I can already spot some things that'll probably be a problem.
My dad bought this at Fry's and it's still unopened, so I'll try to get him to return it.

Okay, let's start with the monitor:
Brand:EMPREX
Price:$220
Resolution: 1280x1024
Response time: 8ms
Built in speakers

Now the desktop:
Brand:"Great Quality PC"
Price:$450
OS: Vista Basic
RAM: 512MB DDR2-533
Processor: Intel Celeron D 352(3.2 Ghz)CPU
Hard Drive: 80GB(on the specs area it says 512MB/80GB so I'm assuming it's RAM/Hard Drive.
10/100 fast ethernet network
56K modem
DVD/CD RW combo
Microsoft Recovery DVD
Built in video, sound serial, parallel, and USB port
Power Cord and modem wire
Keyboard, mouse, speaker
------------------
Okay here are my main problems with it. Remember I really only know the basics of PC building:

The monitor seems like a rip off. 17 inches is not acceptable for that price.
I don't use PCs for any games, so resolution and response time aren't very important. It still seems like I could easily find a better deal.

Now the PC:
It's preassembled, that's a MAJOR RIPOFF. I could've easily chosen way better parts for a lower price PERIOD!

Okay, from what I heard Vista isn't that great. Remeber, I don't do any gaming. I just use the PC to surf the web, maybe watch some youtube or play simple games, and use some basic applications.

The RAM doesn't seem like it's enough for Vista, it's not a good amount so we'd have to spend even more.

The hard drive is even worse. 80GB! WTF, I don't think this needs an explanation.

The CPU: It's a single core CPU so I think Athlon would be a better coice for this. The speed is good though.

DVD/CD RW combo: It can burn stuff, right? Problem is, in all the years we've had a PC we've never had to burn anything. The burner I have right now has never been used. Buy a regular DVD/CD drive and save some cash

56K modem: Unnecessary. There's no excuse for 56K, I can get DSL for $5 more a month, not counting what I'd save on the phonebill.

10/100 fast ethernet connection: not sure what it is. Might not be necessary.
---------------
Okay, hopefully you breezed through that. Would it be possible to get a rough estimate of what I could probably save by building a budget PC myself?
I really think he should return it.
Does anyone know anything about Fry's return policy?
Anything I missed?

Well he kinda did but not really. First off the computer itself is not really name brand. Actually I personally have never heard of it. The processor is cheap and outdated, the ram is way too little for applications today, the hard drive is pretty small for todays standards, and there's nothing else added to it like a video card, sound card, tv tuner, etc. So in that aspect, yes he did get ripped off. However Vista Home Basic sells for $200 retail. which is almost half of what he paid. The monitor is over priced as you can find a 17'' lcd online for about $150.

However you also have to ask yourself what he really needs in a computer. If it's just basic office things and occasional internet, then what he bought was fine. I mean of course you could find parts online for much cheaper but you also have to know how to put it together and set it up. That's the problem some people have with building them. Like you said, you have basic knowledge of computers. Would you be willing to build him a system that I guarantee you will not work when you first put it together, especially if you have no help? I doubt it. The first system I put together took about 3 very frustrating weeks and that was with some help and basic knowledge like yourself. I think he did ok for himself. If anything, take back the monitor and buy one online. Add a second hard drive, another stick of 512mb ram, and he should be good to go.

 

[StrangleHold]

I,m not gointg to call it crap, but some (old lady) might want it to browse the internet and I sure would not pay 670 total for it!

 

[Dropkickmurphys]

yeah, it looks a bit expensive. and i dont know why companies see the need to put Vista on EVERYTHING, that machine imo is only just capable of running it.
celeron processors arent the best, and it only has 512mb of ram. i would hate to run an OS like vista on it!

 

[PohTayToez]

If you really think that you can handle building it yourself, then go for it, but plenty of people have tried it with not quite enough experience and it ended up costing them a bit more than they bargained for.

Also, if you were building a computer, you would buy the OEM version of Vista, which would only be $100.

The way I see it with my rough estimation:

CPU + Mobo = $100
RAM = $50
Hard Drive = $50
Vista = $100
Keyboard, mouse, speaker, PSU, case, NIC, DVD ROM = $100

So really it's not an awful deal, but then again, it's not really a good computer.

Also, not being a name brand (and even if it was), it's probably made with cheap parts. I can see the power supply failing somewhere down the road, and probably the DVD ROM a little later.

If you're going to go with a prebuilt, I might suggest HP. It seems like they have the best prebuilts for the money, and I've heard good things about their customer service.

Might check out these:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...&landing=desktops&a1=From+price&v1=Under+$400
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...re&landing=desktops&a1=From+price&v1=$400-600

 

[diduknowthat]

Okay, let's start with the monitor:
Brand:EMPREX
Price:$220
Resolution: 1280x1024
Response time: 8ms
Built in speakers

Yup that's a ripoff, you could have easily gotten a decent 19" monitor for that price

Now the desktop:
Brand:"Great Quality PC"

Never heard of that brand...

Price:$450
OS: Vista Basic
RAM: 512MB DDR2-533

Hey, atleast you get Vista, as for Ram, it's not that bad, considering it's a prebuilt sub $500 computer.

Processor: Intel Celeron D 352(3.2 Ghz)CPU
Hard Drive: 80GB(on the specs area it says 512MB/80GB so I'm assuming it's RAM/Hard Drive.

That processor will do the basic stuff, such as office programs and browsing the internet. It won't play games that well but hey you're not going to anyways without a graphics card. So unless you're doing some video editing, photoshopping etc, i don't see why it's so bad.

The RAM doesn't seem like it's enough for Vista, it's not a good amount so we'd have to spend even more.

About $25 to 30 more for another 512mb stick.

The hard drive is even worse. 80GB! WTF, I don't think this needs an explanation.

80 gigs is pretty standard for prebuilt budget PC's, but you can add another for less than 100 bucks.

The CPU: It's a single core CPU so I think Athlon would be a better coice for this. The speed is good though.

And Athlon 64 would have been superior here as the Celeron D is basically a P4 prescott with less L2 cache.

10/100 fast ethernet connection: not sure what it is. Might not be necessary.

How are you planning to get DSL without an ethernet connection?
---------------

Okay, hopefully you breezed through that. Would it be possible to get a rough estimate of what I could probably save by building a budget PC myself?
I really think he should return it.
Does anyone know anything about Fry's return policy?
Anything I missed?

You probably wouldn't have saved much as vista, or even xp, itself costs easily over 100 dollars. Building your own PC is really only superior when building a midrange/upper end system, where you want to make sure you get quality parts. As for budget PC's, sometimes it's better to go prebuilt.

 

[Bukujutsu]

Okay, I'll defenitely get him to return the monitor.
My dad does know how to put together PCs, he just doesn't choose the best parts.
I think an OEM version of XP would be better since I only use the computer for the internet. Really though, I don't see myself buying top end software that needs vista.
Okay, so basically, defenitely return the monitor, maybe return the desktop.
Thanks a lot guys.

 

[lovely?]

thats probably a good decision. you can build a better computer easily and youll like it much better because you built it.