Buying a new computer!

[depiction]

I am going to be getting a new computer in the next month or so as a high school graduation gift from my uncle. He is giving me a budget of 2k for it. I have decided to go with Dell since I can get additional discounts from them if I purchase through the college I'm going to be going to next year. I also like that they will recycle my old computer for free.

Anyway, I am having some difficulty deciding what models and specs to get.

I am looking at either the Dell Dimension 4700 or 8400.

Approx.
3.2 or 3.4GHZ Pentium 4
1GB or 2GB of Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM. (at 400MHZ on 4700 or 533MHZ on 8400 model)
128MB PCI Express� x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon� X300 SE (I'm not a heavy gamer.)
17 inch Ultrasharp flat panel monitor
80GB or 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
48x CD-RW Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/dbl layer write capability
Sound Blaster� Live! 24-bit ADVANCED HD� Audio
Keyboard, Mouse, etc. the usual


I went through the customization pages for each model and came to some conclusions.

Dimension 4700
Pros
- like the smaller form (less deskspace) (7.25" width x 14.5" height x 16.75" depth)
- can get a faster CPU(3.4GHz) OR double ram than 8400 within budget
Cons
- not as expandable/upgradable as the 8400
- can only get 400MHz RAM instead or 533MHz

Dimension 8400
Pros
- more expandable
- can get faster RAM (533MHz)
Cons
- slower clock speed 3.2 GHz
- tower size seems pretty large to me (7.1" width x 16.7" height x 17.6" depth)


Which model do you think I should get?
I do alot of work with Photoshop and Dreamweaver; usually have at least 5 programs open at a time.

Am I better of to go with slightly less speed (CPU) but faster RAM and have more ability to upgrade in the future by getting the bigger one (8400) or go with the smaller one that has a faster CPU but with slower RAM and less support for future technologies?

 

[algu7344]

4700 hands down.

 

[depiction]

Thanks.. I was short of leaning towards that too.

However do you think it would be better to go with the slightly faster processor or double the ram to 2GB?

 

[dhw200]

u dont really need 2 gigs of RAM unless ur doing ultra heavy multitasking or video creation/editing. u could save a lot of money by building ur own comp though. most ppl here would say not to gow tih dell cuz we honestly dont have a very high opinion of them. ur choice though.

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

I personally think you should learn about building your own PC. Even with your discount Dell's prices are still horrible, if you build your own PC, even if you mess up, you will have saved enough money to replace that part (even though it's pretty hard to mess up)

Think about this option

 

[derfist]

Never ever get a Dell computer. They may seem cheap but their backup will kill. If you've got any problems, u can't repair it by yourself. once u open the case, ur warranty is void. U wanna upgrade, u gotta go with Dell parts only. By the time they come over to fix ur com, u can do it by yourself even quickly. U wanna clean, u still won't b able to. Building your own will b a lot cheaper n u have the freedom to choose the parts. U wanna upgrade, it'll b a lot easier to. Its quite simple actually.Trust me. You'll regret getting 1 later. Their parts r also expensive to upgrade.

 

[dale5605]

4700 hands down.

I would agree with this.

You do not need 2 gigs of RAM and getting that will show you no performance increase.

Also the expandability/upgradeability of each system is pretty much void since upgrading a Dell computer is expensive and basically pointless (trust me I have one).

You only need a 3.2ghz processor, that's plenty. If you do game though, even if not very seriously a better video card would be nice.

 

[diabloII]

if you're going to college, get a dell laptop or something

and btw, www.ibuypower.com is way cheaper and better than dell

 

[dhw200]

As is www.cyberpowerinc.com

 

[diabloII]

ibuypower and cyberpower make good computers with good parts, but their technicians/builders are retards (i've seen my friend's ibuypower before and i've seen reviews for cyberpower)

if you want build quality that's great like alienware's, i suggest www.monarchcomputers.com and build from there (imo monarch > alienware, but that's me)