Targa PC offer in Lidl. Any opinions?

Archeron

Morning all,

This PC is going on sale in Lidl this thursday :

http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20061005.p.TargaUltra

I need a new PC, and this looks like a mighty fine spec for the price. The only concern I have is the brand, as I've always been a brand monkey when it comes to computers. Has anyone any experience with this Targa brand, and if so, would you recommend this as a good purchase?

Any opinions are welcome.
Thanks

Speedway

Archeron wrote:

I need a new PC, and this looks like a mighty fine spec for the price.

to be honest it doesn't really tell you what the spec is. there is no way i'd shell out over €1100 for a pc where they don't give you all the detail on it's parts. i mean what gfx card, what chipset does it use, what power supply, what motherboard - room for expansion, speed of the RAM etc. I can see an NVidia badge on the case and an AMD one but they don't really tell you much more than that

Archeron

Sorry, I didnt realise the spec was so limited on the website. I read the sheet thing you get in store.

AMD AN64 4200+ Dual core processor,
1024MB 667mhz DDR Ram,
320 GB 7200rpm Western Digital HDD with 8MB Cache,
Grapchis is a 256 MB nVidia, (cant remember the full spec of this, sorry)
Multi Format DVD Writer with seperate DVD Rom,
Cordless keyboard and mouse
8 channel on board sound
8 in 1 built in media card reader,
6 x USB 2.0 (2 front, 4 rear) firewire slot, and a lot of other interfaces.
Windows XP Home, usual software bundle (MS Works, Encarta)
Includes Microphone and headset,
Wireless USB Lan connector, built in 56k modem,

If I can find a more detailed online listing, I'll post it up.
Cheers.

Speedway

hmmm for that price it seems ok. If you're looking to do serious gaming the 4200+ is good but you could definately do better. RAM looks ok, just make sure you have enough free dimm slots in it so you can add more RAM after (should be ok i'd be amazed if you couldn't).for that price it looks pretty good. If it was me i'd be using it a lot for gaming and because of that the gfx card would be the selling point. If you're looking at something like a geforce 6600gt (AGP) then no way would i get it. If it was something like a Geforce 7800gs or a 6800gs even then maybe. If it's a 256mb pci express geforce then yep i'd def go for it.

it all depends really what you're going to be using it for. Also do you get a monitor with it?

hobie

bit more info here at the Targa web site ..... in German

http://www.targa.de/index.jsp?SID=0&NAV=236&DOC=&PAGE=1597&PCAT=2&PROD=293&PTUBE=10&PARAMS=undefined&PARAMS2=undefined&SPCAREA=undefined

(looks like a 7600 gs card ? ..... )

Steveo1983

It seems way over priced to me you can pick up similar systems for 700 or 800 euro online

kaizersoze

Graphics card is.

NVIDIA GeForce Grafikkarte mit 256 MB 7600 GS

It's overpriced, maybe if it had a 19" LCD

hobie

Give LIDL a call and ask them if there is a screen ..... seems strange they dont have one on offer even if a seperate item ? ....


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TerrorFirmer

Seems unusually overpriced for Lidl. Processor is quite good but graphics card is on the other side, quite weak.

Wouldn't call it a bargin, whatever you'd call it though.

Redisle

I wouldnt say its very good value for a machine of that spec but all the extras it has brings up the price. According to this
(thats the page above translated) it has DVB-T und DVB-S tv tuners,a dvd burner with lightscribe,i think an 8 in 1 card reader(that bit didnt really translate right) and it has that display thing on front which shows things like music titles, film titles, television stations and i suppose maybe temperature???

Id say it is a good pc but if you shopped around you would get or build something similar without all the extras for a much better price.
just my 2cents,

ab

Archeron

thanks for the advice everyone. I think I'll continue shopping around.
Nice one!

Placebo

Steveo1983 wrote:

It seems way over priced to me you can pick up similar systems for 700 or 800 euro online

where?

quad_red

Placebo wrote:

where?

Check out special offers
http://www.ankermann-pc.com/en/

[DD]Geo|IRL

I happen to think this is good value, considering similar spec pc's i was configuring on Dell's site.
Add another grand onto that price at least:rolleyes:
Although very capable, i'm too busy to build my own from scratch.
So having investigated any of the components i wasn't so sure of from this package in the last week i'm pleased to say i will be purchasing it tommorow:)

To go with AMD? was my biggest concern having always been an Intel head.
But AMD are right up there with Intel in most benchmark tests & ahead in some.
The Athlon64TM 4200+ dual core is the equivalent of Intel's 2.2ghz dual core processor.

The NVIDIA GeForce 7600-GS 256MB DDRII Memory Gfx card is well capable of any of the latest games or apps & will run nicely with the dual core processor.

This is the Asus(good mobo company) motherboards spec & it very impressive(click spec in top left to see what its really made of).
http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?modelmenu=1&model=1266&l1=3&l2=101&l3=0
Supports Ultra DMA, Serial ATA & RAID configs.
btw - 4 X DIMMS up to 8GB DDR2(offer comes with 1GB).

All the slots on motherboard, ports & sockets u will need for any of the latest peripherals,
including 8 x USB 2.0, 8-in-1 card reader supports up to 23 different media, firewire, HDTV, LCD TV, all the audio & video jacks & even a scart socket for gods sake!
Bulti in Giga LAN with wireless LAN USB stick
Built in TV & Radio Tuner.
Wireless keyboard, mouse headset etc.
Nice little flip down console on front with all the sockets & lcd display at top of tower which tells ya what track or movie ur playing.

Realtek 8 channel Digital High Definition audio, say no more.

320GB 7200rpm Western Digital Drive, will go nice with my 250GB Western Digital i bought a year ago in Lidl:D

Samsung Dual Layer DVD Burner with Lightscribe.
LG DVD ROM Drive.

The list goes on & u wonder about the price?

I'll let u all know how it performs;)

TerrorFirmer

[DD]Geo|IRL - with the new Conroe, AMD are behind and the value of their components has dropped hugely - the likes of Ankermann do Conroe systems for less then that Lidl system.

Again, its not good value for money.

Even PC World are flogging AMD Processors in their cheaper models - PC World in Galway have a full 3500+ 64 for 499, as cheap as the cheaper celeron models, and a 4200+ X2 in one of their 799 PC's.

The NVIDIA GeForce 7600-GS

The 7600GS is not as good as you seem to think it is. In fact its not a whole lot better then the low end 7300GT. The 7600GT is the good card, with 256mb gddr3 - the 7600gs is only 256mb of ddr2. Still alright but not as good as you make it out to be and certainly not a top performer in the latest games.

Also, for your dell being a grand more expensive - for 2k from dell, you'd easily get a conroe with a 7800 or even 7900, with a 19" monitor, so I dunno where you get that "dells equivilent is 1k more".

Speaking of which, this 1,200 machine doesn't even come with a monitor.

I think this is not only not a bargin, but actually a bit of a poor deal.

chamlis

I heartilly endorse this machine.
Anyone who doesn't build their own, or might be thinking about it later should buy this machine.

Yes cheaper can be built, but again, for someone who doesn't want to build their own, buy it. No monitor though.

Khannie

chamlis wrote:

I heartilly endorse this machine.
Anyone who doesn't build their own, or might be thinking about it later should buy this machine.

Why? Please be specific.

It looks horribly overpriced to me. Claims that an equivalent machine can be bought on dell for a grand more are absolute pants tbh. I went and had a look at the spec in the window of a local lidl and was shocked at how much they're asking for that spec. SHOCKED.

quad_red

[DD]Geo|IRL wrote:

To go with AMD? was my biggest concern having always been an Intel head.
But AMD are right up there with Intel in most benchmark tests & ahead in some.

You haven't been watching for the last few weeks, have you?

It seems to have alot of flashy lights (a scart connection FOR GODS SAKE!) but the spec is nothing special.

Barty

A family member asked me to check out if this was a good offer or not - so I tried to compare it with a Dell PC:
Component Lidl Dell
Processor: AMD Athlon64 X² 4600+ Dual-Core Yes Yes
Harddrive: SATA 320GB 7.2RPM 8MB Cache Yes Yes
Memory: 1024Mb DDR II RAM Dual Channel Yes Yes
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce with 256Mb 7600GS Yes Yes
DVD Writer Samsung 16xDVD±RW Yes Yes
DVD Player LG 16x DVD Rom Yes Yes
Wireless 802.11g N/w card Yes No
Sound 8 channel digital surround sound Yes Yes
Card Reader 8-in-1 card reader Yes Yes
Mouse Yes Yes
Keyboard Yes Yes
Monitor Dell 19" Ultra Sharp Digital/Analogue None Yes

Total Lidl: €1,199.99 Dell: €1,020.00


The main difference's are:
Graphics Card: Lidl Graphics card is 7600GS and has a DVI connector, Dell's is 7300 and has no DVI - this may be incorrect.
Memory: Lidl's is 667MHz, Dell memory is 533MHz.

You can get this monitor (DVI connection and 2ms Response Time) for €300:
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=317038#product_review
For the €1020 you get a monitor with Dell - but it's a run of the mill one!

As for Intel v's AMD - I read recently that tests carried out on 16 PCs with Intel against 16 PCs built on similar AMD chips, AMD scored better on 15 out of 16 of them - I can't find the article at the moment.

Anyhow - the family member bought one today - and I am just going to order the monitor for them. Even though I do think that it is a bit overpriced for the spec, I am not a big fan of Dell.

And that's my two cents!

Oracle

kaizersoze wrote:

It's overpriced, maybe if it had a 19" LCD

I think kaizersoze is right, at that price I would expect a screen included 19" or bigger.
I noticed this offer on the in-store leaflet, the high price surprised me; I quickly added the price of the components in my head I knew that it could be bought for less, especially without a screen. It certainly could be built DIY for much less.
It does seem overpriced, I've noticed the price of Lidl computers are increasing with every new offer. This is the opposite of the market trend; prices appear to be getting lower, in general, for all computers and related hardware.
I'd agree with most of the other contributors here; there's better deals available. I'd shop around and base my buying decision on what I need rather than the greatest most powerful specification.

andrew163

I was thinking of buying it but I have some of the same concerns about the specs that others have had... if it were two months ago I'd have bought it the second they released it but ever since Intel released the Core 2 line and destroyed AMD in virtually every benchmark I'm not so sure.

The graphics card is also quite weak.

Still, a 2 year warranty + loads of software + more front ports/bells and whistles than you can shake a stick at has its upsides..

TerrorFirmer

IF you really have it in your head this is a good deal, PC World have an X2 4200+ with a gig of ram and a 17" monitor for a about 899...I think they are getting rid of all their amd stock because they have a complete 3500+ system with monitor for 500.

Basically another chance to say there is no way this lidl pc is a bargin by any stretch.

[DD]Geo|IRL

Well today was the day & i took the plunge:rolleyes:
Ok here goes....

I did expect alot of negative replies to my post.
Yes it has alot to do with what you want it for.
I do alot of video & photo editing, some music editing, lots of burning,
play a few games & watch some tv & dvd's.
Some Cad work, not too heavy. Most general pc stuff.
So all the ports/sockets suit my needs for video editing as does the Scart(for gods sake!)
Some people think such things are redundant, just because they don't have a use for them.
I've never seen a built-in scart in a spec before, unless u buy a seperate card taking up a slot.
Yes i'm sure there out there on other pc's but i haven't come across them.
Any audiophiles out there would appreciate the RCA, SPDIF & Optical In/Out jacks.

I didn't say that this was "great" value for money or a "bargain",
with earth shattering CPU power & cutting edge graphics.
I said, in my humble opinion, that i thought it was good value for someone like myself who is pc savvy enough
& didn't want the hassle of building his own pc due to time restrictions.
Certainly had i shopped around, i'd find a better bargain, but when don't u?
Judging by my post count u can see i'm not a regular here, but a friend told me to check it out for more info than i had already.
I know the Intel Core2's are better, but again, i'm not a high end starved pc junkie looking for the ultimate in every peripheral
I have a good 21" CRT monitor that serves me well,
so no monitor wasn't an issue, although for anyone needing a new monitor,
I DON'T recommend spending €1200.
The Lidl store is about 200mtrs from my door, so saved me time & hassle driving anywhere or shopping online for a machine that would have been better quality & value, indeed, but not infront of me for some time yet as i'd have to make calls/e-mails to have it setup with most of the little extras this package comes with.
It might sound arrogant but the money wasn't the main issue for me.
The convenience was a deciding factor & it suits my needs, alot.
My old pc was a Gateway P4 1.7ghz 512mb ram & Ati Radeon 9600 pro.
A decent pc in it's day, but a distant day now.
Mobo didnt support 8 x agp,PCIe, USB 2.0 & was 1gb ram max.
So i didn't want to spend money upgrading a nearly outdated setup.


You know what ur getting with Targa if you've bought from them before.
I bought the Targa 20" LCD TV (€599) 2 years ago for bedroom & have Sky on it & it's flawless through Scart RGB, good ol' scart:p
It too looked cheapy but performs very well.
It's only 800 x 600 pixels so wouldn't do for monitor,
but great tv with lots of sockets for everything.
I also bought Targa internal & external 250GB Western Digital 7200rpm drives 2 years ago, as have friends & have had no compalints.
Others i know bought the nootbooks & 1 friend bought a Targa pc a year ago with no complaints & is happy with what he got for the money.

I based my processor judgement on recent articles i read including these:
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1970&page=4
albeit Nov 05:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7-6389077-1.html?tag=lnav

I said the 7600-GS is a well capable gfx card, not a high end gfx card or a "top performer in the latest games".
Big improvement on my ATI Radeon 9600 pro.
Yes DDR3 is out there but i'm not that pushed, at least not yet.
I had reviewed it here:http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/video/g73-1.html
& knew it was a good mid range PCIe x 16 card.
Cooling unit is passive & while gaming it reached 43c max.
I can push game settings like smoke, blood effects & AntiAliasing x 4 no probs.
Texturing best left at bilinear, trilinear got a bit slow ingame & jerky.
No probs with apps like Photoshop CS9 & AutoCad 2006.
Movies & sound are flawless.
Good solid card for those who like nice gfx, not extreme gfx.


Yes the case looks a bit cheapy, but i tend to look at the monitor when i'm using pc, DELL badge or equivalent doesn't necessarily impress.
Inside case..
I had read reviews on Targa cases bad cooling performance in the past,
but that they have vastly improved it of late & ASUS motherboards have exellent cooling while running quietly, can hardly hear it at mo.
Fan speeds up or slows as CPU rests or works.
I linked Mobo specs in my 1st post.
I cracked it open earlier to check out inside & its well layed out.
Absolutely massive heatsink array on CPU.
There are a couple of fans in the case now that they didn't used to have.
1 thing, the power supply is only 350w, would be better server with 400w+, specially when i add the 250GB drive from my old pc.
Easily upgraded another day.

I tuned in my Sky Sat channels in no time today on the tuner & it's very impressive with EPG(2 weeks channel listings).Fully featured remote included.
I also got FM antenna cable & tuned all channels in no probs, sounds perfect.

U get a host of cables to go with most of the audio, composite, & comms ports, including a couple of adapters where may be needed.
The wireless LAN USB stick is handy.
U get Firewire 4 & 6pin ports on front & 1 6pin on back.
4 USB front & 4 USB back.
The flip open panel at front is nice feature.
The LCD at top of case shows time normally,
but shows track/movie/radio or Sat channel info when they are played.
Headset/mic.
16x multiformat Lightscribe drive(burns descriptive text onto front of blank discs) with 2 free discs.
16x DVD ROM drive.
No floppy.
1 free 5 1/4" bay.
Software: nothing special
Usual OEM discs
Age of Mythology
Works Suite 2006
Cyberlink Suite

The Dell pc i was configuring was a bottom end XPS so maybe not a fair comparison in retrospect.
Still about same spec Dell was €1600 this evening, but with 19" monitor.

All-in-all i'm personally happy with my purchase.
Works fine, so far.
Could buy same or better for less elsewhere.
If u need monitor, don't buy it, unless you use the force:cool:



[DD]Geo|IRL - official Targa freak:eek: