Chris Pannozzo, Jen Paoletti, Christopher Stern
| Desktop Computers | Model | CPU | RAM | Hard Disk Size | Optical Drive | Screen Size | Interface | Cost | Pictures |
| Apple | iMac MA876LL | 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo | 1GB (one SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300), supports up to 4GB | 250GB Serial ATA1; 7200 rpm | Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer burning (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) | 20" | Firewire | $1166 | |
| Dell | Inspiron 531 | AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ | 1GB12 Dual Channel4 DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs | 250GB5 Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ | 48X CD-RW/ DVD Combo Drive | Unspecified | USB | $499 | |
| HP | HP Pavilion d4995t series | Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor E6750 (2.66GHz) | 2GB DDR2-667MHz dual channel SDRAM (2x1024) | 400GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive | LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive | Unspecified | USB | $899.99 |
Notebook Computers | Model | CPU | RAM | Hard Disk Size | Optical Drive | Screen Size | Interface | Cost | Picture |
| Apple | Mac Book | 2.0 GHz | 2 GB | 200 GB | slot loading | 13.3 inch | Intel Core 2 Duo processors | $1099.00 | |
| Dell | inspiron 6400 | 1.73 GHz | 1 GB | 120 GB | CD RW/ DVD | 15.4 inch widescreen | Bluetooth® 2, Wi-Fi, Mobile Broadband3 Hi-Def Options: Dell Media DirectTM , Webcam, and Blu-Ray | $449.00 | |
| HP | HP Pavilion DV 2533TX Entertainment Notebook PC | 1.66 GHz | 1024 MB | 160 GB | DVD +/- RW | 15 inch | Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium | $599.00 | |
| Other | Alienware Aurora m7700 | 667 MHz | 667 MHz | 640 GB | USB floppy drive | 17" WXGA display | Not included | $1799.00 |
| All In One Computer | Model | CPU | RAM | Hard Disk Size | Optical Drive | Screen Size | Interface | Cost | Picture | |||
| Apple | MA876LL | 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo | 1GB (one SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300), supports up to 4GB |
| Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) | 20-24 inches | Mac OS X v10.4.10 | 1,166 | ||||
| Other | VPC460 | Dual Core 2.0 Ghz AMD Athlon | 1GB DDR RAM | 250GB SATA Hard Drive | 16x Dual Layer DVD/CD +/- R/RW | 46" 1080p TFT/LCD, HDTV ready | Built-in 125 channel NTSC TV Tuner | 3,000 | ||||
| Computers on eBay | Model | CPU | RAM | Hard Disk Size | Optical Drive | Screen Size | Interface | Cost | Picture |
| Desktop | Intel P4 | Intel Pentium 4 HT 3,400 MHz | 1,000 MB | 160 GB | DVD+/-RW | N/A | Not Included | 285$USD |  |
| Notebook | DELL D600 | Intel Pentium 4 M 1,400 MHz | 512 MB | 30 GB | DVD-ROM | 14" | USB | 354$USD | |
| All-in-One | Gateway Profile | 2.400 MHz | 256 MB | 40 GB | CD-ROM | Unspecified | Not Included | 274.88$USD |
Personal Preference - What Would We Choose?
C. Stern: I would go about a step-by-step method of choosing which computer I would purchase if I could. For starters, I don't have a laptop yet, so I would choose among that category. I would also prefer to choose something that not only am I comfortable with, but that would be compatible with the software which is on my Desktop PC. While the Apple Mac Book's specs are much more appealing than the other laptops listed, I am not familiar with a Mac OSX system, and the product is vastly overpriced anyway. Even if cost isn't a problem, seeing how a company prices their own merchandise can show us their philosophy of their own merchandise, and thus an insight into both their customer relations and the functionality of their product. Another factor to take into consideration is the future of the product. An intrinsic flaw with computers is how fast they evolve. The Alienware computer is nerely $2000 per an extra 500GB which will soon be negligible space. On the low end of the spectrum is the Dell D600, which saddeningly low drive space and memory, but then ordering from eBay is never recommendable.
The choice then comes between the Dell and the HP. Although there are certainly more choices than these on the market and more technical specifications to take into consideration, the last stretch comes between processor speeds and hard disk space. Is the difference in CPU more important than the extra 40GB that comes with the HP? Personal preference would lean towards the HP because in this day when computer programs are taking up massive amounts of storage space every little bit counts, although there are still more factors that are overlooked. A fast processor, plenty of RAM and hard disk space are necessities, but video card technology is also essential for the kinds of programs running on computers these days. Also, does it have up-to-date SD Card support and would it possible to use Windows XP instead of Windows Vista?
I would choose the HP Pavillion DV 2533TX Entertainment Notebook PC, after more thorough research into the product.
Jen Paoletti-
I would choose to buy the Dell Inspiron 6400 because it has a big screen and is cute. It also has a lot of cool features and is reasonably priced.
Chris Pannozzo Inspiron 6400 would be my pick because I am very unfamillar with mac computers and a desktop is unfit for more personal needs.