Get a Mac.

Ever work on large projects?

No, but I own a dell and I am not that happy with it. Are there problems with Macs and big projects?

I'm pretty happy with our Dells. We have Dell Precision T5400's - Dual Quad Core 3Ghz Xeons - 8Gb Ram - and XP 64-bit. Don't go with Vista. I've worked with BOXX before and personally prefer Dells.

why the f would you want to lease? just buy it

Wish I could ... not enough cash on hand.

careful with a dell lease. our office leased a dell server and ended up paying triple what it cost to buy. plus their customer service was a nightmare. whichever way you go, just say no to vista. although I'm not sure it's possible anymore.

I own three computers. All are DELL, and i'm very happy with all three.

don't do it build your own for better and 1/4 the cost

I am generally happy with my dell's (I've got 5 now).

Opt for the Gold Tech Support, it's worth it.

Leasing seems like a nice option. I have no idea what I'll do when I replace mine, they'll essentially be worthless (to me, monetary value wouldn't be worth much I am guessing)

ya'll are getting ripped you know this right?

dell has the crappiest parts (im talking mobo, power supply here). You can build a much better system for about less than half the cost. If you dont know how to, then im sure there will be some local computer builders to help you for a nominal fee.

I agree with sameold. I have tried two times buying high end dells to compare performance with half price custom built equivalent (assembly and basic installation included). It's not worst the investmeent; get an antec tower, a powerful fan and alimentation, put anything you need in it and you'll have a cheaper computer for twice the performance.

their notebooks are very good though

Fuck the computer, hand draft.

Screw macs! Dell is a basic computer that many firms use. The firm I work at now uses Dell & every other firm that I have worked for uses Dell as well.

How much rendering will be done on these machines?

I boght three Dells yesterday.

All have the Q6600 Quadcore Processor, step G0, SLACR. I'm upgrading them all to 3GB ram, and I'm still pondering to get an 8800GT-OC or step up to the 9000 series nVidia cards.

Dell machines are built well if you know what you're doing :)

ps, each came with a 24" Dell Flat Panel Widescreen.

I'm giggling inside for the price I paid.

pick your own parts and start with a Asus Mb

Cypress, i think it really depends on the complexity of the projects your firm works on. For basic stuff, your basic dell should be fine. If your into BIM, large projects, high-quality renderings and all that jazz you may need beefier specs.

I really, really do support the notion of building the rigs yourself or finding a local shop to build them for you. Mom-and-Pop computer shops are awesome and from my knowledge really helpful. Find a local maker tell 'em what you need to do and get a price quote from them. Compare and save.

what ever you do if you are a small box don't get enveloped by a big box