Help Peter give computer advice

[PeteT]

A neighbour of mine asked for advice on choosing a computer. He's choosing between

----------------------
Dell

Intel Celeron 1.7 GHz
256 DDR Ram
30 GB HD
15" Monitor
£790

----------------------
NEC

Intel Pentium 4 2.6 GHz
256 DDR Ram
80 GB
15" Flat Panel Display
£874

I told him that I've heard that Dell are good value for money but I don't know anything about NEC, so I'd post here and ask if anyone has had any experience with them.

BTW, he doesn't need anything terribly fancy and building his own is out of the question.

Thanks in advance,

Peter

 

[Perfection]

Go with the NEC but only if it has at least a 30 day warrenty

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

Yeah, warranty info should factor in quite a bit. The Dells are known for great support but that NEC is a lot more power for only a few more $......if the NEC has a good warranty plan then tell him to get that.

It's nice to see they aren't shipping the celerons with 128 MB RAM anymore

 

[Perfection]

The increased speed should allow him to use the computer 2 more years before planned obsolesence sets in

 

[Lucky]

Tell him to get at least 512MB RAM with both systems. With those processor speeds, 256 is the bare minimum that makes sense.

It also depends on what he wants to do with the comp. For gaming, the faster the better, but in this case, the TFT display might be a drawback. TFT is great for applications like Word, Excel or such programs, but for games, especially fast paced action games, it is not the best choice, especially the 15'' variants. Too low resolution and too slow reaction time. Movies on a "cheaper" TFT also don´t look as good, even though it will probably the sharpest experience ever. Fast movement makes the picture look blurry, though.

 

[Cartouche Bee]

I don't know the market where you are but doing some rough conversion, I'd say the Dell system was over priced.

 

[Jeratain]

Definately the NEC. That Dell will be outdated by the time he sets it up on his desk. See if he can get an extended warranty on the NEC though.

Ive used NEC computers - they are good and reliable. Not the best, but good nonetheless.

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

I don't think the Dell will outdate itself as fast as many would have you believe

I haven't seen an application yet requiring over 700Mhz..he's perfectly fine with either system but he'll want to upgrade to 512 MB RAM like lucky said.

What is he planning on doing with it?

 

[God]

Originally posted by gonzo_for_civ
I don't think the Dell will outdate itself as fast as many would have you believe

I haven't seen an application yet requiring over 700Mhz..he's perfectly fine with either system but he'll want to upgrade to 512 MB RAM like lucky said.

What is he planning on doing with it?

True. Its only the real computer geeks who keep on thinking that anything below 2.0 ghz is outdated, and a Geforce 4 ti4200 can't do anything. (not targeting anybody here)

The most demanding game on the market is probably UT2003, and that needs ~750 mhz, 128 ram, 16 mb video, which are the mininums. 1 ghz, 256 ram, 32-64 video will do it fine, if no well. For anything else I would pick the celeron. Powerful pentiums and athlons are for people who want to play new games and edit video. Thats it. Only other people who will get them are the rich ones who only use Word and Internet.

 

[Perfection]

Its not about system requirements of programs its about long term usage of windows, the more power you have the less impiact the bloatware will have on you computer

 

[PeteT]

Thanks again guys, but it was sort of all for nought. I went to see him today to tell him that the consensus was for the NEC and he said "Oh no. I wanted to make sure I got it by Christmas, so I've already ordered the Dell."

Anyway, as was pointed out, the warranty is a significant factor and with the Dell he's got a two year warranty.