computers anyone?
 

Can anyone translate computer jargon below into what it means for someone who wants a computer for quick internet access and personal use (storing papers, e-mail, job hunting, Xcel, etc.)????

Anyone buy through Dell.com and have good/bad experiences?



Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.0GHz with 400MHz system bus/ 512K L2 Cache Qty: 1 Unit Price: 998.00
Memory 256MB DDR SDRAM
Keyboard Dell® Quietkey® Keyboard
Monitors 17 in (16.0 in viewable,.27dp) E772 Monitor
Video Cards 32MB ATI® Rage™ Ultra Graphics Card
Hard Drive 40GB Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive
Floppy Drive 3.5 in Floppy Drive
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Mouse Dell® 2-button scroll mouse
Broadband Ready/ Ethernet Network Card 10/100 PCI Fast Ethernet NIC
Modem 56K PCI Telephony Modem
CD or DVD Drive 24x/10x/40x Max CD-RW Drive with Roxio's Easy CD Creator®
Sound Card Sound Blaster Live! Digital Sound Card
Speakers New Harman Kardon® HK-206 Speakers
Software Bundles Microsoft® Works Suite 2002 w/Money Standard
Virus Protection Norton AntiVirus™ 2002, 90-day introductory offer
Digital Music Dell Jukebox powered by MusicMatch
Digital Photography Dell Picture Studio, Image Expert Standard
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year At-Home Service
Internet Access Service 6 Months of America Online Membership Included
Mail-in Rebate Offer Save $150 with mail-in rebate. Price shown before rebate.
Power Protection Belkin Surgemaster Gold Power
Choose Your Free or Discounted Special Offer FREE! EPSON C42

Sounds like a good machine. I have a similar machine that I ordered from gateway.com.

If you're only going to be web surfing and doing word processing and spreadsheets, you may even be able to get away with a slower processor. If you're going to be doing anything graphics-intensive (scanning and editing images, etc) then keep the processor you have, and consider getting more RAM.

Word of advice: If you're short on space, think about getting a flat screen monitor. They're more expensive, but they take up so much less space!

Just a tip:

-you're most likely going to want to upgrade to the Microsoft Office Suite (from Works) . . . just trust me, Works is a brutal program to work with.

Pay the money, get the real deal.

If you want a good, reliable, easy to use machine that comes preloaded with a ton of software, get an iMac.

Faster than the Dell or the Gateway machines (regardless of what the ads say).

Looks like a solid machine. Like KSig RC said, make sure you select the upgrade to Microsoft Office.