While I generally agree with what you're saying auiotour as I also have always built all my own systems, I'm also sure that neither you nor me can beat every price that Dell offers. They have pretty damn amazing deals sometimes. Yeah, their high-end systems are rip-offs, but there is NO competing with their standard home-use PC prices.
Looking right now, they are offering a P4 2.4Ghz, 128MB, 40GB, and XP-Home, but the real kicker is that it also includes a 17" LCD Monitor. Total price $699 and Free Shipping.
Dell uses re-branded Viewsonic monitors -- a brand I personally swear by. But care to guess how much the monitor alone sells for on Pricewatch? $425
That means you only got $275, including shipping costs to your buyer, to build a complete P4 2.4Ghz system. So, that's maybe $225 left.
Which is just about how much it costs to buy a really crappy Mobo (same as Dell's all integrated) and the CPU.
You still haven't bought the case and PS (another $75 for a Dell-looking one), RAM (~$50), Hard Drive (~$75), CD-R (~$40), Software (~$100 minimum), Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers (~$50), and some value for a 1-year warranty (~$50).
You're now down $450 on what Dell could build it for. And I was REALLY generous on the software thing. Dell includes an awful lot of software.
