[mlmr]

Your feedback would be very welcome. FR has become my sort of Rent-a-Husband when it comes to technical matters. The two computers I bought the children (which work very well) were a dirct result of the direction I received here. Thank you

[mlmr]

Is there a techie ping list??

[knowtherules]

www.dell.com

[DefCon]

That sounds like the one tigerdirect.com is running a special on.

[Lexinom]

It looks like a nice system for the price. Why would you need a new monitor, out of curiosity?

[Dysart]

I'm no techie,but it sounds like a good value. May I ax where you found this package? I have read positive reviews of the new new Athlon64 3700 and intend to upgrade to that, or wait for the 4000 in the fourth quarter.

[xrp]

That is a good computer, but maybe you should also post why you want/need a new computer and also what you use your computer for on a regular basis.

[billorites]

"FR has become my sort of Rent-a-Husband"

"Sugar..."

[Salo]

You might wish to upgrade the OS to XP Pro - I think that's about 70$ ish. Also, more RAM is always better if you can afford it and XP likes RAM.

[Krafty123]

Don't know about the price, but get an Athlon 64 3000+ instead of a 3200+ (95% performance for 1/2 the price). Also, if you intend to play games, get something better than a Radeon 9200 (either a Radeon 9600 or GeforceFX 5700).

[maui_hawaii]

Here is a thread that answers lots of questions.

Its about laptops, but will apply in many instances to PCs too.

Learn what you might need before buying.

Measure twice (or three times) and cut (or buy) once.

[annyokie]

You're on the right track with AMD. Get a Logitech keyboard and mouse, wireless of course.

[The Duke]

My wife and I purchased 3 machines (one for each kid) with exactly these specifications, and including monitor, for about $500 each (maybe a little less). We got these at (I believe Circuit City). The brand name was 'eMachines'.

I was skeptical about these systems, but since unpacking them and turning them on I've been *very* impressed. We added an additional 250 meg of memory to each one with no problems, and the kids are playing all their games with no problems. And, quite honestly, the systems are just a delight to work with (I've also been impressed with the customer support we've received from them via phone when resolving some minor game issues).

The systems are also ergonomically attractive, featuring dual USB ports and headset jacks on the front panel.

By the way, I'm an Electrical Engineer with 21 years of experience working with advanced technologies, which maybe lends a little more meaning to my observations.

I suspect that eMachines has its detractors, and I'm sure there are some negative stories about the brand that have basis in truth, but so far we've been extremely pleased.

DISCLAIMER: I have no business relationship with eMachines.

[Severa]

*jaw drop* $900 and it comes with an ATI Radeon 9200? DAMN. That's a helluva system. I'd go for it. Only other thing I'd add besides the XP Pro would be to check the hardware requirements for the software you'll be installing and make sure that 512MB of memory will be enough. I imagine it would but it's always best to check ahead of time.

[nutmeg]

.

[Sloth]

That is an ultrafast computer. Good if you are going to be doing heavy-duty gaming, but if you just want one for standard stuff, you could get it for about half the price.

http://www.mpcomp.com has some decent deals.