New Dell - Worth It?

It's not bad but for that kind of money you can build incredibly fast computer and after that you will probably have money left over.
 
Honestly speaking....for that rig your paying over double what it it worth. You could build that for around $1200 or so, maybe less(and with quality parts, not the cheap motherboards and power supplies dell uses). The 16gb of memory is a waste, as current usage wouldnt need more than 6gb for pretty much anything.
 
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Yeah - you could probably build that for about half the price with the monitor they are charging with 8GB RAM. If you need teh 16GB Ram though - that's a HUGE price for the 4GB stix (899 for a set of 4 . Also, doesnt' look like there's alot of room to expand with only 1 PCIex16 slot.

Also keep in mind - part of that cost is the 2 year warranty. If you use quality parts to build your own - you won't need the warranty - but any part would be likely covered for that period anyway.

Here's a rough guestimate ( not recommending parts )
Core i7 860 289.00

Gigabyte UD4P Motherboard-169.99

8GB Corsair Dominator 259.99

Blue Ray Reader DVD-/+R R/W 99.00

Windows 7 64 Bit OEM - 104

24" HD Asus Monitor 220.

EVGA GTX 260 - 205

Corsair 650W 90.00

Antec 900 Case 120.00

That's 1500 - add a mouse and premium keyboard of your choice for $100 bucks

The 16GB or Ram is jacking that price up - but even if you add 700 bucks to get the 16GB RAM - you can still come in around $2,000 for a higher quality build. You could easily bump the video card to 5850 for a higher end vid card with direct x 11 and be under the price of Dell. You could probably knock another 100.00 off that build I listed if you combine rebates and combo prices from Newegg too. I'm just kindof lazy tonight to do teh extra work and check them out.

Edit : Just saw that the Dell has Win 7 Ultimate - tack on additional 70 bucks - Not sure it's worth it - as Home Premium will cover most people's needs - but you want to compare Dell price to comparable build - so I threw in that nugget in this edited pos.
 
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I agree with the others. The Dell is too expensive. You could order the parts list Jamin43 suggested and pay someone to assemble the components and install the operating system for you and probably pay less than what that Dell costs. $3,000 is just too much for a personal computer.
 
build it :)

i came here making a thread like this and someone recommended building so i did some research and got a computer that plays modern warfare 2 no lag for under 700 and it was fun and easy :)
 
bomberboysk said:
Honestly speaking....for that rig your paying over double what it it worth. You could build that for around $1200 or so, maybe less(and with quality parts, not the cheap motherboards and power supplies dell uses). The 16gb of memory is a waste, as current usage wouldnt need more than 6gb for pretty much anything.
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$1200 including monitor and all software installed? Lets see the build. :P

The build is overpriced though.

I still would not buy anything from Dell, as I agree that they use sub-par components.
 
OK,OK, you guys win. I'm going to cancel the order and try building one. I'm going to need your help with this project. I've already downloaded the one thread with the pictures on building your own computer, but I'm sure there's more. Here's what I will be using the computer for:
- mostly for home finances, spreadsheet, and Word documents. Also like to do some gaming, listen to some music, and store some pictures. I'm OK with something more than I need. But I want something fast and has memory
- I'll need it all, including monitor (24"?), mouse, speakers, keyboard
- I connect via DSL with cable and also use a router
- Want Windows 7, unsure of version (although Jamin43 is recommending Home Premium which is good enough for me).
- You already saw how much I was willing to spend, but I'm under the impression that I should be able to build this for around $2K?

Thanks again for all your support. This might actually be FUN!
 
Bodaggit23 said:
$1200 including monitor and all software installed? Lets see the build. :P

The build is overpriced though.

I still would not buy anything from Dell, as I agree that they use sub-par components.
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Monitor can get for around $200, and its not hard to build a 1156 system for $1000, plus it has a $100 version of office.
 
I'm familiar with the link but I need advice on what components to buy, and from where. I was looking to see if someone would be able to let me know the specific parts and where to purchase (I gather Newegg is pretty popular).
 
This build would cost significantly less than that dell(a little over half as much), and will kick its rump.

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186169

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145236

Hard Drive: (Could get two of these even)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

Display:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049

GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150438&cm_re=4890-_-14-150-438-_-Product

OS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

Keyboard/Mouse...depends what you like. Personally im a fan of the logitech keyboards and mice.

Office: What all microsoft office programs you need? Student/Teacher fulfills most needs, but it really depends on what programs you need.

Heatsink:
http://jab-tech.com/Prolimatech-Megahalems-CPU-Cooler-775-1366-1156-Rev-B-pr-4557.html

Fan for heatsink: (2x)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=coolermaster_r4-_-35-103-061-_-Product

Thermal interface material:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080&Tpk=G751
or Shin Etsu X23-7783D, or TX-3, or TX-2, or MX-2, MX-3, Ocz Freeze, all work pretty well. I run Shin Etsu X23-7783D personally, from all tests ive seen it gives the best temperatures.
 
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For 2k budget - here's what I'd build

Sapphire 5850 - $309.00

LG Blue Ray Optical Drive - $110.00

Card Reader for - 12.99

Core i7 860 + Gigabyte UD4P - ( 30.00 combo discount ) $429.98

Antec 900 Case + Windows Home Premium 64bit O/S - ( 20.00 combo discount ) $184.99

Corsair 750W ( after 10.00 Rebate ) $89.99

640 GB HDD - Black Caviar - 74.99

Microsoft Office 2007 - Home Office - Student edition - $99.00
( You can pay triple price for retail - but I'm not aware if you're getting any additional features - others maybe can answer this question - but I think this version is fully functional - so why waste $ 200.00 more for Retail )

4GB G-Skill DDR 1600 Ram - 99.00

Total Price $1,1411.98

Keyboard / Mouse / Speakers / Monitor are more individual choices. Mine all were chosen based on the cheapest price I could find so I can't add much substance on that. You could easily come in under $600.00 though. You could add a Heatsink too - but that's pretty optional if you don't plan to overclock.

You don't need 16GB of RAM for what you stated uses. If you find a need later - it's an easy upgrade. Save your money on parts you'll use like superfast Videocard ( since you mentioned gaming - pretty future proof ) :good:

Newegg is very popular b/c they have the best prices on most of their products.
 
WOW! Great stuff Thanks. OK, which of the two. I don't plan on viewing movies (is Blu-ray necessary?) and I doubt my "gaming" is the same caliber as yours, so is a heat sink also necessary? Other than that, looks to me these two are about the same? Maybe?
 
Bodaggit23 said:
I hate to bust your chops, but that's not what you said.
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"Or so" implies a degree of variance. Second, if you really wanted you could build a 1156 build for $1000 including microsoft office if you really went low end on motherboard and got a cheaper gpu.
Freerunner said:
One other question. How many USB ports are usually available with these builds? I figure I might need at least 4.
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Should have at least 6 usb ports on the motherboard, more depending upon what mobo you go with.
Freerunner said:
WOW! Great stuff Thanks. OK, which of the two. I don't plan on viewing movies (is Blu-ray necessary?) and I doubt my "gaming" is the same caliber as yours, so is a heat sink also necessary? Other than that, looks to me these two are about the same? Maybe?
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Yes you want a heatsink, the stock heatsinks dont keep the cpu that cool and are somewhat loud imo. Blu-ray is a total waste of money then, because its mainly for movies.
 
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Freerunner said:
WOW! Great stuff Thanks. OK, which of the two. I don't plan on viewing movies (is Blu-ray necessary?) and I doubt my "gaming" is the same caliber as yours, so is a heat sink also necessary? Other than that, looks to me these two are about the same? Maybe?
Click to expand...

If you don't plan on viewing movies - you can knock down the DVD player to a standard DVD R/W drive for 30 bucks. You still need a DVD to install some software.
Sony SATA DVD R/W $31.00 Choose one with good reviews and SATA vs IDE connection - they're all pretty similar except Plextor is Premium brand for those who Burn DVD's all day long.

Heatsink is for the CPU. They pull heat away from your processor b/c heat is what will bring down the life of your CPU. Retail CPU's come with heat sinks - but they are usually mediocre at best. If you don't plan to overclock - you can get by with the Retail Heatsinks. I'm running my PC with OEM heatsink - but plan to upgrade sooner or later. Skimped b/c of budget on first build.

The Video card I put in 5850 is the second fastest Graphics card on the market right now. I put it in your build b/c of your budget of $2,000. Allows you to run next generation Direct X 11 games and 3 monitor setup. You could get by with less - but I threw this in b/c of your budget. The 4890 listed in the other build is still a plenty fast card for today's games if you wanted to save 100 bucks. What kindof gaming you plan to do?

USB ports are found on the Motherboard - and Case front. Without checking - I'd guess both builds probably have 6 - 8 in Back - 2 in front USB ports. Plus you can add a card later if you need more in the back.
 
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