where to buy a new system.

[Benjamin Scott]

On Nov 29 at 12:55am, Bill McGonigle wrote:
>> $800?  Forget about Linux, I don't know any major brand that will
>> provide a decent Windoze box with a 3-year contract for $800.  :)
>
> $700 at Dell before coupons and specials.

   Yah, if you buy a Dimension.  The OptiPlex's cost a bit more, and don't 
have the Christmas coupons.  OTOH, I said OptiPlex support was limited... 
*shudder*

> Yours and my definitions of "decent" are different than the typical SMB 
> customer.

   Certainly.  Everybody's different.  But this started up around somebody 
looking for good Linux box, which is already *way* outside the "typical SMB 
customer".

> None of my bigger (>$10M) clients are buying business desktops for more 
> than $900 today.  An IBM like this:
>
>  http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?Sku=6018931
>
> is very popular, for example.

   That's pretty similar to the OptiPlex's I recommend for general purpose 
use.  Except I work in the small business area, where we can't amortize 
purchased spares, so the NBD support contracts are typically worth it.

   About half the cost of most new PCs I get involved with these days goes to 
Microsoft, anyway.  Windows XP Pro license.  Office Pro license.  Windows 
CAL.  Exchange CAL.  Eeesh.  At retail list, IIRC, that would be $300 + $450 
+ $35 + $75 = $860!

>> But Pogo will sell a real nice box for ... ... $1647 TOTAL
>
> Yeah, so almost double what they're willing to spend.

   Well, I was trying to make the Dell vs the Pogo as close to 
apples-to-apples (pardon the pun WRT the other thread) as possible.  That 
meant equivalent hardware, which meant a bigger disk and high-end graphics 
card.  If you brought some volume, I'm sure Pogo would be willing to do 
semi-custom builds.

> They'd rather store the data on a server ...

   Me too.  :)

> and swap out failed PC's at the assumed 18% rate.

   If that's the case, why do they need a support contract?

> And yes, I know they spent $3K on machines just a few years ago and thought 
> that was a good deal...

   :)  Why, I remember when etc., etc.

-- 
Ben <dragonhawk at iname.com>