Opinions on a new computer!!!

[JgButler]

I'm thinking about buying a new computer for my son for Christmas (early graduation present also) and thought I would put this out there to see what opinions you guys that are more in the know about computers had.

He is into gaming big time so one of my main concerns is getting all that is needed to make that possible without the need for major upgrade anytime real soon. The game he is playing right now (World of Warcraft) is almost 5 GB and takes a lot of RAM. He is graduating in May from high school so this will also be the computer he takes off to college with him. I haven't been looking long but here is one that I have been looking at.

Dell XPS 200 (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsdt_200?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn)

This is how I've been thinking of setting it up.....

Pentium® D Processor 820 with Dual Core Technology (2.80GHz, 800FSB)
Operating System - Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition
Memory - 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz (2x512M)
Keyboard - Dell Wireless Keyboard and Optical Mouse
Monitors - 19 inch E193FP Analog Flat Panel
Video Cards - 128MB PCI Express™ x16 ATI Radeon™ X600 SE
Hard Drives - 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
Floppy Drive and Media Reader -3.5 in Floppy Drive
CD or DVD Drive - 8X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
Sound - Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy® ADVANCED HD Audio
Speakers - Dell 5650 5.1 100 Watt Surround Sound Speaker System with Subwoofer
Office Software - Microsoft Office Basic - Includes Word, Excel and Outlook email
Anti-Virus/Security Suite - McAfee SecurityCenter with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal
Enhanced Software for CD or DVD Burner - Combo: Sonic DigitalMedia and MyDVD Plus (DVD+RW only)
TV Tuners and Remote Controls - Single TV Tuner with Remote Control

So what say you tech wizards??

[tobby4]

My dad just got one of those I think.... With the dual monitors... the thing is badass

Fast, great memory, and customer support that is second to none...

[cvm4]

My dad just got one of those I think.... With the dual monitors... the thing is badass

Fast, great memory, and customer support that is second to none...

I agree with Clay, definitely make sure it has tons of RAM because waiting on stuff to load is annoying

...Although the Dell customer support can be debated. My parents had problems with their Dell when they first got it and was passed around from one person from India to another. They finally asked for a manager and it turns out he was American. Damn outsourcing :angerFU:

[tobby4]

well much better than having to pay an arm and a leg for say Apple Care....

[caudio51]

Alienware makes some great machines!

[schuellk]

Yeah, but they're pricey. (Alienware)

Oh, and if you're son is really into gaming, bump up that video card to something with 256MB. Personally, if you can get an X800 card, it will last him longer before he'll need an upgrade for newer games. Doesn't sound like he's in first person shooters at the moment, but WoW is pretty graphically intense without all the wild action of a FPS.

[caudio51]

Yea, alienware is not cheap at all.

[Hal]

I would never knock *Dellisbsdon'tbuyfromthem* a very popular company if it weren't for my own experience with them. We have about 85 Dells and their tech support SUCKS. I'll never buy another one and the only reason we didn't get Gateways on that order was the salesman didn't return a bid in time. Never again... never ever... no way, no how. I'd buy a Packard Bell before a Dell if they were still around.

[caudio51]

I have had a del for almost 5 years and the only issue was a fan began to squeak. (Knocks on wood).

I could see how dealing with that many machines would drive you nuts.

[joshua]

Did you buy this yet? I might be able to get you my employee discount on top of any coupons you can find. The setup will run games pretty sweetly. WoW runs on the machine I have here at work thats nowhere near as juiced up.

[JgButler]

Thanks for the offer joshua. :thumbsup: I haven't purchased this machine or any other yet. We are still debating on this as well as a couple of other things. If I decided to go this direction and order this machine I will definately take you up on the offer if you can make it happen.

[tedski]

JB ... Did you ever get your new Dell system?

I'm now in the market for a new system as well. I've always built mine from components in the past, but am considering getting a Dell as they have a ton of discount offerings and seem to have a good rep as far as build quality is concerned. (I'm not hugely concerned about tech support ... plus I work with many Indian people anyway so it won't be a big change if I get Dell/Bombay on the line).

Anyone else have any personal experience with Dell PCs? Seems like a top of the line Dimension (9150) or mid-level XPS (400) system would be the best value.

Joshua ... do you work for Dell?

[joshua]

I work for a company which buys a lot from dell so I get the same discount employees get basically. You can combine it with the normal coupons, so if you find a good deal on one of the larger systems they have a bigger discount on larger purchases like over $1000.

[cvm4]

http://www.edealinfo.com/

This site always has the Dell specials/rebates listed. I imagine you could save a hell of a lot with Joshua's employee discount + the special/rebates listed from that site. I didn't see any desktops listed yet today, but they should be there or you can check the previous days deals.

[caudio51]

http://www.edealinfo.com/

This site always has the Dell specials/rebates listed. I imagine you could save a hell of a lot with Joshua's employee discount + the special/rebates listed from that site. I didn't see any desktops listed yet today, but they should be there or you can check the previous days deals.

Definitely know what you want and check that site daily. They have deals that come up and you have to jump on them.

[MithShrike]

Do you have experience building computers yourself? If so that's the route I recommend. AMD machines are usually better for gaming but Dell can be ridiculously cheap. Personally, I've dealt with Dell's tech support as a second tier support agent for SBC and the outsourced techs had no clue, just a flowchart.

[JgButler]

JB ... Did you ever get your new Dell system?

I'm now in the market for a new system as well. I've always built mine from components in the past, but am considering getting a Dell as they have a ton of discount offerings and seem to have a good rep as far as build quality is concerned. (I'm not hugely concerned about tech support ... plus I work with many Indian people anyway so it won't be a big change if I get Dell/Bombay on the line).

Anyone else have any personal experience with Dell PCs? Seems like a top of the line Dimension (9150) or mid-level XPS (400) system would be the best value.

Joshua ... do you work for Dell?

Sorry for the late response Ted. To answer your question though, no I haven't purchased a system yet. Been talking to a few different guys locally and I'm still debating just building a system.

This PC at the house is a Dell that I've had for a few years and it has been good for what I need it for, but as stated above, one of the bad points about having this Dell is the customer service has been less than stellar. They have outsourced it all and some of the people I have had to deal with have seemed almost clueless.

I am really leaning towards just having a system built with the components that I decide on.

[MithShrike]

http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=OTI0

That is a good review of Dell and how they perform as far as gaming and tech support goes.

If one of the main purposes for this machine is going to be gaming then I would recommend something of a similar configuration as this: http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=ODk4 .