Is this MESH PC any good?

[Geoff D]

Howdy - wouldn't mind a bit of opinion from those in the know on here; I'm a bit thick when it comes to PC tech stuff. This would mostly be used for web/document stuff, with the odd game thrown in for good measure - I have roughly ?900-?1000 to spend & want the best I can get for that dosh -

Case: MESH Micro ATX Mini-Tower +300W PSU with tool free access (Black/Silver)
Motherboard: ASUS P4S533-VM - FSB 533/400 with 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Motherboard Features: Please click 'More Info' button for details.
Processor: Intel ? Pentium ? 4 - 2.8GHz
Memory: 512Mb PC2700 DDR Memory 333MHz
Floppy + Portable Storage Options: 1.44MB Floppy Drive
Hard Drives: Upgrade to 120Gb Ultra Fast with 8Mb Buffer (7200rpm) at ?15
Video Card: 128MB nVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 - TV Out + DVI
Monitor 1: 15'' Sharp TFT Flat Panel Monitor with Built-in Stereo Speakers (Analogue)
Optical Drives: 48x24x48x16 CD-RW/DVD-ROMCombo Drive
Sound: Soundblaster compatible multi channel audio
Speakers: Stereo Speakers built in to Sharp TFT monitor
Modem: 56kbps V92 Modem, featuring data and fax.
Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech Internet Keyboard & Optical Mouse (Black)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Anti Virus Software: Symantec Norton Antivirus 2003 (oem)
Warranty: 3 years On Site Warranty (Mainland UK only - Terms Apply)

?977 delivered

Is that a rip-off?

[Super Stu]

Now nip over to Dell and see what sort of deal you get over there. Last time I looked (I believe the offer ran for a month or so) you got a free TFT upgrade when ordering online, so you'd have a TFT machine for the price of a CRT.

May save you on the same spec.

[?pint]

I'd say to ditch the TFT monitor and get a larger, better CRT and a better graphics card. It's a nice system, and the price is what you'd expect to pay, but I wouldn't recommend getting a TFT just yet because they're so damn expensive. Especially in your price range, if you're going for a gaming PC, you'll get a lot more out of a better graphics card and CRT monitor as opposed to the current graphics card on there and a TFT.

[rjpageuk]

A fantastic example of which can be found here:

http://www.meshplc.co.uk/updated/review_sep03_mat2600sfx.htm

Decent 19" CRT, and a good graphics card too, all for ?850 odd quid.

[Garibaldi Biscuit]

Shifted over to Q&A for the tech boffins to peruse.

[Mr Ono]

Grrrrrrrrr

[Geoff D]

Ok, I've been to Dell & made this -

Standard Features: Intel 875P chipset with support for Intel? Pentium ? 4 processors with 800MHz system bus
Dual Channel 400MHz DDR Memory
Midnight grey mini-tower with 8 USB 2.0 ports, 4 PCI slots and AGP 8x slot
Intergrated 10/100 Pro Ethernet Network Card
Norton AntiVirus 2003 (with 90 days free virus updates)
No Floppy Drive as standard
Operating System: Microsoft? Windows? XP Home Edition (Why not upgrade to Windows? XP Professional?)
Online Discount - Money Off!: Money Off Included!
Axim X5 Pocket PC: Not Included
Enhanced Support Packs: 1 Year Collect and Return Service (-GBP - ?129)
Processor Upgrade: 2.80GHz Intel Pentium 4 Processor with HT technology and 800 front side bus (+ GBP ?110)
Online Memory Promotion!: 512MB Dual Channel DDR 400 (2x256MB) (Includes 256MB FREE)
Floppy Drive & Additional Storage Devices: 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive (+ GBP ?5)
Hard Drive: 120Gb (7200rpm) IDE Hard Drive with 8MB DataBurst cache (+ GBP ?40)
Monitor: Dell 17" Value (15.9" VIS) Monitor
2nd Monitor: Not Included
DVI to VGA Port Adapter: Not Included
Optical Drives: 48x DVD/CD-Rewriter Combo Drive
Home Installation: Not Included
Video Card: 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Graphics Card with DVI Dual Monitor Support and TV-OUT via S-Video (+ GBP ?70)
ZIP Drives: Not Included
Sound Card: Integrated 5.1 audio
Speakers: Dell Stereo Speakers
Modem: Dell 56k Data/Fax/Voice Modem
High Speed Internet Connection: Not Included
Video Editing: Not Included
Digital Photography: Dell Picture Studio Standard Edition (note: contains a 21 use trial version of Paint Shop Pro)
Software: Microsoft Works 7.0
Wireless Connectivity: Not Included
Keyboard: Dell Standard PS2 Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech 2 Button Wheel Mouse

?913 delivered

How does that stack up?

[Geoff D]

Grrrrrrrrr

Just keeping my options open buddy

[wod]

that dell pc looks better value for money as you get in it a radeon 9800, better processor, faster memory.

[rjpageuk]

The Mesh PC I linked to is even better value for money - it is an Athlon not a P4 though.

[Fire]

The Dell PC looks the best of the bunch to me, that'll be a serious performer in games too. Bit of a poor sounding monitor for such a system though, is it possible to specify not to include one then get a better one from somewhere else? I'd recommed a 17" or 19" Mitsubishi diamond pro CRT, pure flat screen and excellent sharp picture at many resolutions and refresh rates.

[Geoff D]

The Dell PC looks the best of the bunch to me, that'll be a serious performer in games too. Bit of a poor sounding monitor for such a system though, is it possible to specify not to include one then get a better one from somewhere else? I'd recommed a 17" or 19" Mitsubishi diamond pro CRT, pure flat screen and excellent sharp picture at many resolutions and refresh rates.

Nope you have to have a monitor on that setup - that's the bog-standard one there.

Cheers for the opinions peeps - any more are welcome

[Adam]

Yeah Dell do some brilliant online offers. I've seen them give away a printer and scanner with a comp for free. Another month they doubled whatever amount of RAM you had for free and last time I looked they gave you a free hardrive upgrade to the next best one. an 80gb hardrive changed to 120gb. It's a shame you can't choose to have no monitor, of all the things on my current PC which I don't mind, it's my 19 incher