Good value computer at Asda!!

CAT-THE-FIFTH

This maybe not as good a deal as you can get at Dell but at least you can pick one in store instead of waiting to have it delivered!!

The machine is an E-machines E3021 and it costs £399

The specs are as follows:

Specifications
CPU: AMD Sempron™ 3100+ Processor1
(256KB L2 cache, 1.80GHz, 1600MHz FSB)
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition (SP2)2
Monitor: 17" LCD
Chipset: NVIDIA® GeForce® 6100 chipset
Memory: 256MB DDR (1 x 256MB), 400MHz (PC3200)
Expandable to 2GB
Hard Drive: 100GB (7200 rpm, 2MB cache)2
Optical Drives: DVD±RW, 16x multiformat dual-layer (up to 8.5GB with dual-layer media)
Write max: 16x DVD±R, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 4x DVD+R, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW
Read max: 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-ROM disks
Media Reader: 8-in-1 digital media manager (Secure Digital™, Smart Media, Micro Drive, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO®, Compact Flash®, MultimediaCard™, USB 2.0)
Video: NVIDIA GeForce® 6100 GPU
Up to 128MB of shared video memory
PCI-Express (PCI-E x16) slot available for upgrade
Sound: 6-channel (5.1) AC'97
Network: 10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
Modem: 56K ITU V.92 ready fax/modem (RJ-11 port)
Peripherals: Premium multimedia keyboard, 2-button wheel mouse
Ports/Other: 5 USB 2.0 ports (1 in media reader, 4 in rear), VGA external connector, parallel port, 2 PS/2 (keyboard and mouse), 5 audio ports (2 in front, 3 in rear)
Dimensions: 362mm (H) x 184mm (W) x 406mm (D)
Weight: 10.2 kg (PC only)
Software: Windows Media Player 10, CyberLink® PowerDVD, Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google toolbar, McAfee® Internet Security Suite™ (90-day complimentary trial)4, BigFix® - identifies and resolves problems that affect the system before they occur4

It needs a bit more memory,perhaps,another 256mb at least but even 512mb DIMMS are only around £20-£30 nowadays.

The shared graphics card is perhaps one of the best currently available and is a Directx9 compliant part.

It beats the socks off the GMA900 and GMA950 found in Dell budget offerings!

scottgreenwood

This aint worth. Keep eye on dell 5150 deals at http://www.outletbargains.co.uk/ as these are much better spec

JimArnold

doesn't seem cheap + I wouldn't even consider less than 512 Mb Ram - I know its cheap to upgrade but it suggest makers are really cutting corners

davet_3

What's outlet bargains? You have to register before you can see the site so wondered what it is and whether it's worth registering?

scottgreenwood wrote:

This aint worth. Keep eye on dell 5150 deals at http://www.outletbargains.co.uk/ as these are much better spec

CAT-THE-FIFTH

Again- as I stated - it is cheap considering that you can ACTUALLY buy the item from a shop and NOT have to wait for the computer to be delivered.

As a home use computer it is more than enough if add some extra memory!

bartman

I had spotted this one, and I thought it looked reasonable enough allowing for a cheap memory upgrade. I know my father in law is looking for one, and as he gets a discount (only 10% though I think), I thought this would be a good buy.

I had in mind that at least there was a slot available for a Graphics Card upgrade, which as far as I know you don't get on the cheap-end Dells. I'm very interested to see what those who know what they're talking about (as opposed to me!) think about it!

What do they have on offer elsewhere which is better?

CAT-THE-FIFTH

If you want to buy online you can get better deals like the ones DELL have for example

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?null_errmsg=Please%20enter%20the%20entire%20E-value%20code&space_errmsg=The%20E-value%20code%20may%20not%20contain%20spaces&cs=ukdhs1&c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&kc=UKDHSONL&oc=D05915r&x=12&y=11

and

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?null_errmsg=Please%20enter%20the%20entire%20E-value%20code&space_errmsg=The%20E-value%20code%20may%20not%20contain%20spaces&cs=ukdhs1&c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&kc=UKDHSONL&oc=D05116&x=12&y=11

Also there were some good offers on the BT website too.

However if your relative can get this computer for 10% less which makes it 370 quid and you get 512mb DIMM for around 20-30 quid it is a good deal.

I know that the manufacturer(E-Machines) is a budget one but I think it is a good computer at a decent price if you do not want to BUY ONLINE.

CAT-THE-FIFTH

The Sempron 3100 is also a decently powerful processor and is much more powerful than the celerons it competes with.Here is a review:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/sempron-3100-oc.html

The Nvida 6100 integrated graphics are also decent for what they are:

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2539http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2539

Again the GMA900 and GMA950 cannot really compete

I think the only issue is to find out how powerful the PSU is as adding a graphics card will mean additional power and also you will need to know if the slot is not impaired by any other things in the case.

It is probably also a microATX motherboard being used but I cannot be certain about this!!

bartman

Thanks Cat. My first ever PC was from Dell, and although it was ok to begin with, I soon realised it had severe limitations in that it had onboard graphics with no AGP slot for upgrade. So I'm a little wary about recommendind anybody else to go there. I've had a look at the link to the 9150, which appears to be excellent, but there again it's £200 more than the Emachines. The budget 1100 makes no mention of a graphics card upgrade as far as I can see, so I assume that there is no slot available.
I assume that the Dells sold by BT & others are superseded models? I don't have a problem with that, though, so I'll certainly have a look.

TheShadow_2

The Asda Pc is a very good deal if you can get your hands on one.
I phoned round 4 Asda stores to et on for my big sis , then used the girlfreinds mothers Staff discount card to get further 10% off. now thats real moneysaving :-)

Wilbur_3

Although being £130 more than the Asda PC, the Dell 5150 looks about the best on offer at the moment....
Dimension 5150 2.8GHz Dual Core Processor, 2048 DDR2 RAM, 160Gb Hard drive with 17" TFT monitor + Free Dell 725 Printer for £529.
Find it at:
http://www.hotukdeals.com/Article4559.phtml

But I'm in total agreement with CAT-THE-FIFTH...........

CAT-THE-FIFTH wrote:

This maybe not as good a deal as you can get at Dell but at least you can pick one in store instead of waiting to have it delivered!! [END QUOTE]

And Bt Shop Clearance dept is also well worth a visit but be quick on the offers they dont seem to be available for long (£19.99 delivery charge to add on PC offer prices)

http://www.shop.bt.com/icat/clearance