I purchased an 8300. With the extras it gave me, plus the additional savings/freebies, it did not make sense, IMO, to get a 4600.
The dual drive choice I ordered was the second one you listed. MS software is not innexpensive, I have the Office Professional, costly. But not needed by average home user. I also have 1 gig memory. Price a 4600 and an 8300 and see how little the difference.
My config is...................
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Dell recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP
Description
Dell Dimension 8300 Series
Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology 3GHz w/800MHz FSB, Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Dell Dimension 8300 Series: Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology 3GHz w/800MHz FSB SP308H [221-2452] 1
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional WPXP [313-7222] [412-0409] [420-1922] 11
Mail-In Rebate Offer: Save $150 with mail-in rebate. Price shown before rebate. 150Q1 [462-7637] 56
FREE TurboTax Basic: FREE TurboTax® Basic for Tax Year 2003 TAX [420-4125] 106
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz (2x512M) 1GB4 [311-3002] 3
Hard Drive: FREE UPGRADE! 120GB Serial ATA Hard Drive, 7200RPM 120SP [462-4819] 8
Floppy Drive and Additional Storage Devices: 3.5 in Floppy Drive FD [340-8628] 10
CD orDVD Drive: Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + FREE UPGRADE! 8x DVD+RW Drive DVD8DVP [313-2559] [430-0594] [462-7704] [462-7813] 16
Keyboard: Dell ® Quietkey ® Keyboard QK [310-1582] 4
Mouse: Dell® 2-button scroll mouse SM [310-1871] 12
Productivity Software: Microsoft® Office Professional 2003 with Money® XPEPROM [412-0467] [412-0551] 22
Security Software: McAfee Security Center w/VirusScan, Firewall and Privacy, 90-day trial MCAFE90 [412-0632] 25
Monitors: 17 in 1703FP Ultrasharp Digital Flat Panel Display 1703FP [320-0659] 5
Video Card: New 128MB DDR GeForce FX 5200 Graphics Card with TV-Out and DVI 128FX52 [320-0735] 6
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 (D) Card with Dolby® Digital 5.1 capability SB1024 [313-1932] [313-6010] 17
Dell Media Experience: Dell Media Experience DMX [412-0519] 115
Speakers: Dell 5650 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System with Subwoofer D5650 [313-2246] 18
Digital Music: Dell Jukebox PLUS powered by MUSICMATCH MMPLUS [412-0517] 27
Digital Photography: Dell Picture Studio, Paint Shop Pro Trial, Photo Album Starter Edition DPS [412-0521] 28
Multi-Media Players: RealOne Player, with 14 day SuperPass trial REALBAS [412-0380] 40
Dial-Up Internet Access: 6 Months America Online Internet Access Included AOLDHS [412-0587] [412-0625] [420-3224] 37
Modem: 56K PCI Data/Fax Modem DFAX [313-1313] 14
Network Interface: New Dell Gigabit Ethernet GBN [430-0472] 13
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options: SAVE $60 (system price shown before rebate) 4 Yr Ltd Warr plus 4 Yr At-Home SPRO4OS [412-0360] [900-2933] [950-4270] [950-7447] [980-0469] 29
I did order a low end mouse and keyboard, prefer the ones I had. I ordered a low end modem, I don't use it, a higher end ethernet card, in anticipation of higher output from Comcast in the future, an upgraded, higher end flat panel, easier on my old eyes, more memory, a gig, most important, IMO, the slowest processor, 3 G, anything more is a waste, for me, IMO, 4 year, in house/office service, cheap insurance, the lower end video card, not a gamer here and the others are a waste, for me, a stepped up sound card and speakers, not the best, but I enjoy music. Hope that helps some