Easy as Dell ain't that easy.
Initial horrors of purchasing a PC.
My family is going to purchase a PC. We don't want
to, but we need a computer with one of those funky connectors, I don't know if
they call it serial or parallel or whatever, all I know is Macs don't have them.
I heard that Dell is the best of the worst, so I headed to their online store in
search of a simple configuration. Going through their customization pages was
not fun, especially since I couldn't find any logic behind the different models.
I also don't like the fact that they force me to buy a $20 surge protector.
Anyway, I have outlined what I think we want. Any suggestions are welcome.
(Where to buy, etc.) My guess is we will order the notebook/dock direct from
Dell, and finish off the rest with a trip to
Staples.
Notebook with docking station
(with mouse, keyboard, and 15 or 21" LCD monitor with built-in
speakers)
1.5 GHz or so Intel
whatever
512 MB
RAM
CD-RW drive, maybe DVD-ROM/CD-RW if cheap
enough
Windows
XP
Office XP Standard For Students and
Teachers
Airport-compatible wireless card and
Ethernet
I also need a suggestion for a
good PC-compatible laser printer/FAX combo. I'm assuming HP is good. No
networked printers, please. I want a hard USB connection or whatever PCs are
using these days.
Fortunately, after we
go through the ordeal of configuring a PC system we will have a much easier
process to look forward to. In the summer we will have to get Sara a laptop for
college. I'm not sure if it will be an iBook or PowerBook, but in either case,
the process will be easy, fast, and include a lot of drooling on my
part.
Posted: Tue - November 11, 2003 at 07:20 AM