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[Mejilan]

and I have neither the knowledge, nor the patience, nor the will to build my own.

What's that mean? DELL, of course. I've got my income tax returns a-coming, and conveniently enough, Dell's got a 25% off dealio on their high end stuff. I'm considering two customized Dell Dimensions XPS Gen 4 units. I'm copying the details below. I'd appreciate any advice on the matter. I don't really know what the hell most of this jargon is, and can't for the life of me be arsed to research the various vid cards. I just picked the most expensive one because it's an ATI card and not NVidia.

Are these a good deal? Which one's better (I'm leaning towards the cheaper one)? Can I get some of the more stand alone components (monitor, speakers) in better quality and/or cheaper prices elsewhere?

Help.

RIG 1 - $3,374.25
Dimension XPS Gen4 Qty 1
Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Tech Extreme Edition (3.40GHz, 800 FSB), Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition Unit Price $4,467.00
Dell Home Customers: Save 25% off the Dell Dimension XPS!
Limited Time Offer! View Details
- $1,116.75

Catalog Number: 29
Sort
Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Dell Dimension XPS Series - Gen 4 Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Tech Extreme Edition (3.40GHz, 800 FSB) ME348H [221-7054] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [313-7222][462-4610][412-0688][420-4834][420-4927][412-0749][420-5101] 11
Memory 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz (2x1GB) 2GB5 [311-3771] 3
Keyboard Dell Wireless Keyboard and Optical Mouse WIREKM [310-4164] 4
Monitors 19 inch Ultrasharp™ 1905FP Digital Flat Panel 1905FP [320-4127] 5
Video Card 256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X850 XT PE X850XT [320-4208] 6
Hard Drive 74GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (10000RPM) 74S [341-0990] 8
Floppy Drive and Additional Storage Devices 3.5 in Floppy Drive and 256MB Dell USB Memory Key FD256MK [311-4289][340-1927] 10
Mouse Mouse included in Dell Wireless Package N [310-1966] 12
Network Interface Integrated Gigabit Ethernet IN [430-0742] 13
Modem No Modem Requested N [313-3607] 14
Document Management Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 AAREAD [412-0705] 15
CD or DVD Drive Dual Drives: 16x DVD + FREE UPGRADE! 16x DVD+/-RW w/dbl layer write DV16DVP [463-4686][420-5079] 16
Sound Cards Sound Blaster Audigy™ 2 ZS (D) Card w/Dolby 5.1, IEEE 1394 capability SBA2X [313-3114] 17
Speakers Dell 5650 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System with Subwoofer D5650 [313-2246] 18
Productivity Software No Microsoft Office MSONO [412-1397] 22
2nd Hard Drive 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/ Native Command Queuing 160SB [341-1588] 23
Security Software No Security Subscription NS2 [412-0754] 25
Digital Music No Digital Music Software Requested NOMM [461-8388] 27
Digital Photography No Digital Imaging Software Requested NODPS [461-3064] 28
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support S111OS [950-1260][950-3337][950-9797][412-0360][960-2800] 29
XPS Specialized Support Dimension XPS, Specialized Support XPSSUPP [960-2697] 31
Internet Access Services No ISP requested NISPFSS [461-3063][412-0625] 37
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service and Support XPS3SAP [463-5453] 82
Video Editing IEEE 1394 Adapter 1394 [320-0169] 85

ACCESSORIES

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belkin SurgeMaster Gold - 10 Outlet with Coax (for Broadband)


RIG 2 - $2,744.25 (Currently considering)
Dimension XPS Gen4 Qty 1
Pentium® 4 Processor 570 with HT Technology (3.80GHz, 800 FSB), Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition Unit Price $3,627.00
Dell Home Customers: Save 25% off the Dell Dimension XPS!
Limited Time Offer! View Details
- $906.75

Catalog Number: 29
Sort
Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Dell Dimension XPS Series - Gen 4 Pentium® 4 Processor 570 with HT Technology (3.80GHz, 800 FSB) MP388H [221-7052] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [313-7222][462-4610][412-0688][420-4834][420-4927][412-0749][420-5101] 11
Memory 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz (2x512M) 1GB5 [311-3766] 3
Keyboard Dell Wireless Keyboard and Optical Mouse WIREKM [310-4164] 4
Monitors 19 inch Ultrasharp™ 1905FP Digital Flat Panel 1905FP [320-4127] 5
Video Card 256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X850 XT PE X850XT [320-4208] 6
Hard Drive 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) 250S [341-0988] 8
Floppy Drive and Additional Storage Devices 3.5 in Floppy Drive and 256MB Dell USB Memory Key FD256MK [311-4289][340-1927] 10
Mouse Mouse included in Dell Wireless Package N [310-1966] 12
Network Interface Integrated Gigabit Ethernet IN [430-0742] 13
Modem No Modem Requested N [313-3607] 14
Document Management Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 AAREAD [412-0705] 15
CD or DVD Drive Dual Drives: 48x CD-RW Drive+ SAVE $109! 16x DVD+/-RW w/dbl layer write CDR6DVP [463-4687][420-5079] 16
Sound Cards Sound Blaster Audigy™ 2 ZS (D) Card w/Dolby 5.1, IEEE 1394 capability SBA2X [313-3114] 17
Speakers No Speaker Option N [313-4514] 18
Productivity Software No Microsoft Office MSONO [412-1397] 22
Security Software No Security Subscription NS2 [412-0754] 25
Digital Music No Digital Music Software Requested NOMM [461-8388] 27
Digital Photography No Digital Imaging Software Requested NODPS [461-3064] 28
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support S111OS [950-1260][950-3337][950-9797][412-0360][960-2800] 29
XPS Specialized Support Dimension XPS, Specialized Support XPSSUPP [960-2697] 31
Internet Access Services No ISP requested NISPFSS [461-3063][412-0625] 37
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service and Support XPS3SAP [463-5453] 82
Video Editing IEEE 1394 Adapter 1394 [320-0169] 85

ACCESSORIES

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belkin SurgeMaster Gold - 10 Outlet with Coax (for Broadband)

 

[BooM235689]

alienwares= sexy towers and colors

 

[Mejilan]

I didn't particularly like their prices, however.

 

[miyuru]

alienwares= sexy towers and colors

*sigh*...

Anyway, I don't know much about prices, but you should definitely check out some local PC stores to see if they have some weekly specials or whatever, you could find some really awesome bargains. Here in Edmonton there's a place called BCom, they have some sales that have people lining up outside the night before every now and then. Actually that's where I got the PC I'm typing on now. Didn't get there early enough to get the best value system, so this system were all they were selling at bargain price.

 

[Mejilan]

Don't know of many local comp stores in Brooklyn or NY, but Dell's 25% off is pretty sweet.

 

[Mejilan]

Yay. In less than 2 weeks, I will have a new computer.

 

[teh_pwn]

Damn, you should have done this two weeks ago. Dell had a 40% off sale that had rigs good enough that even I would have bought them and I build my machines. Only downside was that they were using P4 3.2-3.6. If I were to build now I'd use an AMD 3500+ to FX-55 if the price was right.


That monitor is great (1905FP)...I just got one. It's essentially Samsung's 193P. However, there is considerable ghosting in games with 1st period view.

Good PCs, but about $1000 overpriced. But for prebuilt you can't get much better.

 

[Mejilan]

Good to know, thanks!

A couple of people scoped it out and told me that this is about the best I'll be able to do without buiding one myself!

Any recommendations for a decent set of 5.1 speakers that won't set me back too much?

 

[StoOgE]

Not to be a build it yourself snob.. but I just got finished building a rig better than either of those for about half the price of that expensive unit.. building yourself can be a bit of a hassle (it'll take a few days to iron out the kinks) but it really isnt hard at all and saves SO MUCH money. I mean, Dell is basically charging you two prices to assemble the thing.

Note: the price of my unit also includes a 400 dollar LCD monitor... so, I guess its about 1/3rd of the price without that.

I hadnt built a PC myself since my 486 way back in the day (and actually screwed that up so you had to go into CMOS everytime you booted :lol) but had this one up and running in no time.

 

[Shogmaster]

You built a gaming machine out of Intel parts and DDR2 just to go with Dell?!? Jebus Criminy......

 

[Mejilan]

and I have neither the knowledge, nor the patience, nor the will to build my own.

In case we're not sure what that means. I'm quite OK with paying money for a company (Dell) to do all of the hard work for me.

 

[Shogmaster]

In case we're not sure what that means. I'm quite OK with paying money for a company (Dell) to do all of the hard work for me.

Not the point. Gaming machine out of Intel CPU by anyone, is pretty damn foolish right now. Congrats on the new room heater with Intel inside. Hope you have a strong AC for the upcoming summer....

 

[StoOgE]

In case we're not sure what that means. I'm quite OK with paying money for a company (Dell) to do all of the hard work for me.

If you can use a screw-driver and manage not to put your arm through a motherboard while doing so, you can build a computer. It comes with a picture book and everything. Im not kidding when I say I had lego kits as a child that were more complicated than this.

In any case, yeah.. an Intel chip was a retarded idea.

 

[bionic77]

How much of a difference can it make between Intel vs. AMD?

 

[LinesInTheSand]

It takes like 30 minutes to put a computer together and you'll save $1000... don't be so frickin lazy.

 

[StoOgE]

How much of a difference can it make between Intel vs. AMD?

an AMD clocked at 2 Ghz is roughly on par with an Intel chip clocked at 3.4 Ghz. They are alot better.

 

[Shogmaster]

How much of a difference can it make between Intel vs. AMD?

Basically, even a lowly 3200+ A64 (939) would have out performed his 3.8Ghz space heater while running loads cooler, not to mention not having to waste buku bucks on DDR2 shananigans.

 

[Vandiger]

Considering how much money your investing into a new computer, I can't really understand why you didn't do any research or put any effort into getting a better buy as in amd64(939) or 21" LCD. Oh well hopefully your room is "cold".

 

[Brannon]

You should give me your old computer. This will wean you off of your old computer and then I can have it, win win.

 

[Mejilan]

You know, it is kinda cold in here...

 

[Kuroyume]

You can get an alienware for around or lower than that price . They're having a big sale this month I think.

 

[Shogmaster]

You know, it is kinda cold in here...

Live in the artics do ya? Cold 365 days of the year? :lol

At the very least, buy the rig with minimum RAM configuration so that you could add them on your own for tons less money. You can't be so pathetic that you don't want to install RAM on your own, can ya?

 

[Mejilan]

I plan on upping the RAM and HDD at a later date, and I'll be purchasing speakers independently.

Should I go for 5.1 speakers? Or is that overkill for a computer, and just stick with 2 speakers and a subwoofer?

I'm very excited, I've never purchased my own computer before, and I've never owned anything this comparatively powerful either. I've always had to settle with my computers, so for ONCE, it'll be nice to be able to play any freakin' game I want without worrying about jack. Well, for the most part.

Hell, I'll finally be able to finish playing Morrowind!

Edit - No, not year round. I live in NY, and it's pretty cold these days. I've got heating in my apt, obviously, but I've still got my window AC installed, so it gets pretty drafty here, a cold kind of drafty.

Edit 2 - The difference between the 512mb (min spec) price and the 1gb price was like $70, IIRC. I wasn't going to say no. I was tempted to go for 2gb, but that would have been an additional $250.

 

[Shogmaster]

Should I go for 5.1 speakers? Or is that overkill for a computer, and just stick with 2 speakers and a subwoofer?

If you game, you will benefit from surround sound set up.

Edit - No, not year round. I live in NY, and it's pretty cold these days. I've got heating in my apt, obviously, but I've still got my window AC installed, so it gets pretty drafty here, a cold kind of drafty.

Window AC unit? Uh~oh...... Something tells me that you won't be using your computer during some of the hottest summer days of NY. :lol

Edit 2 - The difference between the 512mb (min spec) price and the 1gb price was like $70, IIRC. I wasn't going to say no. I was tempted to go for 2gb, but that would have been an additional $250.

That sounds actually somewhat reasonable! *shocked*. Wonders will never cease. I guess Dell and Intel wants to push DDR2 desperately.

 

[StoOgE]

That sounds actually somewhat reasonable! *shocked*. Wonders will never cease. I guess Dell and Intel wants to push DDR2 desperately.

To be fair, if you get Corsair Value select you should be able to get 2 GB's for around 250 bucks.. so its a *little* overpriced, but compared to some of the components not too bad.

 

[Mejilan]

What's wrong with DDR2 RAM?

I've gotta admit, I completely lost touch with the PC world when 486s went out of style.

Will my unit REALLY overheat in the summer? Will I be able to install something at a later date to help keep it cooler?

I DO have the coldest room in the apt, however.

Shog, can you recommend a decent set of 5.1 speakers for a reasonable price? I don't know what companies to trust, or how much I should expect to spend.

Hell, I don't even have a 5.1 setup in my living room (though that's next!)

Edit - I actually did try to put together a comparable setup through alienware before selecting Dell. But they just couldn't compete with Dell's 25% off.

 

[Shogmaster]

What's wrong with DDR2 RAM?

It's lot more expensive than PC3200, and offers no pratical performance advantage. If you are going for over a GB, than it's definitely a bad idea right now.

Will my unit REALLY overheat in the summer? Will I be able to install something at a later date to help keep it cooler?

I doubt it will overheat, but it will overheat your room. The amount of heat generated by the power supply, Prescott and the X850 will be tremendous. If your AC is only adequate to cool your room without extra heat source during the summer, then HOOBOY~, you are in for a treat! :lol

Shog, can you recommend a decent set of 5.1 speakers for a reasonable price? I don't know what companies to trust, or how much I should expect to spend.

Hell, I don't even have a 5.1 setup in my living room (though that's next!)

This thing is only around $55, if you don't need thumping sound, but this one isn't too expensive either.

If you just want a good seperation of sound and don't need things really loud while sounding decent, the first is fine.

 

[Mejilan]

It's lot more expensive than PC3200, and offers no pratical performance advantage. If you are going for over a GB, than it's definitely a bad idea right now.

Cool. I didn't think they charged me TOO much for the RAM. As I said before, the 512-1gb upgrade was done for a pretty inconsequential price, relatively speaking.

I doubt it will overheat, but it will overheat your room. The amount of heat generated by the power supply, Prescott and the X850 will be tremendous. If your AC is only adequate to cool your room without extra heat source during the summer, then HOOBOY~, you are in for a treat! :lol

:lol
Should be interesting! I have a pretty powerful window AC, it's more than enough to cool my room. In fact, I installed it during the first really hot week of summer, and NEVER USED IT ONCE this summer. I actually never needed anything more than a rotating fan I also keep handy. Either last summer was a mild one, or I've finally got used to NY summers. Not sure.

This thing is only around $55, if you don't need thumping sound, but this one isn't too expensive either.

If you just want a good seperation of sound and don't need things really loud while sounding decent, the first is fine.

Thank you for the links. I'm more interested in separation rather than thumping sound. I don't live alone, so I'd rather not be annoyed by constant cries to lower the volume.

Once again, I'm much obliged by your help!

 

[Vieo]

Don't know of many local comp stores in Brooklyn or NY, but Dell's 25% off is pretty sweet

http://www.tri-statefairs.com/

If you live in the NYC area, you absolutely MUST at some point check out Tri-State Fairs and Computer Shows. When I built my computer, I got most of my parts between them and newegg.com. Just wait until they schedule a show in your area. I usually wait until they have a show in the gym of New York City Technical College (just take the A or C train to Jay Street and it practically puts you off in front of the place). Even if you're not going to build a PC, you can get tons of new parts, used parts, OEM software, etc there for prices below retail and you can even barter with them to lower their prices. I haggled a guy there before and walked home with Windows XP Home edition for $50!

 

[Mejilan]

Ahh, thanks for the link! Looks like they're having a show at that location next Sunday!

 

[teh_pwn]

"What's wrong with DDR2 RAM?"

Even it's potential is too weak for the future. Now the next gen RAMBUS, that stuff kicks ass (at least on paper..):

http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20050125_170734.html

 

[Mejilan]

"What's wrong with DDR2 RAM?"

Even it's potential is too weak for the future. Now the next gen RAMBUS, that stuff kicks ass (at least on paper..):

http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20050125_170734.html

But how does DDR2 compare to the various forms of RAM available today? I mean, I guess RAMBUS isn't commercially available yet, right? So that would make things kinda moot for those wanting a computer now.

Is there anything wrong with DDR2 TODAY, aside from it's (apparently) higher price tag? Say it has a crappier price/performance ratio than today's other RAM modules, but how IS its performance?

Also, if I want to upgrade to another form of RAM in the future (say in the next year or two), will that require another mother board, or will my new computer be alright?

 

[Shogmaster]

But how does DDR2 compare to the various forms of RAM available today? I mean, I guess RAMBUS isn't commercially available yet, right? So that would make things kinda moot for those wanting a computer now.

Is there anything wrong with DDR2 TODAY, aside from it's (apparently) higher price tag? Say it has a crappier price/performance ratio than today's other RAM modules, but how IS its performance?

Also, if I want to upgrade to another form of RAM in the future (say in the next year or two), will that require another mother board, or will my new computer be alright?

IMHO, DDR2 will be a fine successor to DDR. It's just that the current iteration is not a big enough jump from the PC3200. I would jump on DDR2 bandwagon when the speeds are at least 666 or 800Mhz, instead of the current 533Mhz. basically, I recommend going DDR2 when the platfrom matures a bit.

And yes, you need a brand new mobo if you want to benefit from a diffrent type or even faster speed of RAM. And unless a miracle happens, forget about RAMBUS coming back to PC space.

 

[Doc Holliday]

www.Ibuypower.com

 

[btrboyev]

heres what you do...buy all the parts yourself (much cheaper) then when you get them, bring them to a computer shop and have them put it together for you. That way you can get it for much cheaper and not have to do it yourself.

 

[Mejilan]

And yes, you need a brand new mobo if you want to benefit from a diffrent type or even faster speed of RAM. And unless a miracle happens, forget about RAMBUS coming back to PC space.

Wait, so the current RAM is the best I'll be able to get with my mobo? I won't even be able to get a faster version of DDR2 in the future? Lame.

 

[Shogmaster]

Wait, so the current RAM is the best I'll be able to get with my mobo? I won't even be able to get a faster version of DDR2 in the future? Lame.

Maybe with a BIOS update you can accomodate 666Mhz DDR2, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

 

[Mejilan]

Hey Shog, the new computer has been running for about 4 hours straight (spent all this time wiping out the HDD, reformatting it, getting rid of Dell's crap, and rebuilding the software to my own personal tastes and specifications.)

The computer's actually giving off LESS heat than my old laptop!

Edit - Thanks for all your help! This is my first post (and first edit) using the new rig! Woo!

 

[fart]

oh god, please don't tell me you spent 3k on a dell.

seriously, please don't tell me. i will have to cry myself to sleep tonight.

 

[nathkenn]

www.Ibuypower.com

second that. good lord who spends that much money on computers anymore
the equivalent of the machine i got for doing 3d work well over a year ago is now around $600 and it still kicks ass

 

[Pochacco]

Woah.

The only premade PC I would ever buy is an Apple.
And even they're cheaper than that.