Dell XPS

[Puma]

Okay, so with my Christmas money I've decided to buy a new computer as opposed to spending a large sum of money upgrading my other Dell, which is dated by about 4 or so years and has pretty much stopped working entirely. So, I was thinking about getting an XPS since the thing I want to do with it will be gaming. But, I've had very bad experiences with Dell, and the Dell I have now has needed to be fixed more times than I can count. So, does anyone have one of these or know if they're reliable? It seems to have everything in it I'm looking for, I just need to make sure it won't work for a few months and then crap out on me.

[Cybergasm]

http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/default.asp

That is an excellent site for customizing your own notebooks and desktops. I would greatly recommend it.

[IbanezSamurai]

http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/default.asp

That is an excellent site for customizing your own notebooks and desktops. I would greatly recommend it.

Some of those towers are way too abstract.

[Cybergasm]

Some of those towers are way too abstract.
Yeah... but who cares, they don't make you take them.

[BassVirtuoso]

I got a high end PC of Ibuypower for a little over 1000 dollars, a Dell PC with lower end specs would cost more.

[IbanezSamurai]

Yeah... but who cares, they don't make you take them.

Yeah, I guess that the price of having a hardcore gaming machine :)

So, is Athlon better than Pentium?

[JohnnySixGuns]

What kind of problems did your old Dell give you?

[Puma]

What kind of problems did your old Dell give you?

I'm not sure of the exact problems it was always having, but I know for a fact that I've reformatted the hard drive twice now because my internet won't connect to it. Not even the technicians from Comcast can tell me why it won't connect, they just tell me I need to reformat the hard drive because it has bugs. But when I run Norton it never finds any viruses or anything, so I dunno about that. But for the most part my decision isn't because I really have that big a problem with Dell. I don't. I just need a better computer badly, and right now it would cost alot of money to fix up this one I've got. I'll look into those customization sites though, thanks.

[JohnnySixGuns]

^^If you tell me how much you have to spend, I'll configure the best Dell you can get for the money. Then you can compare. And I'll keep my mind on gaming. Options are good to have. Then you can make an informed decision.

[iliketoplaydrums10111]

^New account?

[JohnnySixGuns]

^^No. Just a new member that somehow chose an old, well known username, apparently. People seem so disappointed. This is like, I've lost count of how many times people have asked me that. Or something like it. Sorry.

[Zakath]

Don't buy a Dell. Go to Newegg or ZipZoomFly or something, look around and get everything individually and build your own computer.

[JohnnySixGuns]

^^Best advice, but I don't think he is likely to take it. He has a lot of trouble with these things. Understanding them, that is.

[BassVirtuoso]

An Athlon vs. Intel debate would go on for years, but I like Athlon.

[Ephemeral]

I just built a new system today. :cool:

Everything is running great, but the fans are a bit loud, but I'm not really concerned about that.

I would highly suggest building one. You will have a WAY more customizable PC to work with that should last you a long time. Just gotta read the manuals, and be careful.

[REINER]

Don't get a Dell. Build it yourself, or if you feel way too incompetent use www.ibuypower.com/ .

[BassVirtuoso]

I didn't go ibuypower because i was incompetent, I just felt better having a warranty incase something broke down.

If your founds are too loud you can try one of those sound absorbing pads.

[Ephemeral]

If your founds are too loud you can try one of those sound absorbing pads.
Thanks, I'll have a look. They are mounted with rubber grommets though.

Keep in mind I have a total of 5 fans in there...

[BassVirtuoso]

...Did I seriously say founds?

[Ephemeral]

I am assuming you were talking to me, and meant to type 'fans'.

[Reaganista]

I'm curious about people mentioning Ibuypower; what (if any) dealings have you had with them and what is your overall impression of the company? Has anything gone wrong with the computer and have they honored their warranty if this has happened?

I ask because their customer reviews on CNET are shockingly bad, the general consensus seems to be that the machine breaks within a few months and the warranty doesn't really cover anything.

[BassVirtuoso]

I've had my Ibuypower for 4 months and it hasn't given me any problems. I don't see how it could break down when everything in here is new. If it breaks down, it probably wasn't their fault.

[Puma]

Don't buy a Dell. Go to Newegg or ZipZoomFly or something, look around and get everything individually and build your own computer.

I would love to so something like that, really, I would, but Johnny is right. When it comes to computers, you may as well be talking to a wall. I probably wouldn't be competant enough to actually construct my own, or what brand to get, or anything like that.

But I'll be completly honest why I don't use one of the afore mentioned sites. One, I think it was IBuyPower, but one of them I went through and built one, only to find I need to use a credit card. Using a credit card is out of the question for me. And also, I only have somewhere around $600 of actual in hand cash, so it's either get something for around that price, or go to an actual company and finance. Which is why I chose Dell. So if that helps, yeah...

[fuzzyhair]

I have a dell and I have had barely any problems with it, except for the internet which is my ****ty routers fault. I really don't see anything wrong with having a dell.

threadstarter your avator is amazing.

[Ephemeral]

There is nothing wrong with Dell computers either. I have had mine since 2002, and everything has been great. Upgrades were also very easy.

[Phalanx]

Some of those towers are way too abstract.

I can't remember what those cases are called but they're actually very good even if they're very ugly. Air - flow wise they're great

[angry armadillo]

Dell have wack customer service, usually.

My work bought a Dell for me, the first thing i did was format it and reinstall windows.

usually the rule of thumb is Intel for servers, Athlon for anything else

Intel dont suffer from heat damage as much as Athlons, but that is only a concern if you want to overclock your PC or something
saying that i managed to cook an intel chip :cool:

[Ephemeral]

I believe Dell is starting to respond to the comments about their customer service. As you probably know, they did have it in India. I think I heard something about them moving it back to the US though.

[Reaganista]

I've had my Ibuypower for 4 months and it hasn't given me any problems. I don't see how it could break down when everything in here is new. If it breaks down, it probably wasn't their fault.
so you haven't had to contact them about anything?

[Gilmour]

so you haven't had to contact them about anything?
I got my Desktop PC from them in August, and havent had a single problem with it.

[JohnnySixGuns]

The best price to performance XPS I could configure for you is $1439. 3.0ghz dual core processor (not the best gaming chip, the dual cores. At least right now) 1gig RAM, 160 gig HD, 256mb nvidia 6800, DVD burner, 2.1 speakers with sound card, optical mouse, Windows Media Center Edition, "free" 19 inch flat panel. As you can tell by the total cost of $1439, nothing is free. An nvidia 7800 GXT will set you back another $300. 3.2ghz processor, $200 more. Damn over priced dual cores. The system is alright for gaming, but no bargin. It's the XPS 400, btw.

The Dell E510 is also interesting for gaming. For $869 you can get a 3.2ghz processor w\HT, 1gig of RAM, 160 gig HD, DVD burner, and 2.1 Speakers with sound card. You can also get a 3.4ghz processor for $60 more. Which would bring the total to $930. And which I would recommend. This is the price without a vid card, though. Because the ones they offer with this model are not desirable. You can easily (and I mean easily) install your own. That's the only way this model will be a "gaming" machine. So that's a couple of hundred dollars more, at least. Which puts the price at $1130. Not bad. But this comes with a 17in CRT monitor, not the "free" 19in flat panel of the XPS 400. I'm sure you get the picture. Plus the processor is 32 bit as opposed to 64, which I believe the dual cores are. Still, for gaming a 3.4ghz intel is very capable. Certainly more so then the 3.0 dual core of the XPS.

And that's the best I found at Dell so far as price vs performance. It's your call. They aren't the best at those prices, but aren't the worst, either. And you get the warranty and in home service and all that stuff. Of course if money is no object, the sky is the limit. But often times that's not the case. So there you are.

[JohnnySixGuns]

Real quick, just wanted you to know I configured the exact same system at ibuypower as the above E510 with a 3.4ghz processor, and it came out to nearly the exact same price. In fact, for all intents and purposes, it was. And the cases look like Fruit Loops. All things being equal, including price, I'd go with Dell any day of the week.

[Zakath]

I just built a new system today. :cool:

Everything is running great, but the fans are a bit loud, but I'm not really concerned about that.
Sweet. :cool: I just got my monitor today! Hopefully by the end of next week I'll have everything for my new PC.
I would love to so something like that, really, I would, but Johnny is right. When it comes to computers, you may as well be talking to a wall. I probably wouldn't be competant enough to actually construct my own, or what brand to get, or anything like that.

But I'll be completly honest why I don't use one of the afore mentioned sites. One, I think it was IBuyPower, but one of them I went through and built one, only to find I need to use a credit card. Using a credit card is out of the question for me. And also, I only have somewhere around $600 of actual in hand cash, so it's either get something for around that price, or go to an actual company and finance. Which is why I chose Dell. So if that helps, yeah...Well, yea.. if you can't use a credit card then that puts a damper on things.

[IbanezSamurai]

I was just messing with the IBUYPOWER custom building and built computer of my dreams, too bad it ened up costing me +$5.000

[BassVirtuoso]

so you haven't had to contact them about anything?

I contacted them once, and it was because they told me they ran out of the silver case I wanted so I changed everthing to black.

[JohnXDoe]

Hey, Puma. From what I could gather from this thread, the Dell E510 would be your best bet, all things considered. Including your technical abilty and understanding. The only thing it lacks is the 19 inch flat of the XPS. Which you wouldn't get somewhere else, anyway. And if you wait a little, I bet Dell will be giving them away with the E510 soon enough. They're always doing that stuff.

The reason I like the E510 is for the processor. The 3.0 dual core of the XPS is an underachiever for gaming purposes. As of right now (and perhaps later, too) dual cores are not optimal for gaming. And intel makes the least of them. The 3.4 of the E510 offers the same FSB speed, and the mobo is PCI-e, also. And the RAM speed is the same. But the chip itself is substantially more powerful then the 3.0 dual core. It's actually a good gaming chip, to be honest. Could do worse. It's not 64 bit, so you'll miss out on a little in the future, and you won't be running any dual core optimized programs in the future, but meh. Who cares? You'll have what you need for at least a few years to come, if not more. Like SixGuns says, just get your own card and drop it in. It's simple with PCI-e. A 10 year old can do it. So good luck and happy shopping.

[Zakath]

If you want the pc for gaming, you should be looking into a CRT monitor not LCD.

[angry armadillo]

If you want the pc for gaming, you should be looking into a CRT monitor not LCD.actually most games are being optimised for LCD now, and the response time is ok if you get one below 16ms

[Zakath]

actually most games are being optimised for LCD now, and the response time is ok if you get one below 16ms
shut up asshole CRT is better and cheaper so fu

[angry armadillo]

shut up asshole CRT is better and cheaper so furight

[The Musician]

My friend got an XPS in the summer and he's still paying for it. It's super fast and he can run three games (World of Warcraft, Warcraft 3, and Doom 3) at the same time, and none of them lag. If you're a hardcore gamer...I guess it would be good, but everyone likes to build their own nowadays.

[DJ Ducksauce]

whats the diff between CRT and LCD?

/nub

[angry armadillo]

whats the diff between CRT and LCD?

/nubLCD is flat screen monitors, CRT is the other kind

basically

[DJ Ducksauce]

Oh. gotcha.

LCDs look sweeter.

[The Musician]

Oh. gotcha.

LCDs look sweeter.
But the refresh rate on them is lower, which is why CRTs are better for gaming; more frames per second.

[angry armadillo]

But the refresh rate on them is lower, which is why CRTs are better for gaming; more frames per second.the technology has improved, they are about equal now

[thunderzstruck]

I got a Dell XPS

got it about 2 yrs ago and they are awesome, I can set every game to highest and still run without any trouble

[The Musician]

the technology has improved, they are about equal now
Alright, the last time someone mentioned the whole CRT vs. LCD thing, I was told that.

[angry armadillo]

Alright, the last time someone mentioned the whole CRT vs. LCD thing, I was told that.the last time :P

tbh no one apart from the most core of core gamers would notice

i play enough games and i dont notice myself

also, to be picky, the response time isnt frames per second, but how fast the moniter can draw one frame on the screen

FPS is how many frames the GFX card sends to the moniter, per second

:)

[JohnXDoe]

My friend got an XPS in the summer and he's still paying for it. It's super fast and he can run three games (World of Warcraft, Warcraft 3, and Doom 3) at the same time, and none of them lag. If you're a hardcore gamer...I guess it would be good, but everyone likes to build their own nowadays.
Really? I saw some benchmarks for intel dual cores and they were somewhat abysmal. Would this be the last generation XPS that ran on a single core, perhaps? Whatever the case, I'm sure the new dual cores will be fine for gaming, but the E510 with a 3.4ghz with hyper-threading still sounds like a better choice and a better deal :-\

[DJ Ducksauce]

But the refresh rate on them is lower, which is why CRTs are better for gaming; more frames per second.
Oh I gotcha. So either a high end LCD or a good CRT would be a good monitor?

[angry armadillo]

Oh I gotcha. So either a high end LCD or a good CRT would be a good monitor?on the criteria of a LCD moniter, it will have response time, the lower the better

but no one really sees it, to be honest, its just what people say

[DJ Ducksauce]

on the criteria of a LCD moniter, it will have response time, the lower the better

but no one really sees it, to be honest, its just what people say
Oh. Yeah, I guess 4 ms and 16 ms isn' really that big of a difference.

[Puma]

The best price to performance XPS I could configure for you is $1439. 3.0ghz dual core processor (not the best gaming chip, the dual cores. At least right now) 1gig RAM, 160 gig HD, 256mb nvidia 6800, DVD burner, 2.1 speakers with sound card, optical mouse, Windows Media Center Edition, "free" 19 inch flat panel. As you can tell by the total cost of $1439, nothing is free. An nvidia 7800 GXT will set you back another $300. 3.2ghz processor, $200 more. Damn over priced dual cores. The system is alright for gaming, but no bargin. It's the XPS 400, btw.

The Dell E510 is also interesting for gaming. For $869 you can get a 3.2ghz processor w\HT, 1gig of RAM, 160 gig HD, DVD burner, and 2.1 Speakers with sound card. You can also get a 3.4ghz processor for $60 more. Which would bring the total to $930. And which I would recommend. This is the price without a vid card, though. Because the ones they offer with this model are not desirable. You can easily (and I mean easily) install your own. That's the only way this model will be a "gaming" machine. So that's a couple of hundred dollars more, at least. Which puts the price at $1130. Not bad. But this comes with a 17in CRT monitor, not the "free" 19in flat panel of the XPS 400. I'm sure you get the picture. Plus the processor is 32 bit as opposed to 64, which I believe the dual cores are. Still, for gaming a 3.4ghz intel is very capable. Certainly more so then the 3.0 dual core of the XPS.

And that's the best I found at Dell so far as price vs performance. It's your call. They aren't the best at those prices, but aren't the worst, either. And you get the warranty and in home service and all that stuff. Of course if money is no object, the sky is the limit. But often times that's not the case. So there you are.

First, I would seriously like to thank you all for the help, I would be friggin lost without ya'll.

Next, the E510 seems to definitly be the better deal. I mean, money's not a HUGE factor, but I'd like to save as much as I can. And I already have a GeForce 6600 card to put in there so I don't really need it to come with a graphics card, since from what I understand that will be good enough for what I'll be needing to play right now. So if I deduct the price of the graphics card and keep the upgraded processor that'd put the total just below 1k if I'm reading it correct. And that's a much betetr deal then putting a bunch of money into the XPS just for a dual core processor. I appreciate the research you did into that very much Johnny.

Well, yea.. if you can't use a credit card then that puts a damper on things.

Haha, yeah. I'm only 18, and I really don't feel like going into over a thousand dollars in debt at the moment, so I think I'll stick to cash for now.

Hey, Puma. From what I could gather from this thread, the Dell E510 would be your best bet, all things considered. Including your technical abilty and understanding. The only thing it lacks is the 19 inch flat of the XPS. Which you wouldn't get somewhere else, anyway. And if you wait a little, I bet Dell will be giving them away with the E510 soon enough. They're always doing that stuff.

The reason I like the E510 is for the processor. The 3.0 dual core of the XPS is an underachiever for gaming purposes. As of right now (and perhaps later, too) dual cores are not optimal for gaming. And intel makes the least of them. The 3.4 of the E510 offers the same FSB speed, and the mobo is PCI-e, also. And the RAM speed is the same. But the chip itself is substantially more powerful then the 3.0 dual core. It's actually a good gaming chip, to be honest. Could do worse. It's not 64 bit, so you'll miss out on a little in the future, and you won't be running any dual core optimized programs in the future, but meh. Who cares? You'll have what you need for at least a few years to come, if not more. Like SixGuns says, just get your own card and drop it in. It's simple with PCI-e. A 10 year old can do it. So good luck and happy shopping.

I'l l ake your word for it John. You seem to really know what you're talking about, and that's the only piece of advice I need. I'm not concerned about the monitor, I don't need a flashy flat screen LCD monitor. A regular computer monitor will be just fine. And one thing I can do is open up a case and install a video card, so I guess I have that down as well. Thanks very much once again.

threadstarter your avator is amazing.

Why, thank you.

[Jonny Greenwood]

Is your 6600 agp or pci-e? Because the dell will only take pci-e.

[Puma]

Is your 6600 agp or pci-e? Because the dell will only take pci-e.

Yeah, I found out about PCIe and AGP and whatnot the hard way. But it's fine, it's a PCIe.

[Ephemeral]

Sweet. :cool: I just got my monitor today! Hopefully by the end of next week I'll have everything for my new PC.

Sounds cool. What components do you still need?

[Already_Taken]

Yeah, I found out about PCIe and AGP and whatnot the hard way. But it's fine, it's a PCIe.
heh.

Dude if you are going to be gaming get an Athlon 64 bit chip. Seriously. It is by far the best chip for gaming and it is pretty affordable too. I would recommend the 3500+. Good luck dude.