I was browsing Ebay and came across quite a number of computer systems and was quite interested in one of them. It appears it is a brand new Dell 4550 and they seem to go for $300-$400 and some even less. It's ONLY the box but that's all I need. I currently have a Celeron 1.3 w/384mb RAM and a GeForce2Ti 64 and am in need of upgrading.(My current system used to be a Dell 500mhz but I got the Powerleap upgrade a year ago along with a new video card-still using Win98) I can certainly use my current graphics card/sound and RAM since it is a bit lacking in those areas. What do you guys think??Dimension 4550 Series: Intel

This looks like a very good computer :-eekAnd that for only $300-400 :D that's very interesting.BUT what about the shipping? how much are the shipping costs? and tax fees if you import the computer?:-waveEvert------------------------------Visit the Holland Aviation Siteand learn more about aviation in Holland!!! http://fly.to/hollandaviationsite------------------------------

Whilst the processor is fine, at 2.53GHZ, 128Mb RAM is very much on the low side (I'd recommend 256Mb minimum, and 512Mb is better), and the graphics card is not, I think, as good as your existing GeForce2 Ti. You may also get problems with the integrated audio - a dedicated sound card will be less taxing on your system resources.Still, for $300-400, you can easily rectify these problems.Alastair

I think that he is intending to use the GeForce 2 Ti64 graphics card and 384Mb RAM in the new PC. However, I would suggest adding 256Mb DDR RAM to the existing 128Mb, since the old RAM is almost certainly not going to be DDR. The GeForce graphics card is most definitely far superior to the one installed in the new system, so yank that Rage card out. You could always sell it on eBay !With respect to the sound card, it all depends on what you are bothered about. I am not familiar with integrated sound chips, but it is unlikely to feature posh stuff like 5.1 surround sound capabilities. However, some people are only interested in being able to hear their games, as opposed to all of the flashy special effects that come with a quality card like the SoundBlaster Audigy.Chris Low,ENGLAND.

Thanks for the responses guys. I figured I would use my current video card and Soundnblaster Live/surround system. I was going to use my current RAM too but I didn't think about the DDR thing. I put it in a year ago but I don't think it is DDR. Anyway, it looks like it's decent option for upgrading, but I may wait a month or so.

With the 533MHz Front Side Bus, I'd consider upgrading the RAM to 512MB of PC1066 RDRAM. The PC1066 will take maximun advantage of the faster bus speed compared to the SDRAM. It also depends on if the mobo supports RDRAM.And FS does like it's RAM. When I first ran FS2002 on my Dell 4100 (PIII 866128MB PC133 SDRAMGeforce2 GTS)it stuttered so badly it's was unplayable. I dropped in another 256MB PC133 and it runs great. Frames averaging 5 at very dense areas to well over 20 in other areas. So the faster the RAM, the better off FS is.I can't wait to see what my new machine will run it like (Dell 8250 PIV 2.53GHz512MB PC1066 RDRAMATI Radeon 9700 Pro 128MB and all the other goodies that go along with it). Anyways, $400 sounds like a good deal to me.CF-AOA

Dell uses some proprietary parts just be warned.

Make sure to take out insurance for the delivery through eBay in case your new baby gets damaged. You wouldn't want anything going wrong :)Have you considered making your own computer or at least building your own computer from bits out of your local computer store? That's how I make my machines and I find you get the best sort of system out of it rather than being stuck in someone else's "mould", you make your own mould so to speak to fit your requirements.Dell do have their own bits as someone else so rightly said so you would be stuck with their system and most likely a lot of the bits that will only work in their systems. So for future upgrades you might have problems, ie if the video card in the new system is glued into the AGP slot. This a harsh example but I have seen it done by some of the bigger computer companies.Good luck with it, i'm sure it will be great! :-)