I know I'll be shot but I went for the Dell....

Robertr

Firstly, thanks for the comments. They really did help. I realised that I was wasting my money buying the most up to date technology at crazy prices.

So, after all that I decided to get a Dell from the Outlet store. Here are the specs:

XPS Gen 4
Processor: Pentium 4 3.73 Ghz Extreme Edition
Memory: 1024 MB PC-4200 Dual Channel
Harddrive: 250GB SATA & 250GB EIDE Harddrive (500 Total)
Graphics: ATI Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition
Sound: Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS 7.1
Drive: 16x DVD+/-RW
Monitor: 20" Ultrasharp Flat Panel with soundbar
Wireless Mouse & Keyboard

Speakers: Creative 7900 ( from Komplett)

Total: €2,700.00


I know that I could have got a bit more for my money and you'll say that I just wasted it in another way but I've allways owned a Dell and like that peace of mind you get from their rock solid warranty and aftersales service. Plus their monitors are great value.

I'll probably get a bit more RAM but other than this should do for a while. Thanks again.

DonkeyStyle \o/

Yummy, that's a fine system alright.
I've got one of their 20" digital flat panels aswell, although it's the widescreen one.
Don't forget to disable vsync if you're playing games on it though... it took me ages to figure that one out... argh the mouse lag!

Dcully

V nice machine there man.
Very expensive and can be got cheaper elsewhere if u build yourself but as you say you want peace of mind.
The main thing is your happy and that means more than anyone barking "you were robbed" etc etc at you.
Fair play to ya and enjoy your new system.

Dundhoone

Well thats certainly only one step away from the latest technology ! Yeah I've had three Dells in the past and no complaints at all. Looks like a sweet machine.

mp3guy

yeah, but aren't the XPS cases HUGE?

Random

Good spec.
Rip-off price.

Once your happy though as the man says ...

thatkindofgirl

Ach. Don't listen to them.

I've a dell and I've been very happy with their aftersales service... it's a good compromise between the crappy systems you'll pick up in shops and building your own. You get only what you really want, but you've a solid warranty as well.

mp3guy

thatkindofgirl wrote:

Ach. Don't listen to them.

I've a dell and I've been very happy with their aftersales service... it's a good compromise between the crappy systems you'll pick up in shops and building your own. You get only what you really want, but you've a solid warranty as well.

You shouldn't need one if they're that good :rolleyes:

heggie

Robertr wrote:

peace of mind you get from their rock solid warranty and aftersales service.

You're taking the piss right?

Random

Their warranty can be invalidated by sneezing.
I've found (through previous experience) that Dell aftersales is beaten only by IBB for ignorance and general "crapness".

4Xcut

Look the man wanted dell so leave him alone. Sure most of us wouldn't have but its not like he is a n00b who doesn't know the results of the different options he coul;d have gone for. He made a well educated decision. Personally i would not have gone down the dell route but that's just me. Super-fantastic machine.

mp3guy

even though he probably could have saved about €1000

unkel

Why did you get the EE, Robertr? It 's a hell of a bonus to pay for a bit more oomphh

unklerosco

mp3guy wrote:

even though he probably could have saved about €1000

DESCRIPTION QUANTITY PRICE COST
Intel Pentium 4 660 "LGA775 Prescott" 3.6GHz (800FSB) £379.95

Asus P5WD2 Premium Intel 955X (LGA775) £139.95

Maxtor MaxLine III NCQ 250GB x2 £169.90

OcUK ATI Radeon X850 XT PE 256MB £249.95

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS 7 £44.95

AOpen DUW1608 Chameleon 16x DVD±RW £27.95

Akasa Eclipse-62 £74.95

Tagan TG530-U22 530W £61.95

Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop £23.95

DELL Ultrasharp 2001FP 20.1" £399.95

OCZ 1GB (2x512MB) PC4400 £149.95

Subtotal £1,723.40
VAT £301.60
Total £2,025.00

Thats a similar system from OCUK, comes out at €2920 before shipping.... Similar system on JES.de comes out at €2788 before shipping. Neither have the extreme edition CPU which on JES I think adss another €350(my german isn't the best so wasn't sure) which would bring the system to over €3000..

Now fair enough, the system above has much better roads to upgrades etc and a much better mobo but i think he got a pretty good deal... And as for dells aftersales service, as anyone ever dealt with overclockers.... Nightmare

mp3guy

Intel Pentium 4 660 3.6GHz Socket LGA775, 2MB, EM64T, BOXED w/fan €585

Abit AS8-V, I865P, Socket-775, ATX, LAN SATA, Dual-DDR, Sound, AGP8X €87

PowerColor Radeon X850XT PE 256MB GDDR3 AGP8X, DVI-I, ViVo, Retail €494

Samsung DVD recorder TS-H552U Black OEM €45

Samsung SpinPoint P120S 250GB SATA2 8MB 7200RPM NCQ €129

Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS, Bulk, PCI Soundcard, THX, 7.1, 24-bit/192KHz €62

Q-Tec Midi tower ATX TL-MD2, Silver transparent, (Without PSU) €55

Thermaltake Purepower Butterfly 480W W0020 PSU, Silver, 20pin €109

Logitech Cordless Desktop Express, PS2 €33

IIyama 20.1" ProLite C510TS TCO95 Monitor, Silver, TV-Tuner €499

2 X Corsair XMS4400C25 DDR-DIMM 512MB PC4400 64Meg x 64, CAS 2.5-4-4-8, 550MHz €236


Sub-Total: ~€2335
Shipping €30
Total: ~€2365

Do yourself a favour and shop at komplett.

unklerosco

for starters there's 2x250gb HDs so thats another €129, the monitor u have listed is cack... Dells is more along the lines of IIyama 20.1" ProLite TCO03 Monitor for €777 and a Qtec case??? And still not an extreme edition cpu.... So with just the HD n decent monitor ur looking at an extra €400 which makes urs €2765. Where's the €1000 cheaper system u where talking of???

unklerosco

Havent found any European prices for the 3.73 EE cpu, in the states the cheapest one i've seen is €828 so add another €243 so ur looking at about €3000 for his system.... I think he got a V good deal. Even if it is a dell...

mp3guy

pfft, fair enough, but would you buy a dell?

unklerosco

I have one... but its a laptop.. I wouldn't buy a desktop tho cause I enjoy messing with and modding my computers. Robertr obviously just wants a high end pc to use and he has one, a cheap one at that.. U can beat dells buying power, there's advantages and disadvantages to buying dell..

Robertr

Thanks for all the replys. Looks like I got a good deal, although alot of people would not have gone for the Dells. I wasn't either until I saw this particular one in the outlet. I just thought the price was great for a 3.73 EE machine. Especially with the 20" Ultrasharp monitor.

Waiting for delivery at the moment as they did not have the cordless desktop at the outlet store.

Again, thanks for all the advice, I'll post a few benchmarks when I get it.

Sarsfield

I note with interest that none of the self-build specs include the OS!

How much does XP cost?

4Xcut

Most peope would have access to a copy from somewhere i.e. from another computer they bought or........... somewhere else

chump

I think he got a good deal, mad money to be spent on a pc, but for what he got he did good, and saved mucho hassle!

maidhc

Nothing wrong with Dell, and their support is more bearable than many vendors as Rosco as noted. Last few times I have had to ring I got put through to Irish/NI/UK support people. And they were fantastic!

Captain Trips

Robertr wrote:

but I've allways owned a Dell and like that peace of mind you get from their rock solid warranty and aftersales service. Plus their monitors are great value.
.

? i called Dell about a power supply blowing up recall on a laptop. The irish number forwarded to england and then got forwarded (all in automatic your-call-is-in-the-queue mode) to some place in India.

Needless to say, she could barely understand me and I have since refused to buy Dell as they do not provide adequate support for Irish consumers, although they have been given tax-sweeting deals to assist them in reducing production costs for all of europe.

Wertz

Robertr wrote:

So, after all that I decided to get a Dell from the Outlet store. Here are the specs:

XPS Gen 4
Processor: Pentium 4 3.73 Ghz Extreme Edition
Memory: 1024 MB PC-4200 Dual Channel
Harddrive: 250GB SATA & 250GB EIDE Harddrive (500 Total)
Graphics: ATI Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition
Sound: Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS 7.1
Drive: 16x DVD+/-RW
Monitor: 20" Ultrasharp Flat Panel with soundbar

Wireless Mouse & Keyboard

Speakers: Creative 7900 ( from Komplett)

Total: €2,700.00

Just to show what bargains can be had @ outlet:

Dim 8400
Processor: P4 3.4ghz 550 1mb L2
Memory: 1024 MB PC-4200 Dual Channel
HDD: 160Gb + 160Gb SATA RAID0 (~320Gb)
Graphics: nVidia 6800 "Vanilla" 256mb
Sound: Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS
Dual drives: NEC +/- DVD-RW and 2nd DVD-ROM

Entry level Dell keyboard & mouse
Dell A215 speakers

1yr warranty, XP SP2 installed

€665.92 inc VAT & Del


...and the 2001 FP in their sale last March

€580 total (no soundbar)

Well under half the price of the OP's system and could probably give it a fair run for it's money. That's not to belittle the XPS at all...
Anyone saying Dell don't offer value for their systems in this thread has a serious chip on their shoulder about something...slate me as a fanboi if you will, but I let the €€€ do the talking.

RicardoSmith

Wertz wrote:

Just to show what bargains can be had @ outlet:

....
Well under half the price of the OP's system and could probably give it a fair run for it's money. That's not to belittle the XPS at all...
Anyone saying Dell don't offer value for their systems in this thread has a serious chip on their shoulder about something...slate me as a fanboi if you will, but I let the €€€ do the talking.

Yeah I agree with you. If you shop onthe outlet you can get a bargain. But some weeks theres nothing on it so you have to be quick to get a deal when it appears. I think Dell have been uping the price on the outlet lately, maybe it was too successful?

Wertz

I was browsing the site for 3 or more weeks before that particular one popped up and I'm half convinced it was a data entry snafu; maybe a 6 instead of a 9?
Prices are always all over the shop on there...when you see Celeron equipped Dim3000's with on-board gfx going for the same ballpark figure as P4's with an x300 thrown in, there's something seriously up with their pricing policies...
Bargains are definitely fewer and further between these days; but they are still there somewhere if you're patient...

I got a market survey from Outlet a little while back...seems they may be rethinking how they run it? They were very interested in any input on how the site worked, was it easy to use, etc...definitely could do with an overhaul to some of the site IMO. Navigation was...um...quaint? Listings are often incomplete or lacking in component details...stuff like that.
For interest's sake I sometimes browse the US Outlet site...the prices over there are much more uniform and they have a much broader range of refurb goods like TVs, monitors etc...a fair bit cheaper too...

jesus_thats_gre

.



There is some excellent deals on the outlet store..

For instance, my Inspiron XPS2 can be got for around 1,500 euro...

Inspiron XPS-2 Pentium M 760 ( 2.0GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
512MB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2x256)
60GB (5, 400rpm) IDE Hard Drive
NVIDIA Geforce Go 6800 ULTRA with 256MB DDR video memory
17inch screeen native res of 1920x1200

Price incl. VAT excl. del: EUR 1,435.56





As for the bandwagon jumpers who immediately dismissed the machine as being a rip off and then tried to back up their argument by choosing the cheapest of cheap components on Komplett, you have really show how little you actually know...

Morkin

Just make sure you check that what they ship you matches what you ordered.

I ordered a system from them last year and they shipped the wrong Monitor, graphics card and installed XP home instead of Pro. Oh and they shipped me an unordered copy of Office XP Pro!

I like the fact that the kit arrives pre-built but it's too much hassle when they can't even get the order correct.

Let us know what the PSU is like when you get it too.

Enjoy the system,

M.

DirkVoodoo

Just a small query, as i have little experience with the outlet store as jesus would tell you

What condition do the computers arrive in? I mean are they simply unwanted orders that have been returned to the factory or are they "slightly" used systems complete with coffee stains and that little dell logo removed?

Sounds like a good bargain anyway, but Ive seen guys here who really know their stuff build top class PCs for 1500 euro. Granted theyre usually AMD specs and i dont think they include flat panels.

Still, good find on the outlet store, i may go hunting for one later on

Trojan

I've bought 2 laptops from Dell Outlet - 1 of them was I7500, that tells you how long ago

Both appeared to be brand new, and I had no problems with them that wouldn't happen if I hadn't gone Outlet.

rymus

got my pc from the outlet store.. great machine, no problems with it. Only complaint I have is that after a year of use it needs a format/cleanout, but Dell can hardly be blamed for that!

Wertz

DirkVoodoo wrote:

Just a small query, as i have little experience with the outlet store as jesus would tell you

What condition do the computers arrive in? I mean are they simply unwanted orders that have been returned to the factory or are they "slightly" used systems complete with coffee stains and that little dell logo removed?

Laptop I got from them was as good as new (in fact I think it was new, since they "lost" my initial order).
The desktop who's specs I quoted above was in similar good nick but had a dent on the little metal Dell logo on the front panel, and had a minor scratch in the plastic casing...possibly why it was refurbished, although it could be cos of the f*cking noise out of it

The way I look at all refurbished goods I've ever bought is that the items have been through the quality control process more times than something that's bought "new"...a lot of the time refurb only means that the item has been returned by a buyer cos they don't like it or used the cooling off period, not that it's fallen off the back of a DHL truck and been put back together with duct tape and superglue by Dell technicians...
No coffee stains either.

maidhc

I have bought 2 laptops and a desktop from the outlet. One laptop was brand new because they lost the original order . The other two machines were as a good as new. No scratches, dents or coffee stains. Not even finger prints, althought the laptop refused to power up and needed a new mobo the day after. I'd recommend the outlet, but the prices can be crazy as hell.

I reckon the price is based on the original selling price - x% for age. So you might get a really good deal on a machine because it has been lying around for a few months, and if the orignial buyer was ripped off the outlet price will reflect this.

Just a wild theory, no basis in fact for me thinking this.

RicardoSmith

I got one at christmas, seemed like new to me. Was the last of an old model.

delly

Just to compare what i got from outlet a couple of weeks ago

Processor: Pentium 4 3.60 Ghz
Memory: 2048 MB DDR2
Harddrive: 250GB SATA & 250GB EIDE Harddrive (500 Total)
Graphics: Nvidia 6800GTO
Sound: Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS 7.1
Drive: 16x DVD+/-RW & DVD rom
Monitor: 17" Ultrasharp Flat Panel
Speakers: Dell 2.1 with subwoofer
2 Year NBD warrenty

Cost: €1,300

Robertr

Just speced up the same PC on Alienware:

Area-51™ 5500

Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition UK with SP2 - English
Warranty: AlienCare 3-Year Free Phone 24/7 and Collect & Return
Case: Alienware® Full-Tower Case - Space Black
Power Supply: Alienware® 480 Watt Power Supply
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Technology Extreme Edition 3.73GHz 1066MHz FSB 2MB Cache
Motherboard: Alienware® PCI Express Motherboard with Intel® 925XE Chipset
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz - 2 x 512MB
Video Card: ATI® Radeon® X850 XT Platinum Edition PCX 256MB DDR3 w/ Dual Digital and TV Out
Hard Drive: 250 GB Western Digital Caviar SE Serial ATA 7,200 rpm w/ 8MB Cache - Quantity 1
Hard Drive Two: 250 GB Western Digital Caviar SE Serial ATA 7,200 rpm w/ 8MB Cache - Quantity 1
Optical Drive One: Lite-On 16x DVD / 52x32x52x CD-RW Combo - Black
Optical Drive Two: Plextor PX-716SA 16x DVD±R/W Drive - Black
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy 2 ZS - 7.1
Network Card: Integrated High Performance Intel Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (DSL-ready)
Floppy Drive: 1.44 MB Floppy Drive - Black
Monitor: NEC 20" MultiSync® Flat Panel LCD2080UXBK - Space Black - Quantity 1
Speakers: Creative® 7.1 Inspire™ T7900 - EU Power Supply
Keyboard: Logitech Internet Keyboard UK - Space Black
Mouse: Microsoft® IntelliMouse Explorer USB 4.0 - Space Black
AlienInspection: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - £50 Value - FREE!
AlienWiring: AlienWiring - Exclusive Internal Wire Management - £50 Value - FREE!
Free T-Shirt: Alienware® T-Shirt - Black - XL



€5,217.00!!!!!!!! :eek:

RicardoSmith

Bargain....

DirkVoodoo

Hmmm....

Yeah, you're really paying for the t-shirt there.

Ive heard bad things about alienware customer support, shame really, I always liked their systems.

TimTim

DirkVoodoo wrote:

Hmmm....

Yeah, you're really paying for the t-shirt there.

Ive heard bad things about alienware customer support, shame really, I always liked their systems.

Its a bit of a price hike for a lime green case, I'm sure some paint on your current case could do as a good job.

Zascar

Dell outlet PC's can be very good buys. All the PC get totally stripped down, rebuilt and reinstled before being pt back on sale, so they are pretty much as good as new. Under consuer law if a customer changes his mind for any reason whatsoever they can return the system and get a refud, so many never even leave the box. Watch out for the pricing though. It should always be about 10% cheaper, so check the prices on the main site first, they should adjust the price if its not correct.

I've just bought the following:

Dell Dimension 5000
Intel P4 3.4Ghz
1024MB Ram 2x512, 400Mhz
250GB SATA Hard Drive
DVD+/-RW
19" Ultrasharp Flat Panel
Logitech LX700 Cordless Keyboard & Mouse.
Windows XP Home

All that for €780 + vat (€950 inc)

The 5000 was replaced at the start of this month by the 5100, not much difference apart from the colour so I'm pretty happy.

Wertz

Robertr wrote:

Just speced up the same PC on Alienware:



€5,217.00!!!!!!!! :eek:

But hey; at least it's not a dell

RicardoSmith

Wertz wrote:

But hey; at least it's not a dell

Yes well a fool and his money...

WexCan

Captain Trips wrote:

? i called Dell about a power supply blowing up recall on a laptop. The irish number forwarded to england and then got forwarded (all in automatic your-call-is-in-the-queue mode) to some place in India.

Needless to say, she could barely understand me and I have since refused to buy Dell as they do not provide adequate support for Irish consumers, although they have been given tax-sweeting deals to assist them in reducing production costs for all of europe.

Ask to be put through to the Derry (Stream) office and you're set.

Jammer

Robertr wrote:

AlienInspection: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - £50 Value - FREE!
AlienWiring: AlienWiring - Exclusive Internal Wire Management - £50 Value - FREE!
Free T-Shirt: Alienware® T-Shirt - Black - XL



€5,217.00!!!!!!!! :eek:

But u get a free T-Shirt

And the wiring will be inside the case!!

buzzerxx

4Xcut wrote:

Look the man wanted dell so leave him alone. Sure most of us wouldn't have but its not like he is a n00b who doesn't know the results of the different options he coul;d have gone for. He made a well educated decision. Personally i would not have gone down the dell route but that's just me. Super-fantastic machine.

what system would u go for then?

SeanW

4Xcut wrote:

Look the man wanted dell so leave him alone.

Well, there's no accounting for taste

mrhappy42

Hi...slight side bar someone might have an answer to. Have had a few Dell's myself (typing on one now) and happy go one for my dad and it keeps 'hanging' I've not seen it as I'm down in Kiwi land and he is in Kerry but he says it starts to make a racket and then 'hangs'...sounds like the hard disk...anyone know of a tool I could get him to run in the background to check this (this machine has been back to Dell twice so want to try something a bit more 'advanced')...customer support not the best.

Anyway links to tools would be much appreciated...I can log into his machine from here using www.logmein.com if it needs a complex install etc.

M

Hobbes

Dells high end machines are exceptional for the price. I got the Dell XPS gaming laptop and got some slagging for it, until I showed them 1900x1200x32 running at a steady 150fps on a 17" XTFT screen.

I actually like it. I've managed to have City of Heroes, Eve and internet TV all running at the same time without it breaking a sweat.

Bartonprince

The graphics card is soon going to become old news.

Maybe alienware would have been a better choice?
But at least the machin is a monster in it's own right...

2700 euro... ouch