Dell or Gateway

Hi,my friend is going to buy a Computer and she will only look at Dells or Gateways. I say Gateway,what say you.

PS: And there's no changing her mind,,,

 

If your friend is a casual PC user who wants a pc for surfing the web, emailing, maybe some low intensity gaming, Dell and Gateway are ok. It's when you want to upgrade a part, or start doing things that really stress components, that problems crop up.

 

You can't really just choose based on brand alone.

What are the features, specs, software, price etc to compare them?

 

I say Dell, because they make good computers and offer lots of support just incase theres a problem. Also they seem to have a good prices.

 

make your own. its surprisingly easy - and there's always the geeks here to help

 

Read what he or she wrote, she doesn't want to, and is only interested in Dell or Gateway.

 

And also she wants a CD Burner,512 or ram at least and does not want to spend over $700 ,,,Women

 

That shouldn't be a problem.

RAM and burners aren't expensive.

You'll just have to check the best deals from both companies and compare them.


They both make decent PC's.

Only thing I don't like about Dell is that if you don't order the tower with a floppy, you can't add one later as the tower won't take it (at least the towers sold here).

Not a big deal until you need a floppy and can't use anything else.

They also don't have a reset button which is annoying.

 

If 512MB of RAM and a CD burner are her only requirements then she could get that and more for under $300 to 500 easily.

Look at Emachines.

 

/edit

Never mind.....

 

I wish people would read posts properly.

It says, Dell and Gateway only, and "there is no changing her mind".

 

Gateway bought out Emachine! I believe in Jan 2004 for 234 milliom smackers.

Either brand, Dell / Gateway or the, cough cough "Emachine" can be had with cd burner, 512mb memory for less than $700

The only downside to Dell is they use more Proprietary parts.

Make a list of all Goodies & excessories needed, then go shopping, consider warranty, if all are equal, Toss Coin!

 

Thanks for all your help,now she has to decide . I'm for the Gateway

 

Yes they did...which is why I edited my post and said nothing

 

Well she made up her mind and is going with a Gateway and is also spending a little bit more. Here is a link on the PC she wants to get,what do you think.

http://www.gateway.com/products/GCo...DCN061BASCREMRLPRMO20060202L03&ph1=8007586148

 

It depends on what she's planning on doing with the computer. If she's someone who uses her computer to check email, surf the web, do some word processing etc, that computer looks like a decent, affordable, system.

If she plays any "modern" games, she'll need to add a graphics card since that has onboard graphics which are horrible for gaming. It's also got onboard sound, which isn't a big deal for someone like me who can't tell the difference between music on cassette and music on CD, but it might be for someone with a tuned ear.

The only other thing I'd point out is that's a "lower end" P4, with a 533mhz front side bus (the higher end ones have 800mhz FSB) but if she doesn't regularly do things that really stress the cpu, she probably won't notice.

One person's "great" system is another person's doorstop, so it's tough to give opinions. Personally I won't run with less than 1gig of ram and a 256meg graphics card, but I'm ok with a 533mhz processor and onboard sound. I know others who find sound quality to be crucial. It's all dependent on what you intend to use the PC for.

Edit: Forgot to mention. That Gateway will come with a lot of "extra" unnecessary software. If it were me, I'd clean it up first thing.

 

All she does is surf the net,email and download music,she's not into games.

 

I would stay away from a BTX system, it hasn't taken off and is dying a slow death. Look for ATX.

Also, make sure it has an AGP slot so it allows for future upgrades.

I don't know what "Microsoft Windows XP Home Backup CD" means. Make sure you get a full Windows CD if you can.


You can do much better than that, I don't see where the $1 000 is going, except for the BTX design.

 

That system has a PCI-E slot, it shouldn't need an AGP slot should it?

 

It says PCI-E x1.

That's not suitable for video cards (only PCI cards). You need a PCI-E x16 or AGP for video.