About to place order, need advice!

Robertr

Hi all,

I'm just about to place an order for my new PC with Dell and was wondering if there was anyting I should change. Its beena while since I bought a new PC so want to make sure that this one lasts for a while.

Dimension XPS Gen-5

Base Intel® Pentium 4 processor with HT technology 660 (3.60GHz, 800FSB, 2MB cache)
Microsoft Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional SP2 - English
Memory 2048MB PC-4200 Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz [2x1024]
Keyboard Enhanced USB Multimedia Keyboard
Monitor Dell 1905FP 19" UltraSharpTM Flat Panel Monitor with Height Adjustable Stand
Video Card 256MB ATI Radeon X850XT Platinum
Hard Drive 160GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive with 8MB DataBurst™ cache
Mouse Dell USB Optical Mouse
CD/DVD Drives 16x max. DVD+/-RW and 48 x CDRW
Sound Cards Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS 7.1 Soundcard
Speakers Dell 5650 5.1 Surround Speaker System


The last time I bought a new one was about a week before they launched the PIV. I spent about IEP 3,500 on a PIII machine so was not very pleased.

Anyone know of anything in the pipeline that would be worth waiting for. Obviously I don't have a unlimited budget but am willing to spend 3,500-4,000.

Thanks.

Kevin_rc_ie

how much are spending on this particular machine?

Robertr

€3,700.00

Kevin_rc_ie

inc vat and 3 year thingamajig?

Robertr

yeah VAT and 4 year warranty

zuma

Hold on with your money and dont get a dell!!!

You appear to have money to burn so do a bit of research and get your hands on a AMD64 Dual Core setup.

With the type of money you intend to spend there is little point in getting old tech. like what happened when you got the P3 with a P4 on the horizon.

AMD have a dual core for just over €1k can can NOT be matched by any other commercial chip...incl. intel's equiv!!!

Some research will stop the heartache!!!

Kevin_rc_ie

ok i admit i know very little about computers and hardware. what you have looks very familar to me, and it is brilliant stuff. but tbh i was expecting a 2.5 price tag. zuma has touched on it, but there is a lot of next generation stuff you could get with the money you're willing to spend. anyway, its not my intention just to play devil's advocate and make you rethink yourself but i have a gut feeling (-lol-i really don't know a lot about PCs) you can to better for that money. i'll say no more on the matte and leave it to "experts". good luck with the purchase.

Robertr

No, I really don't have money to burn. I thought that dual core systems were only a gimmic. Sure they are great for multitasking but a Game will only really use one.

bounty

3700 for that spec is not good value


I just found a same spec on komplett for €2112 + del


What extras does the dell have for the €1500+ extra?


Sapphire Radeon X850XT PE 256MB GDDR3 PCI-Express,ViVO,Dual DVI-I, Full-Retail

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 305920
Stock status: 50-99 stocked 499 499

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Western Digital Caviar 250GB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 309535
Stock status: 50-99 stocked 138 138

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Pioneer DVDRW Dual Layer DVR-109 Beige OEM

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 307779
Stock status: 44 stocked 63 63

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In-Win X710G(S) Full Tower ATX Silver Case w/430W PSU, Lcd Panel, USB 2.0

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 308857
Stock status: 14 stocked 75 75

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Samsung 19" LCD Syncmaster 930BF TCO-99 Monitor, DVI-D, D-sub, 4ms (NEW!!)

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 311134
Stock status: 50 pcs 2005-07-19 (unconfirmed) 415.01 415.01

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Abit Fatal1ty AN8, nForce4 Ultra, Socket -939,ATX,S-ATA,GbLAN,Firewire,PCI-Ex16

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 307143
Stock status: 33 stocked 168 168

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AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2GHz Socket 939, 512KB, BOXED w/fan

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 307203
Stock status: 50-99 stocked 282 282

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Corsair Value S. PC4200 DDR2 2048MB Kit w/two matched Value Select 1024MB

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 301116
Stock status: 4 stocked 220 220

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Creative Inspire T-7900 Retail

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 302219
Stock status: 10 stocked 105 105

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Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS, Bulk, PCI Soundcard, THX, 7.1, 24-bit/192KHz

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 302657
Stock status: 50-99 stocked 61.99 61.99

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Logitech Cordless Desktop LX700, USB/PS2

- Surcharges 0 per item will be added.Article number: 303225
Stock status: 13 stocked 85 85

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Surcharges: 0
Total: 2112

Dooom

With €3700 you could get a very nice system (AMD is best ).
Anywho, like zuma and Kevin said, well more or less anyway, there's a lot better deals out there for that type of money.
I'll spec up a built system from Komplett.ie if you want (I'm really bored at the moment. Sleep's for quitters!) and see what I can set you up with. You don't have to take people's advice though, but it'll give you an idea.

/Edit: damn you bounty..

Robertr

I'm not into building a machine or anything like that. I want to buy a full system with a warranty and support so if you know anywhere where I can get something better please let me know.

How about the actual spec?

Endurance Man

Crisis and a bucket of sh1t :eek: , do not click the "steal all my money" button on that website. Just back up and think about your options first :eek: . It doesnt have to end like this :eek: .
LOL , m8, if u have the IQ of a 10 year old u can perform a self build and have a much better system for that money. 2gb of ram :eek: , who told u that u needed that ?? Even get the stuff from komplett and they will build the system for u, just dont go for that deal, i will stick a shotgun to my head
I think if komplett build your system u can pay for a warranty

Dooom

Endurance Man wrote:

2gb of ram :eek: , who told u that u needed that ??

Battlefield 2 told me...
Seriously though, building one is pretty darn easy. Look at me, I did it!

Anyway the spec: DDR2? I thought that wasn't supposed to be the greatest off stuff. And the hard drive seems a bit small, although it depends on what you're using it for.
Most things else seem alright, aside from the price. But I wouldn't buy a P4, AMD 64 and the X2's are far better. X2's are probably better value seeings as they will be used in games from sometime next year and they also out do the HT P4's in almost everything.

zuma

Robertr wrote:

No, I really don't have money to burn. I thought that dual core systems were only a gimmic. Sure they are great for multitasking but a Game will only really use one.

Those AMD dual core chips are incredible pieces of engineering!!!

Read a comparison review and they left the Intel Dual in the shade on EVERYTHING and made a mockery of P4's...doing single tasks like games/encodeing.

If I had the money Id get the €560 version...no problem....if I had a lot of money I'd go straight for the best version!!!

You can get a capable computer for ~€1000...but for €3.5 you can get the best!!!

Dell screw people who want to spend(3 year warranties costin hundreds!!!) but are excellent value for the cheap computer buyer.

Explosive_Cornflake

Yeah, it's just like expensive lego., but very easy, i'd even build it for you for a few pints if you want. You have a nice case at the very least then.

Robertr

What about Alienware?

Endurance Man

I would pay u :eek: , to let me build the incredible machine that could be bought with that kind of money, really, ill give u 5 bucks , i just wanna see it.

PS>>> Im sooo glad you came here before ordering, i hope we can change your mind. What would i have done if it had been a "i just ordered" thread ,

elexes

if i was u id ask someone here to build you a setup baised on ur requirments

if im right in what i saw ur spending max 3700.


firstly what in gods holy name made you think you need a computer worth that ! jesus ! like ffs think about what your buying here

after rereading this it seems you want a good computer for gaming .

ive another question will you be attending cpl and winning tournies with this system if not then you dont need a system costing anywhere near that ammout


toss someone 200+ expenses of the build to make you the system and then your going to be grand . tho u prob wont have the teck support to back the system up im sure the money you save will pay for 20 or so call out charges


Dont buy that dell it dosnt even have a raid setup

o and alienware are crap

bounty

check out this pc reviewed here:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/74207/mesh-matrix-titan-dual-x2-pro.html

on sale here: http://www.meshcomputers.com/updated/review_aug05_mattitandualx2pro.htm

for €2,331.23

spec

AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 4800+ Dual Core Processor
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Mainboard
2048MB DDR 400 RAM (PC3200) Memory
300GB Serial ATA (150Mb/s) ultra Fast Hard Drive
2x 128MB nVIDIA 6600 GT - SLI
19" ViewSonic TFT Flat Panel LCD Monitor
SONY 16x Dual Layer DVD-RW (R/W all standard formats)*
SONY 16x DVD-ROM (40x CD-ROM)
5.1 Surround Sound - 6 channel audio
Creative Inspire T7900 - 7.1 Surround Speakers
Internet Ready V.92 56Kbps data/fax/voice modem
Network Ready integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Logitech Cordless Keyboard & Rechargeable Mouse
FREE Microsoft Works 8.0
OneClick Intelligent Mains Panel
3 Year On Site Parts & Labour Warranty
Midi Tower Case/6 USBs + Additional Features

Endurance Man

Well i still like self builds :rolleyes: , but bountys system there is very nice . And u would have change for.........well another bloody nice computer actually :eek:

zuma

bounty wrote:

check out this pc reviewed here:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/74207/mesh-matrix-titan-dual-x2-pro.html

on sale here: http://www.meshcomputers.com/updated/review_aug05_mattitandualx2pro.htm

for €2,331.23

spec

AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 4800+ Dual Core Processor
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Mainboard
2048MB DDR 400 RAM (PC3200) Memory
300GB Serial ATA (150Mb/s) ultra Fast Hard Drive
2x 128MB nVIDIA 6600 GT - SLI
19" ViewSonic TFT Flat Panel LCD Monitor
SONY 16x Dual Layer DVD-RW (R/W all standard formats)*
SONY 16x DVD-ROM (40x CD-ROM)
5.1 Surround Sound - 6 channel audio
Creative Inspire T7900 - 7.1 Surround Speakers
Internet Ready V.92 56Kbps data/fax/voice modem
Network Ready integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Logitech Cordless Keyboard & Rechargeable Mouse
FREE Microsoft Works 8.0
OneClick Intelligent Mains Panel
3 Year On Site Parts & Labour Warranty
Midi Tower Case/6 USBs + Additional Features

Perfect except for the graphics.
Drop the 2 x 6600GT in SLI for 2 x 7800 in SLI for an extra £400...bringing your system to just less than €3,000.
The mesh could then eat that Dell for breakfast IMHO!!!

Robertr

OK, OK, I'm converted but I'm still not building one. How about this?

Matrix Titan Dual X2 Pro
Case: NEW ATX MidiTower with tool free access - Black & Silver
Operating System: Upgrade to Microsoft® Windows® XP Pro Edition at £33.19
Motherboard Features: ASUS A8N-SLI Delux Mainboard - DDR400, Dual GB LAN, IEEE 1394, SATA 3GB, PCIEX16, SLI Ready
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual Core
Memory: 2048MB PC3200 DDR Memory 400MHz
Floppy + Portable Storage Options: 1.44MB Floppy Drive
Hard Drives: 300GB Serial ATA (150MB/s) Ultra Fast Hard Drive
Video Card: Upgrade to 2x 256MB nVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX - TV Out + DVI - PCI Express - SLI configuration at £400
Monitor 1: 19'' SONY Flat Panel LCD PC/TV Display MFM-HT95 at £225
Optical Drives: SONY 16x Dual Layer DVD-Re-Writable +R/-R/RW + 16x DVD-ROM (2 Drives)
Sound: Upgrade to Creative Soundblaster AUDIGY 2 ZS Platinum at £75
Speakers: New Creative Labs Inspire T7900 - 7.1 Surround
Modem: 56kbps V92 Modem, featuring data and fax.
Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech Cordless Desktop Keyboard & Rechargeable Mouse
Video Editing: Cyberlink PowerDVD, Power2Go, PowerProducer3, PowerDirector3, PowerBackup, MediaShowSE, PowerCinema4
Software: Microsoft® Works® 8.0
Wi-Fi: Belkin - 54G Wireless Desktop Network Card at £33.19
Power Protection: OneClick Intelligent Mains Panel - Control the power to your peripherals with just one click
Warranty: 3 years back to base warranty (Outside Mainland UK - Terms Apply)
Delivery: Insured Del to Republic of Ireland at £79


All in €3,869.

elexes

get a raid setup .

for the money your paying its worth it . you will notise a difference in loading times of all games that have to run from a hdd

2x 10,000rpm hdd's sata or scsi

along with the 300 gig for backup's

Robertr

which?

AMD Athlon 64 FX 57 (939PIN)

or

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual Core

zuma

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual Core

That mesh system is going to be built for you like the Dells are.

Get it but choose on the configure page the 2x7800 inSLI for an extra £400/€600.
Adding the shipping it comes at just over €3000 and you dont have to touch a screwdriver.

Damn those AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual Core chips are incredible!!!