Best Buy doorbuster computer deal for 4 year old: comments?

Hardware and technical stuff
1

Best Buy has a computer, 17 widescreen monitor, and printer for $200 total.

It’s an emachine. I don’t need it to be that much cause it’s just used for web games, kid games, and printing stuff. Any comments on it that I should be wary of? Remember I’m not playing Crysis on this :)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=999980900050000&type=product&id=pcmprd80800050000

Product Features

Intel® Celeron® processor 420 with 800MHz frontside bus, 512KB L2 cache and 1.6GHz processor speed

1GB DDR2 memory for multitasking power, expandable to 2GB

Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media

Intel® EM64T (Extended Memory 64 Technology) enhancement allows the platform to access larger amounts of memory, providing flexibility for future OS and software that support 64-bit computing

160GB Serial ATA II hard drive (7200 rpm)

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 graphics with an available PCI Express x16 expansion slot and up to 224MB shared video memory; high-definition audio (6 speaker support)

6 high-speed USB 2.0 ports, both front and rear accessible, for fast digital data transfer and easy peripheral connectivity

Built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector; V.92 high-speed data/fax modem

Premium multimedia keyboard, 2-button PS/2 wheel mouse and amplified USB stereo speakers

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition operating system preinstalled; software package included with Microsoft Works 8.5, Vista Integrated DVD Playback, CyberLink Power2Go and more

thanks for any advice!

2

For $200 you can’t complain there at all. I’d go for it if it was for a 4 yr old, it’s more than powerful enough for them.

3

This will sell out immediately.

4

Well I’m going at 3 am to get my ticket :(

5

You probably needed to be there by 3PM today. Maybe this is what people were lined up for? I have no clue.

6

The Celeron Processor is terribly and painfully outdated. I’m not sure how well it would handle Vista, if at all. On the otherhand, $200.

7

The Celeron 420 actually isn’t that bad. It is based on the Conroe core that the Core 2 Duos use, though obviously it isn’t dual-core. It is much more performant than the 1.6 ghz rating would lead you to believe and it runs Vista just fine. That system is easily worth $200, though I’m not sure if it is worth the fist fighting you’ll have to engage in to actually get one of them at that price.

8

Heh… I’ll let you know how it turns out. It could all be for nothing. I’ll know in a couple hours.

I want to get my 4 year old her own computer for Christmas and this is perfect and perfectly priced. The fact that it comes with a monitor and printer is even better cause I’d want those too.

9

So ya gonna teach her your famous hit-n-run troll tactic for P&R?

10

I went to my local Best Buy this morning for Black Friday. Got there at 3:30 AM and there were maybe 150 people ahead of me in line. I wasn’t there for a computer, but they were long gone by the time the people with the tickets got back to my spot in line. The fellow behind me said when he drove by the store on Thanksgiving at around 4:30 PM, there were a number of people in line already.

So I agree with Dave Long’s assessment - unless you’re really lucky, or it’s an extremely unpopular Best Buy, you probably had no shot at this if you didn’t get there sometime Thursday evening.

11

You are correct sir!

I had no shot at the computer unless I got there hours and hours before. I got there around 2 am and there was literally 300+ people there…or more. I waited until 3 anyhow but the computer was long gone.

Thanks for the help anyhow!

12

If you don’t mind a couple of rebates, frys.com has an HP desktop for $300. Core 2 Duo E4400, 400GB HD, Vista etc. No monitor included though.

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/5355498

(nvm… looks like it sold out)