What's the best deal on a PC you've seen?

Any advice on the link I provided would be appreciated.

FW,

Some may call this crazy, but you might want to consider the Gold Warranty, particularly if you don't relish the thought of troubleshooting components should a problem occur. I've got in on my laptop and it's great...fast service to a US call center, no questions asked, and next-day parts delivery with a pre-paid return package.

P.S. I am not one of those people who buys "service contracts" on anything else.

Flagpole,

I think for basic computing in a package deal, the Dell Vostro 200 is hard to beat - you can also get XP installed if you ask.

I was looking earlier this year, not for a replacement PC, but for an extra family entertainment/media PC to play DVDs, CD's, digital music files, streaming video, shoutcast radio etc. I ended up building my own computer. I'm in my 40's, and didn't know that much about PCs. I would never have done this without a couple of geeks at work who kept telling me I'd be better off building my own. Our home is cat5-wired and we have a fast connection. I finally said, "Why not?"

First I went "back to school". I spent a couple of months reading the "build-it-yourself" books and some linux OS guidebooks. I then spent a little money on a LCD and speakers, then starting building the PC. Requirements were that it be completely silent(or as close as possible)and cool, small enough to fit in a tight spot, and run continuously. The build went smooth. It all works fine, you can go right up to the antec case and you can't even tell it's on. Happy to say I got an education and a good deal with all the specs I wanted.

I'd have to say now don't hesitate - if you know what you want, including a cheap PC, the "BEST deal" is to build it yourself.

Not bad advice. I'll consider that more carefully. Thanks for the pointers all.

Get a new one - old computers are like old women: outdated, poor memory and all you get is a 3.5 inch floppy.

pod

if you really want a cheap system, look at www.dell.com/outlet too.

I also recently built my own. I wanted one that was great for gaming, so I spent about $1500. The same computer at Dell would be about $2400.

It was quite time consuming, not the part about learning how to do it (I just used websites for that), but I spent a long time researching each component to find the best deal and quality. Instead of research which computer you want, you have to research memory, cpu, power supply, motherboard, case and cooling, video card, etc.

You could post at a place like anandtech and ask their recommendations for inexpensive PC components and tell them what you're requirements are in a PC.

building yourself

Can't beat it - built 'self' - actually my son, a computer genius. He works in the biz with other geekomaniacs and they are always anxious to find new/better/cheaper deals. Gets em from all over the place. He found some component stuff for almost free - with rebates. Best components, within reason. 3 months research and 'deal shopping'. One day building.

I already have a tweaked puter - this one was a family one, replacing a lower slower etc. Find a geek that builds - if they know what they're doing - save $100s and get a quality product. The new one cost about $700. Takes some patience for deals to surface.

That's all I know ..... period. To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the money

i've been building machines since 2000. the first time took a little guess and check, but after you do it once- pc's are very easy to build and way cheaper than buying them built.

the best part is that once you know how to do it, you can easily upgrade your out of date components without having to purchase a whole new machine

Once you go Mac, you never go back