Buying a desktop for my son to take to college

[BarbyQ]

I am trying to put together a Dimension 2400 for my son.
But there are some options that Dell doesn't explain.
Dell recommends Microsoft Windows XP Professional over
Home for a student. Does anyone know why, because it is
more expensive?

Also, they list 3 different upgrades for dual CD or DVD
drives at quite varying prices: l. 16x DVD-ROM Drive +
48x CD-RW Drive; 2. 8x DVD+RW Drive + 48x CD-ROM Drive;
3. 8x DVD+RW Drive + 16x DVD-ROM Drive;
CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE TO ME??? tHEY GO FROM
AN EXTRA $28 UP TO $111. MY SON WANTS TO BURN CD'S!

Also, Norton or McAfee Internet security or Security
Center vs. Norton AntiVirus????

It's all so confusing!!! Of anyone can help me, I would
greatly appreciate it!

 

[R. McCarty]

Windows XP Professional allows for connections to a Domain.
Most colleges Do Not employ domain login, but a quick call to
the College can square that away.

As to CD - The best value & functionality is to get a DVD-CD
-RW combo drive. This allows for watching DVD movies &
burning CD-R's. It's a great thing to have to backing up data
while away at school.

Anti-Virus is a broad category, you'll never get a "Global" answer
as to which is best. However, at College you'll want a Firewall
to protect against common threats. Many college networks will
disconnect a student with Viruses. There are "Free" programs
for Virus/Firewall protection - if you want to save the expense.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

BarbyQ;
Some colleges require computers have the ability to join a domain.
If so (college should be able to give details) Pro is necessary.
There are other features in Pro but college students most likely will
not need them:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/compare.mspx
Some features of Pro such as Encrypted File System are extremely
dangerous to data if incorrectly used.

All 3 options provide burning for CDs.
The last 2 options will also burn DVDs.
I would guess #1 is the cheapest and more than adequate for his needs.
But course of study may dictate otherwise.

I prefer Norton Internet Security because it is a complete security
package in one box.
Whatever you get, be sure it is a full package with annual
subscription instead of just a 30-90 day trial.
You may be able to get this locally cheaper.

Lastly many students neglect their computer until they have problems
the weekend before an important assignment is due.
It is very important to keep all the security tools up to date at
least weekly.

Peer to peer file sharing is a major cause of all sorts of security
problems on any computer.
Best to keep them off any computer with important data.

Also see:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/security.htm

 

[Guest]

There is really no difference to home and pro that a
student is going to need so you can save yourself the
money and go with home. With the cd drives like the prev
person mentioned you probably only need to get option 1 so
he can watch dvd's if he wants and be able to burn cdr's
which you can use to burn music cds. dvd+rw is if you
wanted to allow him to burn movies so if he needs that
then go for it, other wise it is useless. With the
antivirus programs my personal preference is Norton. I
have been using them for the past 5 years or so and have
never gotten a virus. They all are pretty good so it is
pretty much personal preference.

 

[GTS]

Barby,

Most colleges these mandate one and only one antivirus program campus
wide. Increasingly they require that the student NOT have any installed on
arrival and will install their standard when setting up the PC for their
network. They may or may not allow a personal firewall. If permitted they
will usually mandate the one (and only one) to be used and will install and
configure it. By far MOST colleges do run domains today and require XP
Pro. (This permits them better control of the network. With domain
administration they can strictly control user rights.) You definitely
should find out their requirements before making these decisions. It's
probably on the schools web site.

 

[Phil]

If the college makes their users join a domain(and many do), then the op
needs xp pro. They need to check with the college first. If they just buy xp
home, and they need xp pro, they'll be waisting money.

 

[R. McCarty]

I've setup a number of PC's for college students and none have
required XP Professional. However, I'm sure there are colleges
that require it. If so, most will offer XP to the students at a huge
discount. So as an alternate option you can buy the machine w/
Home edition - if Pro is required you'll likely save money by
getting it through the school itself. The price spread should be less
than an OEM or Retail difference between Home and Pro.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

But read the EULA carefully.
Those are often different licenses than retail or OEM.
Often with more restrictions on use.
I would not want the ones I have seen as a permanent installation on
my computer.

 

[D.Currie]

I am trying to put together a Dimension 2400 for my son.
But there are some options that Dell doesn't explain.
Dell recommends Microsoft Windows XP Professional over
Home for a student. Does anyone know why, because it is
more expensive?

Also, they list 3 different upgrades for dual CD or DVD
drives at quite varying prices: l. 16x DVD-ROM Drive +
48x CD-RW Drive; 2. 8x DVD+RW Drive + 48x CD-ROM Drive;
3. 8x DVD+RW Drive + 16x DVD-ROM Drive;
CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE TO ME??? tHEY GO FROM
AN EXTRA $28 UP TO $111. MY SON WANTS TO BURN CD'S!

Also, Norton or McAfee Internet security or Security
Center vs. Norton AntiVirus????

It's all so confusing!!! Of anyone can help me, I would
greatly appreciate it!

Your best bet is to check with the college and see what their requirements
are. One college in this area is requiring that all students have laptops,
and they require very specific models as well. You might also find out if
the college has any purchase plans for computers at the college. If they're
buying in bulk, not only are they getting a great deal on the hardware, but
they're probably also buying academic versions of the required software,
which is a lot cheaper. Or they might have an agreement with a local
computer store that provides the hardware and service for the college. So
you might find that you can get the computer for a lot less than you could
if you bought it yourself.

Even if the college doesn't have specific requirements, they probably have
some guidelines that will help you with your shopping.

 

[Stephen Harris]

I am trying to put together a Dimension 2400 for my son.
But there are some options that Dell doesn't explain.
Dell recommends Microsoft Windows XP Professional over
Home for a student. Does anyone know why, because it is
more expensive?

The more computer literate you are, the more advantage
there is to Pro. If he is going to take computer classes then
get him Pro. I think a more important issue is whether or not
to get him Microsoft Office. He is going to need Word for
his required English classes and papers in other classes. For
just writing papers you can find an alternative like StarOffice,
which will have less support from friends if he needs help.
But if he is going to take a class in Excel or Access then he
needs Office, practically speaking. Outlook has a Video
Email Add-in which will send a video (needs a $49 webcam)
and audio message and its very easy which means it is more
likely to be used by a son then another method with more
steps in the process.

I think you should get him Pro, the memory upgrade - at
least 512 megs of ram and at least a 17 inch monitor.

I also think you should get him a cd reader/writer and
a slower speed is OK because it is better to write them
at less (slower) than their "optimal" speed. Spend the
rest of the money on a combo dvd/vcd player which
hooks up to a TV.

A college education costs thousands of dollars and is
worth 10s or hundreds of thousands of dollar in return.
Spending an extra two hundred now is worth it even if it
improves his experience only 1%. There are a lot of
experiences at college that cannot be predicted. For
instance is your son certain of his major? Most aren't
at this stage. Suppose he wants to take a class in
AutoCad which wants 512 megs of ram. Getting an
upgrade at a later point will cost you twice as much as now.

Suppose he becomes interested in Photography. Doesn't
sound computer related, right? The new prosumer digital
cameras have memory cards of stored pictures. These
should be downloaded nearly immediately to a laptop
and then transferred from the laptop to the desktop. There
is custom software for the transfer but it can also be done
by networking both and that is easier with Pro.

I repaired computers before going to school and getting
a degree in computers. I don't find life or college very
predictable at all. For 90% of the students, the computer
will be the single most valuable tool they possess and I
think it is a big mistake to cut corners for a $100 even
if the chance is remote that the cut corner will cause a
problem in your son getting through college. I think you
should eliminate every potential (even small) problem
that is in within your power to eliminate, particularly
if you think your son may be challenged by college.

Regards,
Stephen

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Unless the college requires Windows XP Pro, there may be no reason for
it.
Windows XP Home and pro are identical in performance and stability.
If the features of Pro already mentioned in my previous post as well
as others do not apply, why should anyone spend the extra dollars and
get Pro?

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/


The more computer literate you are, the more
advantage

 

[Alex Nichol]

Also, they list 3 different upgrades for dual CD or DVD
drives at quite varying prices: l. 16x DVD-ROM Drive +
48x CD-RW Drive; 2. 8x DVD+RW Drive + 48x CD-ROM Drive;
3. 8x DVD+RW Drive + 16x DVD-ROM Drive;
CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE TO ME??? tHEY GO FROM
AN EXTRA $28 UP TO $111. MY SON WANTS TO BURN CD'S!

The '16x' and so on are a matter of speed ratings. Either a CD-RW or a
DVD+RW will read and burn CDs - a DVD one would burn DVDs as well
(which is better for burning backups of a lot of files). So
1. will burn CDs, and read DVDs as well - probably cheapest, and
adequate. Allows copying a CD to a CD
2. In addition allows burning DVD from material on Hard disk
3 In addition to that allows copying a DVD to a DVD - probably not
needed. I can in my setup, and have done it just once, to see if I
could

Also, Norton or McAfee Internet security or Security
Center vs. Norton AntiVirus????

I would say neither. Get a free offer of EZArmor from
www.my-etrust.com/microsoft

 

[Phil]

Good point.

I've setup a number of PC's for college students and none have
required XP Professional. However, I'm sure there are colleges
that require it. If so, most will offer XP to the students at a huge
discount. So as an alternate option you can buy the machine w/
Home edition - if Pro is required you'll likely save money by
getting it through the school itself. The price spread should be less
than an OEM or Retail difference between Home and Pro.