After talking about getting a new computer more than half a year ago, I finally bought one today. This is my first desktop in 7 years; the last one I bought before entering University. I’m surprised it took that long to get from want to bought, usually if it there is some tech item I’m lusting over, I end up buying it soon because I’m anxious and can’t stop thinking about it. I guess it’s because I already have a computer and don’t really need a replacement. So why did I finally make the purchase? I guess it’s because I’ve been thinking about junking a lot of the old computer equipment sitting around and rewiring everything (since internet is broken); so I figured I need to consolidate all my hard drives and data onto one place. Plus it’s back to school time so there should be deals right?

I ended up buying from Dell because I’m past my hardware tinkering days, so it’s not worth it to figure what goes together, look for bargains, buy all the components, and assemble it myself — even if it saves me $50 to $100. So I paid $689 pre-tax and this is what I got:

• Intel Core™ 2 Duo Processor E4400 (2MB L2 Cache, 2.0GHz, 800FSB)
• 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
• 128MB nVidia GeForce 8300 GS
• 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
• 250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
• + the usual garbage (mice, keyboard, warranty, support, Vista, free DSL)

There was also an option to get a 22″ monitor with the package for an extra $310. I was on the fence about this but decided to not get it even though it is somewhat cheaper than buying a 22″ monitor by itself. The rationale is because I will have dual monitors eventually, so if I get the 22″ monitor, then I would have a dual setup of 22″ and 19″. That’s just crazy! Plus did you know that you could get 17″ LCDs for only $130! Originally I was thinking that I would use whatever monitor I received from my computer to replace my parents’ CRT, but I could buy a replacement for so much cheaper (their desk can’t even fit a 22″).

Also, I would have bought an AMD processor, but I couldn’t unbundle the monitor in those packages.

Posted by Kevin in Blogs Tags: geeky, shopping, techlust