Is Dell i7-860 Processor Worth Extra $169 ?

[Beski]

I was just about to pull the trigger on this Dell Mini Tower set up for approx $800 - then I started reading about the new i7-860 Processor and that got my interest. I can get the Studio XPS 8000 for about $169 more along with different memory specs, dual DVD drives and another year of service - BUT my Hard Drive would go down from 750 to 640. (Also have 2 external HD at 500GB Each).

(I just ordered and received the Dell 2209WA at the Special $212 Price so I am set for a Monitor !!).

My current Dell is about 7 years old with 512 Ram and 80GB Hard Drive, so I am definately ready for an upgrade !! I want to get a system that will last me a few years, but at the same time I don't want to get "too much" for my needs if that is possible !!

As for my uses - I NEVER PLAY VIDEO GAMES, don't watch Movies and haven't done much with Video editing. Basically just Photo Editing with Photoshop CS2, Elements 4.0, and Lightroom along with Music Downloading / Burning, Surfing the Web and reading the POTN Forums !!

So is the i7-860 worth the extra $169 - or is that "over-kill" for my needs ??

Also, are there any other areas that you would "shave down" to save me some $$$ ??


Studio Mini-Tower ($800)
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q8300 (4MB L2, 2.5GHz, 1333FSB)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
8GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4DIMMs
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB
750GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
Integrated 16-in-1 Media Card Reader
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
No Speaker Option
No Monitor Option
1 Year Basic Service Plan

Studio XPS 8000 ($969)
Studio XPS 8000, Intel® Core™ i7-860 processor(8MB Cache, 2.80GHz)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 4 DIMMs
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB
640GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable AND 16x DVD-ROM Drive
No Speaker Option
No Monitor Option
2 Year Basic Service Plan

[In2Photos]

I would opt for the i7 version for one main reason, the ability to upgrade. The LGA775 socket is toward the end of its life, while the LGA1156 is just beginning. This means that down the road you may be able to replace the CPU with a newer, faster version. Also, you will have DDR3 RAM as opposed to DDR2. The slightly smaller HDD isn't an issue since you can add another drive down the road.

[basroil]

I was just about to pull the trigger on this Dell Mini Tower set up for approx $800 - then I started reading about the new i7-860 Processor and that got my interest. I can get the Studio XPS 8000 for about $169 more along with different memory specs, dual DVD drives and another year of service - BUT my Hard Drive would go down from 750 to 640. (Also have 2 external HD at 500GB Each).

(I just ordered and received the Dell 2209WA at the Special $212 Price so I am set for a Monitor !!).

My current Dell is about 7 years old with 512 Ram and 80GB Hard Drive, so I am definately ready for an upgrade !! I want to get a system that will last me a few years, but at the same time I don't want to get "too much" for my needs if that is possible !!

As for my uses - I NEVER PLAY VIDEO GAMES, don't watch Movies and haven't done much with Video editing. Basically just Photo Editing with Photoshop CS2, Elements 4.0, and Lightroom along with Music Downloading / Burning, Surfing the Web and reading the POTN Forums !!

So is the i7-860 worth the extra $169 - or is that "over-kill" for my needs ??

Also, are there any other areas that you would "shave down" to save me some $$$ ??


Studio Mini-Tower ($800)
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q8300 (4MB L2, 2.5GHz, 1333FSB)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
8GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4DIMMs
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB
750GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
Integrated 16-in-1 Media Card Reader
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
No Speaker Option
No Monitor Option
1 Year Basic Service Plan

Studio XPS 8000 ($969)
Studio XPS 8000, Intel® Core™ i7-860 processor(8MB Cache, 2.80GHz)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 4 DIMMs
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB
640GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable AND 16x DVD-ROM Drive
No Speaker Option
No Monitor Option
2 Year Basic Service Plan

you do realize they are completely different systems right? Overall, the improvements in the case and psu alone are woth $50-100, and 2 year plan is usually +$100 anyway. You can easily add two more internal HDD (three if you remove the optical drive, or upgrade PSU AND add a pci-e card), with 1tb drives coming in at about $85

EDIT: Scratch the PSU, it's the same 350W model, not the 450W model in the 9000 model.

[Beski]

you do realize they are completely different systems right?

Actually NO !!

Can you explain what you mean by "2 Different Systems" ?!?!?!

I really don't have any idea of what the specs mean !! All I know is that my current system is about 7 years old with 512 Ram and 80GB Hard Drive. My Hard Drive has been 98% Full for the past 2 years and I am having trouble getting any photo edit software to work. It takes over 5 minutes for CS2 to open up, so I figured it was time to upgrade before I had a problem.

To me a Computer is a Computer !! I was trying to get the most I could afford. I had a $1,000 Budget and the Monitor was about $200 so the Core 2 Quad fits in nicely, but at the same time, I don't have a problem spending the extra $$ to get something better.

[In2Photos]

Actually NO !!

Can you explain what you mean by "2 Different Systems" ?!?!?!

I really don't have any idea of what the specs mean !! All I know is that my current system is about 7 years old with 512 Ram and 80GB Hard Drive. My Hard Drive has been 98% Full for the past 2 years and I am having trouble getting any photo edit software to work. It takes over 5 minutes for CS2 to open up, so I figured it was time to upgrade before I had a problem.

To me a Computer is a Computer !! I was trying to get the most I could afford. I had a $1,000 Budget and the Monitor was about $200 so the Core 2 Quad fits in nicely, but at the same time, I don't have a problem spending the extra $$ to get something better.
By two different systems he means.

Different CPUs - obviously right? Well they are different sockets so that leads to:
Different Motherboard which leads to:
Different RAM:

So the entire PC is different basically.

Aslo, the case and likely the PSU are different as well. XPS systems are usually better built.

If you are building to last you a while go with the i7 XPS 8000 machine.

[Kristy]

When my hard drive died in October, I ended up with one of these....
It was a little more money than I had intended to spend, but in the long run I think maybe
it was a good decision. It runs super fast and smoothly and really I am very happy with the performance.

It's a snap to download large files, and running multiple programs at once is not an issue anymore... :)

You can find it on sale an get a pretty deal on one, just don't buy it direct from Dell or you'll end spending a few hundred more... Just my 2-cents.

Dell - Studio XPS Desktop with Intel® Core™ i7 Processor - Black
Model: SX8000-2361 | SKU: 9532749
Intel® Core™ i7-860 processor; 8GB DDR3 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 1TB hard drive; wireless network mini card; Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

[Tigerkn]

Thanks OP for this post.
I am also looking into a new PC, either a desktop or laptop (mac or no-mac). I am still debating and looking into all options. Whichever way I go with, I plan to pick the Dell 2209WA anyway and hoping that I can still push for the $212 price. I do not play video game either so it would be mainly for web and photo PP. I will follow this post for advices. Thanks again!

[basroil]

By two different systems he means.

Different CPUs - obviously right? Well they are different sockets so that leads to:
Different Motherboard which leads to:
Different RAM:

So the entire PC is different basically.

Aslo, the case and likely the PSU are different as well. XPS systems are usually better built.

If you are building to last you a while go with the i7 XPS 8000 machine.

Forgot different case as well, much cooler looking (based off the studio xps 435T/9000), and features built in card readers too (average speed, close to what you get from a sandisk USB extreme, not as good as some of the new readers).


More or less, it's like saying it's a NiCad battery or Li-ION battery, from the outside you usually can't tell them apart too well (if you know what to look for, you can, and it's usually quite obvious), but the insides are completely different technologies. They both do the same thing (charge/discharge), but power and performance are completely different, in batteries you worry about internal resistance, self discharge, charge capacity, average voltage drop, etc; in computers you worry about memory speed, northbridge/southbridge speed, instruction sets, thread and processor counts, etc. The only thing that is worse about the i7 system is it's costs. But if for 20% increase in cost you get a 50% increase in performace (likely more if you look at lr2/photoshop tests), it's not a bad tradeoff

[Beski]

You can find it on sale an get a pretty deal on one, just don't buy it direct from Dell or you'll end spending a few hundred more... Just my 2-cents.

Shows how much I know...I thought you could only get it from Dell !!

I have it in my CART as we speak, so let me know some ideas of where to find "Deals" before I pull the trigger !!

Thanks,
Tom

[Kristy]

Shows how much I know...I thought you could only get it from Dell !!

I have it in my CART as we speak, so let me know some ideas of where to find "Deals" before I pull the trigger !!

Thanks,
Tom


Ha ha... I ended up getting mine at Best Buy. The sale price had expired and I sweet talked with the manager to get him to give me that price anyway.. Basically I told him I was going to buy the PC from whoever had the best price... and told him what I was hoping to pay for it... Then I asked him to step on over to his computer and tell me what his very best bottom line price that he could sell it to me for.... and promised I would take it today if it was what I was asking....

He went over looked it up, and said.. "gosh darn, you're right". So I smiled and said "ring it up mister"..... ( Since I never have a ton of cash flow, I put it on the 18-months no interest plan... $50 a month is affordable, and I plan to pay it off a lot more quickly, but if push comes to shove... I have an 18-month cushion). ;)

[In2Photos]

Ha ha... I ended up getting mine at Best Buy. The sale price had expired and I sweet talked with the manager to get him to give me that price anyway.. Basically I told him I was going to buy the PC from whoever had the best price... and told him what I was hoping to pay for it... Then I asked him to step on over to his computer and tell me what his very best bottom line price that he could sell it to me for.... and promised I would take it today if it was what I was asking....

He went over looked it up, and said.. "gosh darn, you're right". So I smiled and said "ring it up mister"..... ( Since I never have a ton of cash flow, I put it on the 18-months no interest plan... $50 a month is affordable, and I plan to pay it off a lot more quickly, but if push comes to shove... I have an 18-month cushion). ;)
So in other words, if we don't have the ability to bat our eyes at the manager we are screwed! :lol: I think Kristy will win this battle everytime! ;)

[Kristy]

So in other words, if we don't have the ability to bat our eyes at the manager we are screwed! :lol: I think Kristy will win this battle everytime! ;)

Ha ha... what I was really saying is that most retailers want to gain the sale... and if you ask kindly.. usually they will meet your request....

In light of your comment.. I'd suggest the "male" members of the forum seek out the "female" manager and try wearing some nice cologne, give her compliments on her shoes.... and pretend to listen to her babbling on about her 3 children for at least 4 minutes... that'll do the trick for sure.... lol...

Totally craking me up on this one Mike... :D

[Tigerkn]

^ this is great place, I can learn more than just photo stuffs :)

[TheFloridaShooter]

Get the i7 it screams in terms of speed. I noticed your using Adobe CS2 . Getting that loaded on a Windows 7 Operating System isn't going to be easy. I had a hard time getting CS3 to load. But I got it done.