Should I purchase a Dell Dimension E510 or an Apple iMac?
467640
It really depends on what you want to do with it. if you have an ipod an dlike to edit music, videos and do a lot of graphic design. Then the mac is for you. If it is for a bit of web surfing or for general word processing then I would asvise the dell pc software is cheap and easy to use verses the mac which has a quirky operating system if you have never used it before. plus with a regular pc such as the dell the compatability is far greater so other devices like wirless routers etc will work and confiure much easir. Hope it helps
468127
forget about dell! get a G5 Power Mac with dual 2.7 giga-hertz and 800gb of hard drive space!.. if you have $2,100. if not, get an iBook
954297
dell makes good, stable computers for their prices.  especially if your only using it for music/typing papers you dont need a huge amount of processing power.  i would go with a dell..theyre a good computer for a low budget
1150843
I would suggest getting somthing used.  Mac's tend to be quite a bit more expensive than Windows PC's, and because of their inginutity and design they don't really have a 'cheap' model.  Look in the papers and perhaps online...maybe ebay, for something used.
594932
I have spent a lot of time using both, and there is no doubt that macs are much much better. Especially now you can run windows on one if you feel the need.
434870
the macmini is a good buy in the sense that it is a mac and it is very small for a "desktop computer." The inside isn't that impressive but if you're looking for a inexpensive way to buy a mac this is the one. All in all i would buy it.
1028295
It all depends on what you're using the computer for. Apple's are much better at graphics rendering, so anything related to design or graphics is better suited for a Mac. PC's are better designed for executing intense calculations/procedures.\n\nOverall, Mac is making a lot of progress. I am personally a PC user, but if I had extra money lying around I'd get a Mac too. PC's used to have user-friendliness on their side, but even that is beginning to change. When it comes down to it, it's almost a personal preference. Somehow or another you can probably find some one to do everything on either machine.
882310
Depends on what you are going to use it for and what your preferences are.\n\nI like Macs so I'd say go for the Apple (which can also run XP using Bootcamp if you really want to) but it's more about preference than anything else.\n\n///
558597
Your choice of PC is directly dependant on the projected use and if you desire to upgrade/expand the unit later.\n\nWhen selecting a PC ask yourself: 1) What am i going to use it for, 2) do i have space constraints, 3) do i need to add other cards and like to the system,  4) and the least, but often considered the most important do i like the 'look' or 'cool' factor of it( of course this in only important in the eye of the beholder )\n\nNow the Shuttle XPC is a sharp small stylish unit.  It's prospects are limited by shear size.  Although it does have LAN/Video/Audio on board and there is no need for cards / upgrades in this area.  Those items maybe a desired upgrade in the future.\n\nAnother thing to consider is the cost of the cute little cube.  In the electronics world the smaller usally mean more $$$$$.\n\nI guess that it is a personal factor choice.  I have several computers, ranging from the sexy Ultra Slim  EVO desktop, to a Monster Home Build Full Tower (not pretty but very useful and powerful) p.s. i use the monster the most.\n\nCompare and shop is my best answer. But know what features you desire, and know what it should cost before you go to the store.  Salesmen can be a drag. Don't settle for anything other than what you want, after all you have to pay for it.
678571
Dell.com without a doubt. I've heard experts from Geek Squad say this every time they do an interview on the radio, plus I have one myself, and many of my friends do too. If you call you can specify what you need and don't need so you don't pay for anything you already have, such as a good mouse or keyboard, or even monitor if you have a new one. A lot of times they run free shipping which will save you  almost $100. I would check the website daily for a week or so to get an idea what a good price is as they change often, but with research you can get a great computer at a great price.
429516
Go for an Apple.  They are slightly more pricey but they are well designed.
657117
Two primary considerations... Cost vs. Purpose\nEither way, you should look at reviews sucgh as noted below...\nPersonally, I would lean heavily towards the offerings from DELL...This is based upon both experience (familiarity) and overall recomendations from both Internet and professional reviews...
65992
There are many types of macs depending on your budget and use.  If you are a video, photo or audio professional, for example, a dual-G5 is great.  No need to move over to the Quad or Intel processors yet since the programs haven't been yet tweaked to get the most speed out of them.  For an all around great machine on a budget, the iMac is an all in one tha fits the entire computer behind a 2 inch thick flat panel display.. and it has a webcam built right into the front!  The cheapest option if you have the peripherals would be a mac mini.  Just plug in your monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers .. and even your firewire devices .. and off you go!  Check out apple's site for more.
259882
I suggest getting an Apple, its the preferred choice of designers. Of course, it all depends on what software you run, if you are running the Adobe suite of products then you are good with a Mac. \nAlso would suggest going in for the biggest screen size possible.\nHowever if you want to get a Windows product, I suggest going in for a 17" Dell(cause it's cheap!! and sturdy!) That said however please consider the weight of bigger screens before purchasing. Any thing above 5.5 pounds is heavy.
8970
It depends on what kind of work you do.  It would be better to choose Windows if you do office work, check email, browse the internet, and play pc games.  Macs are known for their easy interface for tasks such as home movie editing.  In the past, the two systems had major compatiblity issues but now it is easy to transfer files between the two systems.  I would either buy a Windows desktop right away or might wait another month for a Mac system.  Apple will release new computers next month that run on Intel processors.  These computers might be able to run Mac OS X and Windows.
949474
*smiles at Apple reference*\nwhen I was looking around before buying this laptop, i did wander into an apple store out of curiosity\n\nwalked out again about five minutes later and didn't seriously consider an ibook in any of my further reckoning :-)\n\nFor the uses you've specified, you'd be as well to buy second hand if money is an issue - anything you can get these days --- for all of Intel's hard sell TV adverts --- is about 3 or 4 times more powerful than you really need for any of that. But, if you can afford it, you may as well get a nicely specified machine; unlike getting a 4x more powerful car, you won't be spending a fortune on fuel or insurance, or suffering from cripplingly heavy handling or go deaf. A well made modern machine will burn up no more, or possibly less power than a much, much slower one from a few years ago, and weigh less / be quieter too.\n\nFirst question - what are your priorities re: portability vs capability? Will you be carrying it around a lot all day, doing a lot of work off the battery and mainly with lightweight files kept on the hard disc, or will it be mostly sat at home on a desk, plugged in, doing a fair bit of media work, playing DVDs etc? That's the main tradeoff these days, as there's an awful lot of choice in terms of form-factor. Used to be that a laptop was a known quantity in terms of size - like two letter writing pads stacked on each other. Not any more.\n\nPersonally I went for the lightweight portable route, as I needed to do a fair bit of wordprocessing and other office stuff on the road (well, the train, and around all manner of random places) and needed something a bit thinner, but no more spread out than that old 2-pad electronic jalopy (£40, used, with a good battery - bargain!) I'd been using before, as my arms were tired but the available work spaces were tight as rubber gloves on wet hands. A modern thin-bordered 12" screen offers a lot more working area (almost to the level of a once-common 14" tube monitor) than an older laptop, in the same size case - it's easily enough for me, and has the same resolution (same conceptual desktop space for windows etc) as my mother's heavier 14". Besides, if you're typing, you're only looking at a tiny, tiny part of it at a time; the old one had about half the pixel resolution of this and was still OK for writing lengthy reports!\n\nI've sacrificed a bit of potential screen area, a bit of hard drive space and CPU speed, one speaker (internal mono's not an issue if you rarely use it without (stereo) headphones) and an internal DVD drive in order to get something sleek and lightweight with a phenomenal battery runtime without paying over the odds; but with a little research and in-store testing, made sure the actual performance wasn't suffering much (quick HD even if "small", large and fast memory, current-generation albeit lower speed CPU, good graphics chip, good solid typist's keyboard, standard width screen to maximise the "useful" WP space). Plus it's a tablet PC... I can sign my name in documents, or flip it over and hold it like an actual paper pad and use the pen as a mouse... and as I waited for the easter sales, I got a cracking bundle deal with an (nice, but very bulky and therefore stay-at-home) external dual layer DVD writer, TV tuner card, etc.\n\nAlternatively, you may want to watch DVDs or not have brilliant sight, and particularly burn a lot of discs... an internal drive and a large screen will be particular boons here, and you'll likely get an even better keyboard into the bargain, with massive battery life or pen functions being minor concerns. They can go all the way up to 17" widescreen, with high quality integrated speakers etc, and what is more or less a full sized desktop keyboard attached --- becoming basically portable desktop PCs, in the same way that a 14" TV with a pop-out handle at the to
19144
Depends on what you need it for. \n\nIf you can afford it and don't need specific windows software, I would say the mac is the better computer. \n\nBecause Apple controls both the hardware and the operating system it just works and is more stable. Besides they look good.