[honeyb]

Hi all - my CPU is at least 5 yrs old (maybe more? can't remember) and my hard drive has been making "last gasp" noises for a while and I have a really crappy old monitor.It would be nice to pick up something new, but I have no idea what to get. I see DELL is having a sale on the Inspiron 537 ($499 includes 19in monitor). I'm looking at the specs (below) and I'm thinking no MS Word? No speaker option? no modem option? no media card? I'm not even sure what all that means, but it doesn't sound so good. I just need something basic - for gaming needs think Tetris. Any suggestions greatly appreciated - the only caveat is that I really prefer to purchase from a reliable vendor where I can return if there are problems or call for support if I need it.

Inspiron 537
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7400 (3MB L2, 2.8GHz, 1066FSB)
Microsoft® Works 9 (Does not include Microsoft Word)
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 2 DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
Dell S1909WX 19 inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Integrated Intel® GMA x4500 Graphics
No Speaker Option
Dell Consumer Entry USB Keyboard and Mouse
No Floppy Drive or Media Card Reader Included
No Modem Option
Piano Black
My Accessories
McAfee SecurityCenter 9 with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 30 Day
Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year
My Software & Accessories
Also Includes
Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio
Adobe® Reader 9.0
Inspiron 537 Minitower w/ Black Bezel
Mouse included with Keyboard purchase
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Dell Remote Access, free basic service

[ezekiel]

Overall, it's a very fast computer, dual core 2.8ghz and 4 gigs of RAM is A LOT, so if you buy that PC im sure you won't have any problems running multiple demanding programs at the same time. And you computer experience will be definitely better than mine. :-)

As for the graphics, i'm not really a fan of intel graphics you know...
If you want to get a good gaming experience I recommend nVidia geforce 9800GTX
but if you are looking for something cheaper try nVidia geforce 7700 or 8200 they are both good and cheaper than the 9800GTX.

But the intel graphics card you have on that computer is also good, so you don't have to worry about that.

[DoubleHelix]

Word is part of Microsoft Office and would be an additional expense regardless of who you buy a computer from. Dell does sell Office with new computers. You just have to select that option. Speakers are also an additional cost. Same with a media card reader.

What you're looking at is a very basic configuration. If you want all those little extras, you have to pay for them.

[Elvandil]

I'll just toss this in for what it's worth and you can do with it what you please.

Many people who buy machines from manufacturers that have installed an OS already end up wishing they hadn't. Not only do a multitude of companies pay for a spot on the desktop, loading the machine with junk and programs that expire later if you don't pay for them, but they don't even supply the OS on a CD so that you can repair and reinstall Windows when you want to. If the drive fails, you lose everything, including the "recovery partition" that is supposed to save you.

You also can't make changes to the drive without losing the recovery, so there goes experimenting with another OS.

Getting a new machine gives you the rare opportunity to buy one that has no OS. Then, you can buy (or get free, if you like Linux) any OS separately, install it, have the installation media for later if you need it, and install exactly the programs you want.

I never buy a machine with an OS already installed. Others may think that doing it this way is too much work, or that they will lose the outrageously priced "support" that is so hard to actually find when you need it. But this method had served me well.

Examples:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati....asp?CatId=119

[aka Brett]

The machine does have some decent specs,for the price.
For whats its worth however IMO dell has slipped somewhat with the quality...customer service quality has also declined.
I am not saying they are junk........my last purchase was a dell.
One just cant assume that dell is high quality anymore.
I had both sticks of ram fail in mine within 6 months.......i had purchased through best buy my computer.
best buy customer service sucks IMO........the first thing that comes out of their mouth is its a software issue....I ram dell diagnostics...and memtest...both failed the ram....they assumed i was just an average joe.
Anyway back to dell...one week after purchase the machine would not hibernate...i got on the internet to find my model was very bad about this.......DELL support....said i had to deal with best buy...which i stated above sucks.
The rest of the unit is ok..has crappy sound,hard to see keys.
Thie lid is still tight on this laptop.......the keys have all stayed on,the display isnt bad,,,not among the best however. ......IMO dell is just ok and thats it........i got a great deal with my last purchase.

The longer you can wait before your next purchase,the better hardware you will be able to get for the buck.
Be sure you have all the jacks ports etc to cover you...be sure it includes all the latest.
be sure you get a blu ray...its becoming the norm.

You will have to clean the junk off of the pc day 1...everything....dell support center...preloaded AV...oudated java..oudated reader..outdated google toolbar.....etc.

My next purchase wont be from dell,hp,gateway...etc
I will do as Elvandil is suggesting above..........unless ofcoarse i run into another 1200 dollar unit for 500 bucks.....best buy does have some great specials from time to time

[honeyb]

Thank you all very much for your responses. Sounds like getting this package would not be a stupid move, i.e., I could do worse. But I'm also hearing that getting a Dell is not necessarily a guarantee that all will be perfect. And I could avoid getting a machine loaded with crap if I had the skills/confidence/energy to install my own OS. Finally, thanks for the advice about what to make sure I have - I wouldn't have thought about some of these things so now I'm better prepared to make a purchase.

[Elvandil]

Whatever you do, we plan to be around for the forseeable future. So drop by whenever you feel like it.

The "skills/confidence/energy" needed are not yours alone.

[JohnWill]

When you get that new Dell, here's the first application you should run! PC Decrapifier will allow you to remove the raft of trial software and other junk they load onto new machines.