IG-64 Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 I worked all summer at Wal-Mart towards an ultimate goal: a massive new computer. Once work finished, on the 5th, I started looking online for the parts I needed. Eventually I decided to look at the Dell Direct website. I was skeptical with getting a pre-built at first, but I was actually pretty impressed with what I found (at the risk of sounding like a commercial). The XPS models use pretty much all of the parts and brands I originally wanted, plus they factory overclock the processor and RAM. I've decided to go with the "XPS 720 Black," which is good because it means less work for me since I don't have to build it myself. Anyways, Here are the specs: CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800, factory overclocked to 3.20GHz. OS: Windows Vista Home Premium. Memory: 2GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz OC'd to 1066MHz-2 DIMMs. Hard Drive: 1TB Hitachi 7200RPM SATA 3.0MB/s, 32MB Cache. Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 226BW (I already have this, I bought it before-hand). GPU: Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX. All of these are parts I knew I wanted before I even looked at Dell, so that worked out good. I haven't gotten it yet, I plan to go down to the Dell booth at the mall tomorrow, because you get a $100 discount if you order it from there. It should arrive about a week after that. I'll post my impressions after I get it in and set it up and everything. You all might want to know why I want such a good computer. Well, for one, I'm on my computer for many hours every day. As many of you know, I'm a 3D artist, and I plan on turning that into a career. In order to make all of the independent projects I want to work on, as well as working on my eventual Demo Reel, I need as good as computer as I can get. I also like to be able to run games at highest settings, and with this computer I should be able to do that for years to come. So, questions? Comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Windu Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Neat. I got a Toshiba Satellite S4747 for school cause the network is all wireless there, and a laptop would be easier. I can finally play Halo the way it was supposed to be played in 2003. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det. Bart Lasiter Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 So when are you getting rid of Vista? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IG-64 Posted August 12, 2007 Author Share Posted August 12, 2007 So when are you getting rid of Vista? *mumbles something about DirectX 10* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det. Bart Lasiter Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 *mumbles something about the worst operating system I've ever used* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Windu Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 *mumbles something about techgeekery and eventual forthcoming of SP1 and 2* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrion Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 *mumbles something about how my AMD 64 3200, DDR ram, and Ati X800 video card have all gone obsolete in only a few years* Oh well. Great purchase you made there IG. Also: 1 TB hardrive? You're either churning out CG work at a prodigious rate, or it's all porn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IG-64 Posted August 12, 2007 Author Share Posted August 12, 2007 Also: 1 TB hardrive? You're either churning out CG work at a prodigious rate, or it's all porn. I have plans of an HD all-CG movie. *shrugs* Plus, the games are already pushing it (my Valve folder alone is 10GB). I currently have an 186GB hard drive, and I keep running out of space and having to delete stuff. Maybe in 5 years' time I'll have 1TB worth of stuff. And no, it's not porn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR-0927 Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Well, I saw IG-64's thread, and I thought I should post one too. Keep in mind that I'm not paying for it, my parents are (for me to use in college, I'm heading for OSU). Anyways, let's start. To begin with, I'm really not a laptop fan. I find them to be too expensive, too weak, and too unstable. But, I wanted to make the best of getting a computer that I can use in college (taking notes). So, I decided on a laptop, and I configured it to be very powerful. It's not Apple MacBook Pro crazy, but very close. So, let's see. It's a Dell Vostro 1500. That's like a cross between a Dell Inspiron and a Dell Latitude. Dell Inspirons give great options for power. However, they are not made with the best components, and have cheap plastic shells. Dell Latitudes are ridiculously durable and contain very high-quality components. However, they lack good power options. Dell Vostros give the same options that the Inspirons do, but have more quality parts and are quite durable. They are more expensive than identical Inspirons, but have less "bloatware," come in only black (but it is thoroughly black), and come with the option of Windows XP. Here are my specifications: Processor - Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB) Operating System - Genuine Windows Vista® Business LCD Panel - 15.4 Inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+LCD Display with TrueLife™ (1680x1050 Resolution) Memory - 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM Hard Drive - 120G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive Optical Drive - 8X CD/DVD Burner with Double-Layer DVD+R Write Capability Video Card - 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8600M GT Wi-Fi Wireless Card - Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card Webcam - Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Web Camera Sound Option - High Definition Audio 2.0 I would highly recommend choosing the Dell Vostro. It's under the Small Business section: http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/vostronb?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd Oh, and the total price (minus tax) is just $1,273. Seems like a deal that's better than good. What do you all think? Think Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 will work fine on it? - PR-0927/Majin Revan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Think Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 will work fine on it? You're mocking us mortals with lesser computers, aren't you? I have just one thing to ask, just one thing. How much did it cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boba Rhett Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 If I defeat you in unarmed mortal combat and am imbued with yours powers and life essence, will I also have any legal precedence to lay claim on your computer as well? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Windu Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 *mutters something about damn kids and their rich computers* I have an ATI Radeon X1200.. anyone know what that entails gaming wise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det. Bart Lasiter Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 If you've already beaten him in unarmed mortal combat I don't think he'll object to you just taking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pho3nix Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Woah. **** me. 1TB? Nice. It takes more than that to walk into Mordor though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow_Nest Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 IG, you better setup your room with turrets cos im comin over to your house tonight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow_Nest Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Meh, that sucks. IG's is way better.... Haha, just kidding man no hard feelings. Awesome rig, and my current one is almost a year old now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IG-64 Posted August 12, 2007 Author Share Posted August 12, 2007 I have just one thing to ask, just one thing. How much did it cost? Around $3,800 If I defeat you in unarmed mortal combat and am imbued with yours powers and life essence, will I also have any legal precedence to lay claim on your computer as well? Sure, but I've got dibs on Sub Zero. IG, you better setup your room with turrets cos im comin over to your house tonight... Good, 'cause it's not gonna be here 'till next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IG-64 Posted August 12, 2007 Author Share Posted August 12, 2007 *mutters something about damn kids and their rich computers* We're not rich, we just set different priorities. And that's a dang good laptop PR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Very nice rig IG, if you're gonna go pre-built those are the way to go (if you can afford it ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR-0927 Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Oh, that's good to hear. I rarely venture into the laptop cosmos, and it is quite cheap...so... Plus, the video card is the best of its line that's offered by any acceptable companies (to me). But, it isn't the nVidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX, which absolutely kicks butt for laptops. "My" other computer (actually is my family's desktop) is about three years old (this September) and sports the following specifications: Processor - AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3200+ (2.2 GHz, 512KB L2 Cache) Operating System - Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 2 LCD Panel - 19 Inch LCD Display (1280x1024 Resolution) Memory - 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM Hard Drive - 40G SATA Hard Drive (Partitioned in Half) Hard Drive 2 - 160G SATA Hard Drive Optical Drive - 56X CD Burner/8X DVD Burner Video Card - 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6800 GT Sound Option - Realtek AC'97 Audio The above desktop was very kick-butt in its time, three years ago. It was quite top of the line, and was also barely under $1,300. We got it from iBuyPower. - PR-0927/Majin Revan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BongoBob Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 *mumbles something about OS's* *mumbles something about dual booting ftw* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Windu Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 *mumbles something so mumbly that no one can hear him and thus everyone says what?* Curious, what's overclocking and all this fancy stuffz I don't really care about having them pimp my computer.. I just need it to work XD My friend has an alienware so I'm gonna be relying on him to play starcraft 2... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoxStar Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 *mumbling* mac? *hazing* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWally Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Yeah. I suggest some mod might want to combine these three threads into one massive thread of geekiness. Anyways, while I was working up at camp this summer, I was away from anything electronic for three weeks, and I came back home only to find, to my horror, that my computer had died. Again. To backtrack I had been getting countless problems this past summer and they all pointed toward a failing motherboard. This last issue was the final straw, and I decided to do a complete upgrade/rebuild. I bought: Motherboard: Asus P5N-E SLI Processorr: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2400MHz Memory: Another gig of Kingston DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz Video Card: 256MB nVidia 7900GS OS: Good 'ole Windows XP Pro SP2 Power Supply: 650 Watt Ultra PSU These, combined with my current setup of: Sound: Creative Labs Soundblaster Audigy SE EAX 3.0 with Logitech X-540 surround sound Hard Drives: 370GB HD space (250 gig + 120 gig) Display: 2 x Compaq 2710 17'' The total price for the additional items was about $650 at both Fry's and Tigerdirect (I live 15 minutes away from both of them). It only took about an hour and a half to build and another hour to set up windows, so I was definitely happy I rebuilt instead of buying a new pre-built rig. Sure, it's not exactly "top of the line", mostly due to the conscious decision I made of not moving to the nVidia 8XXX generation due to not owning Vista and not seeing a reason to move to DX10 yet (and for 130 bucks the videocard was a steal), however, it more than suits my needs for this upcoming school year. I've currently had the new setup for a full week and I am thoroughly pleased. It has handled everything I've thrown at it with ease, and I have experienced no problems whatsoever yet. And just fyi, I upgraded from an AMD 3000+ with an AGP nVidia 6600GT on semi-decent Gigabyte socket 754 mobo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoxStar Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Quad Core? Zomg I only have a dual-lobe brain... (pssst... can I have some of your old parts?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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