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Dell: $298 delivered.

_pb_boi said:
Buy a 1.25GHz mini with BTO options and it'll cost $1072.

Add a monitor and it'll cost ~$2600.

So?

andy.
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The Dell recommended items are things such as an anti-virus, a usb cable, and media creation software.

And in the end, you're paying $1300 for a celeron.

Besides, who spends $1600 on a monitor?
 
Lancetx said:
But a Dell with a 2.4 GHz Celeron isn't well past it's expiration date? A G4 running at 1.25GHz or better still has enough horsepower to get the job done for most consumers. A Mac mini is definitely a more capable computer than this $298 Dell system.

Of course, if you're one of those "my gigahertz is bigger than yours" types, then there are machines like that out there for you (for a considerably higher cost) from both Dell and Apple as well. But to say a G4 is a "POS" and totally outdated is rather silly...
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The Celeron is a Pentium II, folks. Talk about ancient technology.
 
If the point is a one-to-one comparison between a Mac mini and the cheap Dell, then at a minimum you'd need to add a combo drive to the Dell ($99), which brings the price to $400. You won't be able to add a reasonable video subsystem to the Dell because it simply isn't available. In fact, IIRC, the Dell doesn't even have an AGP slot. This is even before you get into the issue of whether the Celeron compares favorably to the G4.
 
Bigheadache said:
What I meant was if you bought a G4 when it was competitive then your equipment is now 'heritage' or 'classic'. Buying a new G4 in 2005 is a bit of a laugh surely.
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Sure, there are faster machines out there, but that doesn't mean people need that extra speed. And G5's existing doesn't take away from the fact that G4's are still just fine and dandy for a LOT of Mac users (see: everyone who owns a *Book.)

You're right. Pentium 4's are definitely "classic" and "heritage" processors. I mean, come one, they were released at the end of 2000! They are OBVIOUSLY out of date.
 
Well I think the thing that would turn me away from a deal like this if I were looking for a desktop is the Celeron processor. AMD all the way for me. I'd take a Sempron over a Celeron any day.

At least this cheap Dell doesn't require any rebates. I shopped for a similar eMachines box a few weeks ago and discovered that the $300 computer requires the purchase of a monitor and printer. The price out the door is closer to $700. Then you mail in and wait for as many as five, separate rebates. If by chance you really want to buy just the computer, the rebates are fewer, but the final price is actually higher. We walked out without buying anything.
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Well the emachines that I linked to had a $50 rebate, so nothing to write home about. Yeah you gotta wait for awhile to get your money back, but you do get it back. My mother purchased an eMachines last year, Celeron D 2.53 Ghz, with a free monitor and printer. After getting all the rebates back, the system cost $350. I threw in an extra 256 Mb of RAM and for $20.

Better yet, if you want to see a good deal, check out what Office Depot has for this week. It's a BTO system, and the upgrades are usually very low in price. Of course you have to send in for rebates but I just got notification of my HP rebate today. So yeah you gotta have patience but in the end it's worth it.
 
calyxman said:
Well the emachines that I linked to had a $50 rebate, so nothing to write home about. Yeah you gotta wait for awhile to get your money back, but you do get it back. My mother purchased an eMachines last year, Celeron D 2.53 Ghz, with a free monitor and printer. After getting all the rebates back, the system cost $350. I threw in an extra 256 Mb of RAM and for $20.

Better yet, if you want to see a good deal, check out what Office Depot has for this week. It's a BTO system, and the upgrades are usually very low in price. Of course you have to send in for rebates but I just got notification of my HP rebate today. So yeah you gotta have patience but in the end it's worth it.
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I really dislike rebates. They're as close to the classic bait-and-switch tactic as you can get without being illegal. They take forever to arrive, and sometimes they never do. I've never seen so many rebates on one product as I did on the eMachines boxes at both Circuit City and Best Buy. To make matters worse, if you refuse to take add-on products you don't necessarily want or need, you're penalized with a higher price. That reeks. Anybody who plays that stupid trick on me isn't going to get my business.
 
I thought it was interesting that there isn't even an option of a combo drive (you have to get two separate drives to have DVD/CDRW functionality). Is that common in the PC desktop world, and have I not been paying attention? Dell must get an amazing supply chain deal on those limited drives. I didn't even think you could get a CDRW that couldn't read DVDs anymore.
 
To be fair, when I bought my iBook back in 2001, there was a $100 rebate from Apple. That's right, an Apple product, and I did get the rebate btw, but it took several weeks as usual.
 
calyxman said:
To be fair, when I bought my iBook back in 2001, there was a $100 rebate from Apple. That's right, an Apple product, and I did get the rebate btw, but it took several weeks as usual.
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I got a $100 rebate (as a way to get a free printer) from Apple when I purchased my iBook at the end of 2003.
 
asif786 said:
oh, and lastly, whenever pc users ask me what pc to buy, i always say hp. to me, they're machines seem good. with dell, as soon as you make the system even usable (cd-rw, extra ram, speakers, etc) the price has shot up. hp machines are cool - a great mix between value and quality imho.
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I like HP's offerings. I noticed that on one of their desktop systems, there's a built-in iPod dock on the top part of the case. Nice idea.

HP's notebooks are great too (alright I'm biased :p). But I'd only recommend them if you're serious about a DTR type system, because some of their notebooks are big! In fact, my system doesn't contain a mobile chip. The Sempron core runs at 1.5V and the fan runs continuously, although its not that bad.
 
mkrishnan said:
I got a $100 rebate (as a way to get a free printer) from Apple when I purchased my iBook at the end of 2003.
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And the Mac would have cost $150 more if you hadn't wanted the printer, right?
 
cr2sh said:
The Dell recommended items are things such as an anti-virus, a usb cable, and media creation software.

And in the end, you're paying $1300 for a celeron.

Besides, who spends $1600 on a monitor?
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Um, anyone buying a 23in Apple monitor...

The recommended items also include more RAM, a bigger hard drive, a better optical drive and speakers.

andy.
 
You know what, people who buy from the value line of any product are not enamored by glamorous specs or slick packaging. Buying a computer for them is like buying a microwave for their kitchen.

So they'll be content with their Celeron's, G4s, 15" monitors, lackluster speakers, MS Works, Appleworks, and so forth.

Secondly, this fuss about rebates is fine. But at the same time, experienced computer buyers don't simply shop at one place when buying a new system; they shop around for deals, just like I do. Sometimes vendors will include extra bonuses like additional RAM, a carrying case, or free printer just to get business. I bought my iBook through Mac Connection because they offered an extra 256 MB of RAM free. At that time, that may have been a $50-$100 add-on from the Apple Store.

So to each his own.
 
its a bad deal becuase it runs on windows and u spend all that money keeping it safe get a mac ,it's safer( and uses osx)
 
IJ Reilly said:
And the Mac would have cost $150 more if you hadn't wanted the printer, right?
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No, the printer was an additional $100 and entitled you to a $100 rebate. So if you didn't want the printer, I believe the price was the same.
 
mkrishnan said:
No, the printer was an additional $100 and entitled you to a $100 rebate. So if you didn't want the printer, I believe the price was the same.
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Right, that was my point. With the eMachines deals, you actually pay more to get less. I make a beeline for the exit when I see that sort of thing.
 
calyxman said:
You know what, people who buy from the value line of any product are not enamored by glamorous specs or slick packaging. Buying a computer for them is like buying a microwave for their kitchen.

So they'll be content with their Celeron's, G4s, 15" monitors, lackluster speakers, MS Works, Appleworks, and so forth.

Secondly, this fuss about rebates is fine. But at the same time, experienced computer buyers don't simply shop at one place when buying a new system; they shop around for deals, just like I do. Sometimes vendors will include extra bonuses like additional RAM, a carrying case, or free printer just to get business. I bought my iBook through Mac Connection because they offered an extra 256 MB of RAM free. At that time, that may have been a $50-$100 add-on from the Apple Store.

So to each his own.
Click to expand...

I am a very experienced computer buyer and certainly know how to shop for deals. Why would you assume otherwise?
 
IJ Reilly said:
Right, that was my point. With the eMachines deals, you actually pay more to get less. I make a beeline for the exit when I see that sort of thing.
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Ahh, I'm with you now. Yes, I back away slowly towards the door, clutching my wallet tightly, and then turn and run to the car when I see that kind of thing too. ;)

In further Apple defense, unlike the printers plinden was talking about with Dell, the Epson C84 I got has very affordable ink / TCO. :)
 
Bigheadache said:
Hey man no disrespect.

What I meant was if you bought a G4 when it was competitive then your equipment is now 'heritage' or 'classic'. Buying a new G4 in 2005 is a bit of a laugh surely.
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Surely? I disagree. I just bought myself a nice new Powerbook that I love. I don't care that it's a G4, because the damn thing runs like a clock. Couldn't be happier with my "outdated" technology over here. Surely you meant in a desktop sense.

bluemouse
 
iGary said:
Does said family realize that their computer will be rendered imobile on the Internet within about five minutes unless they buy virus, malware and spyware protection?

No backup abilities, no speakers, no iLife apps....

Still a crappy deal when stacked against a mini.
Click to expand...

A crappy deal? This thing comes with a printer, keyboard, mouse, and monitor! What's up with this mac elitist thing lately? So what if Apple has some freakin competition. I'm happy for anyone who gets this as their first computer, and you should be too. Besides, with the monitor, keybaord, and mouse that you have to buy with the mini, you're looking at another $150. $650 is too much for some people, and I don't blame them for going with the dell.
 
apple2991 said:
Sure, there are faster machines out there, but that doesn't mean people need that extra speed. And G5's existing doesn't take away from the fact that G4's are still just fine and dandy for a LOT of Mac users (see: everyone who owns a *Book.)
Click to expand...

My mistake. I didn't realise you had such low performance expectations for a new computer purchase in 2005. I personally think that the world's best OS should be backed up by decent hardware (at least a G5).

apple2991 said:
You're right. Pentium 4's are definitely "classic" and "heritage" processors. I mean, come one, they were released at the end of 2000! They are OBVIOUSLY out of date.
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Won't get any disagreement out of me. The whole Netburst architecture is dumb compared to an A64 or the POWER architecture.

LanceTX said:
But a Dell with a 2.4 GHz Celeron isn't well past it's expiration date? A G4 running at 1.25GHz or better still has enough horsepower to get the job done for most consumers. A Mac mini is definitely a more capable computer than this $298 Dell system.

Of course, if you're one of those "my gigahertz is bigger than yours" types, then there are machines like that out there for you (for a considerably higher cost) from both Dell and Apple as well. But to say a G4 is a "POS" and totally outdated is rather silly....
Click to expand...

You're making the same mistake in comparison as iGary. Whilst the Dell may be equally crap as a Mac Mini its only $298 to get it up and running. A Mac Mini is $499 without a monitor/keyboard/mouse. By the time it gets fully operational you've spent over twice as much as the Dell.
 
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