Dell.ca Core 2 Duo PCs: Vostro 400 w/ E6650 $599, Inspiron 530 w/ E4600 $509

[购物指南]

This week, Dell has a pair of strong Core 2 Duo desktops. First up, a Vostro 400 Desktop with an E6650 processor for $599. Here are the Specs:

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6550 (2.33GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 1333FSB) English
• Windows XP Home
• 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz - 2DIMMs
• 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
• Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
• 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8300GS
• 16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive
• Dell Keyboard & Premium Optical Mouse
• No Monitor
• 1 Yr Limited Warranty with 1 Yr NBD Onsite Service and 1 Yr Tech Support
• No pre-installed productivity software but there is an option for Microsoft Works 8 (no MS Word) for $0

You're getting a pretty high end Core 2 Duo processor considering the system price, 2GB RAM, XP home (which some will definitely prefer over Vista), and a dedicated graphics card. This is a system that could be made over quite easily into a very solid gaming system (ie. drop in a 3800 or 8800 series video card). If you choose to upgrade from Dell, there's the aforementioned $0 Microsoft Works upgrade and a 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT for $50. If you want to do more serious gaming though, a video card you purchase separately would probably work better.

A more inexpensive system that is offers a little less performance accordingly, is an Inspiron 530 C2D E4600 System for $509 after you manually remove the 19" monitor. Specs:

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E4600 (2MB L2 Cache,2.4GHz, 800 FSB)
• Windows Vista Home Premium Edition
• 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2DIMMs
• 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
• Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
• Integrated Intel Graphics 3100 graphics
• 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
• Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
• 1 Year Next Business Day Onsite/In Home Service and Tech Support
• Dell Optical Mouse & Keyboard

This system packs a slightly slower Core 2 Duo processor, has Vista Home Premium instead of XP, and no dedicated video card and costs $90 less than the Vostro 400. An appealing upgrade for this system is Microsoft Works Plus 2008 for $30.

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