Dell, ATX connector non-standard

Well Put.

 

KenKeith You are right. I only wrote PART of the story.

If I were to include labor, software, monitor, printer, scanner etc. the cost sure would be MORE than $699.

But ( for me at least ) there are advantages that outweight any savings that I may have had if I had bought an OEM preloaded machine.

The biggest one being that I can pretty much do as I darn well please as far as OS and hardware go. And I have ALL of the individual software not just what the maker wants me to have. And all are full retail versions not OEM versions.

Within the first week I had tested 2 different OS. Reformated the C: drive twice. 3 different different Audio systems. ( Onboard + two cards ) At least three different Video cards.

In other words, within the first week I TORTURED this thing before I got this 40gig HD loaded with all of the other software.

I also tried messing with various things about ME. The finding was DON'T mess with ME ( That means both me & Windows ME ). Again all before getting the HD loaded up.

But as usuall, the biggest challange was finding the proper drivers for the COMBINATION of hardware and the OS I was using.

One thing I did that I knew better than to do but did anyway ( testing ME again ). I downloaded Driver updates from the Windows Update site. All I will say about that is "Thank Windows ME for having system restore. "

BillyBob

 

The gap is closing, with some limitations Dell and Gateway custom builds on order to a customer's specification. This enables them to pass on a savings by not tying up labor costs into a finished product that is inventoried waiting to be sold, if ever, or held on the books as accounts receivable waiting for payment.

The down side when compared to a home built, in addition to what you have stated, may be a purchaser is locked into a proprietary system that requires the seller's products for an upgrade, inability to upgrade and/or financially unbeneficial. With the present price it begins to look something like the VCR and television where it is more expensive to repair than buy a new set.

By not upgrading, I have an extra P3 machine that may be worth $200...deduct that from $699 and that in my opinion is very inexpensive for new machine that is a mid-range line of production.