Instead of upgrade, got a new Dell for $299

[Cyberella]

Hi
I posted here a little while back about upgrading my Optiplex for $200- $300 to do video editing but I saw on Dell, for $299 I could get a Dimension B110 computer with 17" flat screen monitor:
Intel® Celeron® D Processor 325 (2.53 GHz, 533 FSB)
256MB DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
160GB5 Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
Who knew it was so cheap?
What's the catch?
Cy

[classicsoftware]

Video editing on a Celeron???????????????

That's why it's so cheap.

Enjoy.

[saphalline]

I think a Celeron D in that speed range is fast enough to do video editing. Probably not high-def with performance to spare, but it's a lot better than what I consider to be the minimum CPU for video editing.

However, the big catch with those $299 Dell offers is that they use older technology and include cheap surplus parts that have been sitting in Dell's warehouses for a couple years already. They typically have chipsets/platforms that are 2-3 generations behind the latest technology in addition to the OEM practice of offering very little upgrade potential. And of course 256MB of RAM is far below what I would suggest for video editing. 512MB is the absolute minimum, with 1GB being recommended. Also, as you can see, it includes an older hard drive technology type. ATA/100 is old news. SATA is the replacement and has been around for over a year now (actually, probably close to 2 years).

Basically those cheap Dell systems are just a ploy to get rid of older junk sitting around their warehouses. They sell them for cheap and they make money by cleaning out inventory to make room for more modern hardware that they can sell for more. I won't deny that these systems are adequate for some people, but I wouldn't suggest one for video editing. Not unless you want to add a bunch of RAM and still have a throw-away system at the end of the day.

[jlreich]

Not unless you want to add a bunch of RAM and still have a throw-away system at the end of the day.
That's exactly what it is, a disposable system. You won't be able to upgrade it very much at all. Nor would it even be worth upgrading beyond the ram.

But hey, if it works for you, then it's all good. :) If you decide it was a bad decision then you have at least learned a lesson. ;) At least you have brand new LCD monitor. Probably not the best in the world but still...

BTW, what was the warranty on that?

I will say my daughter does a fair amount of video editing on a Celery 320 with 1GB ram. It doesn't do too bad. Definitely need the 1GB ram though. ;)