Question by Thealpha: What computer should I buy? Dell Inspiron with Intel® Core™2 Quad vs. Gateway with AMD Phenom X4Quad?
Hey, I am planning on getting a desktop computer, and I’ve narrowed down to two computers (in title). I want something fast, yet reliable. I also want to game on either computer (not some super hardcore graphic gamer games, mostly quake wars enemy territory). Also, I plan to use it for school work. I also want it to be good for entertainment (watching youtube, or tv, blah,blah blah). Lastly, I want something good in making films with Vegas Movie Studio 9. My budget is 850, until a later time.
Dell Inspiron
Warranty Terms – Parts-1 year
Warranty Terms – Labor-1 year
Product Height-14.8″
Product Width-6.9″
Product Weight-17.4 lbs.
Product Depth-17.4″
Processor Brand-Intel®
Processor-Intel® Core™2 Quad
Processor Speed-2.33GHz
System Bus-1333MHz
Cache Memory-4MB on die Level 2
System Memory (RAM)-8GB
Type of Memory (RAM)-DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive Type-Serial ATA (7200 rpm)
Hard Drive Size-1TB
Graphics-ATI Radeon HD 3450
Video Memory-256MB (dedicated)
Personal Video Recorder (PVR)-No
TV Tuner-No
MPEG-Yes
Audio-Realtek ALC888 (7.1-channel support)
Speakers-Dell AX210
Built-in Webcam-No
Modem-56 Kbps*
Network Card-Built-in 10/100 Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector
Wireless Networking-None
Recordable DVD Drive-Yes, double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
Recordable DVD Drive Speeds-Drive speeds not specified
Direct-Disc Labeling-No
Digital Media Reader or Slots-Yes, digital media card reader
Total Expansion Bays-External: 1 (3.5″), 2 (5.25″); Internal: 2 (3.5″)
Available Expansion Bays-External: 1 (3.5″)
Total Expansion Slots-1 PCI, 2 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16
Available Expansion Slots-None
USB 2.0 Ports-6 (2 front, 4 rear)
IEEE 1394 Ports-None
S-Video Outputs-None
Serial Ports-None
Parallel Ports-None
Game Ports-None
Keyboard Description-USB
Other Control Devices (mouse, etc.)-Dell optical USB mouse
Operating System Platform-Windows
Operating System-Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1
Software Included-Microsoft Works, Adobe Reader and Roxio Creator 10 Dell edition
ENERGY STAR Qualified-No
HDMI Output-No
Blu-ray Player-No
Gateway
Warranty Terms – Parts-1 year limited
Warranty Terms – Labor-1 year limited
Product Height-16.3″
Product Width-7.1″
Product Weight-25 lbs.
Product Depth-17.3″
Processor Brand-AMD
Processor-AMD Phenom™ X4
Processor Speed-2.4GHz
System Bus-2400MHz
Cache Memory-512KB x 4 on die Level 2
System Memory (RAM)-8GB
Type of Memory (RAM)-DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive Type-SATA (7200 rpm)
Hard Drive Size-1TB
Graphics-ATI Radeon HD 4650
Video Memory-1GB
Personal Video Recorder (PVR)-No
TV Tuner-Yes
MPEG-No
Audio-8-channel high-definition support
Speakers-Amplified stereo
Built-in Webcam-No
Modem-56 Kbps*
Network Card-Built-in 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless Networking-Built-in 802.11b/g wireless LAN
Recordable DVD Drive-Yes, double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
Recordable DVD Drive Speeds-8x DVD+R DL; 8x DVD-R DL; 18x8x16 DVD+RW; 18x6x16 DVD-RW; 12x DVD-RAM; 48x32x48 CD-RW
Direct-Disc Labeling-Yes
Digital Media Reader or Slots-Yes, digital media card reader
Total Expansion Bays-3 (3.5″), 2 (5.25″)
Available Expansion Bays-2 (3.5″), 1 (5.25″)
Total Expansion Slots-2 PCI, 1 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16
USB 2.0 Ports-8 (4 front, 4 rear)
IEEE 1394 Ports-1
S-Video Outputs-Yes
Additional Audio/Video Connectors-HDMI, DVI, analog RCA
Serial Ports-None
Parallel Ports-None
Game Ports-None
Keyboard Description-Premium Multimedia
Other Control Devices (mouse, etc.)-USB optical 3-button wheel mouse
Operating System Platform-Windows
Operating System-Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1
Software Included-Adobe Reader, Microsoft Money Essentials, Cyberlink Power2Go and more
ENERGY STAR Qualified-No
HDMI Output-Yes
Blu-ray Player-No
What should I go with? The Gateway or Dell? In the future I plan on upgrading the one I get.
I PLAN TO BUY SOOOOOON!
PLAN TO BUY MONITOR WITH IT!!!
Best answer:
Answer by Morning Star
Hm this was kinda hard and I may be wrong, but hey I may be right.
Both computers are okay spec wise but the Dell has dedicated graphics while the Gateway is shared. I own a Inspirion e1705 that has dedicated graphics of 256mb, 2 gigs ram, 100gigs hard drive, not sure about my processor may be Intel Centreno duo core or something 2.0. About the shared memory it may not support pixel shaders etc.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!




Gateway all that way. More Video memory, Better system bus along with a slighty faster processor(video editing takes alot of system resourses). Since you want to edit video, HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) will definetly help view your high quality video much better than standard VGA (blue 15 pin input). Regarless if you’re a gamer or not, this machine is perfect for work and play.
Though I see your choices, I am not satisfied on a budget of $ 850. Honestly, you can build an awesome computer from scratch with that budget, but there are pre-built desktops with great features. I’m listing some of the cons of both the systems you listed:
Dell drawbacks: older quad-core CPU, older graphics card, no blu-ray, no HDMI, no s-video, no webcam, no LightScribe, no slots for expansion, no firewire
Gateway drawbacks: CPU is not strong, no webcam, no Lightscribe, no Blu-ray
The Gateway is much more suited to handle your needs by far, but it still falls a little short when it comes to an $ 850 budget. Below, I have listed an HP Desktop to show you what you should be at least getting with that budget:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4625231&CatId=6
The HP Pavilion Elite m9360f has everything you need but it only lacks a webcam. It usually retails for around $ 1100, but this one is only $ 830 at tigerdirect. It is stronger than both of the previous options and it is more efficient because its CPU is more advanced. HP also has a bunch of software that comes free for sound editing, video editing, and movie creation.
If you love burning CDs and DVDs, you’ll love LightScribe. Trust me on this. Just because I have LS, I’m the production center of my family. I couldn’t find another option online where a desktop package had this many features. So I’m sure that this deal at TigerDirect will not last long.
I hope that this helps.
I would have to say the dell. Shared Video sucks
I got mine at http://www.techawave.com/techawave/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=542349
I got mine at http://www.techawave.com/techawave/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=542349