OT - Video Card Question(s)

You can get a Dell E520 with similar options (including FSX Deluxe) for
about half the price...

I just tried again, using the E520 as a starting point, and got the
price down to $1400.

Better, but still not half price!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in news:1164051117.927132.80760
@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

You can get a Dell E520 with similar options (including FSX Deluxe) for
about half the price...

I just tried again, using the E520 as a starting point, and got the
price down to $1400.

Better, but still not half price!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Hi Jay,

When I posted the message originally, it was based on an E520 at $904.

Two things that might have made up the $500 difference:

1) I didn't get the "PC-Care" support plan that they pushed at the start. I
opted for the standard 1 year support plan.

Besides, after the 1st year, the thing is only worth $500 anyway... And if
the thing breaks in 3 years, you buy another one for $900 and call it an
upgrade - you're still better off than the $2000 you would have paid
otherwise.

2) I didn't get the special sound-blaster card. I got the Sound-blaster
Audiology On Board. I don't know what it means, but I can't imagine that
engine noise sounds all that much better in SoundBlaster-audiology than it
does in the 7.1 on-board...

3) I didn't get the floppy drive. I didn't think you could even buy
floppies anymore.

4) No monitor - it looked like you already had the monitors covered.

My Components
Intel ® Core™2 Duo Processor E6400 (2.13GHz, 1066 FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition
Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium from XP Media Center Edition
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs
160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
16x DVD+/-RW Drive
No Monitor
256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro
Integrated Sound Blaster®Audigy™ HD Software Edition
My Accessories
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse
No Floppy Drive Included
56K PCI Data Fax Modem
My Software
No productivity suite- Includes Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
No Security Subscription
Trial pack- Basic and trial products from Corel and Yahoo
My Service
1Yr Ltd Warranty and At-Home Service
6 Months of EarthLink Internet Access Included
Also Includes
Mouse included in Wireless, Laser or Bluetooth Package
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Windows Vista™ Capable
Award Winning Service and Support
Vista Capable Sticker

$904

Top posting, unusually.

I didn't see an operating system included. I would think it wise to get XP Pro,
since this is a MS game that will be used.
--
Jim in NC


"Judah" wrote

My Components
Intel ® Core™2 Duo Processor E6400 (2.13GHz, 1066 FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition
Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium from XP Media Center Edition
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs
160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
16x DVD+/-RW Drive
No Monitor
256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro
Integrated Sound Blaster®Audigy™ HD Software Edition
My Accessories
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse
No Floppy Drive Included
56K PCI Data Fax Modem
My Software
No productivity suite- Includes Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
No Security Subscription
Trial pack- Basic and trial products from Corel and Yahoo
My Service
1Yr Ltd Warranty and At-Home Service
6 Months of EarthLink Internet Access Included
Also Includes
Mouse included in Wireless, Laser or Bluetooth Package
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Windows Vista™ Capable
Award Winning Service and Support
Vista Capable Sticker

$904

"Morgans" wrote in message
...
Top posting, unusually.

I didn't see an operating system included. I would think it wise to get
XP Pro, since this is a MS game that will be used.

Look at the second item in Judah's list (the list you quoted when you top
posted).

The Media Center Edition is fine (and may even be desirable). Though,
personally I think anyone buying a Windows operating system today should
make sure that part of the deal is a voucher for a free upgrade to Vista. I
can't say whether Vista will or will not be a major improvement, but one
thing is for su it is the new standard for Windows PCs, and it would be
silly today to spend the $100 (or whatever) on a copy of XP, when it's
already basically obsolete.

Pete

"Peter Duniho" wrote in
:

Look at the second item in Judah's list (the list you quoted when you
top posted).

The Media Center Edition is fine (and may even be desirable). Though,
personally I think anyone buying a Windows operating system today should
make sure that part of the deal is a voucher for a free upgrade to
Vista. I can't say whether Vista will or will not be a major
improvement, but one thing is for su it is the new standard for
Windows PCs, and it would be silly today to spend the $100 (or whatever)
on a copy of XP, when it's already basically obsolete.

The free Vista Upgrade was listed on the third line. It was free.

Judah wrote in news:Xns9881ED410721AJudahnospamnet@
69.28.186.158:

The free Vista Upgrade was listed on the third line. It was free.

Although I just noticed it's an upgrade to Vista Home, not Vista Pro. I'm
somewhat surprised, because XP Media Edition is based on XP Pro...

Might be worth a few bucks if they want it for Vista Pro upgrade voucher...
I'm not up to date with the different Vista flavors - will they have a Vista
Media Center? Will it be based on Vista Pro?

"Judah" wrote in message
. ..
Judah wrote in news:Xns9881ED410721AJudahnospamnet@
69.28.186.158:

The free Vista Upgrade was listed on the third line. It was free.

Although I just noticed it's an upgrade to Vista Home, not Vista Pro. I'm
somewhat surprised, because XP Media Edition is based on XP Pro...

Might be worth a few bucks if they want it for Vista Pro upgrade
voucher...
I'm not up to date with the different Vista flavors - will they have a
Vista
Media Center? Will it be based on Vista Pro?

Microsoft lists 4 versions of Vista he
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...s/default.mspx but I
think it'll be 7 different versions total. Probably if you get an upgrade
voucher for the Home version, you might be able to apply it towards one of
the 'better' versions.

As far as Pete wondering if XP is going to be obsolete soon, I doubt it.
Microsoft may drop the XP Home version first but the other 4 versions of XP
should last for a few more years. There's still plenty of stuff out there
that doesn't require Vista, yet. Microsoft just quit supporting 98 and ME
this past summer...

-Greg B.

"Judah" wrote in message
. ..
Judah wrote in news:Xns9881ED410721AJudahnospamnet@
69.28.186.158:

The free Vista Upgrade was listed on the third line. It was free.

Although I just noticed it's an upgrade to Vista Home, not Vista Pro. I'm
somewhat surprised, because XP Media Edition is based on XP Pro...

Might be worth a few bucks if they want it for Vista Pro upgrade
voucher...
I'm not up to date with the different Vista flavors - will they have a
Vista
Media Center? Will it be based on Vista Pro?

The differences between the home and pro versions of Vista will be different
than that of the XP pro and home. In the case of Vista it will be more a
business and home.

The Media center features will be active in the Home version.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...s/default.mspx

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Morgans" wrote in message
...
Top posting, unusually.

I didn't see an operating system included. I would think it wise to get
XP Pro, since this is a MS game that will be used.

Look at the second item in Judah's list (the list you quoted when you top
posted).

Shoot! I read that twice, looking for that. I guess I did not know there was a
media center edition.

The Media Center Edition is fine (and may even be desirable). Though,
personally I think anyone buying a Windows operating system today should make
sure that part of the deal is a voucher for a free upgrade to Vista. I can't
say whether Vista will or will not be a major improvement, but one thing is
for su it is the new standard for Windows PCs, and it would be silly today
to spend the $100 (or whatever) on a copy of XP, when it's already basically
obsolete.

I thought that Vista was going to be a yearly fee license. I would stick with
XP, I think! That sucks, IMHO
--
Jim in NC

"Morgans" wrote in message
...
[...]
I thought that Vista was going to be a yearly fee license. I would stick
with XP, I think! That sucks, IMHO

No, not for consumers. Microsoft has for years had subscription licenses to
a variety of their products, and Vista will have that option as well. But
end-users are going to have the usual "pay once" license.

Of course, with product activation, there's no such thing as a perpetual
license anymore. So you do effectively have a subscription...you just pay
for it once, and it runs out whenever Microsoft decides you should stop
using their software (well, you can keep using it until the first time you
have to reinstall it, anyway).

Pete