The PCsForEveryone machine, in short, is: i5-760, 8 GB RAM (2x4GB), 3x1TB HD, GT 240 1GB, no monitor, for $1,494
I found this machine from Sears.com and a few other places.
ZT Affinity 7515Ni: i7-870, 8 GB RAM, 2 TB HD, Radeon HD 5450, 23" widescreen monitor, for $1,300
Pros: Slightly better cpu, comes with a monitor, $200 cheaper.
Cons: Slightly worse graphics card. 1 TB less storage. Win 7 Home instead of Win 7 Professional. No BluRay player. Never heard of ZT before, but apparently they're a fairly common constructor for big box stores. (Costco has several ZT machines, though not this particular version.)
And then two i found on Costco's website:
Costco Dell XPS 8100: i7-860, 8 GB RAM (4x2GB), 1.5 TB HD, GT 220 1GB, 24" widescreen monitor, for $1,200
Pros: Slightly better cpu, comes with a monitor, $300 cheaper.
Cons: Slightly worse graphics card. 1.5 TB less storage. Win 7 Home instead of Win 7 Professional. No BluRay player.
Costco Dell Inspiron 580: i5-750, 8 GB RAM (4x2GB), 1.5 TB HD, Radeon HD 5450, two 24" widescreen monitors, for $1,300.
Pros: Comes with two monitors.
Cons: Marginally worse cpu, slightly worse graphics card, 1.5 TB less storage. Win 7 Home instead of Win 7 Professional. No BluRay player.
So in general there are several variations on getting a slightly worse computer for a few hundred less, but getting a widescreen HD monitor (or two of them) as a bonus. I was originally planning to transfer my current monitor over to the new computer, but it is "only" a 17" 1280x1024 screen.
I don't suppose anyone else has had experience with ZT computers? Or has any other advice, recommendations, or just opinions?
