• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

thinking about getting a dell for the brother

M

memo

Golden Member
was looking the deal for a Dell 4700here

It comes with either a 128 ATI or 256 Nvidia but PCI Express. How good are these cards at playing games? He'll mainly be playing Hitman2 style games. Do you think the 128 MB ATI will cut it? How are the upgradability of these? I've been out of the video card game for a while so I am not so well versed in PCI Express cards, can someone give me an comparison between these and AGP cards?

Also, they are offering an upgrade to single drive 16x DVD(+/-)RW with double layer write capability for about 120 more. is this worth it? am i better of leaving it at the single cd-rom drive and getting a dual layer somewhere else? or is the dell drive pretty decent quailty?

thanks for the help guys.
 
The ATI X300 SE is bad, the nV 6800 is excellent and will play any 3D-based game released in the next couple of years at good resolution and quality -- it's well worth the extra $180 over the ATI.

For benchmarks, click the "Video" tab at the top of the page.

The most future-proof drive upgrade is the most expensive; DVD-ROM + DVD-burner. Some games have copy protection that won't work if the disc is in a burner, so having a DVD reader as drive 1 means even a DVD disc game can be run from the reader not the burner. [ Also it will be color-matched, one you buy might or not match ]

I don't know about the brand of the burner, but having it installed, tested and supported by Dell instead of by you is worth something.
 
4700 is a nice machine. Check out the Dell Small Business Outrageous Deals. They usually have a better deal there. Your better off getting your own DVD-R drive. You can buy and NEC from Newegg for about $70 shipped.

For game playing, the X300 will suck. Either get the onboard video and put in a 6600GT for $190 or get their 6800GTO for an additional $240.


IMHO

Lou
 
Dell uses NEC DVD/RW combo drives. Nvidia 6600gt right now is the best, MOST AVAILABLE pci-e, mid-range gfx card period. I like combo drives myself, keeps your pc simple and it does everything. 4700 is a good deal, but if you go with a high end pci-e card (6800gt or ultra, x800xt) then I suggest you upgrade the PSU when you upgrade cards.
 
Originally posted by: alphacompany
whats the difference between the gf 6800 and gf 6800 gto from dell...which is better?🙂
Click to expand...

anyone got any ideas? is PCI-E the new technology for video cards? or is AGP still going to be top dog?
oh, and if i wanted to just get the onboard vid card, and get a really nice AGP card, do you guys think this Dell has an AGP slot?

Thanks for the help
 
No AGP, just PCI-E.

Also, some people have had problems adding their own 6600GT PCI-E to a Dell 4700 that shipped with just the ATI card, they speculated it could be that Dell doesn't install a side panel with fan if you order a cheap card that doesn't need it.

So if you really want it to work out of the box without risking compatibility issues, I'd recommend going with all Dell-supplied parts. Or just building an A64 system yourself with all newegg parts. Doing half and half might work great or it might not.
 
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
No AGP, just PCI-E.

Also, some people have had problems adding their own 6600GT PCI-E to a Dell 4700 that shipped with just the ATI card, they speculated it could be that Dell doesn't install a side panel with fan if you order a cheap card that doesn't need it.

So if you really want it to work out of the box without risking compatibility issues, I'd recommend going with all Dell-supplied parts. Or just building an A64 system yourself with all newegg parts. Doing half and half might work great or it might not.
Click to expand...


thanks for the help dave. yeah i was thinking about building him a box but im around very often to trouble shoot problems, so i figured get him the dell and some kinda warranty will probably best cover him.

do you think PCI-E is going to be pretty well supported? i.e., 2 years from now he can upgrade to a pretty decent card and not be hosed on it?
 
PCI-E is going to replace AGP on both intel and AMD, though AGP will exist side-by-side for at least the next couple of years.

PCI-E works better for future cards because it delivers more power (less need for hard drive power plugs), higher maximum speed (x16 vs. x8), and supports 2 cards working together ("SLI").
 
If you're buying from Dell (or Gateway, or Micron, etc...) then you're better off ordering the machine with the exact specs you want. You're paying for Dell's experience, quality, and testing. It might cost you a little more than building your own with the same specs, but they're required to help you with the problems, at least for the first few months.

I personally build my own, but I have heard good things about Dell and Gateway, so long as the machine is ordered with all of the gadgets and gizmos already installed. Let Dell work out the problems.
 
Oh, just a note about the drives, dell might use a noname brand for the drive. (My recent DELL laptop comes with a QSI drive that Nero 5 didn't reconise)
 
OMG dells are so terrible...wow. they use the shittiest parts ever and build the shittiest pcs ever. i just had to go reformat 3 dells because they were getting to be slow as shit, and theyre pentium 4's. one of them the hard drive went bad...figures...it was a maxtor.

dells are crap. period...end of discussion
 
Originally posted by: NautikaL 8
OMG dells are so terrible...wow. they use the shittiest parts ever and build the shittiest pcs ever. i just had to go reformat 3 dells because they were getting to be slow as shit, and theyre pentium 4's. one of them the hard drive went bad...figures...it was a maxtor.

dells are crap. period...end of discussion
Click to expand...


Wow just wow.

I cannot tell you how many custom build computers I had to format because they were getting slow..

That has far more to do with the user than with the computer. Dell uses quality parts for the most part, including motherboard designed by intel and recognized as amongst the most stable. As for the hard drive going bad, blame maxtor if you want, but recognize every manufacturer will have some drives fail. In fact I have had a drive fail from every major manufacturer. As sample set of 4 however is far too small to determine systematic errors.

As for the original post, dell allows you to upgrade your computer and keep the warranty on the parts they supply. Therefore I suggest a minimalist configuration, unless an upgrade is particularly cheap and doing a few easy upgrades such as DVD-writer and memory as well as video card yourself. Dell uses the sam components as everyone else. Currently I believe they use pioneer/nec based dvd burners but this may change as dell has used almost every optical drive manufacturer as its source including LG, Liteon, Samsung/toshiba. NEC, pioneer etc.

Finally dell may not be for you but remember you get a pc teseted and built that is quiter than anything you will build unless you spend extra for quite parts. (even then I have been unable to build a pc as quiet as dells quietest models which are inaudable in most environments.)

 
maxtor isnt the most respected hard drive maker...ill just say that....

dell doesnt even attempt to optomize the os. do you have any idea how much a defrag every two weeks thats schedualed would help the people who dont know what defragging is. Not to mention how simply retarded dell's cases are. you have to spent 5min figureing out how the hell to open the damn thing. then all the drives are secured with green plastic crap. it would be 200 times better if everything was secured with screws.

And i would have to disagree that dell uses quality parts. Their psu's are weak and their memory isnt that great (probably CL3) They use the worst videocards too. X300se? WTF is that. Also...their cooling isnt that great either. That case is like a heat oven. It has 2 fans pushing like 15cfm, and the outside of it is plastic...an EXCELLENT heat conductor. AND FINALLY...they use pentium 4's!!! IDIOTS...have they not noticed that AMD's are cheaper, faster, and cooler than prescots.

About the quietness...i just built a very quiet pc. move 2 feet away and its inaudible. Did it cost me extra? NO. Was it difficult? NO.

Dell's are simply over rated. congrats to the guy who reads their ads and who sounds like his balls are in his stomach his voice is so high.
 
Therefore I suggest a minimalist configuration, unless an upgrade is particularly cheap and doing a few easy upgrades such as DVD-writer and memory as well as video card yourself.
Click to expand...
I'd agree if building it for oneself, and picking the 8400 system with bigger PSU and better cooling.

In this case the system is for someone else (brother) and the smaller 4700, which may have power or cooling issues when self-upgrading to a better video card. Yes you won't void the warranty, but Dell's response will certainly be "take out the fancy video card, we don't support it."

Those two reasons (not own system and not down the hall to fix it, possible upgrade issues) are why I'd recommend all Dell or no Dell in this case.

I've built my last 5 computer systems and upgraded the ones before that, but if my grandma in another state wanted a PC, I'd get her a Dell and not plan to add anything myself.
 
Originally posted by: NautikaL 8
maxtor isnt the most respected hard drive maker...ill just say that....

dell doesnt even attempt to optomize the os. do you have any idea how much a defrag every two weeks thats schedualed would help the people who dont know what defragging is. Not to mention how simply retarded dell's cases are. you have to spent 5min figureing out how the hell to open the damn thing. then all the drives are secured with green plastic crap. it would be 200 times better if everything was secured with screws.

And i would have to disagree that dell uses quality parts. Their psu's are weak and their memory isnt that great (probably CL3) They use the worst videocards too. X300se? WTF is that. Also...their cooling isnt that great either. That case is like a heat oven. It has 2 fans pushing like 15cfm, and the outside of it is plastic...an EXCELLENT heat conductor. AND FINALLY...they use pentium 4's!!! IDIOTS...have they not noticed that AMD's are cheaper, faster, and cooler than prescots.

About the quietness...i just built a very quiet pc. move 2 feet away and its inaudible. Did it cost me extra? NO. Was it difficult? NO.

Dell's are simply over rated. congrats to the guy who reads their ads and who sounds like his balls are in his stomach his voice is so high.
Click to expand...


It is not dell's responsibility to optimize the os. Futhermore you can install a fresh copy yourself as dell provides a cd with just the os on it. No need to install dell software if you do not want to. I have never had any problem figuiring out how to open dell cases as they are a pleasure to work with. Quick and easy acess to everything I need. I have never had any issues with the way dell sercures their drives. I would be hard pressed to find even a 2x better solution. Dells psu's are rated well below their output when campared to other psu. In fact I have never found a dell psu that was not able to run a fully configured system. As for the x300se it is a cheap part, however Dell is trying to meet a price point. THey are more powerful options available or you can use whatever card you desire if you upgrade it yourself. Simply purcahsing a dell does not imply you cannot customize it to your need. Again I have never had a dell with heat problems. Intel specifies very cleary what their cpus need in terms of cooling and dell provides adequate cooling. Yes AMD is in most cases cheaper when purchased at newegg, but dell's specials are not the same as newegg. AMD is also often faster, and cooler than equivelant p4's but what is the point. That is does not make dell poorly constructed, simply non-optimal in their choice of cpu.

I cannot say how quiet your pc is, however I hightly doubt you achieved dell like quiteness at no extra cost (aftermarked heatsinks etc.) Some dells are so quiet, I have know people to turn them off by accident in an attempt to turn them on as they could not hear the fans.

Again I must conclude by saying dell is not for everyone. Many people find that custom build systems particularly based on teh A64 CPU is a better choice for them and I tend to agree. However Simply saying dell sucks etc is both ignorant and foolish as dell for the most part makes a quality product that will be more than sufficient for most people. I say this becasue I once thought like you, but I paid $200.00 for dell to try it out and was pleasantly surprised. It was quiter than my most quite pc, ran well, and was cheaper than a self build. Now I am still building another machine based on the A64 but I have already ordered a dell as well with a 64bit INtel cpu running at 3.4 ghz for under $400.00. Both machines will hopefully work well for what they are designed to do but the point is neither is superior per se rather on is a gaming machine while another is a work and multimedia machine and each serves its purpose well.
 
youre saying it costs more to quiet a pc to make it like dell...but do you have any idea how much money you will save by building your own? just because dells meet requirements in every area doesnt mean they cant improve. Being the leading pc manufacturer, they should go above and beyond to make sure their systems are relaible. If they were smart, they would install dust filters to the intake fans....you have no idea how dirty a pc can get. Also, all dell pc's are "dellified." They have dell crap all over them. "click here for dell support" "dell catalog" "dell resource CD" I dont need your shity logo written all over my pc

Basically, Dell's are overrated and arent "awesome" according to their ads and half the people who listen to them. I love when people are like "dells are so good. Your computer must suck since its not dell." I just smack them across the face for being so stupid. A consumer can make a much better cost effective and reliable system by themeselves. Not to mention how much better their pc would look...

but whatever floats your boat dell...if you wanna do everything half assed to maximize profits have fun...but remember there will always be people who know how crappy your systems are.
 
I have often seen cases where I save negative money buidling my own. I have often heard the mantra building yourself is cheaper, but for anyone who regularly reads hotdeals or fatwallet or who has a relationship account with dell this is not the case especially if you take building time, troublshooting, and burn-in into account. Certainly dell can improve, but they excist to put out an acceptable product at the best price. Certainly a Dodge viper is faster than a Honda civic (please don't turn this into an imports versus domestic thread) but that does not make the viper superior per se. I have no idea where you got the info that dells are not realiable, but I my experience with dell and custom build computers, both can be very stable or very buggy, it depends on how they are configured. To say however that dells hardware is intrinsically flawed has no basis in my experience. Dust filters are one area to improve, I agree but I have seen many a custom system without dust filters. Dells are not perfect by any means and again I reitterate not the best solution for all by any means, but should no be disounted simply because they are not custom built. Please not all dells are not equal either. Their server and business machines are much better than home machines. (Futher note: rumor has it dell will soon introduce Opteron servers, somthing that would be most exciting and should be a pleasant surprise for many of the naysayers.)
 
clearly you cant beat dells price on their 550$ pc's with a 20% discoutn code. thats why i know a lot of people who resell dells part by part and pay for their house doing so
 
i just want to ask you...whats the difference of gf6800 and gf 6800gto...both 3dcards are from dell...the gf6800 option is for dell4700 and gf6800gto is for dell8400........whats the difference between both of the 3d cards from dell?
 
The diference? Not much. The 6800gto is 256mb with 12 pixel pipelines. It's just to be slightly faster than the 6800nu.

The specs are:

PCI-E
12x1 Piepline Configuration
5 Vertex Shaders
350MHZ Core
900MHZ Memory
256MB VRAM
 
Is the gf6800 from dell same like a normal gf6800 ...cause i know that the gf6800gto is an oem and is a bit slower than a normal gf6800gt...
 
Originally posted by: Sc4freak
The diference? Not much. The 6800gto is 256mb with 12 pixel pipelines. It's just to be slightly faster than the 6800nu.

The specs are:

PCI-E
12x1 Piepline Configuration
5 Vertex Shaders
350MHZ Core
900MHZ Memory
256MB VRAM
Click to expand...

... which also makes the core and memory speeds faster, I believe. Those GTO cards are apparently pretty awesome for the money, because you can unlock the extra pipelines and have basically a 6800GT for less money.

To the OP, I think you misspelled "bother" as "brother". Dell's support is notoriously bad. 😉
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top