Anybody know anything about Dell's?

[Felix]

I'm contemplating buying two new computers. I'm looking at the Dell E310 systems. Anybody offer any advice on what I should include when ordering these computers so that I won';t be left holding the bag. My requirements are relatively simple, I surf the internet, play graphics intensive games,, etc. My primary concern is being able to copy and burn DVDs.

anybody famliar with the Dell E310?

[ElTaco]

Looking at the E310's Specs here is what I would get:

CPU: All three of the Pentium version come from the P4 line. If money is an issue, go with the 2.8 ghz, if its not, go up to the 3.2ghz. They all do HT, which is a nice feature, but not a must have unless you can take advantage of it with the right software.

OS: All 3 will do what you need, If you intend to use the PC as a media Powerhouse (music,TV, video, etc...) then go with the Media Edition, if not then I would prefer the Professional version, of course I would never pay for it. Home edition will work just as well for a home PC, but if you are used to XP Pro, be prepared to be annoyed by some missing features.

Office Suite: Who cares. Get what you get for free, then install Open Office for free or if you must have the latest MS Office and you don't have the right friends, just pay for the basic version of it.

Memory, you will need a minimum of 512, but you can go for 1 gig. Just remember that you only have 2 (TWO) slots so either buy a single 512 stick now and pay for the 2nd one later or just buy both now. With 512 you should be able to play most games if you only run the games and multiple applications when you are doing office stuff. If you really want to count it up, take about 300Mb for Windows and co, add 100Mb for your Kid's crap and then add 5mb per office software you want to run.

HD: This computer has 3 bays up front (1x 3.5 and 2x 5.25) plus 2 drive bays inside. I'd start with 1 80+Gb drive and then when you have more money add another 250gb as soon as you can, especially if you like your movies/music/games.

CD/DVD drives: If you plan to copy cd or DVD disks, I'd recommend getting one standard CD/DVD drive or maybe a CD-RW/DVD and then get a 2nd CD/DVD Burner that does it all. This way you can burn from Disk to disk, saving some time and Drive space. Most DVD burners will first write it to the HD though so remember that you'll need between 5 to 10Gbs regardless of your drive setup. If you get the single HD, Dual Disk drive set up, you still have room for 2 more hard drives for your media.

Ports:
The 6 USB ports are nice. Its too bad that Dell didn't put a firewire port on there. Not the end of the world but it would be nice to have if you do video/photography. Just keep it in mind or go out and buy a PCI card with firewire if you need it. I also think its too bad that it doesn't have the Digital video out. Of course its a built in video card so you'll want to make a new video card your first (read as: immediate) upgrade. You will want to get a 128mb video card at the minimum. 64mb will work ok, but you should go with the 128 as a safe bet. If you want a great gaming machine and money isn't an issue then you can go up to 256mb. You can pick up 128mb nvidia cards at best buy for around $80 +/-$20.

Add on Cards: 2xPCI slots and 1x PCIexpress slot. You'll want to use your PCIe slot for your new video card. The other cards can be used for a TV card or something else.

Ok so Price breakdown:

E310 Basic - $499
2.8Ghz Intel P4 - standard
512Mb Ram - +$40
80Gb HD - standard (datasafe - read raid) is a good option if you want to be safe)
DualDrives - 48x cd/dvd and CD/DVD combo do it all drive - +$90
no floppy - standard
13-in-one media drive - +$20 (I'd do this option if you take any digital photos)
[monitor]
None = -$50 (good option if you have a good monitor at home)
15" LCD = free upgrade (still an ok option to use for another PC but not great for any avid gamer)
17 inch E176FP Analog Flat Panel - +$120 (Great LCD monitor but not ideal for big gamers)
17 inch Ultrasharp™ 1704FP Digital Flat Panel = +$150 (great for gaming)
20 inch UltraSharp™ 2005FPW Widescreen Digital Flat Panel = +$430 (great for a TV/Multimedia and of course for avid gamers)

Integrated sound - Good enough unless you have really good hearing and can't put up with crap and will use the PC as a stereo, in which case invest in the seperate card and a really nice speaker set.

Modem - please no

Dell A525 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer = +$40 (this is the minimum, but ok for gaming, don't expect to be blown away)

Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse = +$10 (The optical mouse is the minimum, The right wireless mouse is really nice, but you'll want one with a charger, like the Logitech MX1000)

Additional Warranty, Software, etc...
I didn't add anything in because I usually have everything through work. If you don't have anything, expect to pay for antivirus software and some other software packages. Don't expect to save money on this stuff though.

Total: $920

This isn't a cheap PC, but its a nice one. One issue I have with it is that you don't have the option to add a gaming style video card to it. The nice thing is that you can always add it after you get the PC.

It should be noted that Dell doesn't really market this PC to gamers. If you really want a gamers package in a box, you'll want to look at something other then the E10.

Since this is a PC, I usually tell people that 1 year warranty is fairly good. If you are not at all good with PCs, don't spend as much money and consider a 2 year warranty for a little more.

One other suggestion is to look around the business website as well. They tend to have more deals then the Home/Soho side of dell.

Becareful with add on stuff. Dell usually markets the basic PC very cheap, but as you add in additional options, the price tends to climb fairly quickly. My general plan is to get the Base PC I like and then do all the additional updates later for gaming.

Thats my suggestion.

[frodo_biguns]

I'm contemplating buying two new computers. I'm looking at the Dell E310 systems. Anybody offer any advice on what I should include when ordering these computers so that I won';t be left holding the bag. My requirements are relatively simple, I surf the internet, play graphics intensive games,, etc. My primary concern is being able to copy and burn DVDs.

anybody famliar with the Dell E310?

If you want to play games you either build your own, or get one of these!
http://www.alienware.com/


Don't be a cheap bastard! If you want one speced out, let me know! I just did one.
[flash width=400 height=400]http://www.alienware.com/starwars_pages/SW_main.swf[/flash]

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

My requirements are relatively simple....play graphics intensive games...

Not so simple.
You're better off piecing the system together yourself, and even having a reputable local shop assembling it if you're not handy with a screwdriver.

I'll make some component suggestions if you're interested.

[Joe in PB]

Excellent write up ElTaco.

[ElTaco]

Alienware is cool but its like going out and buying a porsche to get from point A to point B. Sure you'll drive in style, you might even get some pussy for it, but unless you plan to spend 90% of your time in front of your PC playing games like Frodo does due to a lack of social life or skills, you really don't need it.

If you are a PC snob, then you'll want the best products out there and then some. If you are your regular user who wants to play some games when he/she has time a basic PC with enough HD, memory and a decent 128mb 'gaming/3d' video card will do just fine.

Check out these other Dell PC Deals that end today:
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/product ... l=en&s=bsd

[Felix]

Thanks El, that's the system I'm going with

I'll either owe it all to you or blame you for it