Selling Computers and the failure of Capitalisim.

[nichomach]

Something I've found with the recent Dell Latitudes is that the Control Point bundle is an absolute hog when it comes to resources; same for the Embassy Trust Suite.

[Zhaoman]

I see your point, but 500GB *will* be faster than 128GB (either due to data on a lightly used drive being located on the faster parts of the disk, or by the 500GB drive being constructed using more modern technology). 1GB VRAM clearly is better than 256MB for some games these days.

I'm still using a 500GB drive and have about 30GB left. There's a few TV programmes on there and a number of apps. Games eat space these days, and as soon as you start playing with virtual machines more resources are suddenly much in demand..

What I struggle to understand are people that upgrade when their system is already fast enough for their needs. I've only ever done that when I think it's time to max out a system before components go out of stock or become too expensive.

PK

I was more alluding to 500Gb quintuple platter 5400rpm vs 128Gb Intel SSD ("500Gb cheaper than 128Gb? bargain!!"), and 1Gb GeForce 8200 vs 256Mb Geforce 9600 ("ZOMG 1Gb cheaper than 256Mb!?")...

You didn't actually think I was saying 256Mb > 1Gb when you were dissecting my post did you

[Lucio]

I'd argue that capitalism IS working with regards to PC's, in fact, it's mostly the reason why you find all the crap pre-installed because it's how the companys increase their dangerously narrow profit margins to something more sensible.

I'd also argue that there's a niche market out there waiting to be filled by someone who can deliver machines configured with absolute bare-bones at a good price ready for adding quickly to a corporate network.

[nichomach]

I'd also argue that there's a niche market out there waiting to be filled by someone who can deliver machines configured with absolute bare-bones at a good price ready for adding quickly to a corporate network.

*Sticks hand up* Erm...it's not a niche. Talk to Dell's corporate people, or to the corporate team at places like Insight, and they will assist with putting together a standard image which they will bung onto whatever brand machine you go for (in the case of Insight or other resellers). It actually works well for them, because if they are already set up to provide your standard image, they're more or less guaranteed repeat business.

[TooNice]

I was more alluding to 500Gb quintuple platter 5400rpm vs 128Gb Intel SSD ("500Gb cheaper than 128Gb? bargain!!")

Intel makes SSD with 128GB capacity? Well, doesn't matter. Given the current price premium of a decent SSD, yes, I do think that a 500GB mechanical drive is a bargain compared to a 128GB SSD.

The less computer literate friends that I have tend not to reformat their machines very often. Actually, short of something going wrong, the machine will probably never be reformatted (especially since it's probably going to be someone else doing it for them) for the useful lifespan of the machine (3-4 years).

Still, at least some, if not most of them know how to hook a digital camera to their PC. Given that most point and shoot cameras these days shoots at massive megapixels by default I doubt that 80GB (or even 128GB) is enough throughout the useful lifespan of the machine on average. Plus, one does not need a degree in computing to figure out how to copy films from an USB hard drive (illegal in most cases, but many don't care, irrespective of their computing literacy).

[Transmitthis]

It is a shame that company's get paid to install all the bloatware in new machines.
New users will have such a better time if they were clean systems, or indeed installed with decent open source free software.

What's even more annoying is that the restore disk or partition still has all of the bloatware too. They could have left that clean and just the os.

[Perfectionist]

more slow moving parts than a girls only boarding school

??? A couple of my female friends call em the lesbian factories