Is this a good deal?

[Finner]

Hey guys,

I've been looking for a new somewhat powerful desktop computer in the 800-1200 range.

I found this dell:

http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/...&OC=DSXPS_F_1E

The specs for the lazy are this:

Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
Intel® Core™i7-920 Processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.66GHz)
Microsoft Works 9.0
6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs
750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
No Monitor
Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450

Price is 1050. Oh, and shipping is free.

Is this a good deal? I like the amount of ram, and the new processor in it which has been getting rave reviews. Hard drive is more then big enough. Don't care much about the video card, I'm the type that buys a new low end 50-100 video card every year anyways just so i can keep running new games at the medium setting.

Anyways im pretty bad at pricing stuff out. I think the dell brand is good, and they use high quality components. I don't want to build anything myself. Any help is appreciated.

[ken0042]

Looks pretty slick to me. 6 GM of RAM? Wow!

[T@T]

Vista - $125
Intel® Core™i7-920 Processor - $294
Microsoft Works 9.0 - $30 (useless)
6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs - $295
750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache - $95
16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability - $28
256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 - $51 (not a very good card)
Good motherboard - $105
Case - $75
Total - $1098

Why they have 6 gigs of ram is confusing, the rest of the system isn't all that good and would not come close to utilizing it, the video card sucks if you want performance in gaming. There is no mention of a motherboard so I will assume it's not all that great and most likely the case is cheap with little cooling.

It's very bare bones and you can get a similar pre-built system for less with ease.

If you live in Calgary stop by a Memoryexpress store, they usually have good built systems on special all the time or even better figure out what your needs are in a PC and have them go over the parts to build one for you.

P.S - I wouldn't buy a Dell under any circumstances

[ken0042]

Where are you getting those numbers from T@T? Because what I see on Memory Express' website adds up to $1619. That's with picking their cheapest case/PS, that CPU ($400) the cheapest mobo that supports that CPU being $290.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Where are you getting those numbers from T@T? Because what I see on Memory Express' website adds up to $1619. That's with picking their cheapest case/PS, that CPU ($400) the cheapest mobo that supports that CPU being $290.

You can't go off there website prices as it's never updated...I phoned a buddy who works there.

[Finner]

Originally Posted by T@T

Vista - $125
Intel® Core™i7-920 Processor - $294
Microsoft Works 9.0 - $30 (useless)
6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs - $295
750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache - $95
16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability - $28
256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 - $51 (not a very good card)
Good motherboard - $105
Case - $75
Total - $1098

Why they have 6 gigs of ram is confusing, the rest of the system isn't all that good and would not come close to utilizing it, the video card sucks if you want performance in gaming. There is no mention of a motherboard so I will assume it's not all that great and most likely the case is cheap with little cooling.


It's very bare bones and you can get a similar pre-built system for less with ease.

If you live in Calgary stop by a Memoryexpress store, they usually have good built systems on special all the time or even better figure out what your needs are in a PC and have them go over the parts to build one for you.

P.S - I wouldn't buy a Dell under any circumstances

They said its an X58 (i think) motherboard. Its one of the only ones that can run the new type of chip.

What is so "bad" about the system? The motherboard and processor are supposedly really good. Hard drive suits my needs, and the ram is great. I already stated that I know the video card sucks, but again i don't care if i can run on high settings.

Is the price good for what it is?

In terms of the brand name, I have never had an issue with a dell, and a friend in the computer business told me dell is one of the best computers you can buy in terms of quality.

[Phanuthier]

Just to clear things up Finner, Dell actually isn't the computer itself - they just put the thing together.

Pretty sure whether its Dell or a Futureshop, the components are gonna be Intel or AMD, Nvidia or ATI, Western Digital or Seagate, etc.

[Finner]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Just to clear things up Finner, Dell actually isn't the computer itself - they just put the thing together.

Pretty sure whether its Dell or a Futureshop, the components are gonna be Intel or AMD, Nvidia or ATI, Western Digital or Seagate, etc.

Oh, I understand that. But from what my friend told me, for example, other pc manufacturers will take failed high end chips that will still operate at lower speeds and put them in computers, or also placing refurbed parts in "new" computers.

[Finner]

Oh, and attempting to build this system on NCIX costs over 2000.

[Vulcan]

I like Dell and think this deal looks okay. Like others have said, I'd upgrade the video card though. Get a new video card at Memory Express or an online dealer as it's a lot cheaper than what Dell's offering. When upgrading the video card, you should be sure of having an adequate Power Supply, so I'd phone Dell to see what they are giving in this setup. Also check on the case size and what fans are included. Fans should be cheap to upgrade at ME. As T@T says, it would be a shame to have this nice system overheating.

[Finner]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

I like Dell and think this deal looks okay. Like others have said, I'd upgrade the video card though. Get a new video card at Memory Express or an online dealer as it's a lot cheaper than what Dell's offering. When upgrading the video card, you should be sure of having an adequate Power Supply, so I'd phone Dell to see what they are giving in this setup. Also check on the case size and what fans are included. This should be cheap to upgrade at ME. As T@T says, it would be a shame to have this nice system overheating.

It says power supply is 360 Watts. Is that enough?

Also it looks like two fans. One motherboard fan, and the power supply fan. The case looks fairly small.

[onetwo_threefour]

Not quite in the same league, but a couple of weeks ago I bought the following system at Best Buy on sale.

Acer Aspire Desktop

Intel Quad-Core Q6600 @ 2.4 GHz
6 GB DDR2 RAM - 4 DIMM's Dual Channel Matched DIMM's (Micron) -333 MHz
750 GB SATA HDD
Blu-Ray Drive
ATI Radeon HD 3450 256 MB\
Windows Vista Home Premium 64Bit

Biggest Issue I have is that I understand ACER Mobo's are locked and can't be easily overclocked, but otherwise this seemed like a great deal, given that it included a BD Drive and a decent amount of HDD space and RAM.

Also no monitor. But this system is powerful enough for me. i was upgradng from a P4 HT 3.00 GHz and this seems hugely better to me already.


However, as I said, not in the same league, but several hundred cheaper.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Finner

It says power supply is 360 Watts. Is that enough?

Also it looks like two fans. One motherboard fan, and the power supply fan. The case looks fairly small.

I'd like at least 500 watts for any decent video card but others may not agree.

Those two fans are the bare basic and I'd see if you can add two case fans. One front and one back.

Maybe try going to Dells techinical support for more information or phone.

http://www.support.dell.com/support/topics/topic.aspx/ca/shared/support/product_support/en/product_support_central?~ck=ln&c=ca&cs=cadhs1&l=en &lnki=0&s=dhs&SystemID=STUDIOXPS435MT

[Finner]

I would think about upgrading the power supply. If i recall correctly they are fairly easy to install. Are case fans difficult to put in?

I could probably find a good power supply for ~100. I wouldn't upgrade the video card for probably 6 months to a year or so though.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Finner

I would think about upgrading the power supply. If i recall correctly they are fairly easy to install. Are case fans difficult to put in?

I could probably find a good power supply for ~100. I wouldn't upgrade the video card for probably 6 months to a year or so though.

Shouldn't be.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Finner

Oh, I understand that. But from what my friend told me, for example, other pc manufacturers will take failed high end chips that will still operate at lower speeds and put them in computers, or also placing refurbed parts in "new" computers.

Just for clarification- by "other PC manufacturers" you mean other than Dell, right?

When I was on the front lines of IT we used Dells almost exclusively. From a quality standpoint; it is what I usually recommend to friends who are looking for a PC. They didn't get to be #1 year after year by building crap.

Did they break down? Sure. Anything with moving parts will break down. But what I see in the IT world is IT guys seeing Dells coming in for repair on a 1 per day basis, but forgetting that out of the 5,000 PC they have deployed, that is still a low average.

[Finner]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Just for clarification- by "other PC manufacturers" you mean other than Dell, right?

When I was on the front lines of IT we used Dells almost exclusively. From a quality standpoint; it is what I usually recommend to friends who are looking for a PC. They didn't get to be #1 year after year by building crap.

Did they break down? Sure. Anything with moving parts will break down. But what I see in the IT world is IT guys seeing Dells coming in for repair on a 1 per day basis, but forgetting that out of the 5,000 PC they have deployed, that is still a low average.

Ya, other then dell. They always seemed to build quality machines.

[Vulcan]

That 4850 video card, on another site recommends a 450 watt PS. It's going for about $180 on sale at NCIX plus a $100 PS. They want $350 for it at Dell but that probably includes a stronger PS so that may be the easiest way to go. I'd phone and check to see first.

[Finner]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

That 4850 video card, on another site recommends a 450 watt PS. It's going for about $180 on sale at NCIX plus a $100 PS. They want $350 for it at Dell but that probably includes a stronger PS so that may be the easiest way to go. I'd phone and check to see first.

hmm...good call. So get the video card and a power supply and spend an extra 350....

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Finner

They said its an X58 (i think) motherboard. Its one of the only ones that can run the new type of chip.

What is so "bad" about the system? The motherboard and processor are supposedly really good. Hard drive suits my needs, and the ram is great. I already stated that I know the video card sucks, but again i don't care if i can run on high settings.

Is the price good for what it is?

In terms of the brand name, I have never had an issue with a dell, and a friend in the computer business told me dell is one of the best computers you can buy in terms of quality.

I had two Dell's, one LT and one PC. both crapped out because of "cheap" parts. The labtop's harddrive failed at about 8 months(3 years ago) and the PC (7 years ago) had the motherboard die in it's 2nd year.problem with Dell is you have to send the damn thing away for repair under warranty.

Maybe it was bad luck or they are better these days but if you mention a Dell to someone who builds computers you will get a big ..meh.
Even the little things like SATA cables, type of PS can make a big difference.