Lidl PC

biglugs

DivX Codec

Is that the one you can download from the Interweb for free?

Sorry but I don't think anyone should pay £700 for a PC which doesn't even appear to include a graphics card, the TV card is analogue not digital, it has DDR400 memory (not even DDR2), and since when has a 7200RPM hard drive been classed as "Ultra-fast" even if it does have 8MB of cache.
Overall this is an unbalanced machine - AMD processors are meant to be better for gaming but there is no graphics card, it has Dolby 7.1 sound output but no speakers, and just to prove how up-to-date it is it includes a 56K modem.
Personally I think you'd be better off buying the £349 Dell Dimension 5150 from BT and then if you want the fripperies get yourself a wireless keyboard and mouse and TV card with the £350 change you'd have and then spend the £300 remainder on a big armchair, beer fridge and beer for the World Cup.
Link is: http://www.shop.bt.com/invt/cae174

Or you could get a Dell Dimension 9150 which won the Computer Buyer magazine Best Future Proof £599 PC review in this month's issue. You get a 2.8GHZ P4, 1GB DDR2 533 memory, 160GB SATA, 16x DVDRW, 13-in-1 memory card reader, 256MB 7900GS graphics card, 17" TFT monitor, A525 speakers with subwoofer, all for less than £600. With the £100 saving you could buy a wireless keyboard and mouse, and you have a TFT monitor into the bargain.
Dell evalue code is d-d05915r, or this link
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?cs=ukdhs1&kc=d&oc=D05915r&x=8&y=11&fb=1&c=uk&l=en
This is what Computer Buyer has to say about it

The Dell Dimension 9150 is one of the best value PCs we have ever seen in Computer Buyer. Its specification and build-quality are such that it would have severely challenged the PCs in our £799 dual-core group test a couple of months ago, but at £599 it offers a truly mind-boggling level of performance.

Patr100

biglugs wrote:

Sorry but I don't think anyone should pay £700 for a PC which doesn't even appear to include a graphics card, the TV card is analogue not digital, it has DDR400 memory (not even DDR2), and since when has a 7200RPM hard drive been classed as "Ultra-fast" even if it does have 8MB of cache.
Overall this is an unbalanced machine - AMD processors are meant to be better for gaming but there is no graphics card,

No Graphics card? Really?

Gigabyte nVidia® Geforce 6600 GT with Silent Pipe.
128 MB, Direct X9, Double Monitoring, PCI Express, Analog Out and DVI-I out,

And from this earlier review at the higher price it has a digital Tv tuner.

http://www.vnunet.com/computeractive/hardware/2143558/targa-ultra-an64-3700

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lowedb

It's quite similar in spec to one I bought from Lidl almost a year ago. I checked the component prices for the mainboard graphics card, hybrid tuner, memory, discs etc, and couldn't have bought the components for the price at that time. And on top of that was a good size bundle of software. And that was comparing all bits to the big discount online component suppliers, I could pick it up instore, and have a three year warranty. Furthermore the support has been way better than I've received on some Sony gear I bought recently.

Based on my machine: good spec, good value if you need what it has (I did) and reasonable support.

biglugs

No Graphics card? Really?

Apologies but I couldn't see that on the spec following the link in this thread. Is there more information on the Lidl website that I didn't see? I followed the link above and can't find any other buttons on the site to get further details, which implied to me that what you see is what you get.

Patr100

deanos wrote:

It does come with software >

Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 OEM Version
Microsoft® Works Suite 2005, Cyberlink Power Director , NERO 6 OEM-Suite, Nero SIPPs, Cyberlink Power Cinema4, Camgoo games suite, eTrust Antivirus, DivX Codec

Full spec if anybody is intrested>
http://www.targa.co.uk/cms/targa_2_459.php?produkt_id=406

I really wish people wouldn't criticise without actually reading the entire thread properly and checking the facts! And I suspect the reference to "Ultra fast" disk refers to this in the earlier review I posted:

There are also two 200Gb hard disks inside the case, which use the latest SATA connection to shift data much faster, thus speeding up the overall performance of the computer.

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biglugs

Patr100
Have I missed something in this thread? People appear to be quoting information about this PC none of which appears on the Lidl website, and you are quoting from a review which appeared in a PC magazine over 6 months ago.
According to the Lidl website there is no mention of a graphics card, the Targa website says there is a Gigabyte 6600GT silentpipe and the Computeractive website says it is a cut-down Targa version (and there is a big difference becaue I have the Gigabyte one in my PC).
The Lidl website says this comes with a 300GB HDD but no mention of SATA, whereas Computeractive and Targa says it has TWO 200GB disks making this 400GB not 300GB.
The Targa website says their PC comes with stereo speakers, bluetooth USB stick and webcam, whereas the Lidl one doesn't appear to have any of these.
Which leads me to wonder if the machine being sold instore is the current model, or whether Lidl has acquired a stock of older machines with a different spec to the one Targa say they make now.
PC manufacturers are notorious for changing specifications of machines at the drop of a hat and when I buy a piece of kit I tend to go by what the retailer says is in it, so all of my comments related to what Lidl were saying about this machine.

lowedb

I bought the 3400+ from Lidl, back in March. I can't remember what Lidl specified, but I remember there was more in the box than they had said, including all the stuff like bluetooth and Wlan dongles. I don't remember it saying about SATA discs, but it was. All in all it was exactly as it said on the Targa website for the model number as I bought it. The graphics card is listed as a 6645, to which I can find no reference, but all the info on the machine says it is a 6600. The only real difference between this machine and mine seems to be the faster processor, and a different remote control, plus the software package seems different.

biglugs

Well dazza I think you've summed up this pc offering much better and more succinctly than the rest of us put together, only we were too polite to put it like that

biglugs

Either way, I never thought that a post allerting people to a possible bargain could cause such arguments!

But it is a laugh though:D

T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.

Gone? Looks like it is available almost anywhere but South Wales for £100 cheaper from Thursday 8th June!!! Looks like exactly the same deal - I should know I bought one (for 699 not 599 - in South Wales)

http://www.lidl.co.uk/gb/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20060608.p.TARGA_Ultra_3700_PC