I must appologize for the length of this thread before I start. I am sorry! LOL!

Most of you who know me know I am NOT all that computer savvy. I've learned some things over the years, but I still have trouble with most "puter speak". Mr. Lixy knows less than I do. So we are lost when we talk to "geeks" and we bow to their knowledge.

Our computer is extremely antiquated and we want to get a new one. We have no kids so we will be setting it up for our use only. Mr. Lixy searches the internet for hobby related info and also for porn. He emails and sends and receives attachments. We don't have a CD burner now but he's always wanted to do that.

I do more work on the puter than he does. I shop online and do my banking. I type any of the important stuff we/I need using the (included) word processor. I resize and touch-up our pics. I store and organize them too. I IM peeps and keep two email addresses (would be three if I used our ISP email, but I don't). I don't get crazy creative because, as I've said, our current computer is antiquated. We are still on dial-up, but that will change with a new set up.

We currently have a Compaq Pressario 5000 running Windows ME. I found a deal on a Dell in a flyer that came to our house the other day. The puter I have my eye on was a basic model with a nice free upgrade. The deal was this...

Dell Dimension E521...AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual-Core Processor 3800 plus a free upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium...1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 Memory...250GB Hard Drive...Plays and Creates CD's and DVD's...17" Flat Panel Monitor.

The price (as is) was regularly $809, but with a 25% discount from this flyer it would cost $599 (or $18/mo.).

I went to the Dell site and typed in the E-Value Code and pulled up the above package. I could purchase as is for the very price quoted and have a good deal. The site was VERY imformative and gave me ways to figure out what we felt was necessary for what we do now and what we want to do in the future. We want a good set-up and we don't want to have to do this again for a long while. I did some upgrades and I want to ask if you think I went too far or if I could bump it up even more? Here's the package I upgraded to...



Module Component and Operating System - Dell Dimension E521...AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual-Core Upgraded to 5600...Free upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium w/1GB memory

Memory - Upgraded from 1GB to 2GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM @ 667MHz-2DIMMS

Keyboard and Mouse Bundles - Took the included deal. Will shop on my own if necessary. Included = Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse

Monitor - Upgraded from 17" Flat Panel Display to 20" Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Display

Video Card - Upgraded to NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Integrated Graphics GPU

Hard Drive - Upgraded from 250GB to 320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache

Floppy Drive and Media Reader - No Floppy Drive included. I didn't choose one cause I don't really know what I would need it for. Can you think of a reason why peeps like me and hubby would need this?

Network Interface - Integrated 10/100 Ethernet included. (whatever that means)

Modem - 56K PCI Data Fax Modem included. Can't remember if I had a choice...and if it was important...lol! Are there choices and is it important?

Adobe Software - Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0 included

CD ROM/DVD ROM - Upgraded from 16x DVD+/-RW to Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive +16x DVD+/-RW

Sound Cards - Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio included

Speakers - No Speakers Included. I could have ran the spectrum here (basic to blow your ear drums out) but they seemed too pricey for our purposes...even the basic ones. I'll purchase them seperately.

Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) - Upgraded from Basic Microsoft without Works (but will run some word processing functions) to Microsoft® Works Suite 2006...includes MS Word 2002, Encarta 2006 and much more!

Anti-Virus/Security Suite - McAfee Security Center w/anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall...36 months included. Didn't upgrade from here...though lots were offered. Figured I could do that on my own for less as well. Good Call?

Warranty and Service - Included...1Yr Ltd Warranty and At-Home Service. Could have chosen up to 4Yr for a price. What are your thoughts on warranties? I haven't ever needed service on this old thing I'm on now. Shouldn't 1Yr be enough to know if you got a lemon? Tell me your thoughts on this one, please!

Internet Access Service - Choice between AOL or EarthLink (included). I won't use either but they make you choose one so I picked EarthLink cause I had AOL before and I hated it! I don't have to activate it...ever.

Miscellaneous - Included...Award Winning Service and Support

Dell Digital Entertainment - Included...Trial pack-Basic and trial products from Corel and Yahoo

Software - I want to purchase a way to move my files and pics to the new puter. I scrolled through the choices and found one for Windows ME to Vista. It's called LapLink PCmover. Says it'll move applications, data and settings to my new PC. Does anyone know if this is just for "from a laptop to a PC"? I NEED to do just what it says but I am NOT on a laptop. I have a desktop. HELP!!! It's $29 and I don't know if that's a good price or can I get one on my own and cheaper.

I didn't get a web Cam cause I don't have one now and I don't see the importance. I know some will say otherwise...but if I want one in the future I can do that then.

Total after upgrades - $1,172.25 (includes taxes and FREE/3-5 day shipping and handling) or $36/mo. I'll have to wait a few extra days to have it shipped because of some of the upgrades. Shipping is still FREE as long as I order before May 15, 2007.



So...there ya go! Did I do good? Did I under or over do it? Tell me your thoughts please! I trust your expertise and I don't want to fuck this purchase up!

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~