Clearance XPS 420 vs new HP Pavilion Desktop

[s2k]

Seen a Dell XPS 420 on locally at Staples for clearance price $847.
Has Q6600, 3GB 800 Ram, 500GB HD, Card reader/bluetooth, 128MB 2400 video. Biggest issue I see if the video card.


Trying to compare it to an HP system on sale at FS with Q6600, 640GB HD, 8500GT video, 3GB 800 RAM, card reader, 22" Monitor for $999.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=BDL10002725&logon=&langid=EN

Which seems like a better deal and a better PC?

This would be used for software development (Vs, SQL Server, etc) not gaming, but want to run dual monitors.

[willy]

I vote for the 2nd (HP) .. I don't believe you can find any brand new 22" monitor for $150 ...

Both cards are very weak in 3D. However, for your intended tasks, both video cards are perfectly fine ... One thing tho ... Most low-end video cards have 1 x DVI + 1 x VGA. If you have dual DVI monitors, you may need a different card.

Oh, the "640GB" HD in the HP is actually 2 x 320GB ... I actually like the 2 x 320GB idea, especially if you need to deal with large files frequently.

[s2k]

I vote for the 2nd (HP) .. I don't believe you can find any brand new 22" monitor for $150 ...

Both cards are very weak in 3D. However, for your intended tasks, both video cards are perfectly fine ... One thing tho ... Most low-end video cards have 1 x DVI + 1 x VGA. If you have dual DVI monitors, you may need a different card.

Oh, the "640GB" HD in the HP is actually 2 x 320GB ... I actually like the 2 x 320GB idea, especially if you need to deal with large files frequently.

Thanks, that is my feeling so far as well, seems like the HP is a better deal overall. The card in the HP has hdmi and dvi out, and the monitor has dvi and hdmi in, so this should work ok in a dual setup with my current Dell 24" LCD.

Was just concerned on the quality of these HP systems compared to the Dells. Also not a fan of the glossy 22" HP monitor but for the price it seems too good to pass up.