Dell PC + Monitor

One of my friend wants to buy a desktop. The only requirement is something that's good enough for Office Applications, Internet surfing and a good monitor. No gaming whatsoever, and I don't even think she would watch movies on it (will double check).

Which means that any as far as the core components go, even the most basic Inspiron will get the job done. The budget is flexible, but I guess it makes no sense to go high end given the requirements. So that leaves the monitor. And it's become clear to me that I know nothing about today's monitors. Are Dell still good? Last time I checked (long time ago), Dell had two ranges of monitor: the UltraSharp and "something else that's not as good". I see that they still make the distinction, although the UltraSharp is still much more expensive (£550 for the 24"). Usually when you buy a PC (at least in the Inspiron range), you only get the choice of the non UltraSharp one. It's not a big deal as one could just buy separately, but I do wonder, is there a big difference between the UltraSharp 2408WFP and the S2409W for non-gaming purpose? And should I consider another option (e.g. a Samsung?).

And while I am at it, how are the various Dell cases? Are they all about the same noise wise?

A little bump with a question. I've read on another thread that the HP LP2475W is the 24" to have, so it's making me wonder if I should suggest an HP desktop.

Does anyone have an opinion regarding HP vs Dell in terms of customer service? I would expect desktops to work equally well for Office/web, but since I've never bought/used HP, I have no idea how their customer service compares.

I bought a Dell vostro 200 c2d system last year and it's OK for the basic usage but it's was definately built down to the low price I paid. Not a single free power connector from the PSU which seems ridiculous. Fans are not especially quiet. CPU cooler is a stock intel cooler and again not particularly quiet. BIOS settings are basic. There are no hard drive cages. The hard drive you do get is bolted to the side of the case in a way that will maximize the vibration transmitted to the case. As a company Dell price gouge on every single upgrade option. You pay far far more than the difference in price when you start to configure a system. You should only every buy the system without changing anything except maybe the monitor.

The motherboard is foxconn and it had 4 RAM slots with only 2 populated so I can upgrade the RAM quite easily. The PSU is rated 300W. A graphics card upgrade would need to be powered by the PCI-e slot max 75W.

Personally I've only ever dealt with HP & found their reliability and customer service exemplary, as with Lenovo.

I must say, website wise, the Dell is a lot better. HP doesn't seem to say what graphic card comes with their desktops, only how much graphics memory is there. I didn't know that some of them still do that. While it is irrelevant for a non-gamer, it still gives me a fuller picture of the value for money.

And for the life of me, I can't find the page where you can customise things a little, for instance the bundled software (need full version of Office, not a trial version). Dell also mention about upgrade to Windows 7 though I'll need to read the T&C.

As it is, I think that I'll have to go Dell after all, and perhaps buy the monitor from HP.

The new Dell G2210 and G2410 monitors are designed for energy and cost savings with features like PowerNap and Dynamic Dimming. Dell LCD flat panel monitors and widescreen flat panel monitors are available in various sizes from 30", 27", 24", 22", 20", 19", 17" and smaller.