Reliable, quiet office machine + light gaming

[explrsport]

I was thinking of picking up a Dell Outlet XPS 8500 with these specs:

Processor: Intel Core 3rd Gen i5-3450 Processor (3.10 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.50 GHz)
•Genuine Windows 8 Home Edition
•Dell Outlet XPS 8500 Desktop
•2TB Serial ATA 3 Hard Drive
•8GB, DDR3 UDIMM Memory, 1600MHz, Non-ECC (2 DIMMs)
•16X DVD +/- RW Drive


It's about $690. Then adding a new video card and SSD as the main boot drive.

Any recommendations for the video card would be appreciated. Looking for something very quiet, and the most possible power in the $150 range.

For the SSD, I was thinking of grabbing the Intel 330 180GB model for about $150.

Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

[Yuriman]

I think you could save some money putting it together yourself, but it's a fairly solid machine. For light gaming I'd suggest an HD7770, and a Samsung 840 SSD.

 

[explrsport]

on the Samsungs, the "Pro" 840's are a good chunk more than the normal 840. I'm assuming there is a reason for that?

 

[lehtv]

Yes. Higher performance and better longevity NAND type. For the average user the 840 Pro doesn't provide any noticeable benefit over the 840.

 

[Termie]

The Intel 180GB was selling for a lot less a few months ago. At $150 there are much better choices, like the Samsung 840 250GB.

Also, that price from Dell really isn't very good. Unless you're really afraid to build your own system, you should skip the Dell. Also note that adding an SSD to a prebuilt system is not a trivial task. In the end it may take longer to setup than if you built it yourself.

The best video card choice would be the Radeon HD7850. The 1GB model is around $160, but you should probably aim for the 2GB model at around $180.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I think you could save some money putting it together yourself, but it's a fairly solid machine. For light gaming I'd suggest an HD7770, and a Samsung 840 SSD.

I got an XPS on close out at MicroCenter and added a HD7770. I am very happy with it, even without a SSD. It is not powerhouse, but I can play any game I have tried, including Witcher 2 and Metro 2033 at 1080p, med to high settings, and less demanding games maxed out without AA. I got it somewhat cheaper than the OP though. I dont think I could have built much cheaper, but building you own does allow more flexibiity down the road if you get an overclockable mb and processor.

 

[explrsport]

I have no problem loading a new OS from scratch....I want to stick with Win7 anyways.

I actually found the same computer with a i7 3770. I would assume that's a better deal?

 

[Termie]

I have no problem loading a new OS from scratch....I want to stick with Win7 anyways.

I actually found the same computer with a i7 3770. I would assume that's a better deal?

Just be aware that Dell likely won't provide a Windows 7 disc making it very hard to reinstall the OS. I wouldn't count on that option unless you research it thoroughly.

Perhaps others here have more experience with how Dell handles OS backups at this point.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Just be aware that Dell likely won't provide a Windows 7 disc making it very hard to reinstall the OS. I wouldn't count on that option unless you research it thoroughly.

Perhaps others here have more experience with how Dell handles OS backups at this point.

Unfortunately like everyone else, they dont provide a real windows DVD. At least on the one I got, it prompts you to make a system restore when you first start up. I did this and also backed up with Acronis to an external hard drive. My model had win 7 and a cheap upgrade to Win 8, which did not interest me.

Edit: As far as the 3770 vs the 3450, yes, it would be faster in demanding cpu tasks, but for light gaming and office tasks the 3450 is more than adequate. I assume the model with the 3770 is more expensive. For gaming with the HD7770, I am gpu limited in every game I tried. Even if the 3770 is the k model, you would not be able to overclock because the motherboard is not Z77.

 

[explrsport]

I won't be overclocking and have no interest in it.

I do have a Win7 disk already.

The i7 is actually the same price as the previous i5 3450.

 

[Yuriman]

This would be my choice in machine:

^ You can upgrade or downgrade the SSD or video card to suit your needs, but I feel this is really solid. The power supply and RAM are better than you'd get in a Dell and I like the Coolermaster case better as well. Dell often cheaps out on the motherboards, the ASRock is probably a more reliable board.

I don't think you'll see a real-world difference between an i5 and an i7 for your uses.

 

[mfenn]

Windows 8 Home doesn't include downgrade rights to Windows 7, only Windows 8 Pro has that. I don't really see the benefit of buying the Dell if you're going to add a $100 GPU, $150 SSD, and $100 OS license to it. That would put you right near $1000.

At $1000, you could take the build from my midrange builder's thread, swap the GPU to a 7850, swap the CPU to an Xeon E3-1230 V2, and add an OS license. You'd end up with a lot better computer for the money.
http://redirect.anandtech.com/r?url...2E16819117286&Tpk=e3-1230%20v2&user=u00000687

 

[explrsport]

Ended up getting something similar to the first post for about $550. It does have a Geforce GT 620, so I think that will work for now as my gaming is very limited (new SimCity might be about it). Can always upgrade the card in a year or two as new tech comes out.

Still planning to add a SSD, though...would love to hear if people think the Samsung 840 Pro is worth the $50 extra over the normal 840? 250GB vs. 256GB, amazon pricing.

 

[mfenn]

Not IMHO unless you have a very heavy workload. You're not going to notice a difference between the two for normal desktop stuff.