My Purchase of a Dell Computer

Computers and computer components have drastically decreased in price as production has increased due to increased demand by consumers, significant advances in production have also helped to reduce prices. As a result, a budget of 1,200 dollars is more than sufficient for purchasing a powerful computer with the latest hardware and software. For this purchase, I opted to go with a Dell Studio XPS 8100 Desktop for $1029.99 before shipping and handling. Below I will outline the technical specifications for this computer, and the reasons why I decided to purchase this particular computer from Dell.

The main aspect of this computer that drew my attention was the processor that the system is built around. The processor an Intel Core i5-650 is very powerful and will be able to provide me with all the computing power I will need for basic word processing and web browsing that I intend on using this system for. This processor utilizes hyper-threading – two separate cores – which will allow it to perform twice the amount of computations per second than a normal processor with one core can handle.

Also, the processors four megabytes of L3 cache will increase the efficiency of the computer by keeping data more readily available.

A fast processor also needs data readily available and RAM will do just that. In general, the greater the amount of RAM, the more quickly a computer will run because it will have to access its hard drive less. This XPS 8100 comes with 6 gigabytes of RAM, which is plenty for basic word processing and web browsing.

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This large amount of RAM will allow the computer to store data in temporary memory rather than having to access the hard drive which is significantly slower than RAM.

Though not as important to speed as the processor and RAM, the XPS 8100 I choose comes with a 750 gigabyte 7200RPM serial ATA hard drive that will be able to house all of the computers software, as well as my documents, pictures, and music that I have accumulated over time. Originally I was going to upgrade the computers hard drive to one terra byte, however after analyzing the amount of space all of my documents utilize currently, I felt as though this was an unnecessary expense. For removable storage, the XPS 8100 comes standard with a 16X DVD +/- RW drive which will allow me to record data onto CDs and DVDs.

I did opt to purchase a 21.5 inch flat screen monitor with a built in 2 megapixel web cam because my current flat screen has several dead pixels. This larger monitor will allow me to run a screen resolution of 1280 by 1024, which will give me much more working room on the desktop. By doing this, I was forced to take away Microsoft Office from the order in order to fit the budget. However, after quickly doing some research on the internet, I was able to find Open Office, which is a free alternative to Microsoft Office.

This XPS 8100 is also is being shipped with Windows 7 Home Premium which will allow me to take advantage of all the computers new hardware and also provide me with a stable operating system. Migrating to Windows 7 from the MAC OS X operating system is something that Im leary about, however I have only heard positive things about Windows 7 and have come to realize that by going with a PC you do get more hardware for your money rather than going with an Apple product.

As noted above, I plan on using this computer for very basic functions word processing and web browsing. There are other options out there from Dell for less than 1,200 dollars, however wanted to get the biggest bang for my buck and decided to get the most hardware money can buy.