This is what I came up with for a dell quote. The computer came to $479.

Does this look like a decent setup?

I don't do any heavy gaming or anything, but I do need the thing to be able to multitask and run photoshop, windows media, aim, and a few IE windows without slowing my computer down.

My Components:
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core 3800+
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
No Monitor
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs
160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
48X CD-RW/ DVD Combo Drive
NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Integrated Graphics GPU
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio


My Accessories:
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse
No Floppy Drive Included
56K PCI Data Fax Modem


My Software:
Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
No security subscription (McAfee 30-day trial)
Trial pack- Basic and trial products from Corel and Yahoo


My Service:
1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support
6 Months of America Online Membership Included

Also Includes:
Mouse included in Dell Wireless Package
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Award Winning Service and Support
Windows Vista™ Premium



Will I get the performance I'm looking for considering the specs and the fact that it has windows vista?


Also, I've been told to wait to buy a computer with vista until they work out some kinks. How long should I wait? until they release a service package? or am I in the clear if I order it soon?

you need 2GB of RAM for vista

whats this comp for?
If any gaming, get a vid card and at least 2 gigs of ram as well.

How important is the 2gigs of ram?

will it mean the difference between vista running fast or slow?

I was thinking about going for 2 gigs, but it's like an extra 150 bucks.

powerkok said:

it won't be used for gaming.

pretty much just AIM, RTTP, Music, and occasional photoshopping.

I'll assume there isn't the option to choose XP with Dell. Do they have the option to get no OS? Do that and go out and buy XP. Vista is going to run like poop.

Niccolai said:

2GB of RAM (especially with Windows Vista) will be like a night and day difference speed wise.

For an extra $150, it is definitely worth it for the extra memory.

menstrual_sweatpants_disco said:

I believe only certain "Business" edition PCs from Dell still come with XP.

ahh, that's what I thought. If you can opt for no OS, you could still buy XP online or in a store.

and you might be able to buy a coupon on ebay.

seems a little pricey. $500 for 2x512MB @ 667mhz RAM. that seems like a ripoff.

Make sure you get dual GeForce 8800GTX vid cards in SLI so you have the fastest internets available.

I always get to level 5 on the internets.

menstrual_sweatpants_disco said:

I would KILL someone for those cards. My cheap ass is gonna have to settle for an overclocked 7950, however.

Niccolai:

For the money you're looking to spend, you'll get a little more by building yourself or getting one of those systemax systems off Tiger Direct.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...ils.asp?EdpNo=3010550&Sku=M975-5136

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...s.asp?EdpNo=2727007&Sku=G153-GT5228


I like the second one, due to it's lack of Windows Vista.

Update:

I'm now considering something from Ibuypower.com. They customize PCs for dirt cheap. This is what I'm looking at:


- Eagletech Dragon Case w/420W Power Supply and Cold Cathode Neon case Lighting
- AMD Athlon™64 X2 3800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
- Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink + 2 Extra Color Lighting Case Fans
- GigaByte GA-M55SLI-S4 nForce4 SLI chipset w/7.1 Audio, Dual Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E MB
- 1024MB [512MB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module
- Nvidia GeForce 7100GS w/ turbocache supporting 256mb w/ dvi + tv out video
- 160 GB HARD DRIVE
- 18X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive
- 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

$674


Sound decent?

What operating system will it come with? (what version of Windows?)

XP.

THat system should def do the trick with XP. Adding more memory further down the road will also do nothing short of making it even faster.

Niccolai said:

To be honest, I can't figure out why it's so cheap. With what it's got for parts, it should be like $800. If there's not a catch, go for it.