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by Charles Gaba
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Visit Charle Gaba's new System Shootout site for the latest shootouts!
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Dell Dimension XPS w/17" LCD
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Design/Styling:
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Aluminum Casing
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Blue Minitower
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Mobility:
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54 lbs. total; integrated handles
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appx. 60 lbs. total
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Component Access?
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Side panel pulls off; for easy access
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thumb-screws; relatively easy component access
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Desk Space Used:
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appx. 300 sq. inches including tower, LCD & speakers
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Noise Volume:
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under 35 decibels
(computerized cooling) |
Loud (full-size cooling fans)
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Energy Use:
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appx. 450 - 550 watts ($75 - $90/yr) for both tower + LCD display
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Processor:
Notes |
 3.1 GHz Pentium 4 |
3.4 GHz Pentium 4
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L1 Cache:
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64k
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8k
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L2 Cache:
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512K
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512K
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Other:
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64-bit architecture
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hyperthreading tech.
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RAM Type:
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DDR-SDRAM PC3200
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DDR-SDRAM PC3200
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Front Side Bus:
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900 MHz bus/processor
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800 MHz bus
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RAM Amount:
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512 MB (2 DIMM)
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2.0 GB (4 DIMM)
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Max. RAM:
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8.0 GB (8 slots)
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4.0 GB (4 slots)
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Hard Drive Capacity:
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120 GB
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Hard Drive Type:
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SATA 1.5Gbs
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SATA 1.5Gbs
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Hard Drive Speed:
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7200 RPM
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7200 RPM
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CD-ROM:
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32x CD
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40x CD
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CD-RW:
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16x10x CD-RW
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32x16x CD-RW
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DVD-ROM:
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8x DVD
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16x DVD
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DVD-/+RW:
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4x2x DVD-RW
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8x4x DVD+RW
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Floppy/Other Drive:
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--
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Floppy
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PCI/AGP Slots:
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3 available PCIx slots; 1 filled AGP 8x slot
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1 avail. PCI (4 total); 1 filled AGP 8x slot
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Internal Bays:
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1 available / 2 total
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2 / 3
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External Bays:
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1 5.25" bay (filled)
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1 / 4
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Mouse:
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USB Optical mouse
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Wireless Optical 2-button scroll
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USB Ports:
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7 total: 3 USB 2.0 (2 on back, 1 on front)
4 USB 1.1 (2 on kbd, 2 on monitor) |
8 total: 6 USB 2.0 on back
2 USB 2.0 on front |
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FireWire Ports:
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2 400 Mbps (1 in front)
1 800 Mbps (3 total) |
3 @ 400 Mbps (1 in front)
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Legacy Ports:
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Legacy-free
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2 Ser, 1 Par, 2 PS/2
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Video Card:
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NVIDIA GeForce FX5200 Ultra
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ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
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Video RAM:
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64 MB DDR
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128 MB DDR
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VGA Out:
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Yes (adapter included)
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Yes
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DVI/ADC Out:
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Yes (DVI and ADC)
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Yes (DVI)
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RCA-Out:
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--
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--
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S-Video Out:
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--
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Yes
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Dual Display Support?
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Yes (mirror or span)
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Yes (mirror or span)
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Display:
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17" view. digital LCD
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18" view. digital LCD
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Display Res. (Native/Max.):
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1280x1024 / 1.3 Mpx
1920x1200 2.3 Mpx |
1280x1024 / 1.3 Mpx
1920x1200 2.3 Mpx |
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Viewable Angle:
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160 vertical; 160 horizontal
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160 vertical; 160 horizontal
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Brightness/Contrast:
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200 cd/m; 350:1 contrast ratio
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250 cd/m; 600:1 contrast ratio
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Audio In:
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Analog & Optical digital audio in
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Line in, microphone jack
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Audio Out:
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Analog & optical digital audio out;
front headphone jack |
5.1 channel out (3 jacks) via Audigy 2
front headphone jack |
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Speakers:
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Creative iTrigue i3350 2.1 speakers w/subwoofer
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Dell 5650 5.1 speakers w/subwoofer
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Ethernet:
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10/100/1000 (via PCI)
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56k Modem:
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V.92 (via PCI)
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Wi-Fi Card?
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optional AE card (802.11g / 54 Mbps)
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optional 802.11b or g (11 or 54 Mbps)
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Bluetooth Card?
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optional
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optional
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Hardware Extras:
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Epson Stylus C84 Printer
(free after rebate) |
--
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Included OS:
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Mac OS X 10.3 Panther; Mac OS 9.2;
BSD Unix; Apache Web Server |
Windows XP Professional
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Windows Support:
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DOS/95/98/ME/2000/XP (via Virtual PC)
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DOS/95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP (Native)
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Mac Support:
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Mac OS 9 (Classic Environment),
Mac OS X (Native) |
Mac OS 8 only (via emulation)
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Linux Support:
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Various flavors (Native)
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Unix Support:
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Various flavors (Native)
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Save-as PDF:
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Native (any file)
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(requires 3rd-party app.)
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Handwriting Recognition:
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Inkwell
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--
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Word Processor:
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MSFT Word v.X trial
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MSFT Word XP
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Spreadsheet:
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MSFT Excel v.X trial
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MSFT Excel XP
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Presentation:
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MSFT PwrPt v.X trial
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--
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Database:
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FileMaker Pro 6 trial
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--
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Drawing/Painting:
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Art Directors Toolkit; GraphicConverter
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--
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Projects/Planning:
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OmniOutliner, OmniGraffle
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--
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Web Browser
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Safari 1.2; IE 5.2; Sherlock 3.0
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IE 6
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E-Mail/PIM/Address Book:
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OS X Mail/Address Book; iCal, iSync, iChat AV
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MSFT Outlook XP
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Media Players:
*free download |
QuickTime 6; Media Player 9.0*
RealOne Player 9.0 *; DVD Player |
QuickTime 6*; Media Player 8
RealOne; DVD Player |
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Financial:
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QuickBooks Pro 5
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TurboTax Basic
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Reference:
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--
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--
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Digital Photography:
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iPhoto 4.0, GraphicConverter
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PaintShop Pro; Photo Album Premium
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Digital Video Editing:
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iMovie 4.0
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MyDVD Deluxe
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CD Burning/Music:
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iTunes 4.2; Disk Burner
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MusicMatch 7.0; RecordNow! Deluxe
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Audio Engineering:
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GarageBand 1.0
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--
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DVD Burning/Authoring:
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iDVD 4.0, Disk Burner
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MyDVD Deluxe
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Games Included:
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Chess
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Mine Sweeper, Asstd. classic games
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Additional Software:
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Asstd. system software
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Free Services:
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1 month Earthlink; 60-day .Mac trial
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6 months Earthlink
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Viruses / Security:
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No known viruses effect Mac OS X.
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Firewall:
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Built-in, configurable
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Warranty:
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1 yr. ltd./at-home; 90 days phone
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2 yr. ltd./at-home; 2 yr. phone
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Customer Service:
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Subotal:
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$3,396
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$3,410
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- Rebates if any:
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- $99 printer rebate
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- $200 system rebate
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+ Ground Shipping:
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n/c
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+ $99
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Total Price
as configured: (tax not included) |
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$3,309
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The information above is as accurate as I could make it based on a reasonable time studying the respective companies' Web sites. There is no guarantee that these configurations, prices, and features are the best that one could come up with; assorted bundles, free internet access, free extra memory, and so on can most likely be found for any of the above systems. The point of this chart is to demonstrate that Apple's lineup holds its own against any brand-name computer, even in areas in which it has traditionally had resistance. In short, do not base your purchasing decisions solely on this chart or information. Neither I, nor The Mac Observer will be held responsible or liable for any purchase decisions you make based on this presentation. Charles Gaba started the AAPLTalk System Shootouts at AAPLTalk.com, and has brought them to TMO. Charles is the creative talent behind Brainwrap Web Design. AAPLTalk System Shootouts Archives Back to The Mac Observer For More Mac News! |
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