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Dell XPS 710 H2C or build equivalent

  • 12-05-2007 12:00pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭


    Hi all,

    I'm in a bit of a dilemma, I'm a periodic gamer: get into a game - play it obsessively for a month or so, but could go 2 -3 months without playing anything. I've only ever bought one PC, top specs at the time, and built my subsequent 2 PCs myself. I use the PC far more for work, email, internet and photos.

    My problem is I didn't enjoy my last build at all, I didn't put enough effort into visuals and noise reduction -> it was ugly and loud, so I never upgraded it at all it always just felt like deckchairs on the titanic stuff.

    So I'm a bit wary about another build, that's why I'm very tempted by the Dell XPS 710 H2C. The advantages are that it looks good, and is supposed to be pretty quiet, at work we have dells and they are quiet and extremely reliable, and a breeze to work inside. Its also got killer specs and appears to be the cheapest PC out there with the QX6700 and Dual 8800 GTXs.

    I'd like to hear some expert thoughts on this. Should I just go for the simplicity or could I really build a nice looking quiet system with equivalent specs for around €3,500? My budget is not fixed a few hundred extra I'd live with, but as I already have a 20" monitor, if the price goes much over that for convenience I'll just run with the dell.

    Proposed Spec: overclocked QX6700; dual 8800 GTX; 2 GB ram; 2X 150GB WD raptorX in Raid 0 & 1 x Samsung spinpoint T166 500 GB; not sure on the motherboard, power supply, case or cooling (cooling must be silent or close to for this kind of money). Will also want decent sound card (have 5.1 speakers and am happy with em), floppy, DVD RW, 2nd optical media drive, gigabit ethernet, dial-up modem and multiple memory card readers, case ideally will have usb and firewire in front and back.

    Please note, I know Dells have a lot of proprietary crap and will be practically un-upgradeable, then again despite being able to, I haven't upgraded any of my pcs to date - I tend to spec them very highly at first, so usually I find I get a few years out of them before I even consider upgrading and then I find to get a noticeable difference, I need to upgrade processor, mainboard & graphics card, at that point I usually don't bother, stick to games I hadn't played around my pc's vintage save my money and upgrade to a whole new machine the following year.

    Thanks for reading with me this far, and I'd really appreciate your help on this.

    €>sense


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭uberpixie


    As long as you are careful about the parts you pick, a self build is a very viable option.


    case: Antec P180 or an Akasa Eclipse.
    (Eclipse might be a better idea if you are going SLI)

    PSU: Seasonic 600-700W (very quiet PSUs)

    Skip raid, its a pointless complication in IMHO, for very little if any speed gain

    SLI might be worth it as you are gaming on a 20" and I assume at high resolution.

    Motherboard: you can get a variety of hign end boards that come with copper heat pipes for cooling, no fans for cooling equals no extra noise.

    As long as you do your research you can build a dacent, very quiet machine, a good deal cheaper tha the dell.

    Its just do you really want to build or just buy?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    Thx uberpixie,

    I enjoyed greatly the act of building before, its just my results were disappointing, but it seems things have got a lot more complex especially with regard to cooling quietly, so I'm wary. Also, I've never built in Ireland, so it will have to be entirely online orders - previously I went to local shops/builders for parts.

    If I do build, can you recommend a good online supplier ( with a good returns policy ) and is it better to order all components from one supplier or go to the cheapest supplier for each?

    Back to your suggestions:

    Was tempted by the P180, but note your comments regarding eclipse (i'm assuming because its more roomy and has better thermal performance) it is offset by being a good bit uglier though :-) Any other suggestions re cases?

    Is 700W enough for a Qx6700 and dual 8800GTX's with 3-4 HDs & 2xoptical drives? I was thinking in terms of 1000W. Any brands? - it must be really quiet! I'd also take a silent model with lower wattage if it can take the load.

    Noted re raid. I'm tempted just to experiment a bit and see for myself, but it would not be a deal clincher. I think most high end mobos will allow it anyway, so I can decide later. If I'm coming tight on the budget, the 2nd raptor X will be the first to go though.

    Yes, I think Sli is justifiable, the monitor has a gorgeous 1600x1200 at the minute going unused.

    Any suggestions on the passively cooled mobo? Sli is essential as is good overclockability. I've never overclocked before, but am determined to do so this time if I build. The northbridge fan on my last build drove me crazy replaced it two times grrrrr.

    Before I'd commit to any mobo or case, I suppose I need to be clear on how I'm going to cool the machine quietly. Water is tempting but I'd want to cool everthing either passively or with water, seems a waste of time to just water cool a processor with noisy fans on the gpus, northbridge, psu or case.

    By quiet, I'm not obsessive about silent, just low enough so that you can't really hear it sitting at your desk, have to get close to check if its on type of quiet.

    Can this be done with air cooling? if so how? if only with water, can you give some recommendations please.

    thx,

    €>sense


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭DanGerMus


    Well you could deffinately do a class self build for that price. I'd go with everything pixie said acept the RAID thing. I have a good experience with RAID and see deffinate increase in speed and it's very easy to set up these days. Any way. Have you shopped around on different sites. i just checked dell and cant get into the XPS customisation thing. Are you sure they are selling that spec for that price. I know the last time i checked they were about 30%-50% more expensive than what you could do the same for yourself. But that was a while ago. And they do offer warranty and things that can be helpful.

    Try www.overclockers.co.uk www.dabs.ie www.komplett.ie
    Euro sites include www.idealo.de (for price checking they search an ass load of sites for you) www.hardwareversand.de
    What your lookin for is
    Nvidia 680i motherboard
    2x 8800 gtx (overkill in my opinion but i'd do it if i had the spare dosh too)
    800-1000w psu. 700w might do it depending on manufacturer
    Anyway i get the impression all you want is links to shopping baskets with you build in it so here you go OCUK basket attached

    There are an abundance of coolers out there Scythe andy and Tuniq tower seem to be the top. personally i'm about to water cool. Power supplies can be loud aspecially those big ones again depending on manufacturer. Water cooled ones are available but they are very pricey and they max out at 500W currently. You could get 2 of these it is possible to put two in a case but would require modification and cost you a bit too.

    www.performance-pcs.com american site but deliver to ireland do accesories and all the cooling water and air you can imagine. www.alphacool.de a little closer to home but i've ordered stuff from both these site and the americans deliver quicker and cheaper believe it or not.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    Thx happygandalf,

    I haven't shopped for components online ever, so I'm a bit daunted, both by the online aspect (as opposed to local shops) and the increased choices from the last time I built.

    To shop online, and compare price with the XPS H2C I need to settle on a spec, I'm sure of Processor, Graphics card, HDDs but I'm not sure on how to go after that especially to get cool and quiet. I'd like specific recommendations on cooling, and consequently on case, power supply and motherboard.

    To get the links for the H2C you need to look to the list on the left of the XPS page. The H2C looks a good deal to me esp with the guaranteed factory overclock, the liquid cooler, and a 22" monitor for €4,500. I have a 20" monitor, so my self-build can't be much more than €3,500, if it is, for convenience I'll just run with the H2C.

    Thx for the links, excellent starting point for the price comparisons.

    Thx for the shopping basket, that comes under budget, but it is aircooled, how noisy would it be? Remember my last self-build was very noisy. Also why did you pick the Asus Mobo? Tagan PSU? and Crucial Ram?

    I'm toying with the idea of water cooling too but the prices are making it look on the expensive side. I'm also curious whether passively cooled vrm and chipsets on the mobo will work without case fans.

    Thx again for your help on this.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭Anti


    There is is no point at all in getting a overclocked version of thee 8800GTX, i got the standard GTX and overlocked it much higher then the OC versions. The OC versions are poor value for money.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭DanGerMus


    Aye i'd agree there it was just guide for him to see what he should be lookin at. But doesnt OCin them require some soldering and the like? If it does, not everyone would be into that. also preoverclocked cards would have the potential to clock even higher?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,227 ✭✭✭awhir


    Aye i'd agree there it was just guide for him to see what he should be lookin at. But doesnt OCin them require some soldering and the like? If it does, not everyone would be into that. also preoverclocked cards would have the potential to clock even higher?

    no thats a volt mod you can ovrclock them by software.

    good point usally the overclocked 1s are the hand pick cores that will do best like i have my card at 640/1000 thats quite good for a gts.but mine was a pre overclocked version(bought of fallcus)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭Anti


    Aye i'd agree there it was just guide for him to see what he should be lookin at. But doesnt OCin them require some soldering and the like? If it does, not everyone would be into that. also preoverclocked cards would have the potential to clock even higher?


    Most of the time yes, but the difference from a overclocked standard version and the overclocked version which has been overclokce further is not worth the money tbh.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    Thx guys,

    I'm struggling on this.

    I've tried overclockers.co.uk & hardwareversand and both hit well over the €3500 budget to equate to the dell spec. with just air cooling, the dell has a water cooled CPU, then you get convenience and warranty and a monitor.

    I'm also concerned about the noise, 2/3 case fans, cpu cooler, 2 GPU coolers, psu cooler, ... sounds loud to me.

    I'm starting a new thread trying to nail down the air cooled spec, so I can price it properly before deciding.

    Thx again for your help.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭DanGerMus


    i just checked dell out and it's at least 4400 and that is with a 20" monitor. you'll deffinatly do better elsewhere.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    or €4500 with 22" + floppy & modem - suggests to me I should be able to get same spec for 3,600 or 3,700 if not then I'll run with the Dell for liquid cooling, warranty, convenience and 22" monitor.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭DanGerMus


    well a floppy and modem can be picked up for very little 40-50 absolute max for them together. and the Price from dell for that monitor is 349.83. so if you take them out it would bring your equivilant budget to 4100. and that warranty is the lowest available at 1year on site.

    If you buy the right parts yourself you can get lifetime warranty from BFG and 10 year from evga GFX cards. Pretty much all premium parts come with good warrantys PSUs Motherboards RAM soundcards and if you have problems you'll be dealing with the retailer you purchased from.
    Basically i'm saying that all dell offer you with the basic warranty is nothing you wont get almost everywhere else. And as far as there support goes generally the answer seems to be "sorry we dont deal with that issue" from personal experience.
    Apparently there premium warranty can be good i've heard of people getting laptops replaced after almost four years (before warrant ran out) with brand new ones worth a lot more. But this is the exception rather than the rule and you pay nicely for it ,340 bucks for the off chance.

    So my overall point is that Dell ain't all they crack themselves up to be. And you will build better elsewhere your self, it will just take a little more effort and you'll be much more satisfied.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭Anti


    Dell are greta if you have no idea what you are doing. But they do over charge on they pc's. But i have to say their support is fantastic. I had to get on to them the other week for a friend of a friend. The guy from dell he was obviously from norn iron knew i wasnt a fecking idiot and didnt start saying the usual that they do, click start, its in the bottom right hand corner. Now click run. oh thats just up above it on the right. Now enter blach blah. Im sure their not all like that, but this guys was spot on. And ovbiously knew what he was on about without having to use a script. HE even rang back to make sure everything was okay. And that alone has made sure my next laptop will be form dell. As sony just have no idea about tech support.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭DanGerMus


    Maybe i was unlucky. Was setting up my uncles new pc with him. We couldnt get onto his eircom broadband. When i rang dell they said it sounded like a firewall issue. I asked how do i fix it. They said sorry dont deal with that issue and swiftly hung up. I was a bit miffed. I was able to fix it in the end cos i had a half a clue what i was doin. But my uncle, who was using the pc for work, or anyone who knows little about pcs would have been left standing on the end of the phone. The only firewalls on it were windows one and McAfee both of which come with the PC from dell. They should support this kind of thing.
    Maybe i was just unlucky enough to get one of the morons who cant deal with anything outside of the script. I'm amazed you got a call back though that would impress me aswell.
    As for sony there prices are even worse than dells.
    But you may be interested to know that both dell and sonys support lines in ireland are operating from the same company and building. They dont share staff though LOL.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭Anti


    WOW, i didnt know that now. But yeah i suppose you just have to get lucky. And im ammazed that dell shipped a machine with the windows firewall on while having mcaffe installed too. Thats just madness.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭uberpixie


    Anti wrote:
    WOW, i didnt know that now. But yeah i suppose you just have to get lucky. And im ammazed that dell shipped a machine with the windows firewall on while having mcaffe installed too. Thats just madness.

    I assume Dell get some money for making sure every pc they ship have a mcaffe trial on it.

    Nice that stupid users have some sort of protection on the PC, and a lot will just pay the money to macaffe for a full sub after the trial period is over because they are too clueless or lazy to know about a good free alternative.

    Such is business :D.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    Just spotted a H2C with PhysX card on dell outlet for €3000.

    I'm very tempted!

    The closest I came to h2c but with lesser but wiser spec was about €3,400 on another thread, but it would involve using 3-4 different online companies and god knows what kind of grief with online ordering - things delayed and not in stock, wrong parts, returns, things not actually fitting when I get them etc.

    Maybe I'm overstating the problems with online ordering, but that Dell is looking like a bargain and very convenient.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,227 ✭✭✭awhir


    give use the specs of the dell and we will have alook if we can match it .

    btw a physics card is a complete waste hardly no games support it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    qx6700
    dual 8800 GTX
    2 x 160GB 10000 rpm in raid 0
    1 x 500GB 7600 rpm
    1000 W PSU
    DVD RW
    DVD ROM
    Ageia PhysX
    H2C = liquid cooling for CPU
    2 GB Ram
    Factory overclocked
    full warranty


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,227 ✭✭✭awhir


    ok couldent match that price:D

    pritty good then :D

    but the parts i picked would be higher quality.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    Aw crap!

    Its gone I've missed it! Can't believe it!!! It was there this afternoon and now I've decided to get it, its gone!!!!

    Is the Dell outlet store for real or some kind of scam?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,227 ✭✭✭awhir


    its real but anyone else can buy have alook for it tomorrow.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭vir7ual


    why you gonna put in a physics card. No game supports it and with dual 8800gtx's you def wont want it.

    There should be no prob in spec'in a machine to your requirements but i would suggest spending the money for the physics card on something like higher grade ram or something


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,474 ✭✭✭✭Blazer


    The XPS 720 should be out soon..might as well hold off till then


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    vir7ual wrote:
    why you gonna put in a physics card. No game supports it and with dual 8800gtx's you def wont want it.

    There should be no prob in spec'in a machine to your requirements but i would suggest spending the money for the physics card on something like higher grade ram or something

    I didn't spec it, it was there as part of the deal. Pity I missed it! I could only spec a similar system for €3400 less the liquid cooler, phyx card and less the 2 raptors, but with marginally faster ram and motherboard, and a shiny silver case.

    I'm keeping a eye out for another but there is nothing there, has anyone ever bought a system from the Dell outlet store or are there any H2C users out there, I was going to buy this at full price, but at €3000 if kosher, its a steal.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭vir7ual


    SLI nForce 650-i mainboard
    2gig's PC 6400 RAM
    Intel Core Duo E6600
    2X320MB 8800GTS or 1X768MB 8800GTX
    Watercooled CPU
    900W PSU
    2X74gig Raptors RAID0
    1X500gig WD Sata

    €2700


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    vir7ual wrote:
    SLI nForce 650-i mainboard
    2gig's PC 6400 RAM
    Intel Core Duo E6600
    2X320MB 8800GTS or 1X768MB 8800GTX
    Watercooled CPU
    900W PSU
    2X74gig Raptors RAID0
    1X500gig WD Sata

    €2700

    vir7ual I'm struggling to see how:

    dropping from the QX6700 to the E6600

    and

    dropping 1 x 8800 GTX + the admittedly very limited use phys-x to just one 8800 GTX

    and

    dropping both Raptors from 160 to 74 GB

    and

    dropping 100w off the PSU

    and

    you haven't included a case nor optical media

    constitutes value for €300, when you consider that Dell factory overclocks and gives a full warranty on the system.

    If another like it comes up I'm going for it, considering I nearly sprang for the same machine at full price €4500.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭vir7ual


    that system includes a case just didnt mention it because i thought you would understand that it comes together not in parts, this comes with a full warranty and can be overclocked to what ever spec you want. The E6600 can be overclocked to over 3Ghz so bear that in mind. i have seen one of these hit 3.4ghz.

    you could prob get another graphics card in there for 480euro, dont see what the odds on have 160gig os drive is.

    Again its down to personal preference on dell's. some people like them, some dont. In regards to their overclocking, i've seen the XPS overclocked, you can get the E6400 to run quicker with the right ram timings.

    With 2 160's and a 22" monitor you'd be close to 3800.

    About the optical drive, didnt mention it as its a fully built computer. sorry if it caused confusion


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    vir7ual wrote:
    About the optical drive, didnt mention it as its a fully built computer. sorry if it caused confusion

    No problem vir7ual, I had picked you up the wrong way. Where did you see that machine? There is a good balance to it and it runs with the advice I've had on here in general.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭vir7ual


    PM sent €>sense


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,971 ✭✭✭Flaccus


    A bit of advice on the H2C, as I had one. It's a nice chasis though a little plasticy at the front, but very quiet...a single 120mm fan for gpu's, another for the cpu, and a 60mm fan for the hard drives. It's built like a battle ship with 2mm+ aluminium all round and weighs about 60lbs fully loaded!!

    It has limited overclocking based on the Nvidia 590i chipset. You can set a quad core to 2.66, 2.93 or 3.2ghz in the bios. This has the effect of upping the multiplier but also the voltage which you have no control over. The vcore on the cpu goes from 1.35v to 1.53v at 3.2ghz. However the cooling more then copes, and with the H2C it is generally about 9 degrees cooler then aircooled regular version. You can also use a program called ntune to increase the fsb and get further overclocks, but the 590i is even more limited then most newer 680i boards on the frontside bus, and generally only 290mhz is all you get. So bottom line you are limited to around 3.4-3.6ghz with a H2C and you are paying way over the odds. Also, it can only take a maximum of DDR2 800mhz, and memory voltage on the motherboard is limited to 2.1v which will also limit your overclocking. Regarding the watercooling/tec module, it is a bit noisier then the standard 710, because you have the noise of the fan, and the pump gurgling away.

    If you are keen on it as I was, you might be better of buying a regular 710, and then buy the quad core cpu, and the H2C cooling system from Dell spare parts. It costs around 500 euro for the cooling system. The 750w psu on the normal 710 (a 1kw ships on the H2C version) is more then enough power. Also, please bare in mind if you do go for the H2C the 1kw PSU has a problem where either the coils are not wound tight enough or a capacitor is acting up. This results in a loud electrical sparking noise when the system is under load. Not good.

    Also the psu on the XPS 710 while standard atx size unforunately uses 1 proprietry cable. Instead of an 8pin EPS cable it uses a 20pin aux cable (as well as the 24pin atx cable). The motherboard is also BTX, a dead standard and while Dell will allow you to buy the upgraded 680i motherboard (launched with the XPS 720 in a few weeks), you are stuck after that.

    Personally I would either wait for the XPS 720 H2C, out in a couple of weeks and supports the 680i mobo and DDR2 1066mhz ram. But like I said above you won't be able to upgrade the motherboard beyond that as Dell or noone else will be supporting BTX after. Or else build your own. It will be way cheaper. Or if you are still not decided wait till after summer for the XPS 730 H2C which will be a standard ATX mobo and fully upgradeable.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    Thx for the considered opinion Flaccus.

    Can I ask what you did with it? If you "had" it, its not out that long, you couldn't have had it long, why did you get rid of it so quick?

    Its the very quiet bit that mostly appeals to me - my last build was very noisy and I know a lot of Dells from work and friends and all were so quiet you have to put your ear to them to hear anything! When you say a bit noisier than the std. 710, how much? intrusively noticeable

    I also was warned off the raptors? do they make a racket? this machine will also be used for work for long periods and my last build drove me nuts with the noise.

    I'm hoping with this on the floor beside my office chair, that I'd hardly be able to hear it? Am I dreaming? Could I achieve that better with a similar spec machine by building my own with air cooling? If I have to use water cooling the price comes too close to the H2C I think.

    I was aware of the limited overclocking, but is not that great an issue for me as I'm only a periodic gamer. I'd hardly notice the few % gain in overclocking from the 680i and faster RAM. When its coming to the end of its life, I would still have some upgrading options from Dell or I could just play some older games until I save for a new system. (as I'm doing now!)

    I am keen on it: like the look of it, hoping its quiet, massively convenient over sourcing the components, and the dell warranty. I'm not sure about buying the regular and upgrading - I saw some issues with doing that on the boards, I think there might not be a connector on the mobo to enable the TEC unit, and anyway I saw a H2C on the outlet store that made me make up my mind not to buy the H2C but to chance on one coming up again. No point in paying full price for the same thing.

    I missed the last one on the outlet in literally a few minutes as I costed up a basket of matching components. If one doesn't show in another week or so, I'll give up and go the build route.

    I am worried about the sparky PSU - saw it on the forums too, do all of them show this behaviour? did yours? or can you be just unlucky? will Dell replace them?

    I'm still massively undecided, €3000 for a 710 H2C on the outlet is the best value I've seen, couldn't possibly match that building, and would be worried about noise with all air cooling. Have decided not to pay full price for H2C 710,720,730 unfortunately getting too much sense, but I've got this bonus burning a hole in my pocket, so I won't wait long.

    BTW where did you hear about the 730 and the dropping of the BTX in favour of ATX?

    Once again, greatly appreciate your help Flaccus.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,971 ✭✭✭Flaccus


    A mate bought the case/mobo/psu/fans etc... from me. I kept the memory/cpu/g80's/drives etc.. See the sig below for what I am building now :) I wanted a Silvertstone TJ09 case and the ability to overclock the balls out of my quad core. To be honest if the motherboard chipset did not have issues overclocking past 3.3ghz I would have stuck with it.

    Regarding noise - the pump is quietish as far as pumps go so not too bad, especially if you keep the pc under the desk but its still louder then the regular 710 because there is a fan and a pump. About 20% louder I would say. The H2C cooling is only making a difference of 9 degrees over air. Not worth the premium. The regular version does the job quieter.

    Also the electrical frazzling noise from the 1kw psu is unbelievably loud and worrying. Not everyone seems to have this problem or say they don't, but I have come accross at least 3 710 H2C's with it. Even the regular 710 750w psu buzzes a bit, sounds like a wasp :) Personally I can live with it, but not that racket from the 1kw - it's terrible. What happens is the sound oscillates. Click an icon on the desktop while running Prime95 and the psu goes from a light buzz to an electrical frazzle. Open 3dmark06....the same result while it is reading your system spec, then stops being noisy, then starts the noise again when you actually start the benchmarks. In Vista more so then XP. Because Vista pushes the system more. The PSU issue is a capacitor issue and is being worked on...replacing the psu you could be lucky, but I am convinced they all make this racket eventually once you go over about 400watss load. That's what I have seen and tested. A H2C brings on the PSU noise quicker as it is using 50watts extra under load. The only fix is to muffle the capacitor noise so it's not a fix at all. Those that don't have the issue may have rev1 of the 1kw psu, so the issue might only be occuring in rev2 and above. It is a known problem. And because the psu has a proprietry 20pin connector to replace the standard atx 8pin eps connector it's not like you can go out and buy a replacement. My advice again is not to take the risk with the H2C/1kw psu. Get the regular 710 with the 750w psu. I suggest buying the regular version and sourcing your video card, cpu etc from somewhere else. Add another card later if you have a 24inch or higher screen. The 750w can handle it easily.

    To answer some of your other queries. All 710 boards are the same despite what the manual says. They do have a TEC connector. know this because I bought the H2C kit for a mate from dell spareparts which is actually a uk etailer and installed it myself. Was simple to do. You can upgrade any part on the Dell (including adding a H2C kit later) and your warranty will be intact except you need to keep the cpu it shipped with and the memory if it has to go back. All parts are standard, except the BTX motherboard and unfortunately the PSU, which is strange becuase the Dimension 9200 system uses a standard atx.

    Any day now the 720 is out, and this has the 680i motherboard and faster memory support. You can actually adjust the cpu voltage, memory voltage multi and fsb in the bios so it's a proper overclocking board. But if you don't want to oveclock, a cheapish 710 would be fine.

    Yes..I have seent the 730...fully atx. Out after Summer.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭€>sense


    Couldn't resist flaccus!

    Went and picked one (710 H2C) up on the outlet for €3072 incl vat.

    Everything is exactly as you described incl the buzzing!

    I've not tested with prime 95 so it only buzzes when gaming - during everything else it is ok. The buzz is a little annoying - but the rest of the system is only a barely audible under the desk and a perfect PC for me would only have to be 10% quieter with no buzz.

    I'm still deciding whether I can live with buzz and a few other issues are irritating me see this post.

    Excluding 720 / 730 was decided by the facts:

    that I agreed that new they were overpriced,
    but then how long would I be waiting for one in the outlet,
    and how long & how much would it take to build an equivalent of the 720/730
    the best price I managed was €3200 but that was taking considerable risk of extra VAT on components from the states.

    As an intermittent gamer - I was not convinced that I'd really notice the difference for a couple of years in the slower memory and mobo.

    I could be wrong - if I am please let me know before the 7 day cooling off period is up!

    Thanks for all your help! Everyone!


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