Hello everyone,
I am THINKING of getting the following system from Dell. I need to know if this configuration is good for server/workstation type of usage?

Dell Precision Workstation 450



 
Catalog Number / Description   Product Code   SKU   Id



Dell Precision Workstation 450 Desktop:
Intel® Xeon™ Processor 2.40GHz, 512K Cache   45D24   [221-1697]   1

 
Operating System:
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional, SP1 with Media and NTFS   WXP1   [420-1931]   11

 
Memory:
512MB,DDR266 SDRAM Memory,ECC (2 DIMMS)   512E2   [311-2258]   3

 
Keyboard:
Enhanced Performance, USB (8 Hot Keys)   U8   [310-2701]   4

 
Mouse:
USB,Logitech MX-500,7 button w/scroll   O7   [310-4327]   12

 
Monitor:
SPECIAL OFFER! Dell E172FP 17 inch Flat Panel Monitor (17.0 inch vis)   E172FPU   [463-0645]   5

 
Graphics Cards:
nVidia, Quadro NVS 280, 64MB, dual monitor VGA capable   QNVSV   [320-0718]   6

 
Speakers:
Dell Two Piece Stereo System   A215   [313-2316]   18

 
Sound Card:
Sound Blaster® Audigy II with onboard 1394   SBA2   [313-1439]   17

 
Productivity Software:
Microsoft Office Basic Edition 2003 and Adobe Acrobat 6.0   BASAD03   [365-1234][410-0166][412-0451]   22

 
CD-ROM, DVD, and Read-Write Devices:
48X CD-ROM AND 48X/32X/48X CDRW with Roxio® Easy CD Creator   ROMRW   [313-1925]   16

 
First HARD Drive:
80GB ATA-100 IDE, 1 inch (7200 rpm)   80I72   [340-7525]   8

 
Floppy Drive:
1.44MB FDD,Full-size,no-bezel,F3 bay-1ST SOURCE   3   [340-3736]   10

 
Purchase Intent:
Purchase is not intended for resale.   NOT4SEL   [462-4506]   138

 
Hardware Support Services:
3Yr Parts + Onsite Labor (Next Business Day)   W3YOS   [980-7000][980-7002]   29

 
INSTALLATION Services:
No Installation    NOINSTL   [900-9987]   32



all this for 1800 dollars...For that much, I'd expect the 'reader' CD drive to be a DVD reader, and the CPU to be a real P4 instead of a crippleware Celeron... er, Xeon. Otherwise not bad. And make absolutely sure they give you a set of real WinXP and driver DISKS, not a crummy 'restore' disk that relies on a funky 4G partition on the drive.

You can buy a nice standard tower ATX box, 450w P/S, an ASUS P4X800 MB with a 2.5GB real P4 and a half gig RAM, and comparable other components from a friendly local dealer, PC fleamarket, or www.pricewatch.com and have yourself a nice home built for a bit less. You'd get a 17 or 19 inch CRT monitor instead of that flat panel, but...