My computer died, so I'm looking for a new one. I don't think I need anything fancy. Not really into gaming. Just trading, spreadsheets, internet, watch the occasional movie. This one is on sale for $489. Not sure if it's good or not for my purposes. http://us.gateway.com/gw/en/US/content/model/PT.GCFP2.002 Or this one: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11710258&whse=BC&Ne=5000136 4000000&eCat=BC|84|56671&N=4047237%204294898716&Mo=0&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&topnav=national I'm not really up-to-date on my computer tech knowledge, so I'd appreciate any advice. I could build one, but I don't really feel like it, would rather be lazy & buy one this time.
I saw the name Gateway in the first link and I won't even click it. I dislike the company and its products. Dell rocks. That's a fine system. But if you want to expand to multi-monitors it's probably not the system you should be looking at. What do you want to do with this computer? If you're trading, how do you trade? Online through a browser to enter and exit a few trades per month, or with a broker's application and data feeds? If you're using a broker's application, see if they have minimum hardware specs. I prefer to shop through Dell Small Business. Just enter your name as company name.
Agree with mgookin about Gateway. Dell has a MUCH better computer on the Outlet website for $569... a Precision T3500 w/Xeon W3530 CPU and a triple-output video card.
I bought a XPS 8300 from microcenter. It's fast as blazes. Cost around $1k with tax. i7 2600 8 gig ram 2tb hd Radeon 6770 win 7 64 bit pro.
I don't think I need an I7 as I didn't really have a problem with my old computer with the following specs: PROCESSOR: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86 GHz Link MOTHERBOARD: Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Link VIDEO CARD: PNY Nvidia GeForce 7600GT Link MEMORY: OCZ PC2 6400 Gold Edition XTC - 2GB's, 5-5-5-12 Link HARD DRIVE: Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 400GB 7200RPM, SATA/300 Link POWER: Ultra Xfinity 500-Watt ATX Link The old computer worked just fine as far as I could tell. I use NinjaTrader with about 5 charts up at a time & I daytrade, but don't scalp. Other than that I'll just be doing boring computer stuff like everyone else. Don't care about gaming. I can't find that Dell computer on the outlet site. Can't find the one Scataphogos mentioned either.
What about one of these Inspiron desktops from Dell? This one is $449 new on the outlet. You've kind of scared me away from Gateway. Processor Processor: Intel Core i3-2120 Processor (3.3GHz,3MB Cache) Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium Base Inspiron Desktop 620 Hard Disk Drive 1 TB SATA II Hard Drive (7200RPM) Memory 6 GB DDR3 Memory (1X2G/1X4G), 1333MHz Media Bay 16X DVD +/- RW Drive Chassis Type Desktop Network Interface Card Dell Wireless 1502 802.11b/g/n Hardware Upgrade 120V Power Cord Thermal Heatsink, 65W
It's still there. In fact, there are 3 of them with prices from $569-$649. Here's a link.. http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnline...px?c=us&cs=28&l=en&s=dfb&brandid=2803&fid=984
Is the refurbished one a good idea? Isn't the hard drive too small........250 GB? I need to get up-to-date on my computer knowledge.
Inspiron is a budget line... with an el-cheapo mobo. It's OK for general computing. Probably OK for trading for 1-2 monitors, but if you ever want to run 3 or more monitors better to avoid Inspiron altogether. Regardless of the price difference, the Precision T3500 is a MUCH better computer... a "business" machine with server-class components (supposedly) and an X58 mobo.