Dimension 9200 -- just ordered a couple

I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550 recording
servers. Initially I was looking at an XPS700 from the outlet to combine
them into a single server. Then I thought about the fact that it would be a
single point of failure. One XP lockup and all recordings stop.

I looked at XPS 400 and 410, plus the matching business variation, but there
were no real savings from new.

One of my challenges is that I REALLY use Remote Desktop. It is not in
Vista Home Premium (a huge problem for many sophisticated home users). It's
not worth buying Ultimate to get it. Then I realized I don't use any of the
MCE functions anyway.

So Vista Business is a better choice for me.

I configured two nice Dimension 9200 models. 250Gb drives, 1Gb Ram, XP Pro
(with Vista Business upgrades). Went with the E6600 since that is the
lowest processor with 4Mb cache (pretty darn fast). With the current
promotion, they came in at about $875 including free shipping.

Considering a similar outlet XPS700 is in the $1600-1700 range, I got two
machines, brand-new, with Vista upgrades, for about the same price.

I'll put decent drives in the three machines I am retiring and sell them on
Craiglist or Ebay. Two Dimension 4550s (2.4, 160Gb drives, 512-1gb, XP Pro)
and one Dimension 2400 (2.8, 200Gb, 1Gb, XP Home.

I have to say, that little Dimension 2400 has really given me great bang for
the buck. It has run 24/7 for three years and hasn't ever had any problems.
It's still running its original 80Gb drive. I paid $349 for it shipped.
Say what you want about the limitations of the entry level machines, but
when used for the right purpose, they're pretty darn good machines. The
Dimension 4550 models were more money, but have also been pretty amazing,
given that they are almost 5 years old. The only problems I've ever had
with them were failed Maxtor hard drives. The Dimensions have held up to
four hard drives, running hard 24/7 and stood up well.

One nice thing is that it should really lower the heat in my home office.
Net is one fewer machine, but as important is that a lot of small hard
drives are getting consolidated into larger hard drives.

Don't know why I felt the need to post. Perhaps I am learning from others
and will share something interesting every day

Tom

On Fri, 5 Jan 2007 11:09:13 -0500, "Tom Scales" <>
wrote:

>I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550 recording

Hey Tom don't say this. I'm using this as my own pc (4550) and it's
the 2nd oldest one in my home <grin>. I think tho I'll upgrade in
about 1 year from now. Probably a bit slow by today's stds but it
serves me well for XP. Of course the newer core 2 duos really shine
in my home but I still like my old 4550 (reliable and steady with
fingers crossed)!

gotta run...

<RnR> wrote in message news:...
> On Fri, 5 Jan 2007 11:09:13 -0500, "Tom Scales" <>
> wrote:
>
>>I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550 recording
>
> Hey Tom don't say this. I'm using this as my own pc (4550) and it's
> the 2nd oldest one in my home <grin>. I think tho I'll upgrade in
> about 1 year from now. Probably a bit slow by today's stds but it
> serves me well for XP. Of course the newer core 2 duos really shine
> in my home but I still like my old 4550 (reliable and steady with
> fingers crossed)!
>
> gotta run...

They're great machines -- the best I've ever owned. Hope the new ones hold
up as well.....

Tom Scales wrote:
> I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550 recording
> servers. Initially I was looking at an XPS700 from the outlet to combine
> them into a single server. Then I thought about the fact that it would be a
> single point of failure. One XP lockup and all recordings stop.
>
> I looked at XPS 400 and 410, plus the matching business variation, but there
> were no real savings from new.
>
> One of my challenges is that I REALLY use Remote Desktop. It is not in
> Vista Home Premium (a huge problem for many sophisticated home users). It's
> not worth buying Ultimate to get it. Then I realized I don't use any of the
> MCE functions anyway.
>
> So Vista Business is a better choice for me.
>
> I configured two nice Dimension 9200 models. 250Gb drives, 1Gb Ram, XP Pro
> (with Vista Business upgrades). Went with the E6600 since that is the
> lowest processor with 4Mb cache (pretty darn fast). With the current
> promotion, they came in at about $875 including free shipping.
>

What other specs Tom? Just bought one here for £772 delivered:

2007FP monitor
2GB RAM (2 x 1024mb)
256 ATI Radeon 1300 Pro
Multimedia keyboard
320GB Seagate drive
XP Pro
16x DVD +- RW

With the monitor off, from 2 feet away I actually have to squint at the
power light to see if it's on..................whisper quiet.

<> wrote in message
news: oups.com...

Tom Scales wrote:
> I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550 recording
> servers. Initially I was looking at an XPS700 from the outlet to combine
> them into a single server. Then I thought about the fact that it would be
> a
> single point of failure. One XP lockup and all recordings stop.
>
> I looked at XPS 400 and 410, plus the matching business variation, but
> there
> were no real savings from new.
>
> One of my challenges is that I REALLY use Remote Desktop. It is not in
> Vista Home Premium (a huge problem for many sophisticated home users).
> It's
> not worth buying Ultimate to get it. Then I realized I don't use any of
> the
> MCE functions anyway.
>
> So Vista Business is a better choice for me.
>
> I configured two nice Dimension 9200 models. 250Gb drives, 1Gb Ram, XP
> Pro
> (with Vista Business upgrades). Went with the E6600 since that is the
> lowest processor with 4Mb cache (pretty darn fast). With the current
> promotion, they came in at about $875 including free shipping.
>

What other specs Tom? Just bought one here for £772 delivered:

2007FP monitor
2GB RAM (2 x 1024mb)
256 ATI Radeon 1300 Pro
Multimedia keyboard
320GB Seagate drive
XP Pro
16x DVD +- RW

With the monitor off, from 2 feet away I actually have to squint at the
power light to see if it's on..................whisper quiet.


No monitor
7300LE (it is a server, so I didn't care)
250Gb drive
DVD-Rom
XP Pro

Glad to hear they're quiet!

Tom

"Tom Scales" <> wrote in message
news:459eacb2$0$21892$...
>
> <> wrote in message
> news: oups.com...
>
> Tom Scales wrote:
>> I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550
>> recording
>> servers. Initially I was looking at an XPS700 from the outlet to combine
>> them into a single server. Then I thought about the fact that it would
>> be a
>> single point of failure. One XP lockup and all recordings stop.
>>
>> I looked at XPS 400 and 410, plus the matching business variation, but
>> there
>> were no real savings from new.
>>
>> One of my challenges is that I REALLY use Remote Desktop. It is not in
>> Vista Home Premium (a huge problem for many sophisticated home users).
>> It's
>> not worth buying Ultimate to get it. Then I realized I don't use any of
>> the
>> MCE functions anyway.
>>
>> So Vista Business is a better choice for me.
>>
>> I configured two nice Dimension 9200 models. 250Gb drives, 1Gb Ram, XP
>> Pro
>> (with Vista Business upgrades). Went with the E6600 since that is the
>> lowest processor with 4Mb cache (pretty darn fast). With the current
>> promotion, they came in at about $875 including free shipping.
>>
>
> What other specs Tom? Just bought one here for £772 delivered:
>
> 2007FP monitor
> 2GB RAM (2 x 1024mb)
> 256 ATI Radeon 1300 Pro
> Multimedia keyboard
> 320GB Seagate drive
> XP Pro
> 16x DVD +- RW
>
> With the monitor off, from 2 feet away I actually have to squint at the
> power light to see if it's on..................whisper quiet.
>
>
> No monitor
> 7300LE (it is a server, so I didn't care)
> 250Gb drive
> DVD-Rom
> XP Pro
>
> Glad to hear they're quiet!
>
> Tom

Tom thanks for the post. My friends old Dell with Win ME (Mistake Edition)
just died with a bad MB. He has a new Dell 1907FP and I configured the same
9200 for $785 shipped, with a couple of extras. Single machine with XP Home
(no Vista upgrade), base E6300 Processor, 1GB RAM and DVD burner. Should
last them another 6-years

Pat

I got this insert from Dell in my local newspaper on Thursday:

Dimension 9200 Desktop
Price $689 ($779 after $90 discount)
Pentium D 915 w/dual core technology
XP Home
1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
16x DVD ROM
80 GB Hard Drive
256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE
1 year econonmy service plan
Dell E197FP 19" flat panel display
Free 3-5 day shipping.

Ken

Tom Scales wrote:
> I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550 recording
> servers. Initially I was looking at an XPS700 from the outlet to combine
> them into a single server. Then I thought about the fact that it would be a
> single point of failure. One XP lockup and all recordings stop.
>
> I looked at XPS 400 and 410, plus the matching business variation, but there
> were no real savings from new.
>
> One of my challenges is that I REALLY use Remote Desktop. It is not in
> Vista Home Premium (a huge problem for many sophisticated home users). It's
> not worth buying Ultimate to get it. Then I realized I don't use any of the
> MCE functions anyway.
>
> So Vista Business is a better choice for me.
>
> I configured two nice Dimension 9200 models. 250Gb drives, 1Gb Ram, XP Pro
> (with Vista Business upgrades). Went with the E6600 since that is the
> lowest processor with 4Mb cache (pretty darn fast). With the current
> promotion, they came in at about $875 including free shipping.
>
> Considering a similar outlet XPS700 is in the $1600-1700 range, I got two
> machines, brand-new, with Vista upgrades, for about the same price.
>
> I'll put decent drives in the three machines I am retiring and sell them on
> Craiglist or Ebay. Two Dimension 4550s (2.4, 160Gb drives, 512-1gb, XP Pro)
> and one Dimension 2400 (2.8, 200Gb, 1Gb, XP Home.
>
> I have to say, that little Dimension 2400 has really given me great bang for
> the buck. It has run 24/7 for three years and hasn't ever had any problems.
> It's still running its original 80Gb drive. I paid $349 for it shipped.
> Say what you want about the limitations of the entry level machines, but
> when used for the right purpose, they're pretty darn good machines. The
> Dimension 4550 models were more money, but have also been pretty amazing,
> given that they are almost 5 years old. The only problems I've ever had
> with them were failed Maxtor hard drives. The Dimensions have held up to
> four hard drives, running hard 24/7 and stood up well.
>
> One nice thing is that it should really lower the heat in my home office.
> Net is one fewer machine, but as important is that a lot of small hard
> drives are getting consolidated into larger hard drives.
>
> Don't know why I felt the need to post. Perhaps I am learning from others
> and will share something interesting every day
>
> Tom
>
>
>

That's a pretty good deal, given the 19" Display, but it is the bottom of
the line processor. The E6600 is dramatically faster.


"Kenneth J. Harris" <> wrote in message
news:7vQnh.209$...
>I got this insert from Dell in my local newspaper on Thursday:
>
> Dimension 9200 Desktop
> Price $689 ($779 after $90 discount)
> Pentium D 915 w/dual core technology
> XP Home
> 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
> 16x DVD ROM
> 80 GB Hard Drive
> 256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE
> 1 year econonmy service plan
> Dell E197FP 19" flat panel display
> Free 3-5 day shipping.
>
> Ken
>
> Tom Scales wrote:
>> I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550
>> recording servers. Initially I was looking at an XPS700 from the outlet
>> to combine them into a single server. Then I thought about the fact that
>> it would be a single point of failure. One XP lockup and all recordings
>> stop.
>>
>> I looked at XPS 400 and 410, plus the matching business variation, but
>> there were no real savings from new.
>>
>> One of my challenges is that I REALLY use Remote Desktop. It is not in
>> Vista Home Premium (a huge problem for many sophisticated home users).
>> It's not worth buying Ultimate to get it. Then I realized I don't use
>> any of the MCE functions anyway.
>>
>> So Vista Business is a better choice for me.
>>
>> I configured two nice Dimension 9200 models. 250Gb drives, 1Gb Ram, XP
>> Pro (with Vista Business upgrades). Went with the E6600 since that is
>> the lowest processor with 4Mb cache (pretty darn fast). With the current
>> promotion, they came in at about $875 including free shipping.
>>
>> Considering a similar outlet XPS700 is in the $1600-1700 range, I got two
>> machines, brand-new, with Vista upgrades, for about the same price.
>>
>> I'll put decent drives in the three machines I am retiring and sell them
>> on Craiglist or Ebay. Two Dimension 4550s (2.4, 160Gb drives, 512-1gb,
>> XP Pro) and one Dimension 2400 (2.8, 200Gb, 1Gb, XP Home.
>>
>> I have to say, that little Dimension 2400 has really given me great bang
>> for the buck. It has run 24/7 for three years and hasn't ever had any
>> problems. It's still running its original 80Gb drive. I paid $349 for it
>> shipped. Say what you want about the limitations of the entry level
>> machines, but when used for the right purpose, they're pretty darn good
>> machines. The Dimension 4550 models were more money, but have also been
>> pretty amazing, given that they are almost 5 years old. The only
>> problems I've ever had with them were failed Maxtor hard drives. The
>> Dimensions have held up to four hard drives, running hard 24/7 and stood
>> up well.
>>
>> One nice thing is that it should really lower the heat in my home office.
>> Net is one fewer machine, but as important is that a lot of small hard
>> drives are getting consolidated into larger hard drives.
>>
>> Don't know why I felt the need to post. Perhaps I am learning from
>> others and will share something interesting every day
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>

Or try http://www.techbargains.com/dellcoupons.cfm

Dell SB has the Dimension 9200 Desktop Core 2 Duo 1.86Ghz 512MB/Free 250GB
Serial ATA, DVD, 7.1 Audio, Geforce 7300LE Video, 1yr warranty, XP Home
$549. Free shipping. Exp Soon. Customize it on 9200. Select Core 2 Duo
E6300, Select Monitor: no monitor. Vista upgrade available.

Pat

"Tom Scales" <> wrote in message
news:459fd8fc$0$32632$...
> That's a pretty good deal, given the 19" Display, but it is the bottom of
> the line processor. The E6600 is dramatically faster.
>
>
> "Kenneth J. Harris" <> wrote in message
> news:7vQnh.209$...
>>I got this insert from Dell in my local newspaper on Thursday:
>>
>> Dimension 9200 Desktop
>> Price $689 ($779 after $90 discount)
>> Pentium D 915 w/dual core technology
>> XP Home
>> 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
>> 16x DVD ROM
>> 80 GB Hard Drive
>> 256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE
>> 1 year econonmy service plan
>> Dell E197FP 19" flat panel display
>> Free 3-5 day shipping.
>>
>> Ken
>>
>> Tom Scales wrote:
>>> I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550
>>> recording servers. Initially I was looking at an XPS700 from the outlet
>>> to combine them into a single server. Then I thought about the fact
>>> that it would be a single point of failure. One XP lockup and all
>>> recordings stop.
>>>
>>> I looked at XPS 400 and 410, plus the matching business variation, but
>>> there were no real savings from new.
>>>
>>> One of my challenges is that I REALLY use Remote Desktop. It is not in
>>> Vista Home Premium (a huge problem for many sophisticated home users).
>>> It's not worth buying Ultimate to get it. Then I realized I don't use
>>> any of the MCE functions anyway.
>>>
>>> So Vista Business is a better choice for me.
>>>
>>> I configured two nice Dimension 9200 models. 250Gb drives, 1Gb Ram, XP
>>> Pro (with Vista Business upgrades). Went with the E6600 since that is
>>> the lowest processor with 4Mb cache (pretty darn fast). With the
>>> current promotion, they came in at about $875 including free shipping.
>>>
>>> Considering a similar outlet XPS700 is in the $1600-1700 range, I got
>>> two machines, brand-new, with Vista upgrades, for about the same price.
>>>
>>> I'll put decent drives in the three machines I am retiring and sell them
>>> on Craiglist or Ebay. Two Dimension 4550s (2.4, 160Gb drives, 512-1gb,
>>> XP Pro) and one Dimension 2400 (2.8, 200Gb, 1Gb, XP Home.
>>>
>>> I have to say, that little Dimension 2400 has really given me great bang
>>> for the buck. It has run 24/7 for three years and hasn't ever had any
>>> problems. It's still running its original 80Gb drive. I paid $349 for
>>> it shipped. Say what you want about the limitations of the entry level
>>> machines, but when used for the right purpose, they're pretty darn good
>>> machines. The Dimension 4550 models were more money, but have also been
>>> pretty amazing, given that they are almost 5 years old. The only
>>> problems I've ever had with them were failed Maxtor hard drives. The
>>> Dimensions have held up to four hard drives, running hard 24/7 and stood
>>> up well.
>>>
>>> One nice thing is that it should really lower the heat in my home
>>> office. Net is one fewer machine, but as important is that a lot of
>>> small hard drives are getting consolidated into larger hard drives.
>>>
>>> Don't know why I felt the need to post. Perhaps I am learning from
>>> others and will share something interesting every day
>>>
>>> Tom
>>>
>>>
>

That's basically the deal I did with an upgrade to the E6600 and XP Pro.


"Pat Conover" <pat conover at comcast dot net> wrote in message
news:. ..
> Or try http://www.techbargains.com/dellcoupons.cfm
>
> Dell SB has the Dimension 9200 Desktop Core 2 Duo 1.86Ghz 512MB/Free 250GB
> Serial ATA, DVD, 7.1 Audio, Geforce 7300LE Video, 1yr warranty, XP Home
> $549. Free shipping. Exp Soon. Customize it on 9200. Select Core 2 Duo
> E6300, Select Monitor: no monitor. Vista upgrade available.
>
> Pat
>
> "Tom Scales" <> wrote in message
> news:459fd8fc$0$32632$...
>> That's a pretty good deal, given the 19" Display, but it is the bottom of
>> the line processor. The E6600 is dramatically faster.
>>
>>
>> "Kenneth J. Harris" <> wrote in message
>> news:7vQnh.209$...
>>>I got this insert from Dell in my local newspaper on Thursday:
>>>
>>> Dimension 9200 Desktop
>>> Price $689 ($779 after $90 discount)
>>> Pentium D 915 w/dual core technology
>>> XP Home
>>> 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
>>> 16x DVD ROM
>>> 80 GB Hard Drive
>>> 256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE
>>> 1 year econonmy service plan
>>> Dell E197FP 19" flat panel display
>>> Free 3-5 day shipping.
>>>
>>> Ken
>>>
>>> Tom Scales wrote:
>>>> I finally decided it was time to upgrade my aging Dimension 4550
>>>> recording servers. Initially I was looking at an XPS700 from the
>>>> outlet to combine them into a single server. Then I thought about the
>>>> fact that it would be a single point of failure. One XP lockup and all
>>>> recordings stop.
>>>>
>>>> I looked at XPS 400 and 410, plus the matching business variation, but
>>>> there were no real savings from new.
>>>>
>>>> One of my challenges is that I REALLY use Remote Desktop. It is not in
>>>> Vista Home Premium (a huge problem for many sophisticated home users).
>>>> It's not worth buying Ultimate to get it. Then I realized I don't use
>>>> any of the MCE functions anyway.
>>>>
>>>> So Vista Business is a better choice for me.
>>>>
>>>> I configured two nice Dimension 9200 models. 250Gb drives, 1Gb Ram, XP
>>>> Pro (with Vista Business upgrades). Went with the E6600 since that is
>>>> the lowest processor with 4Mb cache (pretty darn fast). With the
>>>> current promotion, they came in at about $875 including free shipping.
>>>>
>>>> Considering a similar outlet XPS700 is in the $1600-1700 range, I got
>>>> two machines, brand-new, with Vista upgrades, for about the same price.
>>>>
>>>> I'll put decent drives in the three machines I am retiring and sell
>>>> them on Craiglist or Ebay. Two Dimension 4550s (2.4, 160Gb drives,
>>>> 512-1gb, XP Pro) and one Dimension 2400 (2.8, 200Gb, 1Gb, XP Home.
>>>>
>>>> I have to say, that little Dimension 2400 has really given me great
>>>> bang for the buck. It has run 24/7 for three years and hasn't ever had
>>>> any problems. It's still running its original 80Gb drive. I paid $349
>>>> for it shipped. Say what you want about the limitations of the entry
>>>> level machines, but when used for the right purpose, they're pretty
>>>> darn good machines. The Dimension 4550 models were more money, but
>>>> have also been pretty amazing, given that they are almost 5 years old.
>>>> The only problems I've ever had with them were failed Maxtor hard
>>>> drives. The Dimensions have held up to four hard drives, running hard
>>>> 24/7 and stood up well.
>>>>
>>>> One nice thing is that it should really lower the heat in my home
>>>> office. Net is one fewer machine, but as important is that a lot of
>>>> small hard drives are getting consolidated into larger hard drives.
>>>>
>>>> Don't know why I felt the need to post. Perhaps I am learning from
>>>> others and will share something interesting every day
>>>>
>>>> Tom
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>
>