Fuzzbass said:
good luck with that. i'm sure some of their components are industry standard, but i know things like the power supply are proprietary, which means you can't get the silent, extra powerful version.
i've priced out dells before, and they still don't beat me building it myself. provided i'm getting the good stuff, which i usually am. i mean, it's nice to get a good system for $150 cheaper than everyone else, but if it's a celeron and you need to upgrade a bunch of stuff, how far is that $150 going to go? not far enough to get much more than a decent video card.
the only reason (for me) to go dell, is if they're offering a free LCD upgrade. then it's worth the money. those haven't dropped as far as i'd hoped by now, so i'm still in CRT land.
what's that? alienware? is that the topic?
the cases are a little garish for my tastes. i ended up buying a compaq notebook, because their mechanics (keyboard size and feel, pointer response, finer points like screen latch, etc.) were most what we liked.
i'd recommend, if you're looking for a notebook computer, that you go to some stores and type a paragraph on a bunch of different computers. you'll feel a difference very quickly. what one person likes ain't exactly what another likes.
we also spent a lot more than just the computer ($250 for a 2-year protection plan, mail-in rebate printer and wireless router), so make sure that's part of your budget, too.
robb.
