$499 is a teaser price. It's for the lowest speed processor, pathetic video memory, 40GB HD, and only 256MB of system memory. I'd consider getting one too, to go along with the XP and Linux boxes I've got. But (1) I have no idea what I'd do with it, and (2) By the time I pay tax, shipping, and get appropriate upgrades, this thing will probably cost over $800.
That "pathetic" video is still a whole lot faster than the $499 Dell, which features an integrated Intel video chipset. Even Dell only claims it's good enough for 2D games.
(1) I have no idea what I'd do with it, and (2) By the time I pay tax, shipping, and get appropriate upgrades, this thing will probably cost over $800.
A basic one would make a great home server (small, quiet, takes little juice), and you wouldn't have to buy anything extra. Just borrow KVM from an existing computer, and set it up for whatever you want to do (firewall, NAT, mail, web, FTP, music server, etc.). Then set it up for remote administration and put your KVM back onto the other system. From then on you can control it remotely.