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by Charles Gaba
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Visit Charle Gaba's new System Shootout site for the latest shootouts!
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Dell Dimension 8300
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Design/ Styling:
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"Lamp"-style / White
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Black Tower
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Mobility:
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All-in-one design; 23 lbs. total
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appx. 43 lbs. w/ tower, flat-panel LCD, & speakers
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Component Access?
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Quick access to memory & wireless cards
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thumb-screws; relatively easy component access
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Cords/Cables:
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5 cables/cords
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appx. 10 cables/cords (Tower, Display, Web, Speakers, Keyboard, Mouse, Microphone)
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Desk Space Used:
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88 sq. inches
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appx. 250 sq. inches including tower, LCD & speakers
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Noise Volume:
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Ultraquiet Fan
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Loud (full-size cooling fans)
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Energy Use:
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130 Watts total; appx. $24 / year
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appx. 300 watts total; ; appx. $50/year
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Processor:
Rating Notes |
 1.8 GHz Pentium 4 |
3.0 GHz Pentium 4
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L1 Cache:
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64k
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8k
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L2 Cache:
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256K
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512K
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RAM Type:
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DDR PC2700
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DDR PC3200
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Front Side Bus:
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167 MHz bus
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800 MHz bus
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RAM Amount:
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256 MB (1 DIMM)
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1.0 GB (2 DIMM)
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Max. RAM:
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1.0 GB (2 slots)
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2.0 GB (4 slots)
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Hard Drive Capacity:
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80 GB
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Hard Drive Type:
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Ultra ATA 100
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Ultra ATA 100
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Hard Drive Speed:
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7200 RPM
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7200 RPM
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CD-ROM:
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32x CD
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40x CD
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CD-RW:
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16x8x CD-RW
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32x16x CD-RW
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DVD-ROM:
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8x DVD-ROM
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16x DVD-ROM
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DVD-/+RW:
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4x2x DVD-RW
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8x4x DVD+RW
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Floppy/Other Drive:
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--
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--
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PCI/AGP Slots:
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0 available / 1 total
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1 / 5
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Internal Bays:
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0 available / 1 total
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1 / 2
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External Bays:
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0 available / 1 total
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2 / 4
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Mouse:
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USB Optical
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USB Optical 2-button scroll
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USB Ports:
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3 on CPU back + 2 on keyboard = 5 total
3 USB 2.0 available |
6 on CPU back + 2 on front = 8 total
7 USB 2.0 available |
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FireWire Ports:
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2 @ 400 Mbps
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3 @ 400 Mbps via PCI
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Legacy Ports:
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Legacy-free
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1 Ser, 1 Par, 1 PS/2
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Video Card:
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NVIDIA GeForce FX5200
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NVIDIA GeForce FX5200
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Video RAM:
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64 MB DDR
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128 MB DDR
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VGA Out:
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Yes
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Yes
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DVI/ADC Out:
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--
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DVI
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RCA-Out:
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yes, via optional adapter
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Yes
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S-Video Out:
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yes, via optional adapter
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--
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Dual Display Support?
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Yes, mirroring
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Yes
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Display:
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17" view. digital widescreen LCD
180° swing arm |
17" viewable LCD
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Native Resolution:
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1440x900
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1280x1024
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Audio In:
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Built-in microphone; Line-in jack
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Line in jack / Microphone jack
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Audio Out:
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Headphone jack/line-out; Digital-audio ready
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SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 audio card
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Speakers:
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Harman Kardon Pro Speakers
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Dell A425 speakers w/Subwoofer
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Ethernet:
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10/100
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56k Modem?
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Yes
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Wi-Fi Card?
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optional 802.11g (54 Mbps)
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optional 802.11b (11 Mbps)
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Bluetooth Card?
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optional
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optional
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Hardware Extras:
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Epson Stylus C84 Printer (free after rebate)
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--
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Included OS:
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Mac OS X 10.3 Panther; Mac OS 9.2;
BSD Unix; Apache Web Server |
Windows XP Home Edition
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Windows Support:
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DOS/95/98/ME/2000/XP (via Virtual PC)
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DOS/95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP (Native)
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Mac Support:
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Mac OS 9 (Classic Environment),
Mac OS X (Native) |
Mac OS 8 only (via emulation)
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Linux Support:
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Various flavors (Native)
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Unix Support:
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Various flavors (Native)
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Java 2 Support:
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Native
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(must be downloaded)
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Save-as PDF:
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Native (any file)
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(requires 3rd-party app.)
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Handwriting Recognition:
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system-wide (Inkwell)
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--
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Word Processor:
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AppleWorks 6.2 (Word compatible)
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WordPerfect 11 (Word compatible)
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Spreadsheet:
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AppleWorks 6.2 (Excel compatible)
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Quattro Pro 11 (Excel compatible)
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Presentation:
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AppleWorks 6.2
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Presentations 11 (PowerPoint compatible)
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Database:
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AppleWorks 6.2
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--
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Drawing/Painting:
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AppleWorks 6.2
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--
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Projects/Planning:
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--
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--
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Web Browser
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Safari 1.2; IE 5.2; Sherlock 3.0
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IE 6
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E-Mail/PIM/ Address Book:
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OS X Mail/Address Book; iCal, iSync, iChat AV
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Outlook Express; Corel Address Book
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Media Players:
*free download |
QuickTime 6; Media Player 9.0*
RealOne Player 9.0 *; DVD Player |
QuickTime 6*; Media Player 8
RealOne; DVD Player |
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Financial:
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Quicken 2004 Deluxe
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Money 2003; TurboTax Basic
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Reference:
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World Book OS X
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--
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Digital Photography:
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iPhoto 4.0
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Paint Shop Pro, Photo Album Premium
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Digital Video Editing:
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iMovie 4.0
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MyDVD Deluxe
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CD Burning/ Music:
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iTunes 3, Disc Burner, Sound Studio
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MusicMatch 6.0; RecordNow! Deluxe
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Audio Engineering:
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GarageBand 1.0; Sound Studio
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--
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DVD Burning/ Authoring:
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iDVD 4.0; Disc Burner
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MyDVD Deluxe
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Games Included:
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Chess; Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4; Deimos Rising
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Mine Sweeper, Asstd. classic games
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Additional Software:
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Asstd. system software
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Free Services:
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1 month Earthlink; 2 month free .Mac trial
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6 months Earthlink
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Virus/Security Issues:
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No known viruses effect Mac OS X.
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Firewall:
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Built-in
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Warranty:
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1 yr. ltd./mail-in; 90 days phone
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1 yr. ltd./at-home; 1 yr. phone
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Customer Service:
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Subotal:
(includes rebates) |
$1,898
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$1,865
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- Rebates:
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- $99 printer rebate
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- $150 system rebate
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+ Ground Shipping:
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No Charge
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+ $100
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Total Price
as configured: (tax not included) |
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$1,815
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The information above is as accurate as I could make it based on a reasonable time studying the respective companies' Web sites. There is no guarantee that these configurations, prices, and features are the best that one could come up with; assorted bundles, free internet access, free extra memory, and so on can most likely be found for any of the above systems. The point of this chart is to demonstrate that Apple's lineup holds its own against any brand-name computer, even in areas in which it has traditionally had resistance. In short, do not base your purchasing decisions solely on this chart or information. Neither I, nor The Mac Observer will be held responsible or liable for any purchase decisions you make based on this presentation. Charles Gaba started the AAPLTalk System Shootouts at AAPLTalk.com, and has brought them to TMO. Charles is the creative talent behind Brainwrap Web Design. AAPLTalk System Shootouts Archives Back to The Mac Observer For More Mac News! |
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