[Gllug] Budget desktops

[Matthew Smith]

Andrew Farnsworth wrote:
> I would just go for a Dell since it is in your budget.  Brand new 
> shipped and VAT incld for 280.  Comes with a 1 year on site warranty.  
> Or check the Dell Outlet for better deals but same warranty.  Also check 
> HP.  These machines will run right at the 250ish mark since they come 
> with the Microsoft Tax... err Vista.  Doesn't mean you can't stick Linux 
> on them or even dual boot them, but they come with a Vista license.  Not 
> bad if you every want to give it away or sell it.  The main thing you 
> get if you buy from the outlet is more RAM and a "higher" version of 
> vista (i.e. business or Ultimate rather than basic).  Also, Dell doesn't 
> give a rebate for not getting mouse and keyboard so you will get nice 
> shiny new K&M.

Be careful with low-end Dells - I bought an Inspiron 530 mini-tower in 
January and the Foxconn motherboard has various compatibility problems 
with Linux; in particular, the wired network doesn't work consistently. 
  I have often found that it doesn't always connect to my router, and I 
have to disable and re-install the kernel module to get it to work (and 
sometimes even reboot the machine).  It then doesn't give any other 
problems, but I wouldn't recommend it to a newbie.

Matt

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