Advice for a computer purchase

[ckforensic]

I guess it's time to bite the bullet and buy a new computer since both my wife and I are back to school and we have been sharing my work computer for a while. I've been keeping up with the technological advances in computers as an outsider to some extent, but I'm not in the computer industry and would like some you guys who know much more than I about these things.

I'd like to spend less than $1000 for a desktop and would be using it for MS Office, internet, storing and burning songs and pictures, money managment (Quicken, etc.), and probably editing and burning vacation videos from a digital camcorder that I haven't purchased yet. I'm not really into gaming, but wouldn't mind having the option to play some cool games.

I've been thinking about getting either a Sony VCG-RB42G (on sale at Circuit City for $899 after rebate) or the Sony VGC-RB44G (on sale at Circuit City for $1049 after rebate). I also get an additional 10% discount at Sears after they price match any computer that they carry, so those two computer would be ~$810 and $945, respectively. I am not set on Sony, but I thought that they may be a little better in the A/V area for playing, editing, and burning videos.

Here are links to those models:
RB42G

RB44G

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!

[dholly]

ck- FWIW, I have heard some not-so-good comments about Sony laptop reliability, dunno about the desktop systems though.

Of course, there are many review sites. As with any ad revenue driven review resource, take the ratings with a grain of salt but there is good info. If you haven't yet, you can go to zdnet.com (or cnet.com, doesn't matter, they show the exact same info) and check the reviews by price. Those two systems seem to be rated pretty good.

In the $900-$1000 desktop category, only one other system is ranked higher than the Sony VAIO RB44G. That would be Dell Dimension 5100C. In the $800-$900 desktop category, Sony VAIO RB42G ranked #3 behind Dell OptiPlex GX620 (#1) and Sony VAIO RB41P.

Also, do you need the security of a machine from a large manufacturer or caould you have something decent built locally? Could be a good option for getting the latest technology at a reasonable price, assuming you have adequate support. and warranty. Either way, be certain to 'future proof' if you can. Dunno how far you want to delve into that, but here's a quick info link that might show you what to look for.

[partyman66]

Look into a Dell as DHolly mentioned.

I just priced out a decent Dell 5100 PC for you with a 2.8 Gig processor, 512 Megs of RAM, 160 Gig Hard Drive, 19" Flat Panel LCD Monitor, Dell A425 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer, Windows XP Home Edition, 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability, and a 128MB PCI Expressâ„¢ x16 Video Card.

$938 bucks, not including Shipping and Taxes.

Don't forget that this comes with a huge monitor, and a Speaker system as well as a keyboard, and mouse. The only thing it doesn't have is a printer, and I didn't add in any additional software(MS Office, etc).

[NWG35]

Sony is a pain in the ass. You have to ship it back anytime there is a problem and it HAS to be installed with the CD they provide, you cannot at anytime upgrade things, or they won't work on it. You cannot wipe the drive, and install a clean O/S - it has to be with all the superfluous crap that is on the OEM CD.

Dell is nice, but they refuse to use AMD. I'd recommend HP or anything you can get with an AMD64 in it, this will both save some money, and mean you won't have to upgrade to a 64 bit chip in the future.

[lovechild1970]

I have had three down systems today and I am in the middle of the third...so I had to pass on answering your question to my personal system's administrator. He rules my little laptop, wireless router at home set up. Here is his answer ...I am such a half ass today...my apologies.

I personally love Sony as a company, and I buy Sony electronics whenever I can afford them. The only exception to this would be Sony laptops. They are sexy and well-designed. Unfortunately, we've had a number of bad units over the last few years... small sample, maybe 20 Sony laptops purchased over the last 2 years, (we mostly buy IBM or Dell), with about 4 lemons out of that 20. Like I said, it's a small sample, and I'm just reporting my gut feeling.

Dell is in a perpetual state of "On Sale". An Inspiron 6000 gets you a wide
screen at the cost of having a Celeron processor: "Starting" at ~$750.
(You'll never get that price; it's like a Chevy truck circa 1980: Bumpers are optional.) An Inspiron 7000m will get you a Pentium M processor at the cost of screen size: "Starting" at ~$1000.

[Jaylin]

I would suggest you build your own...more for the money and easy to upgrade.

-OR-

Dell Dimension Desktops, they always have great deals and very efficent yet affordable machines. Also, always search for business and personal on Dell's website, sometimes one or the other has a better deal.

Dell

Some great deals that they are currently offering.

[ckforensic]

Originally Posted by partyman66

Look into a Dell as DHolly mentioned.

I just priced out a decent Dell 5100 PC for you with a 2.8 Gig processor, 512 Megs of RAM, 160 Gig Hard Drive, 19" Flat Panel LCD Monitor, Dell A425 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer, Windows XP Home Edition, 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability, and a 128MB PCI Expressâ„¢ x16 Video Card.

$938 bucks, not including Shipping and Taxes.

Don't forget that this comes with a huge monitor, and a Speaker system as well as a keyboard, and mouse. The only thing it doesn't have is a printer, and I didn't add in any additional software(MS Office, etc).

Thanks for all of your feedback, everyone!! I tried to configure a 5100 according to your specs, but I got $928 with no monitor (BTW, I already have 2 monitors so I don't need one, but a 19" flat panel would be nice!). I also don't need a printer, software (except perhaps some video editing software), etc.

I also priced a 5100C on the Dell site and it was really expensive. Am I doing something wrong? They give way too many options for each model and it can really screw with the prices.

[ckforensic]

Originally Posted by dholly

ck- FWIW, I have heard some not-so-good comments about Sony laptop reliability, dunno about the desktop systems though.

Of course, there are many review sites. As with any ad revenue driven review resource, take the ratings with a grain of salt but there is good info. If you haven't yet, you can go to zdnet.com (or cnet.com, doesn't matter, they show the exact same info) and check the reviews by price. Those two systems seem to be rated pretty good.

In the $900-$1000 desktop category, only one other system is ranked higher than the Sony VAIO RB44G. That would be Dell Dimension 5100C. In the $800-$900 desktop category, Sony VAIO RB42G ranked #3 behind Dell OptiPlex GX620 (#1) and Sony VAIO RB41P.

Also, do you need the security of a machine from a large manufacturer or caould you have something decent built locally? Could be a good option for getting the latest technology at a reasonable price, assuming you have adequate support. and warranty. Either way, be certain to 'future proof' if you can. Dunno how far you want to delve into that, but here's a quick info link that might show you what to look for.

Thanks dholly. I am more comfortable buying a machine from a large manufacturer and don't need the latest technology. When I went directly to the Dell site and built my own PC, I was quoted a high price, but when I went directly from the cnet link to the Dell site for the PC, it was much better. I was actually checking out the Dimension 9100 too. Although I'm not sure what the major difference is between the 5100 and the 9100 yet.

[partyman66]

Originally Posted by ckforensic

Thanks for all of your feedback, everyone!! I tried to configure a 5100 according to your specs, but I got $928 with no monitor (BTW, I already have 2 monitors so I don't need one, but a 19" flat panel would be nice!). I also don't need a printer, software (except perhaps some video editing software), etc.

I also priced a 5100C on the Dell site and it was really expensive. Am I doing something wrong? They give way too many options for each model and it can really screw with the prices.

The 938 dollar computer comes with a 19 inch Flat LCD monitor as part of the deal for this weeks Dell Special.

When you go on the Dell site, choose "Home & Home Office" from the bottom. Then(from the dropdown menu up top), select Dimension 5100. Hit "Continue" on the next screen. You should see a list of 4 different 5100 configurations to pick from. Pick the 3rd one in(2nd column from the right), E-Value Code=6V588-D51F1, and hit "Customize It". Then configure it as I said.

[ckforensic]

Originally Posted by partyman66

The 938 dollar computer comes with a 19 inch Flat LCD monitor as part of the deal.

When you go on the Dell site, choose "Home & Home Office" from the bottom. Then(from the dropdown menu up top), select Dimension 5100. Hit "Continue" on the next screen. You should see a list of 4 different 5100 configurations to pick from. Pick the 3rd one in(2nd column from the right), E-Value Code=6V588-D51F1, and hit "Customize It". Then configure it as I said.

That machine currently comes with a 19" Flat Panel LCD monitor as it's default monitor for this weeks special.

Thanks partyman! I think that I chose the wrong column earlier. I've been going in to the dell site from the cnet site and that works pretty well for me too. I was also trying to go into the dell site from an internal site from my company since we are supposed to get discounts. I have a feeling that the discounts weren't worth a shit.

[Phelan]

CK, check the other categories also as Dell like everyone else sells the same item to different groups at different prices. Hell, they charge different prices to people in the same group; my boss and I configured identical systems and his came out 2K more because of when he created his Premier account.

I'd also give Dell the nod over any of the other premade vendors if I weren't to build it myself.

[partyman66]

Those Dell Employee purchase "Discounts" are basicly a load of crap.

I had been watching the Dell Site and pricing out my machine on a consistent basis for a few months before I bought mine. The difference between the machine with an employee discount and without was like 23 bucks. All they do is just charge you more for shipping and other various items on the machine to make up for most of the supposed discount.

If your company has the discount though, you should still be able to use it to get that same machine for slightly cheaper... just log in through your company's site and build it in the same fashion as I described a few posts earlier.

Let us know if you end up buying one.

[AustinG35]

Yeah, the different Dell websites can definitely make configuring and purchasing a hassle and confusing. Good point of reference: the Dell EPP offers a consistent 5% discount off of list price on Dimension and Inspiron with a 1-year warranty and a 10% discount off of list price for Dimension and Inspiron with a 3-year warranty. With the way Dell's revolving promotions work, typically, you will be better off going with the online promotions on the Dell website in leu of the EPP program.
Also, go to any search engine and do a search for "Dell Coupons" out on the web. You should be able to find several at any given time that cover most all the different products that Dell offers. Often, these coupon(s) are also "stackable" meaning that you can combine the Dell online promotions and coupon(s) for an even greater discount. A friend of mine got almost 50% off a Dimension XPS several months back by combining stackable coupons and online promotions.
If you are planning to purchase a desktop or notebook for personal use, you will want to go with either the Dimension desktop or Inspiron notebook. Try to avoid the entry-level products...Unfortunately, as with anything, you get what you pay for (they will have limited upgradeability and performance). The Dimension 4700, 5100, 5100c, 9100 or XPS are great choices depending on what you want to do and how much money you want to spend.
If you are looking for a corporate or business solution, look at the Optiplex desktop or Latitude notebook. These will be more expensive than similarly configured Dimension or Inspiron, but they will have a better support features and standardization.
Hope this helps.

[ckforensic]

Originally Posted by Phelan

CK, check the other categories also as Dell like everyone else sells the same item to different groups at different prices. Hell, they charge different prices to people in the same group; my boss and I configured identical systems and his came out 2K more because of when he created his Premier account.

I'd also give Dell the nod over any of the other premade vendors if I weren't to build it myself.

That's crazy and pretty unethical. Makes me wonder about their accounting practices.

[ckforensic]

Originally Posted by AustinG35

Yeah, the different Dell websites can definitely make configuring and purchasing a hassle and confusing. Good point of reference: the Dell EPP offers a consistent 5% discount off of list price on Dimension and Inspiron with a 1-year warranty and a 10% discount off of list price for Dimension and Inspiron with a 3-year warranty. With the way Dell's revolving promotions work, typically, you will be better off going with the online promotions on the Dell website in leu of the EPP program.
Also, go to any search engine and do a search for "Dell Coupons" out on the web. You should be able to find several at any given time that cover most all the different products that Dell offers. Often, these coupon(s) are also "stackable" meaning that you can combine the Dell online promotions and coupon(s) for an even greater discount. A friend of mine got almost 50% off a Dimension XPS several months back by combining stackable coupons and online promotions.
If you are planning to purchase a desktop or notebook for personal use, you will want to go with either the Dimension desktop or Inspiron notebook. Try to avoid the entry-level products...Unfortunately, as with anything, you get what you pay for (they will have limited upgradeability and performance). The Dimension 4700, 5100, 5100c, 9100 or XPS are great choices depending on what you want to do and how much money you want to spend.
If you are looking for a corporate or business solution, look at the Optiplex desktop or Latitude notebook. These will be more expensive than similarly configured Dimension or Inspiron, but they will have a better support features and standardization.
Hope this helps.

Great advice Austin. I didn't realize that they had coupons like that. I would likely get the 5100, 5100c, or the 9100 if I was to get a dell. I went to the mall to look at them tonight, but the salesperson was busy. The 5100c looked pretty cool.