Opinion on a PC

[shawn316]

Im about to buy a new PC system, and I'm wondering is this a good deal. It's 799.99 Canadian. So if any canadians out there that know value of a good deal let me know what u think.

Available Expansion Bays 1 x 3.5", 3 x 5.25"
Available Expansion Slots 3 PCI, 1 AGP
Cache 512 KB L2 On-Die Cache
CPU Speed 2.5GHz
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4
Disk Drive 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive
Fax/Modem None
Graphic Card Intel Extreme Integrated Graphics
Hard Drive 80 GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
I/O Ports 6 USB 2.0, 2 Serial, 1 Parallel
Included Software Microsoft Works 7.0
Monitor Included? Monitor Not Included
Network Card 10/100 Ethernet
Optical Drives 52X 24X 52 CD-RW
Other Control Devices No
Preloaded Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
RAM 256MB PC2700 DDR (exp. to 1.0GB)
Removable Storage No
Sound Card AC 97 Integrated
Speakers 2-Piece Stereo Speakers
System Bus 400 MHz
Warranty 1 Year Parts & Labour

[shawn316]

Monitor is included. 17 inch

[cdnref]

Looks great, only thing I would do is when you get it I would sell the 2 speakers and get a 2.1 system. Oh And throw in another stick of 256 ram.

[jlowmt]

That all reads pretty good for the money.

I'm in the USA but I do a lot of travelling for business to Canada.

Only questions would be:

What is the brand of the computer? I'm guessing it's a pre-built kind of deal like Dell etc.

Are the components of the system high quality or generic? $799.99 is great unless there's only $400 worth of parts in there.

If you are using it for Internet/word processing then some of those things don't matter so much.

If you get it upgrade the Ram to two sticks of 256 or even 512.

[shawn316]

The computer is cicero and yeah i got some 256 of more ram to put in it

[mairving]

What do you plan on doing with the computer? By 'Graphic Card Intel Extreme Integrated Graphics', I assume that this means an onboard video card which can hamper performance.

[Propain]

Id stay away from thoses Future shop jobbies. But for the price and the monitor included then its not that bad of a deal. The only thing Id add is a Vid Card (9600 Pro for 220$) Dont expect any name brand parts either.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...WLBS=fs%2Dweb3

Did ya check out other REAL computer stores? http://www.dealsdirect.ca/systems/amd-midrange-ddr.htm

[HAL9000]

NO NO NO NO!!!... Cicero = GARBAGE... the only exceptions are when it comes to individual parts with the Cicero name... they are just name brand parts that have been rebadged.. but double check WHOS parts they are first cuz they still sell some junk in with the good stuff.

[Statica]

It was all going great till you mentioned Cicero! That is a big red flag. They always, always, ALWAYS cut corners. As Hal said, if you cant get it on good authority that the PC is going to have quality components, then you may assume that they are going to have the cheapest (not just in price but also in quality) components. Every business model needs a niche to operate, the Cicero model (through the experiences of numerous friends) has been to advertise big specs that dont really have substance.

[Statica]

Going really quickly I could get a 533Mhz FSB Asus P4S-533 w/ integrated everything (as you have) for 128, slap on a non-name 256MB PC2700 for 59, and a CPU P4a-2Ghz for $180; 80GB HDD for 97; and a CDRW (52x24x52x) for 49. Which brings the total to $513;
now even a real good 17" monitor isnt more than $212 like a Samsung SyncMaster.

---

I wouldnt recommend the above system much, because it doesnt leave too much for expansion, and the motherboard isnt the best out there, and there are too many bottlenecks to getting the advertised speed. The fact of the matter is that for about +/- $20 per component for all of the above, you might actually end up with something really good for the same price as quoted by FutureShop. I would suggest that you look at a smaller parts retailer and see what you could get. The idea is to get yourself something that gives you value for your money. Dont get fooled by Mhz and by the number of USB ports etc. Chances are a "slower" system that you took the time, researched and built with quality parts will out perform systems that you see from the box stores.

HTH

PS: Above prices are in CDN, and from one of the retailers I shop at in Toronto - www.canadacomputers.com if you want to see.

[glc]

From what you Canadians are saying - is this like a rebadged E-machine?

[HAL9000]

It's more or less Canada's version of an e-Machine. FutureShop used to sell e-Machines, but ditched them in favor of Cicero.. but who knows.. maybe they are one and the same... the quality matches.