>- Dell also tends to hose you on accessories. RAM, for example, is expensive beyond their "standard" configurations. They also charge a flat rate for shipping, which can be good or bad depending on what you buy, but in my experience even buying a system unit plus 17" monitor, the shipping charge is as much or more than you would pay air courier, and they ship ground (think 8-10 working days).
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The shipping hasn't been my experience. I ordered a system on the Friday after Thanksgiving and it arrived last Thursday, 6 days later. (According to their website, it shipped on Tuesday, so two business days to build and two to ship). I've bought three machines from Dell this year (one for each kid and one for me) and they all came several days sooner than the quoted date.

Tamar