Get a Dell Computer for $300 With 3 Year Warranty

I just landed a sweet deal for a client today on a new computer system for his office.

He is getting a Dell Optiplex 740 from the Dell Outlet with the following specs for $289.00 out the door:

• XP Professional, the Vista upgrade option
• 2.67 Ghz AMD processor
• 1 Gig of DDR2 memory
• 80 Gig hard drive 7200 RPM
• 16x DVD +/- RW burner
• Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000
• Dell Energy Smart Enable
• Keyboard and Mouse
• 3 year hardware warranty

Client Profile

Rapacki and Company
Location: Edina, MN
Business: Certified Public Accounting Firm
Why this is a good fit: My client is an accountant and most of the work is completed by connecting to files on the server.  They use Quickbooks and Creative Solution’s Virtual Office as their primary accounting product.  Staff work both in the office and remotely.  The current computer is a few years old and the network card just died.  Since the network card is attached to the motherboard, the computer doesn’t have much longer.  It is also freezing up and has a very slow boot up.

Good Time to Buy

Now is a great time to replace aging computer systems before Microsoft cuts the sales of Windows XP licensing to the the large computer providers like Dell, HP, Lenovo/IBM, etc.

Should You Get A Warranty?

Warranties on computers are a must.  If a piece of hardware fails and your warranty has expired, you are looking at 3 costs:

1. Cost to troubleshoot the problem
2. Cost of replacement hardware part
3. Cost to install the hardware part

I called Dell today after browsing through the refurbished section because most computers come with a 1 year warranty but the Dell Optiplex 740 had the 3 Year option selected!  Sure enough, Eric from Dell confirmed that the price of $289.00 included a 3 year parts and Next Business Day (NBD) service agreement.

Complete  Care is a must when purchasing a laptop as it will cover things like damage to the LCD screen and spills.  It’s not so necessary for a desktop.

Extending the warranty 4 years isn’t really a must but it’s nice to have as an option.

Technical Specs

Options and Upgrades

There were many systems ranging from $289-$329 with the main difference being memory (1GB vs 2GB) and the type of optical drive (CD-Rom vs DVD +/- RW).

From the Dell.com website:

Power Efficiency

Dell offers an approach to energy that others don’t. We think beyond the power supply to power management across the enterprise. That’s why the OptiPlex 740 not only gives you default Energy Smart Configurations but tools like an online energy calculator to help you choose configurations that best fit your needs. We believe that saving your resources should go hand in hand with saving the Earth’s resources.

* Dell Energy Smart power management settings enabled out of the Dell factory, consumes up to 54% less power than systems disabling power management.1
* Energy Star 4.0 and EPEAT Gold certifications , available on select configurations.
* Dell’s 80% efficient power supplies are up to 10 - 12% more efficient than previous generation power supplies.
* New processors with AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet 2.0 technology help save energy without sacrificing performance.