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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,220
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,220 |
Now there's a statement I can agree with 100%.
The problem there, and why so many shops have closed, is that it's hard to convince people that your stuff is any better than Dells. People see Dells on TV and at work. They know a Dell.
Rather than attacking Dells, convince people yours are better on their own merits.
Just think about buying a car. Let's say I'm deciding between a Acura TSX and a Mazda6. I like both cars a lot, and I go to the Acura dealer and mention I'm looking at a Mazda6 too. Now would you rather hear him convince you the TSX is better and worth a couple thousand more, or just rag on the Mazda6 and how it isn't worth the metal it's made from?
2003 Mazda6s 3.0L MTX
Webpage
2004 Mazda3s 2.3L ATX
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,660
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,660 |
Originally posted by papadage:
An alternative at Dell that nobody mentioned are the 400SC Servers.
Once in a while, about every 4-5 weeks, Dell will sell you a 400SC tower server for about $290, shipped. This is usually accompanied by a free upgrade of the CPU to anything from a 2.26 to 2.6 P4. The remaining components are bare bones. It has Gigabit ethernet and built in video. Add in a decent video card (it has an 8X AGP slot), some RAM bought from Crucial, and a good sound card and you're set.
The machine itself is great, if large and heavy. Excellent components, great build quality and almost completely silent. It also has a lot of expansion room.
I bought one of these for my mechanic for his DVD shop manuals, accounting, invoicing and internet/email for his eBay account. It's been rock solid since. Total cost would be about $500 to you, shipped, with a decent video card, memory and sound card, leaving you plenty to wait for a Dell sale on LCDs. I bought a 17" Samsung for $430.
The only drawback to this is that the running of a workstation OS is not supported by Dell in the Server. The AGP port is also not supported, even though it works fine. The rest of the components would be supported by Dell Business support, which is much better than the consumer side support.
The only other drawback is that they don't come with any OS, so unless you happen to own a suitable OS, either Windows or your favorite flavor of Linux, you've got to figure that cost in as well.
I was personally this -><- close to jumping on the last 400SC deal, which would have been a 2.6G P4 for ~$300 after rebate, but I can't justify even that relatively small amount of money on a computer for the wife to web surf only on when the old AMD K6 will still run Win XP Pro just fine, if a bit slower than the AMD 2500+ Barton I built for myself for around $350 all told.
Scott
Troll! '99 BMW 328i
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 270
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 270 |
If you shop some forums, you can get some great deals also. I just picked up a Tyan 2460-4M motherboard, which is a server style board, with onboard Gigabit Ethernet and USB, and 3 full length PCI slots (64 bit, 64 mhz), and 2 standard PCI ( 32/33); two Athlon XP 2400+ processors modded to enable dual processor capability; a half GB of PC 3500 DDR RAM and a full tower case for $300. All I have to add in is a video card and a sound card, an optical drive I already have, as well as a SCSI card and a nice 15K RPM SCSI drive, and I'll have a nice development machine. That same week, I got my brother an Athlon 64 3200+, an Albatron motherboard, half gig of RAM for $400. He already has the rest of the parts. I've seen entire computers sold there for $700 or so that would smoke most of Dell's offerings. You can take a look if you want. The site is ARS Technica, one of the best tech message boards out there. Over 50,000 members strong.
99 E1 SVT
Black/Tan, MSDS Headers, SHO-Shop Y, BAT Intake, Opt. TB, UR Clutch/Flywheel, Quaife, B&M, Konis, GC Coilovers, Pulley, Mintex Pads, 17" MAS Italy Rogers, Nitto 215/45/17, Portmatch, 138K
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,228
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,228 |
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