[CUBE] Cheap Pcs vs Apple lol

[Rick Rodman]

I built a PC a couple of months ago with 2.4GHz P4, 1GB RAM, Nvidia 
5200, CD-RW, used an existing hard drive, and it cost about $700 total. 
  I don't see how anyone could build a PC for $400 that would be more 
than a very basic machine.

Right now I think the $699 Dells and Gateways are loss leaders, that 
is, they will try to upsell anyone ordering those boxes.  Prices on PCs 
will likely go up after the first of the year.  This is a good time to 
buy one if you want one.

Another difference between PCs and Macs is cable management.  Homebuilt 
PCs have a spaghetti of ribbon cables inside.  Dells are better these 
days, though.

On Nov 13, 2003, at 6:40 PM, Nicolas wrote:

> Snow White wrote:
>
>> No one out there wants to compete with a $400 piece of crap 
>> constructed in some dealers basement with dubious warrantees and no 
>> Ram whatsoever. Hell, even Gateway is advertising plasma tvs instead 
>> of computers now.
>
> Hmm, I built my own for 400$ and I can assure you it's not a piece o' 
> crap, but if you're a mac zealot, I guess I'm waisting electrons;)
>
...

>  It would be a shame to degrade a Mac to meet this cheap a
>> demand and it would certainly harm the rest of the lines pricing.  
>> Apple does not sell junk - and that is one of the reasons they are 
>> succesful and we continue to buy at a premium (but is it a premium or 
>> is the IBM clone market just overly underpriced?).
>
> Most of the components found in Macs are the same as in PC's. Granted, 
> Macs have better power supplies, but essentially, the same parts are 
> to be found on both platforms.