System purchase (Money for Value)

[daviscknox]

I'm looking to purchase a new PC to replace the 6 - 7 year old Dell that I currently own (Precision 8300). I want to buy as much PC as possible without breaking the bank. If I can get a good 5 - 6 years of use out of the new PC I'll be happy. I get an employee discount from HP and am looking to switch from Dell since I've heard they're slipping from a service and quality perspective.

My price range is from $500 - $1,000.

Main uses for the new system:

1. Internet Browsing
2. Spreadsheet use - Mid Level use (not a power user but not novice either)
3. Photo editing (Conversion of RAW files to JPG)
4. Music Library
5. (Possibly some HTPC functionality) But not planned immediately

I love to research specifics but in some cases i'm in way over my head (like with this site). I get caught up in the details like what CPU (i7 vs i5) but don't really understand all of the technical specs behind it.

My wife is obviously looking to cut costs if possible, but I want to ensure I buy something that is going to hold up over time. Here are the three systems that I spec'd out and wanted to throw this out there for you guys to provide some input on.

Any comments on the price of these systems vs. value would be great. I'd also appreciate any input you can provide me about upgrade paths for the options below. I don't dabble much in this area, but wouldn't mind tinkering sometime down the road.

Depending on which system I decide to purchase I'm going to have to create a convincing argument for my wife

Is there another option out there that I should be looking at instead?

Thanks!

---------------------

Option 1

HP Pavilion Elite e9280t PC

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-920 processor [2.66GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]
FREE UPGRADE! 9GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [5 DIMMs] from 8GB
FREE UPGRADE! 750GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 640GB
1GB ATI Radeon HD 4650 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
No TV Tuner
Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
No speakers
HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse

Price: $1,299.99
Discount: -$104.00
EPP Price: $1,195.99
PC instant rebate: –$300.00
Price after rebate: 895

Option 2

HP Pavilion Elite e9270t PC

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-750 processor [2.66GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]
6GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs]
FREE UPGRADE! 750GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 640GB
1GB ATI Radeon HD 4650 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
No TV Tuner
Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
No speakers
HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse


Price: $1,149.99
Discount: -$92.00
EPP Price: $1,057.99
PC instant rebate: –$250.00
Price after rebate: 807.99

Option 3

HP Pavilion p6280t customizable Desktop PC

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad processor Q9505 [2.83GHz, 6MB L2, 1333MHz FSB]
8GB DDR2-800MHz SDRAM [4 DIMMs]
FREE UPGRADE! 640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 500GB
Integrated graphics (Intel(R) Media Accelerator 3100) [VGA]
LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, audio
No TV Tuner
Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
No speakers
HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse

Price: $1,084.99
Discount: -$86.80
EPP Price: $998.19
PC instant rebate: –$300.00
Price after rebate: 698.19

 

[itadakimasu]

You know... all of those are good. The things you listed are very basic tasks and really, any of those systems is overkill for what you'll use it for.

i'm thrifty in nature, so i'd recommend going w\ otpion 3, and if you want, use the left over money to buy a nice 24'' lcd.