My Dell Has Shipped From Ireland [Archive]

Andy Sjostrom

11-20-2002, 02:53 PM

<a href="http://www.dell.com/us/en/dhs/offers/specials_m_dimen8250.htm">http://www.dell.com/us/en/dhs/offers/specials_m_dimen8250.htm</a><br /><br />While on the subject... According to the tracking document I can expect an Estimated Time of Arrival the 25th of November. My Dell comes in 5 packages and weighs about 54 kg (119 Lbs). With 2530 MHz, 512 MB, 120 GB, DVD+RW, and GeForce4 I guess you realize that despite it isn't a Pocket PC, I am one happy dude anyway! :D

msprague

11-20-2002, 02:59 PM

You decided not to spring for the 3.06GHz :?:

lord_darkside

11-20-2002, 03:07 PM

Why is your Dell shipping from Ireland?

Are there tiny little leprechauns in Ireland who slip in and out of the PCI slots building Dells in a fraction of a time that it takes full sized humans?

Marc Zimmermann

11-20-2002, 03:31 PM

Why is your Dell shipping from Ireland?

Many consumer electronics and computer manufacturers are located in Ireland because of the fact that there are (or rather were in the early 90s) low wages, high unemployment rates and Ireland is part of the EU. All those points combined allowed the companies to have a profitable production site in Western Europe (circumventing high import taxes).

Andy Sjostrom

11-20-2002, 03:36 PM

You decided not to spring for the 3.06GHz :?:

Yes. On the budget I had, I felt adding more RAM and choosing the better graphics card was better than going to 3.06 GHz... Don't make me feel bad about my new PC even before I got it!

Why, oh, why do I feel like a loser as soon as the purchase has been settled!? I find myself looking away from computer ads, when I just a couple of days ago read them with great interest... :?

msprague

11-20-2002, 03:46 PM

You decided not to spring for the 3.06GHz :?:
Don't make me feel bad about my new PC even before I got it!

Sorry to make you feel bad. I never buy the absolute top of the line when I get a new computer. The price point just doesn't justify it. Actually, I am very jealous of your purchase. I am still running at 600 Mhz. :(

Duncan

11-20-2002, 03:51 PM

You made the right decision (well - not sure about the brand...!) - more memory and better graphics card is going to give you a much bigger boost than the faster processor will.

Anyway - just as with Pocket PC purchases you just know the time when your shiny new purchase starts to look old is but months away... :(

Fzara

11-20-2002, 03:55 PM

Paragon

11-20-2002, 04:01 PM

Ireland?? Geez, Andy, you won't be able to understand a word it says. On top of that you won't be able to leave a glass of Guiness sitting beside it unattended for long. 8O

Dave

Kirkaiya

11-20-2002, 04:07 PM

What kind of Ram? I HOPE not DDR Ram, and im hoping its RDRam.

Darn, now you're making ME feel bad :cry:

Of course, my compter is a laptop, and as such, I can justify the slightly lower performance (especially since it weighs only 4.8 lbs without the multi-drive).

But anyway - what's wrong with DDR Ram? I just gave my previous laptop (HP Omnibook 6000, PIII 600MHz, PC100 RAM) to my wife in August when I bought my new one (Compaq Evo N610c, P4 1.8GHz, DDR Ram @266MHz). Memory-intensive apps run MUCH faster now - I even play Unreal Tourny 2003 (the ATI Radeon 7500 probably helps with that).

Anyway - I suspect that, except for 3-D gaming, almost any machine is sufficient for most things today. On my laptop, I run SQL Server 2000 as a database server, and use Visual Studio.NET (which is a resource hog if ever there was one), and it's still fast.

oh - interesting quote from a Yahoo! news article on a new supercompter (or 2) that IBM is making:

"IBM has won a contract to build two research supercomputers -- likely the fastest in the world -- for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Combined, the machines will be capable of performing more than 460 trillion calculations, or teraflops, per second, and will approach the computational ability of the human brain."

Now, that's a bit eery... close to human-brain-level... well, not MY brain, but maybe Foo Fighter's !! (ha!)
b
(see http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=75&e=2&cid=75&u=/nf/20021119/tc_nf/20027 for full story)

Foo Fighter

11-20-2002, 04:08 PM

Congrats on your new system Andy! Hope you enjoy it. :)

I'll probably be upgrading to a new system myself next year some time. My old 1.7 GHZ Dell isn't quite up to every task. It's a P4 "Willamette". Big mistake, I should have waited for a Northwood (like yours). Tomorrow I am upgrading my RAM from to 768 (up from 256), so hopefully that will breath some new life into my PC. :sleeping:

Andy Sjostrom

11-20-2002, 04:14 PM

What kind of Ram? I HOPE not DDR Ram, and im hoping its RDRam.
ALso, any kind of speakers, dolby digital 5.1?
What kind of geforce4? 64mb, or the new 128mb? I hear geforce is coming out with geforce FX soon, so maybe you could have waited for that :)

It is RDRAM. No Dolby Digital 5.1. I'm in the market for a bigger sound system than what I need around my PC. 64MB GeForce4 TI 4200 VGA, DVI, TV-OUT... there's always a reason to wait... :wink:

Fzara

11-20-2002, 04:16 PM

What kind of Ram? I HOPE not DDR Ram, and im hoping its RDRam.

Darn, now you're making ME feel bad :cry:

Of course, my compter is a laptop, and as such, I can justify the slightly lower performance (especially since it weighs only 4.8 lbs without the multi-drive).

But anyway - what's wrong with DDR Ram? I just gave my previous laptop (HP Omnibook 6000, PIII 600MHz, PC100 RAM) to my wife in August when I bought my new one (Compaq Evo N610c, P4 1.8GHz, DDR Ram @266MHz). Memory-intensive apps run MUCH faster now - I even play Unreal Tourny 2003 (the ATI Radeon 7500 probably helps with that).

Anyway - I suspect that, except for 3-D gaming, almost any machine is sufficient for most things today. On my laptop, I run SQL Server 2000 as a database server, and use Visual Studio.NET (which is a resource hog if ever there was one), and it's still fast.

Kirkaiya, Im sitting on an Inspiron 8200, and its nice. 1.9ghz, 512ram, 24x combo drive, geforce4 64mb, Im loving my computer.
However I do suggest you get an extigy from Creative ? I believe, and hook up some nice dolby digital 5.1 speakers to that :)
Overall, good choice, although now when I think of it, I wish I went for that 3ghz Cyborg Green Alienware :D
And pardon me, I completely skipped over the part of the DVD-RW drive. That would be nice :) Although the formats do seem a bit confusing.

Foo Fighter

11-20-2002, 04:22 PM

Alienware builds awesome systems. I may go with them for my next box...or I'll do the DIY thing.

Jason should look at their new Mulitmedia Center PC...it's based on the Shuttle PC he has. 8O

Fzara

11-20-2002, 04:33 PM

I would actually be interested in knowing what the battery life differences were between the intel pentium 4M's, and the desktop processors Alienware puts in their suped up laptops.
Foo-Isnt it the Media Desktop Center, which is the newest one they released in their newsletter a couple days ago?
Enlighten me 8O

Ed Hansberry

11-20-2002, 04:43 PM

Congrats Andy. You'll love it. I have a 4400 now about 9 months old - my 5th personal Dell machine. Great system, great support, great price. Don't forget to fill out the rebate if there is one! :wink: :lol:

Foo Fighter

11-20-2002, 04:43 PM

This little guy:

http://www.alienware.com/main/images/navigator_with_remote.jpg

Link: http://www.alienware.com/main/media_center_main.asp

Janak Parekh

11-20-2002, 05:06 PM

What kind of Ram? I HOPE not DDR Ram, and im hoping its RDRam.
DDR SDRAM is not nearly that bad. For most current machines, you're not going to notice a difference.

On the flip side of the coin, RDRAM used to be very expensive, and now it's not, so it's more of a tossup nowadays. I used to buy memory for forward compatibility, but that doesn't really work anymore, so any choice that's cost effective should work.

--bdj

Janak Parekh

11-20-2002, 05:07 PM

Kirkaiya

11-20-2002, 06:30 PM

Kirkaiya, Im sitting on an Inspiron 8200, and its nice. 1.9ghz, 512ram, 24x combo drive, geforce4 64mb, Im loving my computer.
However I do suggest you get an extigy from Creative ? I believe, and hook up some nice dolby digital 5.1 speakers to that :)
Overall, good choice, although now when I think of it, I wish I went for that 3ghz Cyborg Green Alienware :D
And pardon me, I completely skipped over the part of the DVD-RW drive. That would be nice :) Although the formats do seem a bit confusing.

huh? Is the extigy a video-card? I'm not sure I can even swap out the video card on my laptop, but.. even if i could, the ATI Radeon 7500 it shipped with (32 MB of DDR) is more than enough for what i use it for, including occasionally playing Unreal. And, of course, i have 512 MB of DDR RAM :D

My laptop doesn't have the CD-writer drive, which is okay, since I rarely burn CDs (and my old desktop has one, besides). My laptop *does* have a DVD/CD-rom drive, obviously, and it does a great job with movies (the screen is very bright for a laptop).

For me, the Dell laptops that were in the performance range I wanted were just to big and heavy - i work at home a few days a week, and out of Starbucks, client-offices, and sometimes fly with it (in an airplane, that is), so I really wanted something small and light - and it was a tossup between this and the IBM Thinkpad T31, but my Evo N610c is thinner, faster, and cost less :-)

I don't play games enough to justify getting an Alien box, although if you do, I hear they're the best!

Jason Dunn

11-20-2002, 07:16 PM

Jason should look at their new Mulitmedia Center PC...it's based on the Shuttle PC he has. 8O

Yeah, I saw that - dead sexy! Very slick looking little machine. Makes the HP look a bit...big. :lol:

jeff

11-20-2002, 08:09 PM

This little guy:
Darnit! I was hoping no one made a box like that! Now we need to get one for our living room. :D

Seriously - I have no idea why HP's Media Center unit is a standard PC-sized component. You'd think they would have the foresight to make it more A/V-friendly. Gateway had done it years ago...

--bdj

I don't even like those cube things for a home theater PC. My dream case is this thing http://www.coolermaster.com/case/p610.htm , but I just can't justify the $200 without power supply. It would be a perfect fit with all the rest of my HT components.

The one thing I like about the HP Media PC is the buttons on the front of the case. They allow you to quickly launch the main apps without the remote.

Jeff

jeasher

11-20-2002, 09:50 PM

I just thought I would chime in on the computer thing. I just bought a Dell Inspiron 8200 P4M-1.7, 512 DDR, 40 GB (5400 rpm), 64 MB ATI 7500. DVD/CD-RW, Built-in Wi-Fi, Wireless Router, and Advanced Port Replicator for $2370 before a $399 rebate. Free second-day shipping to make up for a two week delay (ordering snafu). $1971 delivered after rebate.

Someone please explain why Dell gets a bad rap because I love them for their cheap price and the GREAT service I got on my last desktop.

Sanjay Srikonda

11-20-2002, 11:02 PM

geez, what a monster, and here i am telling my wife, "get the 1.8Ghz notebook."

crashdau

11-20-2002, 11:59 PM

I agree with Jeasher...
....the GREAT service ....
I bought my Dell Dimension 8200 w/ 2GHz P4 with 512 RDRAM, 60 GB Drive, CDRW, DVD, 64 MB GeForce3, Santa Cruz Turtle Beach sound about a year ago. After about 3-4 months the hard drive went funky. E-mailed tech support and sent the error/warning messages and received an e-mail the next day telling someone would contact me to schedule an appointment for when the service tech could come in to replace the drive.
Not only did he replace the drive I got an upgrade to an 80 GB drive. I thought that was pretty good business.

Anywho...I'm very happy and satisfied with my Desktop and the service Dell provides in support.

Good luck, Dude, I hope you enjoy as much as I have.

Bob Anderson

11-21-2002, 01:26 AM

Andy.. if you would just wait 4-5 years, you could have all that power in your new Dell Axim X25!!!

Seriously, though... who would have thought 4-5 years ago you'd be able to carry around a 400mhz, multimedia ready, PC in your hand, with solid state storage into the hundreds of megabytes, or a HD with 1 GB??

Anyway, glad to hear you're getting a Dell... I've had several, and the service and support is clearly superior to anything I've ever owned (when compared to my experiences with IBM, and Compaq laptops.)

Rob Alexander

11-21-2002, 06:40 AM

Okay, Andy, I have to ask. Everyone from North America makes fun of the guy on the commerical that says "Dude, you've gotta get a Dell."

Now just a few minutes ago, I saw a Dell commerical here in New Zealand for the first time. The actor is different but the idea is the same, and at the end of the commerical he says, "Mate, you've gotta get a Dell."

Apparently the Dell folks are taking the idea around but modifying it for local language. So what do the Dell commercials in Sweden say? (Translated into English, please.) Do they have some kid doing a similar schtick?

Andy Sjostrom

11-21-2002, 12:24 PM

Andy.. if you would just wait 4-5 years...

There's always a reason to wait! :D I believe, though, that you are right. Pocket PC specs will look like my new Dell in a few years, on all counts but size and weight, that is!

So what do the Dell commercials in Sweden say?

I am not aware of a Dell slogan in Sweden, actually. They are more "business" oriented over here, so I would be surprised to see something similar to "Dude!".

Pony99CA

11-21-2002, 02:19 PM

According to the tracking document I can expect an Estimated Time of Arrival the 25th of November. My Dell comes in 5 packages and weighs about 54 kg (119 Lbs). With 2530 MHz, 512 MB, 120 GB, DVD+RW, and GeForce4 I guess you realize that despite it isn't a Pocket PC, I am one happy dude anyway! :D
Wow, that's quite an Axim you're getting. I didn't know you could beef it up so much. :-D

Steve

P.S. Seriously, I had no idea you meant a regular PC until I saw the peripherals, although the "5 packages" part made me wonder. Damn those new icons on the main page -- I still don't know which icon means what. I much preferred the words so I would have known this was Off-Topic from the beginning. :-)

Pony99CA

11-21-2002, 02:24 PM

Why, oh, why do I feel like a loser as soon as the purchase has been settled!? I find myself looking away from computer ads, when I just a couple of days ago read them with great interest... :?

Actually, there's a term for that. It's called "cognitive dissonance". It's the reason many people don't look at new car ads after buying a new car, because they're worried they'll see a better deal. The human mind doesn't want to feel badly about making a decision, so it avoids things that will do that. (Thanks, Freshman Psychology!)

Steve

Andy Sjostrom

11-21-2002, 02:32 PM

Actually, there's a term for that. It's called "cognitive dissonance". It's the reason many people don't look at new car ads after buying a new car, because they're worried they'll see a better deal. The human mind doesn't want to feel badly about making a decision, so it avoids things that will do that. (Thanks, Freshman Psychology!)Steve

OK. Time for a group hug? :lol:

hshortt

11-21-2002, 07:57 PM

Now Andy,

Shouldn't that line read something like this,

Jasus me boyo, you went and gotten yerself a Dell!, good lad yerself, now where's me Guinness?
:lol:
Cheerio
Howard
(Dublin, Ireland)
Living 5 mins from where those 5 packages are being shipped, maybe I intercept them, I could do with a nice upgrade!

CESkins

11-22-2002, 01:29 AM

...since Andy created this off-topic thread, guess I will just chime in with my $0.02. CONGRATS on the new Dell. :D You can't beat Dell for service and price. I recently upgraded my old Dell to a new one which should ship on/before 11/29. My new system specs:
DELL Dimension 8250 P4 3.06 Ghz, 1 GB PC1066 RDRAM, 120 GB HD, 4X DVD+R/RW CDRW, 16x DVD-ROM, ATI Radeon 9700 Pro, and 19" LCD. Even got the Dolby 5.1 Altec Lansing 995 speakers w/Turtle Beech Sound card (may upgrade that to a SB Audigy and give the Turtle to my wife). ;) Needless to say, I will be a very happy camper when it arrives on my doorstep. :lol:

Just so you understand the degree of my excitement, my current system is a Dell XPS PII 266 MHz :oops: , 8 GB HD, 64 MB PC100 SDRAM, WIN98 1st ed, 17" CRT, SB 16 Soundcard w/Altec Lansing ACS 495 speakers (I love the sound from these old speakers...all I need is a WinXP driver and they will go on the wife's system) :) This rig has kept on serving me well since Dec '97...now it's time for it to be retired. Hard to keep creating skins efficiently when each of my graphics software packages eats 40 MB of RAM. :(

Jonathon Watkins

11-22-2002, 02:09 AM

I don't like Dells desktops myself (proprietary Motherboards etc.) - but I DO like their laptops. The price and support are usually very good - and they have dual pointers - nipple-mouse and touchpad. OK - small detail but important.

Foo Fighter

11-22-2002, 03:40 AM

(proprietary Motherboards etc.) -

Proprietary motherboards? Dell uses Intel mobos, as far I knew. :?

Ed Hansberry

11-22-2002, 04:18 AM

(proprietary Motherboards etc.) -

Proprietary motherboards? Dell uses Intel mobos, as far I knew. :?
Yeah, sounds like he is thinking about CPQ/HP mobo's. :pukeface:

Foo Fighter

11-22-2002, 04:31 AM

Yeah, sounds like he is thinking about CPQ/HP mobo's. :pukeface:

AAAAAAAH! Don't get me started on Compaq mobos! :snipersmile:

Jonathon Watkins

11-23-2002, 12:38 AM

ThomasC22

11-24-2002, 10:42 PM

Well - after upgrading various Dell desktops - all I can say is that I have had to drill holes for screws in differnt locations as the Motherboards did not align correctly with AT or ATX specifications. Also - there was all that fuss a while back about Dell's power supplies not being official AT or ATX. They were adapted for Dell and did not work too well with branded motherboards.

It depends a lot on what systems you get more than anything, to give you some example, Low end Dimensions (e.g. 2100s) are cheap (price and quality) but tend to use a standard ATX board. Optiplex's are not as cheap, but tend to use custom motherboards.

More to the point though is that Dell doesn't really build systems to be upgraded they build them to be replaced so I don't think they put a lot of effort into it one way or another.

Anyway, belated congrats Andy!