I’m thinking about getting a Dell Inspiron 531 desktop ! Need some help !?

Are these specs decent ?

Yes, definitely one of the best deals on the market. If you purchase it before August 16th you can also take advantage of a special promotion e-value coupon that knock $350 off the purchase price and in addition shipping is free (approx. $29.00 value) and probably no tax. Wow!

The $350 coupon requires that the system costs at least $999 before applying the coupon. After deducting the coupon the minimum cost would, therefore, be at least $649.00 (substitute 4400+ CPU, no Wireless just a fax modem, regular Dell Keyboard & mouse, and either the 128MB video card or the Dell 525 Speakers in the suggested configuration below which total $830 actual cost ).

I would suggest, however, that you take the opportunity to upgrade several of the options and get a really powerful, stable system for under $850. Here are my suggestions in order of importance:

(1) Upgrade the processor to the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ (comparable to core 2 duo performance of the E6300 class) [+ $50]

(2) Seriously consider upgrading to an add-on Video Card particularly with Vista’s graphics intensive User Interface – the integrated GPU using shared system RAM and CPU can be a real performance downer. Microsoft, in fact, suggests a DX9 capable card with at least 128MB of its own on-board RAM. Dell’s prices are very competitive so you won’t really save by purchasing a video card yourself … just more options. If you aren’t really comfortable with installing PC hardware, get the upgrade to NVIDIA Geforce 8300GS w 128MB [+$50]

(3) Upgrade to the Logitech S512 Wireless Mouse and Keyboard [+$49] or to the second option – the Dell keyboard and Premium Optical Mouse [+$10]

(4) Consider upgrading to the more secure and robust Business Vista [+$69] … but Vista Home Premium is OK

With the above suggested upgrades 1 through 3 (using the cheaper mouse/keyboard option):
System Cost is $1189
Less coupon ( 3SFX?88CB80QDD ) entered at checkout
Actual System Cost is ($1189 – $350) ==> $830 (subbing Logitech wireless mouse & keyboard would cost an extra $40)

Note:
(1) The 13 in 1 Media Reader does not include a Floppy Drive. These are mutually exclusive. If you really want a Floppy Drive get an external USB model which costs less or about the same.
(2) This PC only has 2 PCI Slots so you can’t choose both the IEEE 1394a Port card option and the “Wireless and Modem” option (actually the latter option consists of 2 cards … 1 for Wireless, 1 for Modem).
Unless you really need Dial-Up, I’d just get the Wireless (the config I used in above system pricing). You could also forgo the Wireless option entirely and try to find a suitable after-market alternative. Personally I prefer a hard-wired Ethernet connection which is much faster and more secure. I’d only consider wireless if using the PC in a campus dorm or similar location.
(3) To keep unwanted “crapware” to a minimum remember to:
(A) Select the “No ISP” option for Dial-Up Internet
(B) Deselect the “Yahoo Music Box” option for Burn & Digital Editing
(C) Select the “No Productivity software” option for Office Software.

Have fun with your new tool-toy

Read Audio Timecode – Media Composer Cutting Edge

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