[Codi]

The wife and I broke down and decided to replace our old system. I am looking at a Dell 2400 with upgrades. We are going to use it for the usual home stuff, wordprocessing, money management, spreadsheets (her work) and digital photos and stuff. We are looking at adding a DVD-RW and CD-RW, as we want to scan in old photos and save them to a CD as well as those from the digital camera. My biggest questions are about the software. It comes with XP Home and I think this will be fine, however, we may go with XP Professional. NOW, keep in mind, I know about as much about this stuff as I do about brain surgery so I am at a complete loss. When this happens, we will have internet at home and the wife wants e-mail at home (for her work). Since none of us at home are computer savy, what should I look for in the way of virus, spam, firewalls, etc. software? Which is the more cost effective and user friendly, DSL or RoadRunner? If knowledge is a ten, I am at ground zero. Any advice will be appreciated.

[Geezer]

Had to break down last year and buy a new one. We went with an HP, one model down from the top of the line. It was a bit pricy I think but have not had any problems with it.
The only thing I know about Dell is that the guys in the IS department have mentioned they are made with cheapest parts available.

[Scoop69RS-SS]

I would suggest buying at a lower performance mark and save money. Maybe a 2.4 or a 2.6 machine.

I do not know of many people who can actually tax the performance of a gig home machine. These things are running, what 3.6g now? Use the saved extra bucks for options to make it more versatle.

My 550mhz machine at home still does he job but it's time to upgrade it.

[Granny's 69]

Codi,

I just bought a Dell 2400 about 2 weeks ago during thier 10% off special! I upgraded mine a little from the standard 2400 model to include a 2.80mhz Pentium 4 vs. a 2.66mhz P4 processor, upgraded to 256MB of ram, doubled my hard disk size to 80 gig.,added the upgraded Soundblaster card, upgraded speakers, 48X cd burner, etc.

It came standard with a 17" monitor, a free Dell color printer, etc. It also came with Windows XP home,trials of Norton Antivirus, Etc. I chose the free Earthlink internet option.

All of this cost just under $675.00 with FREE UPS shipping! So far I'm very pleased! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

- Mark P.

[Codi]

Thanks guys, keep the advice coming as I need to learn.

Mark.....Your configuration is similiar to what I am looking at from Dell.

As for Dell quality, my office has used Dell for the past three years and no problems. The system I am replacing is an HP from 1997. Never had a problem, just need to upgrade and the cost diff between upgrade and new is minimal. I am just not informed on software for virus, spam, firewll, etc. This is where I really need the help.

[RS3SDL2MG]

computers get outdated fast , I got mine three years ago just before I filed bankruptcy , my lawyer told me if I needed anything to charge it on a credit card and it would be deleted in the bankruptcy , my computer is all but antique now it is amazing how fast the stuff is being advanced ,, [img]smile.gif[/img]

[CA420]

If you do decide to use programs that task the computer heavily, upgrade your memory. I would suggest that anyone running XP have at least 512K as XP alone is tying up 128K just sitting there.


Dells are nice and you get service with it if you need it.

I build my own but our work computers are Dells and hold up pretty good.

[CFunK]

Codi, no need to spend the money on XP Pro you will gain nothing buy going to XP Pro

I also reccomend a minimum of 512MB of memory.

As far as DSL vs. Cable. Check out the forums at www.dslreports.com and see what others are saying about the services in your area. I am lucky and have both options, lots of people don't. Some DSL providers lock you into a year contract. Most cable services don't.

I have several clients using the 2400 series from Dell with good results.

Since you have a digital camera you might want to invest in a card reader.

As far as software, well, the MS Works package will suffice. It comes with a spreadsheet app and they now bundle a full version of MS Word with MS Works. Usually Norton AV is installed but you have to buy the app after 90 days.

All in all, 95% of the software you will need comes on the machine.

Good luck.

[CA420]

XP Pro is better than Home and has better network functionality but I would not pay what Dell charges for the upgrade or what stores charge for that matter.

If you want something better later just order it off the net. OEM Pro is around $130-163 online. But wait unitl you warranty expires.


If you can afford cable get it. DSL around here is nasty and slower. Plus Cable companies are upping transfer rates to compete with the Bell companies.

[Mark C]

Here you go:

HOT, Expires TONIGHT! DellSB - Dimension 4600 with 2.8Ghz P4, 512MB DDR SDRAM, 80GB HD, CD-RW, 128MB GF FX5200, and 2 year Warranty for $449 after Rebate with FREE Shipping!

Their outrageous desktop Dimension 4600 is back to the $449 level thanks to an instant $280 discount & $150 rebate, and you even get a free upgrade to 512MB of DDR SDRAM ($60 value), 80GB HD ($20 value), CD-RW drive ($40 value), 128MB DDR nVidia Geforce FX 5200 AGP card with DVI & TV output ($60 value), Dell Gigabit Ethernet ($40 value), and a 2 year warranty (a $113 value); that`s a total of $333 worth of freebies! You`re getting this Dimension 4600 with a fast 2.8Ghz Pentium 4 processor, i865p chipset motherboard (8x AGP slot, 2 S-ATA ports, etc), integrated Dolby Digital capable 5.1 sound, and Windows XP Home. Shipping is free.

Start here through the following link to Dell Small Business Outrageous Desktops. Dell Small Business Outrageous Desktops
Click on Customize It under Dimension 4600 $449
All of the options for the lowest possible cost should already be selected, including the rebate and freebies, and they`ve even already got rid of Norton, but double check.

Upgrade whatever options you may want, though they may raise the cost. Here`s a couple you may want to consider:
160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) [add $60 or $1/month]
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 48x CD-RW Drive [add $19]
Scroll to the bottom and click on Continue
Scroll to the bottom and click on Continue
Scroll to the bottom and click on Add to cart
Finish checking out. Ground shipping for the computer is free. Send in the $150 rebate (expires TONIGHT, 8/11/04)

[phel69]

I would definitely grab the above deal. It is smokin. I bought 3 Dells in the last 6 months off of the refurbished site, same guarantee as new. When you pick them on line you only have 15 min. to order them. I opened up my Dells and the cheap parts that they use are the same ones that you would pay more for if you bought them without their mass ordering discount. I bought 2 Dell 2.6gig and 1 Celeron 2.4 gig. All of them had 512 meg of ram. Win XP loves ram, 512 is the minimum that I would run. I think it gives you the biggest performance increase for the buck. All 3 of my Dells run great, probably better than my big buck component home built AMD system. I have 3 XP home pcs and 1 XP pro, pro is better depending on the upgrade cost.

[gwbutch]

I am no expert on firewalls or security software, but our IT department at work recommends BlackICE PC Protection for a software firewall. I do have it on my computer. I also have PC-cillin 2000 Ati-virus software. One of the best softwares is Ad-Aware from Lavasoft. It removes a lot of junk files from your PC. It's a free download!
[img]graemlins/beers.gif[/img]

[CA420]

Spybot blows Ad-Aware away and is free also. Get it here :

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Black Ice is a good software firewall but it is just another application running in the background slowing down your PC. I have a Linksys router with a built in firewall that is pretty sweet.

http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...id=29&prid=433

Makes it nice if you have multiple PC's at home and I also work from home as well so everyone can be online at once.

[Codi]

Thanks for the info guys. No decisions have been made yet. I am leaning towards (based, in part, on your recommondations) either the Dell 2400 or 4600, 512MB Ram, 80GB drive, XP Pro, DVD+RW and CD+RW, a 3.5 floppy (to transfer stuff from old to new), AcAfee virus/firewall, spam, pop-up blocker, 15" flat screen, Sound Blaster with speaker upgrade, and the other stuff that goes with it. As well as a Dell 922 Printer for print, photo's, scanner, and copies. Keep in mind, this is for home use, some of the wifes school work (lesson plans and records), LB's school work (Encarta) and Ricochet's "Barbie" horse back CD's. I plan on getting the digital camera at the same time and scanning to a DVD all or most of the old photo's the wife has accumulated over the years. It is much easier to store a DVD than boxes of pics. I also plan on doing my banking on line as well as bill paying, so I know the safety/security features are very important.

How does this plan look to you in the know? I value your input since I only have a small idea of what I am doing with computers.

[CA420]

Should be just fine for what you need.

I know my posts are a little on the extreme side but my wife and I both have to work from home quite a bit when we are on call so we need the flexibility.