Thanks for the replies everyone. I ordered my new Dell last Friday, and hopefully I'll get it before the new year - Here's the final tally... Pentium 4 Processor 540 with HT Technology (3.20GHz, 800 FSB) 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (4x256M) Dell Quietkey Keyboard FREE! 17 in E173FP Flat Panel Display 128MB PCI Express(tm) x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon(tm) X300 SE 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) 3.5 in Floppy Drive Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Dell 2-button scroll mouse Integrated Intel PRO 10/100 Ethernet 56K PCI Telephony Modem Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/dbl layer write capability Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio Dell A215 Speakers WordPerfect, Powerful Word Processing No Security Subscription Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software Paint Shop(tm) Pro Trial plus Photo Album(tm) Starter Edition Promo, 2 Year Limited Warranty plus 2 Year On-site Service 6 Months of America Online Membership Included $100 Mail In Rebate Dell Media Experience Sub-Total - $1,148.00 Free Shipping Tax $68.88 Total $1,216.88 Minus $100 Mail-in Rebate Grand total - $1,116.88 It's less than I paid 5 1/2 years ago from Dell (even without the printer option) and hopefully I'll get at least another 5 1/2 years out of this one. :TU:
I just received these Dell coupon codes: Enter your exclusive e-mail coupon code2 RN5T7XRDJ460S? to save 25% off select systems and servers1. Enter your exclusive e-mail coupon code2 6G8?Z81R2KQ6CB to save 20% off select systems and servers1. This may or may not get you directly there: http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/promo.aspx/q4wk8_email_jump1?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd
I tried a couple coupon codes when I ordered. They will not work if Dell is running a promotion (ie - cannot be combined with any other offer). They will probably be valid after the new year - thanks Steve.
Wow Marco, You seem to have got a nice system. I am sure it will be quite a stable one as expected. Definately much more than it seemed that you were wanting. I imagine it is due to the overall cost. It has been for years now that a smart buy can be made for around $1000 or so for a modern and very usable set up for years to come yet. Good luck, and let me know how well the dual layer DVD burner goes. I have had my single layer for a while now and has done well. The biggest problem with backing up my movies has been compressing. DVD Shrink does well, but if you have to compress too much, it can mess up a lot. I wonder how well the dual layers do, and the software that comes with it. Mike
Sweet Marco - now BEFORE you hook it up to the internet make sure you have a firewall installed and are running anti virus (Norton etc) AND anti-spyware (SPY BOT, Pest Patrol, etc). I built a new system and it ran like blazes and t.. h.. e.. n.... i... t..... s.... l.... o.... w.... e.... d to a stop. Full of spyware in about 1 hour. Dumb me! Try not to run IE expect for Windows downloads. Use Netscape Etc. Keep it clean and it will keep you happy! - Bill
Thanks guys! Bill - I have McAfee which updates itself daily and I'm currently running Sygate Firewall (I have the install disks, so no problems there) . My IE Browser has scripting disabled by default, and this method has me running 'clean'. I move websites I know are safe to my 'Trusted Sites' zone for scripting (like this one). Firefox will not run on this machine. Mike - I'll let you know how it goes when I start backing-up my DVD collection :TU:
Sterlingcomputers.net Justin Deverse is the best computer guy I have ever met. I have had him build me 3 different computers in the last five years. He has been more than honest with me and doesn't over charge. He was reccomended by a friend of mine where I used to work. I had my doubts at first until I let him do his thing and now I will never go anywhere else. He can build you a better computer than Dell in my opinion and he uses more quality parts and for less bucks. He's the man :Smarty: You can find him at Sterlingcomputers.net Eric
