Is a Dell Really Cheaper Than an Apple Computer?
Posted on 16. Jul, 2009 by John in Technology
Jordan talked about whether or not a Mac computer is that much more expensive in his post http://www.jordandelozier.com/2009/07/is-a-mac-really-that-much-more-expensive/ So, I’m complimenting his post with whether or not a Dell desktop is really cheaper. This is comparing low-end desktops, not laptops. I’ll be comparing laptops in a later post.
Please note that I tried to get the two computers as close as I could.
I’ve highlighted POSITIVE THINGS about each in blue and NEGATIVE THINGS in red.
Neither one has a monitor.The Dell comes with a keyboard and mouse, the Mac does not.
Dell Vostro 420 Tower
$899
Processor:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7400 (2.8GHz, 3M, L2Cache, 1066FSB)
Operating System:
Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate
Primary Hard Drive:
160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Memory:
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz – 4DIMMs… a possible bottleneck (see my notes below)
Optical Drive:
Single Drive: 16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive
Video Card:
256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 -supports DVI,HDMI,VGA Connections
Network Interface:
Integrated PCIe Gb NIC Ethernet
Modem and Wireless:
Dell 1505 Wireless-N Network PCIe Card
Dell 1505 Wireless-N Network PCIe Card
Apple Mac Mini
$749.00
Processor 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
System bus 1066MHz
Memory 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x2GB
Hard drive 120GB Serial ATA4; 5400 rpm
Optical drive Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 128MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory2
Ports One FireWire 800 port (8 watts); five USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps); mini-DVI output; VGA output (using optional adapter); Mini DisplayPort
Wireless Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11n)3; built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
Networking Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit)
The difference?
$150
Notes on the possible RAM speed bottleneck issue:
The slower RAM speed is a possible bottleneck which (if true) partially negates the “speed” difference of the processors. Watch these videos about Processors and buses and you’ll begin to understand better. http://www.professormesser.com/2008/04/20/introduction-to-cpus/ and http://www.professormesser.com/2008/04/20/introduction-to-cpus/
You can also read the following article which talks about this particular issue in greater detail (though it doesn’t go far enough for me), so I’m not completely sure I understand this possible bottleneck… http://www.directron.com/fsbguide.html
Posted via email from UnseenBattle.net on posterous
johncolumbo
16. Jul, 2009
Please note that I started at the cheapest Mac I would feel comfortable suggesting a friend purchase. In other words, the cheapest possible Mac I would purchase. You can go cheaper from Dell, but then we wouldn't be comparing Apples to Apples (no pun intended).
So I suppose this post is biased (if you consider the title) since you can get a "cheaper" computer from Dell. However I wouldn't suggest buying anything cheaper from Dell so that is why I used the "my suggested cheapest from Apple" baseline.
You can actually go as low as $599 (that is with 1GB RAM) for the Mac Mini and as low as $693 for the Dell I listed above if you knock the RAM down to 1GB.
Bottom line is that if you are looking for a very usable computer with some longevity you are better off going with the Mac. In my opinion you are not going to get the same longevity and pleasant experience out of the Dell. And if you are looking to go cheaper than what is mentioned above you will get what you pay for and longevity and pleasant experience will not be a part of that equation. Mind you with educational and other rebates you may be able to get these prices down a bit.
Anyone have any comparisons from other companies like HP, Sony… etc?
johncolumbo
16. Jul, 2009
yup Alan, that's an upcoming post.
Alan
16. Jul, 2009
Next, let's look at laptop comparisons….that's where I want a mac!