$399 17-inch TFT Dell PC, and more dual systems

WE'RE TRYING to convince resellers in this column to offer freebies or additional discounts to our readers. If you do buy from any of the guys listed here, just tell them that you come from theinquirer's daily buy column. So, resellers or readers alike, if you have some hot and spicy deals. Send me a line.

Surplus computers has a Microsoft Wireless Optical intellimouse Explorer v2.0 with tilt for only $16.99 including free shipping. It has faster wheel scrolling, ergonomic design and customizable buttons. If you want, you may add the wired Microsoft Natural Multimedia PS2 keyboard for $13.99.

Buy from Dell two Xeon servers, cannibalize one of them and resell the remaining bits on Ebay. Check that Poweredge SC1420. It costs only $623 and comes with the following: one Intel Xeon Processor running at 3GHz with 2MB cache, 512MB DDR2 single ranked DIMM, a 40GB SATA disk and an integrated NIC. Nothing else. $623 for the lot. Multiply it by two and you get twice everything for only $1246.

You might just as well have a look on Ebay. A Dell Precision 530 with two Xeon 2.6GHz and 2GB of ECC RDR PC800 memory retails for $1099. You get a Quadro 4 AGP adapter, a DVD drive and a CDRW one, a RAID card with cache (PERC 3/DC) and two 10K 36GB SCSI HDD, arguably a better buy.

A slightly less powerful Dimension 530 system (1GB memory, no CDRW or RAID card) including a free Windows 2000 COA is yours for just $899.

Or you might just prefer that Dell Workstation 470 with two Xeon 2.8GHz processors with 1GB memory, a Quadro 280NVs PCIe card and a 40GB HDD. More balanced than the Server thing, especially as you get Windows XP Professional with it, keyboard and mouse. Price asked, $1298. Curiously for some unknown reasons, it costs you MORE if you want to get FREEDOS OS - which is a freeware - rather than Windows XP Pro, a hefty $27.

One last Dell. Dell Dimension 3000 desktops are on sale for a low $399 with a Pentium 4 2.8GHz, Windows XP Home, 256MB memory, keyboard mouse, Corel Wordperfect, a 40GB HDD and a 17-inch LCD monitor - yep, an LCD monitor. No floppy, speakers or modem though. Still a reduction of about $400. µ