A Business Class System 170
Written: Jan 19 '05 (Updated Jan 21 '05)
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Pros: Good Price, Solid Features, Great Account Services!
Cons: Spotty Residential Customer Service
The Bottom Line: This is a great basic business desktop. Low end word processing, spreadsheets, Email and Internet should be a breeze. The management tools supplied make it good for future expansion too!
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| Carazariah's Full Review: Dell OptiPlex(tm) 170L PC Desktop |
Business Realities
Have you ever been somewhere where time tables were compressed? Transactions and information were expected to be completed an insanely fast pace. Much sooner than a logical rollout would suggest. This it seems is Business reality in 2005. So it was at my employers, we recently obtained a new client. They expected a tight turn around. Less than 1 month for a full scale roll out including new systems! Usually such a tight deadline meant cutting corners and saving as much time as possible to get the job done. Well this is a case where Dell came through on a time crunch.
The System Specs
Optiplex 170
2.4 Ghz Celeron
512MB RAM
80GB HD
48x CDRW
1 Year Warranty
The Pitch
Upon learning that we needed to order these new systems, I was informed we had less than 10 Business Days to get the new computer systems. The systems were on a crunch to replace our aging 4 year old Optiplex G1's that wouldn't cut the mustard for this new client. Plus the bosses wanted to make a good impression since this client would be onsite. And nothing makes a good impression like a shiny new Dell.
So I submitted the Quote request to our supplier. I was greeted with a quote in about 30 minutes. But I had to get it just right it still had to come in under the projected budget $2500 and meet all the needs the client could possibly think of:
The Hiccup
When learning of the needs I immediately checked out Dell's online site. But the information online showed the CPU's to be OOS and delivery was scheduled fro Jan 27th Yikes. . . .That was way too long. After confirming the quote with our Account Rep the ship date was still estimating delivery by 1/22. This was past our deadline and put us in a crunch. . . What to do?
A Business Solution from Dell
When learning of the tight time frame our Account rep went out of his way to find out how he could best meet our business needs. . . What a job. When it was all said and done the entire quote came in under $2500 with Express Build and Shipping. We received all 4 systems in 2 Business Days from the date of Order! Wow outstanding service turn around on these standard systems.
Reasons to Go Opti instead of Dimension
The Dimension 3000 and 2400 are roughly equivalent in specification options to the Opti 170L. The reason to go with the Optiplex is Dell's business class management software system. This additional cost software for the Management suite comes preinstalled on Optiplex workstations as clients that allow a Dell equipped management or third party management system to see and assess hardware or software conflicts remotely and allows quick access to your desktops.
Price / Performance
For these systems Celeron processors were perfect. They will have low end desktop word processing, email and Internet connectivity with a light Messaging component. The 2.4 Ghz Celeron was the slowest processor available and still was twice as fast as the Celeron 1.1 that I recently replaced on my desktop. Although I wouldn't recommend it for heavy Programming or Databases, a Celeron for most business desktops should work well.
Price wise these systems came in at $625 a system delivered in 2 business days. This made them slightly more than a baseline HP system, but not enough to sideline the benefits of vendor standardization and the flexibility in the Optiplex systems.
Considering that includes Tax and Shipping (my company is in one of the states Dell has physical offices in) it counts as a good deal for a solid system.
Bottom Line
Good low end Business workstation. Management tools are a plus the price just can't be beat.
Other Reviews
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Diminsion 3000 A Home and Business User's Dependable Everyday System!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 625
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
Carazariah
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Location: Marshall, TX
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Greetings I'm married:
Live in Marshall,TX
Work in IT
Serve in my local church
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