Dell xps generation 4

[kini62]

Dell=rip off for bad computers

This coming from some one with a Sony. Get real.

What the heck is buyxg? Not listed in resellerratings.com. Yeah I'd fork over $3000 to them

I'm sure they'll be around for a good couple of months anyway. They might even have some one that answers their one an only phone, you know the one, that's out in the garage where they assemble the stolen parts.

 

[jamesbond007]

kini62, you forgot to factor in the cost of at least 1yr warranty through Dell. If Kevin's system has a failure, let's say his DVDRW fails, that's ~$50-60. Let's say his motherboard gives out or blows a capacitor. Shux! Depending on the board, that's $150+ in most cases. Having a warranty can be a very reassuring thing.

It's silly to see so many AMD fanboys come in and think their system is the fastest, most bad-ass rig on the planet because it says AMD Athlon64 on their case. Silly rabbit, AMD's for kids!

Kevin, we're still waiting on your parts list that supposedly ousts this Dell deal.

 

[stimpy1]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Dell is not worth it. If you know anything about PC's and can trouble shoot on your own... you can save tons of money by building it yourself. Or you could use that money to make the computer even better.

That system is not worth it. From a lot of our perspective a lot of the Dells are not worth it for the home power user/enthusiast. (Business is another story)

-Kevin

You might as well go ahead and build your own because you'll be troubleshooting it yourself anyway if you buy a Dell. As someone who has owned one for five years, I don't have many positive things to say about them. First and foremost is Dell tech support. They barely speak english, read from a prompt, are frequently wrong, and very frustrating to deal with.

At the time I purchased my Dell they were a good company, and I got a nice Texas "twang" on the other end of the phone line when I called for support. They were always able to solve my problem. Now, if I'm lucky, I get someone who can speak english somewhat decently, but the support provided is awful. Do a Google search on Dell tech support and see what you find. On the other hand, owning a Dell has taught me a lot about computer troubleshooting out of necessity.

 

[BHeemsoth]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Ill gaurantee you that i can build a better system for a better price.

Not saying dell is horrible but the XPS among other models are not worth it. For business's and people who dont have that much knowledge they are great though.

One of the reasons i dont like them is something along the lines of proprietary parts

-Kevin

Proprietary parts are really not that much of an issue anymore. They pretty much use standard parts across the board these days.

I sell Dell machines to all my customers, as they are economical, well built for the most part, and best of all leave me off the hook for performing warranty repiars that would accompany a custom built system.

XPS models are great when you can find a nice deal on them, but the retail price is way too high for what you get.

 

[NightCrawler]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
kini62, you forgot to factor in the cost of at least 1yr warranty through Dell. If Kevin's system has a failure, let's say his DVDRW fails, that's ~$50-60. Let's say his motherboard gives out or blows a capacitor. Shux! Depending on the board, that's $150+ in most cases. Having a warranty can be a very reassuring thing.

It's silly to see so many AMD fanboys come in and think their system is the fastest, most bad-ass rig on the planet because it says AMD Athlon64 on their case. Silly rabbit, AMD's for kids!

Kevin, we're still waiting on your parts list that supposedly ousts this Dell deal.

You do get a warranty from Asus or whomever you buy that motherboard from. Epox has been the best about replacing motherboards if they should go bad from noobs overclocking to hard.

Newegg also will replace parts if you buy through them and seagate hard drives have a 5 year warranty. If your Dell machine breaks down after 1 year you SOL.

Also you can also build Pentium 4 rig if the Athlon 64 doesn't impress you and get the same long warranty.

 

[NightCrawler]

Originally posted by: kini62

Originally posted by: n yusef
Since Kevin won't give any parts (everything has been stated at leaset 123,467 times in other threads), I'll give it a go.

1) A 6800GT isn't going to be faster than a X850XTPE when gaming, even if yout processor is a little bit slower.

2) That XPS is a terrible value, even with a 2405FPW, and X850XTPE.

A64 3200+: $190
DFI NF4 Lanparty Ultra-D: $137
2X TwinMOS RAM (Winbond UTT chips): $108
X850XT: $480
If you want to gamble, you can get an X800Pro, and soft-mod it into an X800XTPE. More effort required:
X800Pro: $280
200GB HDD: $140
DVD burner: $62
Case and PSU: $200
Extra fans, lights, etc.: $50
2405FPW: $860-1200, depending on the deal. Let's use the $1200 cost though.
Overclocking: prieceless

Add that together and get ~$2550 with X850XT, and $2350 with X800Pro->X800XTPE. If you get a deal on your 2405 like I did, then you get -$350 added on to that. I spent ~$2100 on my rig, and it has all of the parts listed. My 3200+ is at 2.6GHz, but I don't see much of an FPS increase in any games at 1900*1200, so it's mostly for fun. If I set it down to 1024*768, I get in between twenty and thirty frames extra, which is cool to know. The X850XT gives me much bigger overclocking gains at every resolution though.

3) The XPS is just ugly. That would make me pay $100 more for a better case; Lian-Li, Thermaltake (their one good product, IMO) Tsunami, Coolermaster, SilverStone, etc.

1. Just how is your ~$2550 (plus shipping and tax) sooooo much less than the $2600 the OP had.

2. Add another $120 or so for a second HDD drive, $20 for another DVD drive, another $100 for XP Home, another 50-$100 for the included software (some actually use or need it)

3. So we're about back to even if you take in getting a 2405 for $860, or more $$$ for your system if you don't.

4. The OP has no intention in OCing, so based on my experience with a 3500+ the P4 would run rings around it in just about everything that an average home user would do. Gaming would be about even, ie no discernable difference.

The OP had an interest in video editing/dvd creation in which case, using Premiere Pro/elements, Pinnacle DVDShrink etc... would be at a MINIMUM 25% faster with the P4. I saw speed improvements of 70% over the 3500+ in DVDShrink and more than 50% using Premiere Elements. This kind of speed differential is obviously noticeable where an extra 5 or 10 FPS in a most games is not.

I guarantee that I get better performance than you at any resolution, game, setting or whatever than you can, kini62.

Maybe with your system OCed. At stock speeds, most games the difference if any would be inconsequential.

For my guarantee- I guarantee that my P4 will out perform your system, even OCed till your heart's content, in DVDShrink, Premiere and just about any other video/photo editing/rendering program. Plus I can actually still have a responsive system when doing these things, unlike an Athlon 64

would be at a MINIMUM 25% faster with the P4. I saw speed improvements of 70% over the 3500+ in DVDShrink and more than 50% using Premiere Elements.

Your kidding right ?

The "encoding is faster on Pentium 4" is a myth, it all depends on what application you use and at most 20% is a more realistic number and sometimes the Athlon 64 is faster then the Pentium 4 machine with some encoding apps.

 

[Texun]

If it's what you want then get it. Dell isn't a bad deal if it suits your needs. Sure the cost \ performance ratio may be higher with a Dell but if you don't want to deal with RMA's and troubleshooting your own work then go for it. I've thought about it many times but prefer the thrill of victory and even the occasional but temporary agony of defeat. One day I'll grow tired of that and buy a Dell.

 

[smittyc]

Well sure seems alot of different opinions and ideas! I appreciate the feedback. I ordered the dell this morning. Someday i will build my own. Now is not the time for the situation I'm in.

 

[juktar]

The service for the XPS line of computers is enhanced, so you do not get the Indian support center at all.

Also, what many people here fail to do when they compare the Dell machine to a home built machine is to make sure they have everything in the build.

You forgot shipping which is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of $35 at Newegg these days.

If you want the warranty from Newegg then that is probably another $60 - 75 on top of that as well. Then you are not at the nercy of the manufacturer.

For instance:

This is an home warranty. Where is the quote for that? There is no shipping back to Dell or even waiting for a replacment becuase you have to send the broken one back first.

Where is Windows XP Home?

Where is the second hard drive?

Where is the CDRW?

Where is the Audigy 2 ZS?

Where are the 5.1 speakers?

Where is the floppy drive?

Where is the wireless KB?

Where is the Wireless mouse?

This stuff all ADDS up and people always forget to add it when comparing.



Proprietary parts? What is proprietary? Have you guys actually even seen a Dell computer in the last 2 years?

I just bought an 8400 a couple of months ago, becuase it was CHEAPER than I could build it for. This is the first computer I have ever purchased that I did not build. Here are the components:

Dimension 8400
P4 3.4Ghz
1Gb DDR 2 400 Mhz
160 Gb HD
Audigy 2 ZS
Dell KB
Dell (Logitech) Optical Mouse
CDRW
DVD +R/-R
17" Flat Panel Montor
XP Home
1 year at home warranty
256 Mb Nvidia 6800 (Non-Ultra or GT)
PCI Express slots

This was $1130 shipped and taxed.

The motherboard is a 915 Intel Chipset with a Broadcom Gb Network Card
The hard drive is a Seagate with native CQ
The DVD is a Phillips
I forget the brand on the CDRW
Logitech makes the mouse for Dell and I imagine the KB also
I have heard, but cannot prove that the Power Supply are PC Power & Cooling

So what does that leave me? Components that can be brought over to a new computer!

Don't give me the crap about the motherboard and case either.....

Whenever I upgrade, I usually either build a whole new computer and hand down the other to my kids or it get s new MB, CPU at the same time. A case isn't a big deal either.

 

[kini62]

Juktar, good post!

Dells at a discount are about the best deal you can get.

 

[kini62]

would be at a MINIMUM 25% faster with the P4. I saw speed improvements of 70% over the 3500+ in DVDShrink and more than 50% using Premiere Elements.

Your kidding right ?

The "encoding is faster on Pentium 4" is a myth, it all depends on what application you use and at most 20% is a more realistic number and sometimes the Athlon 64 is faster then the Pentium 4 machine with some encoding apps.

No I'm not kidding. With the two prorams I mentioned that was the difference I saw. Same movie with DVDShrink, same DV file with Premiere elements.

And the encoding is faster on a P4 is defenitely not a myth. Just look at any tests. The P4 is faster for video using virtually every program and faster in audio using most (notice I did not say every single one).

 

[smittyc]

I just want to add after configuring mine online then calling dell and having them configure it how much money i saved and what they added extra after speaking with the dell sales department. Anybody considering buying a dell I suggest doing the same thing and want to thank the person who posted suggesting i try that.

 

[smittyc]

Just got my estimated ship date 05/05/2005! Wonder why so long?

 

[jamesbond007]

You may have picked a component that was out of stock. What did you end up ordering? You can probably call them and ask what's the hold up. My XPS Gen4 took 6 days from order to arrival.

 

[akmiller]

I just bought an XPS as well. I'm extremely familiar with building my own, as I have done several and have worked as a Computer Technician, Network Administrator, and now a Software Developer. Not only is the XPS priced well (that is if you call and negotiate) but I configured an 8400 with the exact same components as my XPS system and the 8400 came to 1827.00. My XPS was 1858 with a 50.00 mail in rebate. Either system is good but always call to negotiate price, as they usually even start off 50-100 cheaper on the phone which i'm not sure I understand as it would seem to be cheaper for dell to sell online than using sales peoples time on phone calls.

The only thing I don't like about dell other than the fact that their customer service has gone down-hill in the last several years is that they are tied to Intel. I hope that sometime in the future they will be able to offer systems with AMD processors as well!

Also, if you are purchasing for gaming, make sure you really check into their lcd's. Most of dell's lcd's seemed to have a very poor response time. The only one I found that was decent was the 17" ultra sharp which was 13ms. Their 19" monitors were 16-25. 16 isn't too bad, but definitely want to stay away from the 25ms.

 

[smittyc]

Well i just got an email looks like they shipped it on the 4/12/05!


[221-8097] Dimension XPS Series, Intel Pentium 4 Processor 660 (3.6GHz) w/HT Technology and 2MB cache
[463-6199] 1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
[310-4164] Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Desktop Solution
[320-4241] 24 in (24.0 in viewable) 2405FPW Wide Aspect Digital Flat Panel Display
[320-4208] 256MB ATI Radeon X850 XT PE
[341-1587] 160GB NCQ Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
[340-1927] 3.5in Floppy Drive
[313-7222] Dell Application Back-up CD, Factory Install
[412-0688] Image Restore
[420-4927] Windows Media Player 10
[412-0749] Dell Media Experience 3.0 Basic
[420-5101] H and R Block Tax Software
[412-0721] Dimension Dell Support
[420-4938] Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition,Service Pack 2,English
[310-1966] Mouse included in Logitech Wireless Package
[430-0742] Intel Pro 1000 Integrated PCI NIC Card
[313-3607] No modem requested for Dell Dimension
[412-0705] Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0
[313-2998] 48x CD-RW and 16X DVD+/-RW
[420-5079] PowerDVD Software Decoding forDVD Drives
[313-3114] Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS THX Certified Sound card with DVD
[313-2246] Dell 5650 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers System with Subwoofer
[341-1588] 160GB NCQ Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
[412-0754] NO SECURITY SUBSCRIPTION, MCAFEE
[412-0741] Music Match 9.0 Basic 7 day OnDemand
[412-0744] Paint Shop Photo Album 5.1 Standard
[412-0585] AOL DHS
[412-0625] Dell/My Way Home Page
[412-0687] NETZERO ISP
[420-3224] Broadband Icon for Inspiron
[412-0701] Word Perfect Productivity Pack
[950-1260] Type 3- Third Party At Home Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year


I can hardly wait. Will try and post some pictures when i get my hands on this thing!!!

 

[jamesbond007]

Wow, looks very nice! Great processor (64bit) and super video card! That sucker should last you quite a long time.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine!

:beer:

 

[kini62]

You're gonna really like it. I know I like mine

 

[unknowngod430]

OK those who've flamed the GEN 4 have no idea what they're talking about.... i have one it's GORGIOUS SYSTEM... and chances are it'll take theirs easily... as far as overclocking is concerned for one... your wrong... and for 2 OCing essentially limits the lifespan of you components.. EVEN WITH GREAT COOLING... there's a reason that the components are set at the frequensies... and people really need to do their research.. the posted seek times mean nothing... because the new 8ms seek time monitors can hit 25+.... for those who are boasting how much better building your own is i'm not seeing u're argument.. and I'VE BUILT MY OWN.. I do 3d animation/ modelling, sound/video editing, as well as studio quality audio recording. on my xps... as well as play brand new top of the line games. and my DELL doesn't break a sweat.. i can run any game on max settings and it just shrugs it off... and granted there are certain aspects of dell systems that are proprietary.. mobo, psu thats it.. and I can do anything to my system that someone who built their own can do... http://xpsmodz.proboards33.com/index.cgi look at that site... someone has water cooling on their system with a window on it. the mobo thats in my system is a Foxconn 925XE mobo... look it up on new egg. it's about 200$ and the XPS line has specialize support where to you to americans.. so the support is rather good... i can list every product in my system by the brand name and it's all in my dell from the dell factory... and yes you might be able to make one for slightly cheaper at times dell does have coupons... also with the monitor issue of the 2405WFP... i have the 2001FP and it is just about the best 20" LCD on the market... look at the reviews on the website here... it's made with an LG panel and BenQ housing... if anyone has any questions about an XPS email me at unknowngod430@netscape.net.. and if you really wanna argue about whats better.. A G5 mac will blow my system as well as anyone elses out of the water easily...

 

[shoRunner]

Originally posted by: juktar

I have heard, but cannot prove that the Power Supply are PC Power & Cooling

HAHAHHAHAHHA. now that is funny. like PCP&C could even keep up anywhere near the supply dell needs. They more than likely use a hipro or a bestec psu.

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: unknowngod430
OK those who've flamed the GEN 4 have no idea what they're talking about.... i have one it's GORGIOUS SYSTEM... and chances are it'll take theirs easily... as far as overclocking is concerned for one... your wrong... and for 2 OCing essentially limits the lifespan of you components.. EVEN WITH GREAT COOLING... there's a reason that the components are set at the frequensies... and people really need to do their research.. the posted seek times mean nothing... because the new 8ms seek time monitors can hit 25+.... for those who are boasting how much better building your own is i'm not seeing u're argument.. and I'VE BUILT MY OWN.. I do 3d animation/ modelling, sound/video editing, as well as studio quality audio recording. on my xps... as well as play brand new top of the line games. and my DELL doesn't break a sweat.. i can run any game on max settings and it just shrugs it off... and granted there are certain aspects of dell systems that are proprietary.. mobo, psu thats it.. and I can do anything to my system that someone who built their own can do... http://xpsmodz.proboards33.com/index.cgi look at that site... someone has water cooling on their system with a window on it. the mobo thats in my system is a Foxconn 925XE mobo... look it up on new egg. it's about 200$ and the XPS line has specialize support where to you to americans.. so the support is rather good... i can list every product in my system by the brand name and it's all in my dell from the dell factory... and yes you might be able to make one for slightly cheaper at times dell does have coupons... also with the monitor issue of the 2405WFP... i have the 2001FP and it is just about the best 20" LCD on the market... look at the reviews on the website here... it's made with an LG panel and BenQ housing... if anyone has any questions about an XPS email me at unknowngod430@netscape.net.. and if you really wanna argue about whats better.. A G5 mac will blow my system as well as anyone elses out of the water easily...

This post makes my eyes hurt...

 

[shoRunner]

Originally posted by: unknowngod430
OK those who've flamed the GEN 4 have no idea what they're talking about.... i have one it's GORGIOUS SYSTEM... and chances are it'll take theirs easily... as far as overclocking is concerned for one... your wrong... and for 2 OCing essentially limits the lifespan of you components.. EVEN WITH GREAT COOLING... there's a reason that the components are set at the frequensies... and people really need to do their research.. the posted seek times mean nothing... because the new 8ms seek time monitors can hit 25+.... for those who are boasting how much better building your own is i'm not seeing u're argument.. and I'VE BUILT MY OWN.. I do 3d animation/ modelling, sound/video editing, as well as studio quality audio recording. on my xps... as well as play brand new top of the line games. and my DELL doesn't break a sweat.. i can run any game on max settings and it just shrugs it off... and granted there are certain aspects of dell systems that are proprietary.. mobo, psu thats it.. and I can do anything to my system that someone who built their own can do... http://xpsmodz.proboards33.com/index.cgi look at that site... someone has water cooling on their system with a window on it. the mobo thats in my system is a Foxconn 925XE mobo... look it up on new egg. it's about 200$ and the XPS line has specialize support where to you to americans.. so the support is rather good... i can list every product in my system by the brand name and it's all in my dell from the dell factory... and yes you might be able to make one for slightly cheaper at times dell does have coupons... also with the monitor issue of the 2405WFP... i have the 2001FP and it is just about the best 20" LCD on the market... look at the reviews on the website here... it's made with an LG panel and BenQ housing... if anyone has any questions about an XPS email me at unknowngod430@netscape.net.. and if you really wanna argue about whats better.. A G5 mac will blow my system as well as anyone elses out of the water easily...

lol...DELL IS THE L33TN3SS HAXOR BIACHS.

the g5 will do what faster than any other system. well i knows its not gaming, maybe loading OSX or getting you to the uber elite status at your local starbucks

 

[Technonut]

The XPS Gen. 4 is a decent rig. I recently purchased one from the Dell Outlet with the intention of turning it over on ebay for a profit.

I kept it sealed in the box for a couple of days, but just had to look at it.... Very sturdy, great PSU placement, and a well-designed, quiet cooling system. I then proceeded to entirely disassemble every piece of it, then put it back together. I kept thinking about the tasty P4 640 N0 processor, (A known great OC'er) X850 XT PE, and the nice Seagate 160GB SATA HDD though. (Not to mention the Audigy 2 ZS, (2) 1GB sticks of DDR2, CD & DVD burner)

Long story short, I now have a new P4 640 rig and some nice, extra parts... Maybe someone on ebay will be interested in a sturdy, well-designed, XPS case complete with PSU and mobo. :laugh:

 

[Budmantom]

Originally posted by: kini62

Dell=rip off for bad computers

This coming from some one with a Sony. Get real.

What the heck is buyxg? Not listed in resellerratings.com. Yeah I'd fork over $3000 to them

I'm sure they'll be around for a good couple of months anyway. They might even have some one that answers their one an only phone, you know the one, that's out in the garage where they assemble the stolen parts.

LOL Sony

 

[Crescent13]

Get AMD!

Welcome.