DELL finally has a deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, for those who were waiting for a killer deal, here it is, its under
$500!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayitem.cfm/76208

No, this is no deal. It's a crappy Celeron, it's incapable of running
Vista with Aero/Glass, and it only has a "combo" drive (reads CDs but
doesn't write them). And it only has XP Home (e.g. you PAY $40+ for
crappy Vista Home Basic).

For $100 more, EVERY major retailer has offered, within the past 60
days, a Toshiba M115 that had a Centrino Core Duo processor, a video
system that would run Aero/Glass, and a DVD burner. Plus, the Toshiba
came with XP Media Center (e.g. you get Vista Premium FREE).

This is not a good deal. It's a sucker deal. Absolute price isn't
everything, it's value that we are looking for, not absolute bottom line
price. The guys who want the $750 coupons were planning and expecting
to pay $750 to $1,250 .... but for a high end machine, not a piece of junk.

[And, by the way, earlier this year, in July or August, Dell had this
same machine (B130) at the same price ($499) with a Pentium M processor
instead of the crappy Celeron.]



K. Landsworth wrote:
Ok, for those who were waiting for a killer deal, here it is, its under
$500!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayitem.cfm/76208

K. Landsworth wrote:

Ok, for those who were waiting for a killer deal, here it is, its under
$500!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayitem.cfm/76208

I got the same thing a couple weeks ago but with 1gb from Dell, 15in, dvd writer,
same price. It was on sale ending Nov 30.

The bestness seems to peak out around Oct/Nov and then fade, as they move out
the old crap and then the better old crap is gone, the last two years.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

"Barry Watzman" wrote in message

No, this is no deal. It's a crappy Celeron, it's incapable of running
Vista with Aero/Glass, and it only has a "combo" drive (reads CDs but
doesn't write them). And it only has XP Home (e.g. you PAY $40+ for
crappy Vista Home Basic).

For $100 more, EVERY major retailer has offered, within the past 60
days, a Toshiba M115 that had a Centrino Core Duo processor, a video
system that would run Aero/Glass, and a DVD burner. Plus, the Toshiba
came with XP Media Center (e.g. you get Vista Premium FREE).

This is not a good deal. It's a sucker deal. Absolute price isn't
everything, it's value that we are looking for, not absolute bottom
line price. The guys who want the $750 coupons were planning and
expecting to pay $750 to $1,250 .... but for a high end machine, not a
piece of
junk.
[And, by the way, earlier this year, in July or August, Dell had this
same machine (B130) at the same price ($499) with a Pentium M
processor instead of the crappy Celeron.]

Oh geez! You speed freaks! My first computer was a 1MHZ Z80 with 2kb of
RAM. And any Celeron has plenty of power, even for games, flight
simulators, etc. My Celeron M 1.5GHZ laptop is a lot faster than my AMD
1.2GHZ (2002 era) desktop. And this laptop has been operating less than
10% CPU usage all morning so far. Thus 90% and more of the CPU power is
doing absolutely nothing.

In fact, I can't ever remember a time that the CPU ever goes to 100%. Oh
wait during copying (to the internal HD to an external one) and burning
(CD/DVD) it does, but I can't think of anything else causes it. Even
recording from the TV turner card doesn't hit 100% (Still under 30%). So
why even bother with a better faster processor? I mean really? What's
the point? Want to heat your house with your computer or what?

Just buy cheap and often. Don't waste your money on expensive machines
that are outdated in a year or two anyway. You will be far ahead of the
game for longer, trust me. grin

--
Bill

First, ok, a Celeron is adequate for some (ok, many) users. But not for
everyone.

But that misses the point. This is simply not a good deal. The issue
is overall value of the entire system, not just Celeron vs. Core Duo.
For $100 more, with the Toshiba models you could get:

-Core Duo instead of Celeron
-DVD burner instead of DVD reader only
-MCE instead of XP Home
-Video system that will run Aero/Glass vs. one that won't
-Free printer (after rebate, some retail stores only)

Let's look a JUST the difference between MCE and XP Home: MCE is
essentially XP Pro. So it's XP Pro vs. XP Home. How much is that
worth? ***BUT***, consider this: With XP Home, you could BUY an upgrade
to crappy Vista Basic for $40; with MCE, you get an upgrade to Vist
Premium FREE. That difference is worth about $200 by itself.

And if you EVER want to run Vista (or if the guy you sell this to in 3
years wants to), the difference in the video systems is huge, because
this Dell will ***NEVER*** run "real" Vista (meaning Aero/Glass), while
the Toshiba will.

All that for $100 more. It's about total, overall value. The processor
is only part of that equation (although Celeron to Core Duo is a HUGE
processor difference). And this deal just doesn't cut it.



BillW50 wrote:
"Barry Watzman" wrote in message

No, this is no deal. It's a crappy Celeron, it's incapable of running
Vista with Aero/Glass, and it only has a "combo" drive (reads CDs but
doesn't write them). And it only has XP Home (e.g. you PAY $40+ for
crappy Vista Home Basic).

For $100 more, EVERY major retailer has offered, within the past 60
days, a Toshiba M115 that had a Centrino Core Duo processor, a video
system that would run Aero/Glass, and a DVD burner. Plus, the Toshiba
came with XP Media Center (e.g. you get Vista Premium FREE).

This is not a good deal. It's a sucker deal. Absolute price isn't
everything, it's value that we are looking for, not absolute bottom
line price. The guys who want the $750 coupons were planning and
expecting to pay $750 to $1,250 .... but for a high end machine, not a
piece of
junk.
[And, by the way, earlier this year, in July or August, Dell had this
same machine (B130) at the same price ($499) with a Pentium M
processor instead of the crappy Celeron.]

Oh geez! You speed freaks! My first computer was a 1MHZ Z80 with 2kb of
RAM. And any Celeron has plenty of power, even for games, flight
simulators, etc. My Celeron M 1.5GHZ laptop is a lot faster than my AMD
1.2GHZ (2002 era) desktop. And this laptop has been operating less than
10% CPU usage all morning so far. Thus 90% and more of the CPU power is
doing absolutely nothing.

In fact, I can't ever remember a time that the CPU ever goes to 100%. Oh
wait during copying (to the internal HD to an external one) and burning
(CD/DVD) it does, but I can't think of anything else causes it. Even
recording from the TV turner card doesn't hit 100% (Still under 30%). So
why even bother with a better faster processor? I mean really? What's
the point? Want to heat your house with your computer or what?

Just buy cheap and often. Don't waste your money on expensive machines
that are outdated in a year or two anyway. You will be far ahead of the
game for longer, trust me. grin

Barry,

A Combo drive READS DVDs and WRITES CDs.


"Barry Watzman" wrote in message
...
No, this is no deal. It's a crappy Celeron, it's incapable of running
Vista with Aero/Glass, and it only has a "combo" drive (reads CDs but
doesn't write them). And it only has XP Home (e.g. you PAY $40+ for
crappy Vista Home Basic).

For $100 more, EVERY major retailer has offered, within the past 60 days,
a Toshiba M115 that had a Centrino Core Duo processor, a video system that
would run Aero/Glass, and a DVD burner. Plus, the Toshiba came with XP
Media Center (e.g. you get Vista Premium FREE).

This is not a good deal. It's a sucker deal. Absolute price isn't
everything, it's value that we are looking for, not absolute bottom line
price. The guys who want the $750 coupons were planning and expecting to
pay $750 to $1,250 .... but for a high end machine, not a piece of junk.

[And, by the way, earlier this year, in July or August, Dell had this same
machine (B130) at the same price ($499) with a Pentium M processor instead
of the crappy Celeron.]



K. Landsworth wrote:
Ok, for those who were waiting for a killer deal, here it is, its under
$500!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayitem.cfm/76208

"Barry Watzman" wrote in message

First, ok, a Celeron is adequate for some (ok, many) users. But not
for everyone.

But that misses the point. This is simply not a good deal. The issue
is overall value of the entire system, not just Celeron vs. Core Duo.
For $100 more, with the Toshiba models you could get:

-Core Duo instead of Celeron
-DVD burner instead of DVD reader only
-MCE instead of XP Home
-Video system that will run Aero/Glass vs. one that won't
-Free printer (after rebate, some retail stores only)

Let's look a JUST the difference between MCE and XP Home: MCE is
essentially XP Pro. So it's XP Pro vs. XP Home. How much is that
worth? ***BUT***, consider this: With XP Home, you could BUY an
upgrade to crappy Vista Basic for $40; with MCE, you get an upgrade
to Vist Premium FREE. That difference is worth about $200 by itself.

And if you EVER want to run Vista (or if the guy you sell this to in 3
years wants to), the difference in the video systems is huge, because
this Dell will ***NEVER*** run "real" Vista (meaning Aero/Glass),
while the Toshiba will.

All that for $100 more. It's about total, overall value. The
processor is only part of that equation (although Celeron to Core Duo
is a HUGE processor difference). And this deal just doesn't cut it.

Okay Barry, you made your point. But I was referring to in general. CPUs
don't make a hill of beans difference to me, nor most people. If you
want more speed, buy RAM. And if that isn't enough speed for you, buy a
faster HD. Both is far better for more bang for your buck than shopping
for faster CPUs anyway.

DVD burner? Well you should have one anyway. For your second, third,
etc. it doesn't matter much if you have one on those or not. I have two
machines here right in my bedroom (one desktop and one laptop) with DVD
burners and I don't need anymore. Although the other computers in the
house has them too. All unused except for one by the way.

MCE vs. Windows XP Home? I suppose if you are new to computers or such,
this sounds impressive. I fired up MCE on the Dell and I said "Oh geez!
Another MS Bob!". So why would someone really care about MSE?

Home vs. Pro? Well I am sure big corporations want the Pro version. But
I only have maybe 5 computers here running on my home network at any
given time. And I can't think of a time when I needed the Pro version
for anything. The Home version runs just fine for me and I bet the
majority of the home users it does too. Maybe that is why it is called
the Home Edition you think?

Aero/Glass? Now what is the deal of system that requires a beefy video
for? No thanks, I just upgraded from Windows 2000 to Windows XP just
this year. I won't want that for at least another 4 years from now (if
ever). I'll let you guys be the Ginny pigs first. grin

--
Bill

if you are on a tight budget it is a good deal. but i think the $650 deal
that stew posted earlier is better. for the $150 more you get a faster
processor (dual core pentium vs celeron), double the memory (1gb vs 512mb),
double the disk (120gb vs 60gb), a dvd recorder (vs a cd recorder/dvd
player), and a 128bm ati radeon x1300 video card (vs integrated video that
uses system memory). but though it may be a small difference in terms of
dollars ($150) is it a huge difference in terms of percentage (30%). it not
only offers better performance today but promises to provide a longer useful
lifecycle. but get what is appropriate for your needs and/or budget. they
wouldn't offer all these choices if their was only one 'right choice'
computer for everyone.
here's the link to the $650 laptop deal again:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...PCBC4&x=6&y=12
ps. for all the hair splitting and nit picking that has gone on around here
lately, let me be clear that i am rounding when i say it is a $150
difference. technically it is just $143.96 ($643 - $499.04) but since sales
tax is collected in most areas you can add about another $10 in tax for what
you have to pay for the more expensive machine.


"K. Landsworth" wrote in message
t...
Ok, for those who were waiting for a killer deal, here it is, its under
$500!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayitem.cfm/76208

Correct; but it does not write DVDs, which I consider essential for
everyone. Not to make "movies", but to backup your data.

[More correctly, a "combo" drive reads and write CDs and read [only] DVDs]


Tom Scales wrote:
Barry,

A Combo drive READS DVDs and WRITES CDs.


"Barry Watzman" wrote in message
...
No, this is no deal. It's a crappy Celeron, it's incapable of running
Vista with Aero/Glass, and it only has a "combo" drive (reads CDs but
doesn't write them). And it only has XP Home (e.g. you PAY $40+ for
crappy Vista Home Basic).

For $100 more, EVERY major retailer has offered, within the past 60 days,
a Toshiba M115 that had a Centrino Core Duo processor, a video system that
would run Aero/Glass, and a DVD burner. Plus, the Toshiba came with XP
Media Center (e.g. you get Vista Premium FREE).

This is not a good deal. It's a sucker deal. Absolute price isn't
everything, it's value that we are looking for, not absolute bottom line
price. The guys who want the $750 coupons were planning and expecting to
pay $750 to $1,250 .... but for a high end machine, not a piece of junk.

[And, by the way, earlier this year, in July or August, Dell had this same
machine (B130) at the same price ($499) with a Pentium M processor instead
of the crappy Celeron.]



K. Landsworth wrote:
Ok, for those who were waiting for a killer deal, here it is, its under
$500!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayitem.cfm/76208

"CPUs don't make a hill of beans difference to me"

Can't argue with you about what matters to you.

"nor most people"

There I take issue with you. In fact I'd go so far as to say that it
matters even to most people for whom it really shouldn't. A Celeron is
truly inadequate for many people (no need to quibble about how many),
but even for many of the rest, it's unacceptable even if it shouldn't be.

And you really clearly don't get my point about Media Center, because
it's NOT about Media Center, but about the fact that you are BOTH
getting Pro for the price of Home AND you are going to save almost $200
when you get the Vista upgrade (which you should do, even if only for
the day when you go to resell the computer).


BillW50 wrote:
"Barry Watzman" wrote in message

First, ok, a Celeron is adequate for some (ok, many) users. But not
for everyone.

But that misses the point. This is simply not a good deal. The issue
is overall value of the entire system, not just Celeron vs. Core Duo.
For $100 more, with the Toshiba models you could get:

-Core Duo instead of Celeron
-DVD burner instead of DVD reader only
-MCE instead of XP Home
-Video system that will run Aero/Glass vs. one that won't
-Free printer (after rebate, some retail stores only)

Let's look a JUST the difference between MCE and XP Home: MCE is
essentially XP Pro. So it's XP Pro vs. XP Home. How much is that
worth? ***BUT***, consider this: With XP Home, you could BUY an
upgrade to crappy Vista Basic for $40; with MCE, you get an upgrade
to Vist Premium FREE. That difference is worth about $200 by itself.

And if you EVER want to run Vista (or if the guy you sell this to in 3
years wants to), the difference in the video systems is huge, because
this Dell will ***NEVER*** run "real" Vista (meaning Aero/Glass),
while the Toshiba will.

All that for $100 more. It's about total, overall value. The
processor is only part of that equation (although Celeron to Core Duo
is a HUGE processor difference). And this deal just doesn't cut it.

Okay Barry, you made your point. But I was referring to in general. CPUs
don't make a hill of beans difference to me, nor most people. If you
want more speed, buy RAM. And if that isn't enough speed for you, buy a
faster HD. Both is far better for more bang for your buck than shopping
for faster CPUs anyway.

DVD burner? Well you should have one anyway. For your second, third,
etc. it doesn't matter much if you have one on those or not. I have two
machines here right in my bedroom (one desktop and one laptop) with DVD
burners and I don't need anymore. Although the other computers in the
house has them too. All unused except for one by the way.

MCE vs. Windows XP Home? I suppose if you are new to computers or such,
this sounds impressive. I fired up MCE on the Dell and I said "Oh geez!
Another MS Bob!". So why would someone really care about MSE?

Home vs. Pro? Well I am sure big corporations want the Pro version. But
I only have maybe 5 computers here running on my home network at any
given time. And I can't think of a time when I needed the Pro version
for anything. The Home version runs just fine for me and I bet the
majority of the home users it does too. Maybe that is why it is called
the Home Edition you think?

Aero/Glass? Now what is the deal of system that requires a beefy video
for? No thanks, I just upgraded from Windows 2000 to Windows XP just
this year. I won't want that for at least another 4 years from now (if
ever). I'll let you guys be the Ginny pigs first. grin